Travel destinations: Kapas Island, Malaysia

Imagine spending your vacation on a small island in Malaysia. Kapus Island (which means Cotton Island) is one such destination you can choose where you have exotic scenery and white sandy beaches. This is a preferred weekend destination by the locals, but during the week the beaches are not crowded at all. This island is also home to several world-class resorts where you have luxurious amenities at your fingertips.

Kapus Island is a short boat ride from the village of Marang in the South China Sea. The island is only tiny, measuring 2 km long by 1 km wide. There are two strips of beach facing the mainland and the rest of the island is forested, providing a natural habitat for all kinds of birds and animals. The colourful reefs along the beach are home to a wide variety of marine life. Here you can see pufferfish, parrotfish, clams and larger species such as giant eels and rays. Snorkelling is a wonderful experience on this island. The waters are always calm making swimming a one of kind experience.

While most visitors do come for the sun and the sand, you can’t miss out on the other activities Kapus Island has to offer. These include taking a trek through the jungle, scuba diving, taking a tour around the island by boat at sunrise and canoeing. The atmosphere is quite laid back.

Even though the official language is Bahasa Malaysia, English is widely spoken. Although the island is isolated, there are excellent telephone communications. You can make international calls from your hotel room and there are phone booths all over the island that accept both coins and calling cards. It is not mandatory that you add a tip to your bill at the hotels, resorts and restaurants, but it is widely practiced. The tap water is perfectly safe to drink, but the hotels do provide bottled water for the guests.

The currency used on Kapus Island is the Malaysian Ringgit (RM) and sen. Most establishments do accept traveller’s cheques and credit cards. If you do exchange your money for Malaysian currency before you leave home, you are only permitted to bring RM 10,000 into the country with you. The electricity runs of a 240 circuit, which means you will need to have an adaptor if you want to bring any of your small electrical devices with you, such as a hairdryer. The only health risks you need to be aware of and be vaccinated for is yellow fever and this does not apply to all areas.

Enjoy a spectacular retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the larger centers when you choose to visit Kapus Island. Here you will find a retreat like none other where you are surrounded by crystal clear waters and white sand with the sun shining down on you every day.