HOW TO GET TO REDANG?

Kuala Lumpur will be your starting point.  From there, there are two ways to reach the island. The first is to fly to Kuala Terengganu from either KLIA or Subang and take a taxi or hotel provided shuttle to Syahbandar Jetty. Then take a ferry to the island. Or, you can choose to drive directly to the Jetty and leave your car there. Some resorts have their own private boats while others require you to take the public one.

Ferry Schedule, Check www.redangisland.org for ferry schedules.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOTELS AND RESORTS ON REDANG ISLAND:

Laguna Redang, www.lagunaredang.com.my

The Taaras, www.thetaaras.com

Redang Island Resort, www.redangislandresort.com

WHERE TO DIVE, SWIM, AND SNORKEL ON REDANG ISLAND WITH KIDS:

*  Marine Park – Each visitor to Redang Island is required to buy a ticket to the park when paying/signing - in for your ferry ride. It is a nominal fee of 5rm/adults and 2rm/children. Most hotels will offer a free daily boat ride to the park. Buy a loaf of bread at your hotel and you can enjoy the watching the fish swim right up to you. Even the youngest of swimmers can enjoy feeding the fish in the shallow waters.

*  Turtle Sanctuary – This is a paid excursion to visit the protected turtle breeding grounds in their private lagoon. After an interesting lesson in turtle conservation you will be allowed to snorkel in their lagoon. Since it is protected the coral reefs extend right up to the shores and even the most timid of snorkelers can simple sit on the short and stick their face in the water to have a look around.

*  Open Water Snorkeling - For the more confident swimmers, taking a boat out to the deeper reefs offers great underwater views and a chance to see much larger fish, turtles, and even sharks!

*  Hotel Beach – A majority of the hotels on Redang Island are located within two large connected coves and the waters directly in front of them have plenty to see. When you tire of playing in the soft white sand, you can simply walk into the water and enjoy. For a few ringgit per loaf of bread, kids can enjoy feeding the fish every day.

EXTRA TIPS: WHAT TO BRING AND WHAT TO RENT THERE?

*  Most hotels have life jackets available to rent and they are often required if taking any excursion.

*  They do rent snorkels for the same price and time, but they do not have children’s snorkels for rent.

What to bring:

*  Some kids find the life vests to be a bit chafing so a rash guard/swim shirt helps a lot.

*  If this is going to be your first time taking your kids snorkeling, we would highly recommend buying a set for them to try out at home ahead of time. Most of the snorkeling locations do not allow fins as they can damage the coral in shallow waters so unless you plan on scuba diving, they aren’t really necessary.