How To Get To Tioman Island From Penang Malaysia?

Tioman Island has amazing white sand beaches with a lush jungle backdrop to enjoy and awesome jungle treks. It is very accessible from Mersing, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur, around 7 hours from Penang.

Tioman Island is blessed with numerous coral reefs and marine life making it a popular place for scuba diving and snorkeling. And relaxing on the beach is also popular. The island is mostly covered by a green lush rainforest making it a good place to go hiking and exploring the forest.

We will cover the best ways you can get to Tioman Island from Penang Malaysia, either by bus, train, or plane.

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Best Time To Travel To Tioman Island Malaysia

Tioman Island is an all-year-round destination. There are two seasons which are the rainy season and the dry season.

The rainy season happens from November to February with an average temperature of around 32°C. With dry season from February to November, with an average temperature of around 30°C.

The best time to visit Tioman Island is between May to August.

Does Tioman Island Have An Airport?

Yes but unfortunately the airport at present has no airlines using it except for one operator that is offering regular charter services.

How Far is Tioman Island From Penang in Malaysia?

The total distance between Penang and Tioman Island is roughly about 520 km.

How To Get To Tioman Island From Penang in Malaysia?

Going from Penang to Tioman Island, there are 3 options.

Use the bus and then the ferry.
Get the train, bus, and then the ferry.
Get the planes, bus, and then the ferry.

Getting To Tioman Island From Penang by Bus And Ferry

This takes between 14 to 17 hours. There is no direct bus from Penang to Tioman. You will need to change the bus to Kuala Lumpur. Then from Kuala Lumpur to Mersing, where you need to get a ferry to Tioman Island.

There are 3 daily ferries and in the low season, there are 2. Check the ferry timetables as they can be affected by the weather.

To get the bus to Tioman Island from Penang, you need to do the following.

Get the bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. This takes about 5 hours.
Once at Kuala Lumpur Bus Terminal, then change the bus that is going to Mersing. This takes about 7 hours.
Once you get to Mersing, the bus terminal is roughly a 15-minute walk from the ferry terminal where ferries leave for Tioman.
At the Mersing ferry terminal, get the ferry to Tioman Island.

Get To Tioman Island From Penang By Train, Bus, And Ferry

There is no train service directly to Tioman Island but the train stops in Kuala Lumpur. Where to change bus to Mersing, where you need to get a ferry to Tioman.

To get the train to Tioman Island, you need to do the following.

Get the train from Butterworth in Penang to Kuala Lumpur Sentral.
When in KL Sentral, take a short KTM Komuter train to the TBS Bus Terminal.
Once at the Kuala Lumpur TBS Bus Terminal, then get the bus that is going to Mersing.
Once you get to Mersing, the bus terminal is roughly about a 15-minute walk from the jetty where ferries leave for Tioman.
At the Mersing ferry terminal, get the ferry to Tioman Island.

Get To Tioman Island From Penang By Plane, Bus, And Ferry

This is the most expensive option but the fastest. There are no direct flights to Tioman Island but you can get a flight to Johor Bahru (JHB). AirAsia provides regular flights to Johor Bahru (JHB) from Penang.

To get the Plane from Penang to Tioman Island, you need to do the following.

Get the flight from Penang to Johor Bahru airport. It takes about 1 hour and 10 mins.
At Johor Bahru airport, you have to get to Mersing. There are 2 options. The first option is to get a taxi or use the Grab app to bring you to the Mersing ferry terminal. The second option is to get the bus from the airport to the Larkin Bus Terminal. From Larking to Mersing.
Once you get to Mersing, the bus terminal is roughly about a 15-minute walk from the jetty where ferries leave for Tioman.
At the Mersing ferry terminal, get the ferry to Tioman Island.

Amazing Things To Do In Tioman Island Malaysia

Tioman Island is a beautiful place, especially for those, who want to relax beach, relax, and enjoy the lush jungle and the awesome jungle treks.

Here is our list of things to do on Tioman Island Malaysia.

Go Scuba Diving.
Explore The Island.
Relax On The Beach.
Go Hiking.
Go Snorkeling.

Read more about things to do on Tioman Island here.

USEFUL TRAVEL RESOURCES

Book Accommodation

Booking.com has a large range of properties from hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts where you will find the best deals. Airbnb and Hostelworld also have a good range of places to stay at good prices.

Booking Flight

Skyscanner is a flight search comparison website that searches millions of flights all at once. Ultimately it is the best flight comparison website online at the moment.

Booking Transportation & Things To Do

Rome2rio and 12Go are useful to plan how to get anywhere by searching train, bus, car, and ferry routes. Especially useful in countries like Vietnam or Thailand. While Klook is great for exploring things to do in each place.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it but you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you are covered in case of an emergency. World Nomads have great customer service and competitive prices.

Check out our resource page for the best companies to use when you travel.

Wrapping Up

Finally, now you know how to get to Tioman Island from Penang. The best option is to go by bus from Penang as it is cheaper than a plane. Otherwise, the plane would be the best option. If you choose the bus or train you may need to plan for a night in KL or try and get an overnight bus.

Ultimately you will have to decide on whether to go there by plane, bus or train but that depends on time and your budget.

And that’s it for now! I’d love it if this post on how to get to Tioman Island from Penang Malaysia was helpful to you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there are any other ways to get to Tioman Island from Penang.