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Tioman beaches - Salang Beach, Monkey Bay, Panuba Bay, ABC, Tekek, Genting, Juara

Tioman remains as it was in 2005 , our last visit to the island. It has been a long overdue trip and we were well pleased to see that there has not been too much of an overdevelopment on the island. It's nice to know that the ambitious plan to build a full fledged airport on tioman has been scrapped (for the moment) . Although the marina is up and running and the Tioman Development Council has set up an esplanade wanna-be on one end of the tekek beach (closer to the marine jetty), nothing else seems to have changed.

Monsoon Season Stay on Tioman

Tioman is one island that is great during the monsoon season. I don't know why we always end up visiting always at the tail end of the summer season but it never fails to delight us. The sun is out, the beaches are empty and the accommodation rates are at a huge discount. Best of all, the local folks have time for us. They sit around and chat, just like what it used to be , before the time of tourists ... before the time of 'money talk'. Okay, perhaps not all days are sunny days during the monsoon and on some days, the rains could last a while. And if you're taking the fast ferry in, the sea travel can be incredibly choppy. (you'll be happy to know that the boat operator also provides barf bags, as many as you like to have!)

Many of the operators will continue to open for the entire monsoon season. This is especially so at Tekek, ABC , Salang and Juara where the local villages are. These operators also reside in tioman so it's just as well that they open their chalets for business and receive the odd traveller or so.

Juara itself is a hive of bustle during the height of monsoon ie December and January. Surfers from abroad are slowly finding their footing in malaysia and Juara is one of their main surfing points in Malaysia. However, unlike other countries.. tioman can only offer big surfs during the monsoon season when the south china seas begin to churn and the rains start to pelt down.

Currently Getting to Tioman is still a little confusing. The fast ferry is up and running and is a lot better than the speedboat that were used earlier. These fast ferries are much bigger, have toilets, air conditioning , movies on board and an outside deck for smokers. During monsoon seasons, the frequency may drop to just once a day and the time schedule depends entirely on the boat operators. So, before you go get yourself all riled about the boat schedules, give yourself some extra days as contigency if you get stranded on the island or cant get a boat out to the island.

Tioman's tourism cycle seems to have gone a full circle. It has gone from paradise to tourist haven to travellers' haunt to exploitation and now it's recovering and rehabilitating to become an island more respected for its beautiful dive sites and environs. We hope it stays that way , for Tioman is a gem and is worth every effort and understanding to keep it that way.

Accommodation and Holiday Packages to Johor ~ Johor Baru, Mersing, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Besar, Pulau Rawa, Pulau Aur, Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Sibu, Endau Rompin National Park and Surroundings

Malaysia Islands