Pulau Rawa Island – Excellent Beach Holiday in Malaysia

Pulau Rawa Island is one of the few places in Malaysia that has the best beaches and waters that I have been to. If you are looking for a perfect beach holiday, I suggest you give this place a try.

I also have another posting about Rawa Island Resort but that was about the place in general with accommodation with contact info for those interested.

Pulau Rawa Island

Traveling to Pulau Rawa or Rawa Island is via boat from the Mersing jetty. It is also halfway to Tioman Island, which is a very popular destination.

Normal boat operators will not take you there so you need to book the Rawa Safaris boat. The office is on the left side of the Mersing jetty area. Some tour operators at the jetty have packages too.

The beautiful views and white sand beaches

So this article will be about what to do and where to go while staying at the Rawa Island Resort here in Johor, Malaysia.

Again, if you have not read my other posting, I suggest you read that posting before reading this or vice versa. This is one of the last few almost-perfect paradise places left in West Malaysia.

The picture above shows the slide during the low tide so not advisable to try it then. When the tide comes in, the water reaches to about waist level and is perfect for that landing. This is a kid winner!

Rawa Safaris Island Resort also has a sports shop catering to all non-motorized activities. They have scuba and snorkeling gear for rent. We did not go diving as the both of us do not dive so snorkeling was what we did.

Mind you that if you dive, you need to be well experienced to do so there as there are no in house dive masters. If not, there are darts in the restaurant bar.

I had brought along some bread to feed them and was impressed. Not only the small coral fish came the larger ones too.

We were both shocked to see that the fishes actually made their way to the food which was where the waves break. 

I mean, who carves a crocodile out of the sand on their holiday? Well, now I know that there are people who are pretty talented. 

WWII Torpedo at Rawa Island, Malaysia

Exploring around Rawa Safaris Island Resort, I came across this World War II Torpedo resting along the walkways to your rooms. And yes, I touched it out of curiosity.

They have a small hill that I trekked up to explore at the lookout point. It can be dangerous if you are drunk. So if you plan to do this, please be careful.

On reaching the top after a 5-minute trek, the view was simply breathtaking. You could see almost all around the island and the surrounding islands there.

Back of the island from the hill

At one part of the hill, you get to see the back of Rawa Island which is all rocks and cliffs. Nature at it’s best I would say.

If you are bringing children there, please be advised to keep an eye on them as this place is a trek and there are no safety barriers except for a small stretch of chrome barrier.

One wrong move and you would be seeing a close up of the bottom of the cliff. Again, one needs to exercise extreme caution when going up here.

Resident peacock on Rawa Island

At the compound of the resort, you will come across a few beautiful peacock birds who are residents of the Rawa Safaris Island Resort.

Some of them are not camera-shy but when you try to get too close, the will move off, so please do not go chasing them. 

Rawa Safaris Island Resort Jetty

Another great way to spend the evening just before the buffet dinner is to just sit at the jetty and watch the amazing sunset.

Wooden benches are provided for you to sit and observe the beautiful sunsets here, and the jetty is actually so huge that you could throw a sunset party just on the jetty.

Pulau Rawa sunset

And the sunset came. Imagine this – Peaceful, no kids running around, no groups of teenagers partying, no bar music playing away. Just you, the wind and the sunset.

Rawa Island Jetty at night

Walking back to the resort restaurant for the excellent buffet dinner, I could not help but take the jetty picture as it was all lit up so nicely.

If you ever make it to Rawa Island, I trust you will truly enjoy yourself here, provided it is not during the peak season or school holidays.

If you are the city type of person, there is no cell phone service, no TV, no Astro, no other bars, cafes and no nothing except for the resort and its beauty.

Remember, this is one of the few private islands left to cater to those who enjoy privacy, and of course at a price.

What is on Pulau Rawa?

There are only two accommodations on this small island. One of them is the Rawa Island Resort, and the other being a backpacker lodge.

Rawa Island Resort is a luxury self-sustained resort that offers various rooming styles. You can choose from seaside bungalows, beachside chalets or the standard garden or hillside rooms.

The backpacker lodge is called Alangs Rawa, which apparently only caters to foreign backpackers and not locals. Both accommodations are located side by side.

Apart from that, there is nothing else on the island, except beautiful beaches and a hiking trail all the way to the top of the hill.

Beautiful island view of Pulau Rawa

Where Is Pulau Rawa? 

This island is located off the coast of Johor, and halfway towards Tioman Island. Johor is the southmost state in Peninsular Malaysia.

As this is a private island, they do not allow any day-trippers to visit this place. This simply means you need to book your stay here in order to visit this beautiful island.

How To Get To Pulau Rawa? 

The only possible way to get here is via a private boat service, which is run by the Rawa Island Resort.

General Tioman Island ferries will not make a stopover on this island, even if you ask them to do so. This is a private island.

The private speedboat will take you 30 minutes from the Mersing Jetty to get here, and this is arranged by the resort office when you book your stay here.

The beach villas at Rawa Island

When Is The Best Time To Visit Pulau Rawa? 

It is said that the best time to visit here is from late March till September. The monsoon season kicks in from October till early March.

For the privacy seekers, avoid the Singaporean and Malaysian school holiday break as it will be most likely overcrowded here. Long weekends also tend to attract many locals.

March is a good time to visit Rawa Island, and also just before the monsoon season in September.

Final Thoughts to Pulau Rawa Island

Pulau Rawa Island is definitely a place to explore if you want a beautiful and wonderful holiday minus the crowds. It is also an excellent choice for a honeymoon holiday in Malaysia.