Johor Bahru to Pangkor Island by coach and ferry

Pangkor Island is a popular resort island located off the coast of Manjung, Perak. The 18km² island is known for its pristine beaches, resorts, and tranquil fishing villages.

 


Part 1: Larkin Sentral (Johor Bahru) to Lumut by S&S International coach

As usual, my journey starts at Larkin Sentral, the (coach) gateway to Johor Bahru. Larkin Sentral has six daily coach services to Lumut, two in the morning, four at night.




If you have not got your ticket yet, you may buy one from any of the ticketing machines located at the ground floor.



For tickets purchased online, you will need to check-in at counters 9 thru 14. A boarding pass will be issued.




My boarding pass for 9.30pm S&S International Larkin Sentral - Lumut coach.





The departure hall can be accessed 30 minutes before departure.




Scanning my boarding pass at the gantry.



Inside the air-conditioned departure hall.




Heading towards boarding berth after boarding calls were made. S&S International has three simultaneous departures at 9.30pm - in addition to my coach to Lumut, there were coaches to Kluang and Segamat.









Interior of the coach. S&S International coaches are fitted with APM CET48I seats.




Departed on time at 9.30pm.




Entering North South Expressway at Skudai Interchange.




1.5 hours after departure, the coach made its only rest stop at a petrol kiosk near Ayer Hitam.




First stop, Ipoh, 4.45am. The majority of the passengers got off at this stop. 




Stop no. 2, Seri Iskandar




Stop no. 3, Sitiawan.




Stop no. 3, Seri Manjung.




And finally, stop no. 4, Lumut. The entire journey took exactly 9 hours.




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Part 2: Lumut to Pangkor Island by ferry

Lumut is a coastal town located at the mouth of the Manjung River. Once a small, unknown fishing town, Lumut has since become an important port town of Perak complete with a naval base, a naval shipyard, and a civilian port.




Lumut Jetty is located within a stone's throw of the bus terminal.



Ticket counters are located right before the jetty entrance.




A return ticket to Pangkor costs RM14.




View of the Lumut Jetty.



There are three scheduled ferry operators - Pan Silver, Duta Pangkor, and Mesra Feri.

Pan Silver operates single-deck, narrow-body boats with its engines located below the passenger cabin.




Duta  Pangkor operates single-deck, narrow-body boats with its engines located behind the passenger cabin. 




Mesra Feri operates double-decker boats with an outdoor seating area.




Interior of Pan Silver 1.




View of Lumut town.




Lumut is also the home base of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Seen here were KD Hang Tuah (museum ship, ex-HMS Mermaid), KD Jebat (Lekiu-class frigate), KD Sri Indera Sakti, and KD Mahawangsa.



Sailing towards Pangkor at a modest speed of 12 knots.




Passing by Sungai Pinang Kecil.




Arrived at Pangkor Jetty 35 minutes later.




In an effort to boost Pangkor's economy and tourism value, the island will be gazetted as a duty-free island in 2020.



Pangkor Jetty is located at the northern end of Pekan Pangkor.




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Bonus Travelogue: Lumut to Ipoh by Bus

If you are unable to take a direct coach to/from Lumut, either due to fully-booked seats or undesirable coach timings, you may opt to connect via Ipoh where there are more coaches and departure timings.

Perak's de facto state bus operator Perak Transit has six daily services between Lumut and Ipoh's Terminal Amanjaya/Meru Raya.



If Perak Transit's departure timings are not up to liking, you may try your luck with other operators.



Ticket to Ipoh costs RM11.




Perak Transit uses a fleet of 28-seat Kinglong buses for its long-distance routes.



Interior of the Kinglong 28-seater bus.




Stop no. 1, Seri Manjung. This terminal is the primary bus gateway to Sitiawan.




Entering the partially-opened West Coast Expressway (E32) at Sitiawan North Interchange. West Coast Expressway is an upcoming 233-kilometre expressway connecting Banting, Selangor to Taiping, Perak via coastal towns such as Kuala Selangor, Sekinchan, Teluk Intan, and Sitiawan.




At present, only certain sections of the expressway are open to traffic, with most other sections being still under construction.




Exiting the expressway at Changkat Cermin.




Stop no. 2, Seri Iskandar.




Entering Ipoh.




Entering Terminal Amanjaya/Meru Raya's bus ramp.




Arrived at Ipoh 2.5 hours later.




From Terminal Amanjaya/Meru Raya, you can take take intercity coaches to most parts of Malaysia. Ipoh has better coach connection than Lumut as it is the capital and main population centre of Perak.




(THE END)