The Perhentian Islands are a small group of beautiful, coral-fringed islands off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, not far from the Thai border.
Perhentian (pronounced Perhen-TEE-AHN, not Perhen-SHEN) means "place to stop" in Malay, and the islands got their name as a staging point used by traders traveling from Malaysia to Bangkok.
The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Small Perhentian"). Kecil attracts more travellers as it has cheaper accommodation, while Besar is a little more expensive and caters more to families and those who want to avoid the backpacker party scene.
The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara, Seringgi and Rawa lie off Kecil. All the islands belong to a protected marine park, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited.
This being the case, the islands are currently suffering which is soon to result in an environmental catastrophe due to the non-removal of waste, such as bottles, bags and much more.
Garbage barges in the coves/bays are generally being collected by the marine park. However, when they are not, the garbage falls off the barge, washing up on the shores of the beautiful beaches. When you arrive at the jetty in Kuala Besut, you are made to pay a marine park fee, which is used to pay for services such as this.
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