Pangkor or Rawa for first-timers from KL?

Both are reachable choices for a first trip from Kuala Lumpur, and the deciding numbers are the road to the jetty, the boat and the rooms. Pangkor has a crossing of about 30 to 45 minutes from Lumut, or 10 to 15 from Marina Island. Rawa has a resort speedboat of 20 to 30 minutes from Mersing and five listed room types. Road times from Kuala Lumpur are not in our research, so check them for your own start point.

Our guide to choosing a Malaysian island puts both in context, and the jetty connection planner lets you test your start point.

How do the two compare side by side?

	Pangkor	Rawa
Jetty	Lumut Jetty or Marina Island, Perak	Mersing Jetty, Johor
Boat	Lumut about 30 to 45 minutes [1]; Marina Island about 10 to 15 minutes [2]	Resort speedboat 20 to 30 minutes, ferry about 1 hour [4]
Rooms	Not listed in research for the island as a whole	Five types listed [5]
Meals	Ask each resort	Three buffet meals daily, compulsory [6]
Road from KL	Check yourself	Check yourself

The practical implication: Rawa gives you a clear room and meal picture from one source, while Pangkor asks you to compare resorts yourself.

How do you count the road?

For each route, count the road from your door to the jetty, the wait and the boat. Our guide on Klang Valley to Lumut for Pangkor by road covers the Pangkor leg, and our guide on Kuala Lumpur to Mersing for Tioman and Rawa covers the Rawa leg.

If you start in Ipoh, our page on Ipoh to Lumut for Pangkor is shorter still. Write the three numbers for each island, then compare the totals.

What does the room range look like?

Rawa’s resort lists Hillside Deluxe, Beachview or Beachfront Chalet, Waterfront Bungalow, Frangipani Villa and Water Villa ^[5]. That is a wide range in one place, with board included.

For Pangkor, research describes a resort reached by a short speedboat of about 15 minutes from Marina Island ^[3], with transfers booked separately. Ask each Pangkor stay for its room types, its floor and its meal plan, since the island has more than one kind of stay. See the Pangkor Laut Resort page for what we confirmed.

A better fit if…

Pangkor may be a better fit if:

• you want a short crossing and are happy to compare resorts.
• you start closer to Lumut than to Mersing.

Rawa may be a better fit if:

• you want a single resort with board and room styles in one price.
• you are happy with a Mersing road leg.

Another island is a better fit if you want a long list of cheap places to stay. Our page on Rawa and Pulau Besar as a two-island trip looks at a wider Mersing plan.

When is the season?

Most east-coast resorts close during the northeast monsoon, roughly November to February or March ^[7]. Exact dates vary by resort and year. Our research did not confirm Pangkor’s season, so ask for it in writing.

Questions to send both

• What is the boat time on my dates, and how long is the crossing?
• Which room types are available, and on which floor?
• Which meals are included?
• What is the transfer fee, and is it booked separately?
• What is the cancellation rule if the boat cannot sail?

Send the same list to both and compare with the resort inclusion comparator.