Kapas Island

Kapas means cotton, for the sand, and the island is small - two kilometres by less than one - lying a quarter of an hour off Marang with a string of beaches on the sheltered western side and cliffs and forest behind. It is a marine park, the water is shallow and clear enough to snorkel straight from the sand, and the coral, while not the standard of the Perhentians, is close and easy. What sets Kapas apart is scale: there is no proper road, no town, a handful of small chalet places, no nightlife to speak of, and it is possible to walk the length of the inhabited coast in half an hour. A trail crosses the spine to the quieter eastern beaches. Pulau Gemia sits just off the north end. Everything closes for the monsoon.

What you actually see

• White sand beaches - a string of them along the sheltered western side.
• Snorkelling from the shore - shallow clear water with coral close in.
• A crossing trail - over the forested spine to the empty eastern beaches.
• Almost no development - small chalets, no town, no road.

When to go

March to October; closed for the monsoon. Two days.

Honest expectations

It closes entirely from about November to February. Facilities are basic and power can be limited. Coral shows bleaching in places. Day-trippers crowd the main beach at midday.

Nearby

Marang is the mainland jetty; Kuala Terengganu is north.