Teluk Dalam seen from Berjaya's hill view rooms.
Visiting season is between March to October each year. Resorts close during the northeast monsoon season from November to early March, which brings heavy rain and rough seas. Redang has a tropical climate with daily temperatures between 22-33°C and a relative humidity between 80-87%.
Check
the weather forecast
and storm warnings especially if
visiting near monsoon season.
TOP: Resorts are closed for monsoon. MIDDLE & BOTTOM: Deserted Pasir Panjang beach in October.
| 2010 Holidays | Malaysia | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fri 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Chinese New Year | Sun²-Mon 14-15 Feb | Sun²-Mon 14-15 Feb |
| Prophet Muhammad's b/day | Fri 26 Feb | - |
| Good Friday | - | Fri 2 Apr |
| Labour Day | Sat 1 May | Sat 1 May |
| Vesak Day | Fri 28 May | Fri 28 May |
| King's birthday | Sat 5 Jun | - |
| National Day | Tue 31 Aug | Mon 9 Aug |
| Hari Raya Puasa | Fri-Sat 10-11 Sep* | Fri 10 Sep |
| Deepavali | Fri 5 Nov | Fri 5 Nov |
| Hari Raya Haji | Wed-Thu 17-18 Nov* | Wed 17 Nov |
| Awal Muharam | Tue 7 Dec | - |
| Christmas Day | Sat 25 Dec | Sat 25 Dec |
| School hols | Malaysia | Singapore |
| School vacation | 13-21 Mar | 13-21 Mar |
| School vacation | 5-20 Jun | 29 May-27 Jun |
| School vacation | 4-12 Sep | 4-12 Sep |
| School vacation | 20 Nov-2 Jan | 20 Nov-31 Dec |
¹following Monday holiday; ²following Tuesday holiday; *subject to change
The busiest months are from May to August, particularly during June school holidays in Malaysia and Singapore. March and October are perfect for almost-empty beaches. Going at different times of the year may also offer seasonal encounters with certain marine life. Green turtles usually nest in their greatest numbers in August while September is probably the best month to spot migratory whale sharks.
In most parts of Malaysia, weekends fall on Saturday and Sunday. In Terengganu and Kelantan states, Thursdays and Fridays are weekend days, with Friday a full off-day as many of the local Muslim residents visit the mosques for Friday prayers. So don't be surprised to see many shops closed if you are in Kuala Terengganu on Fridays. Normal weekends are still busy periods for Redang as many visitors come from other states.
Resorts at Redang open during the non-monsoon months from as early as mid-February to mid- or end-October. Different resorts have different specific opening and closing dates but all are open by 1 March and close by 1 Nov. The best time to visit is between April to September when seas are generally calm. The sea may begin to get choppy close to monsoon season. As Redang can get pretty crowded during Malaysian holidays, Singaporean holidays and long weekends, avoid these holidays if you can and use the holiday chart below to plan your trip.
We are not tour agents and are not in the travel business. We DO NOT provide quotes for resorts, packages or tours.
For such information, we suggest you contact a reliable tour operator such as
Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours (+609-6262020 (KT)
+603-42808030 (KL)).
We can safely recommend them as we have been their satisfied customers since 1998. They have garnered numerous Malaysian Tourism Awards including Best Domestic Tour Operator.

Ping Anchorage's KT office.
How long one should stay at Redang depends on how much one enjoys the sun, sea and sand. Most visitors stay at least 3D/2N which is short enough for a quick weekend getaway but we feel this is quite a rush. If you're going to be travelling quite a while or distance to get here, we recommend at least 4D/3N to at least be able to relax and enjoy the island. However long you choose to stay, try to book your package, accommodation or transfers in advance to make sure you get the dates you want.
To book a package, follow the 3 simple steps below:
Once you arrive in KT or Merang, you should be well taken care of. Logistics involving land and sea transfers are usually smooth and well-coordinated. Visitors will be transferred to the appropriate jetty to catch their speedboat. Check the Transport section for more details.
Although it's possible for walk-in guests without prior bookings to purchase ferry tickets at Merang or Shahbandar jetty, hop on a ferry to Redang, check out the resorts first before walking into one and checking in, we recommend you book your accommodation, land and sea transfers in advance as room availability can be scarce especially during the peak season.
If you still want to take a chance and do walk-in registrations, your best bet is to head for Pasir Panjang as that is where most of the resorts are located and you'll have a higher chance of finding one with vacancies. Unlike some islands, you can't beach-hop in Redang to look for other resorts on other beaches as there are no water taxis plying between the different beaches where the resorts are located, so you're sort of stuck at the beach you're at.
The ferry schedules are not suitable for day trippers. Even if you catch the first boat out around 9am, you'll only have about 3 hours on the island before the last ferry leaves the island around 1pm. The best option is to look for a full-day boat charter package that allows you to explore the island at your own time but you usually need to have a minimum number of people for the boat (unless you have deep-enough pockets to charter a boat all to yourself!). Some tour operators like Ping Anchorage offer a day-trip to Redang with a fixed itinerary. For flexibility, look for personalized boat charters like those offered by Deutzia Nautical run by Derek and Quee. They can customize your itinerary, including trips to Redang and neighbouring islands for snorkelling or canoeing complete with meals on board or even lunch in Redang if you wish.
If you're making your own way to KT and need pickup, make sure you tell the resort or travel agent your date and time of arrival in KT and the plane or coach details. You should also inform them of your return trip details so they can advise you when you should check out to catch your boat back to the mainland for your connecting flight or coach.
There is strong MAXIS, DIGI and CELCOM mobile signal coverage in Redang where the resorts are located. However, you should still give the number of the resort to the people who may need to get in touch with you in case of emergencies as you probably won't have your mobile with you when you're out in the water.
There is no cash withdrawal machine (ATM) on the island, so bring enough cash to spend on equipment rentals, snacks and drinks and souvenirs. Some of the bigger resorts accept credit card payments.
There are in-house medical doctors at Laguna and Berjaya that are available to visitors from other resorts too so there is no need to bring a lot of first-aid supplies, just your own personal medication. Emergency medical cases are usually rushed back to the mainland for treatment.
Souvenir shops at (top to bottom) Pelangi, Redang Beach, Berjaya and Laguna resorts.
There are sundry shops in most resorts selling daily essentials, snacks and tidbits, so you need not bring everything as if you were going into a completely uninhabited Castaway-style island (and you certainly don't need to bring a volleyball named Wilson either!). Here's a simple checklist: