Planning a holiday on Pangkor Island? Fantastic! This is a beautiful part of Malaysia, with lovely beaches, laid-back villages and plenty of opportunities to relax.
However, before you can start enjoying island life, you need to work out how to get there.
Thankfully, travelling to Pangkor Island is relatively straightforward once you understand the journey. There’s no road connection to the mainland, so you’ll need to travel to one of two ferry terminals and then catch a boat across.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through all your options, including travelling by bus, car, taxi and ferry. I’ll explain the differences between the two ferry terminals, share my own experiences using both and help you decide which route is best for you.
I’ll also cover how to reach Pangkor Island from popular starting points, including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Penang and Ipoh, so you can plan your entire journey with confidence.
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Contents
How To Get To Pangkor Island
Getting to Pangkor Island involves two steps:
- Travel to either Lumut or Marina Island on the mainland.
- Catch a passenger ferry across to Pangkor Island.
There is no bridge or road connecting Pangkor Island to mainland Malaysia, so you’ll need to take a ferry regardless of whether you travel by bus, taxi or car.
You have two main ferry options:
| Ferry terminal | Ferry journey | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Lumut Pangkor Ferry Jetty | Approximately 35–40 minutes | Travellers arriving by bus |
| Marina Island Jetty Complex | Approximately 10 minutes | Travellers driving or taking a private transfer who want a shorter crossing |
Both services arrive at Pangkor Town, where you can catch one of the island’s distinctive pink taxi vans to your accommodation.
Below, I’ll explain how to reach the ferry terminals before walking you through the ferry journeys themselves.
Staying at Pangkor Laut Resort? Pangkor Laut is a separate private island next to Pangkor Island. You’ll need to take the resort’s dedicated speedboat from Marina Island rather than either of the regular public ferries described in this guide. Confirm your boat transfer directly with the resort before travelling.
Part 1: How To Get To Lumut/Marina Island Ferry Terminals
You have multiple options for how to get to the ferry terminals. The option you pick determines which ferry terminal is best. I describe them below.
Option 1: Flight To Pangkor Island
If you are wondering if you can fly to Pangkor Island, you can stop wondering. While it used to be possible, it no longer is.
However, depending on where you are starting your journey from, it can make sense to fly nearby.
The closest airport is Ipoh.
This is what I did when I travelled to Pangkor Island from Singapore.
Once you get to Ipoh, you can take a bus or taxi to the ferry terminals or hire a car and drive yourself. I’ll explain these options further below.
If you’re travelling internationally, other than from Singapore, and can’t find a suitable flight to Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur is another practical arrival point. You can then travel overland to Pangkor Island.
Click here for all the latest flight prices.
Option 2: Bus To Pangkor Island
Travelling by bus to Pangkor is a good option if you are not too far away. There are many buses to Lumut from all over Peninsular Malaysia, particularly the west coast and Kuala Lumpur. There are also multiple buses a day from Singapore. If you are travelling Melaka to Pangkor Island, this is the way to go as well.
Lumut Bus Station is a two-minute walk from the ferry terminal which makes it a great place to catch a bus for Pangkor. When exiting Lumut Bus Station, turn left and walk one block before turning right onto the covered walkway leading to the ferry terminal. There is more information on the path here.
Some of the buses travelling this route are very comfortable.
To find out if you can bus directly from your place of origin in Malaysia, click here for the latest bus timetables and ticket prices.
Option 3: Getting to Pangkor Island By Car/Taxi
Whether you have your own car or a hire car, you can easily drive to either Lumut or Marina Island. The journey from Kuala Lumpur generally takes around 3–3.5 hours in favourable traffic conditions, while travelling from George Town in Penang takes approximately 2.5–3 hours, depending on traffic and your chosen terminal.
There is parking available near both terminals. From the parking lot in Lumut, there is a nice, undercover walkway between the car park and the terminal with shops and eating outlets for last minute supplies.
Click here to hire a car in Malaysia.
You can also take a private taxi to either of the ferry terminals. The cost will depend on where you’re travelling from.
This is the easiest and most comfortable way. We can book a taxi for you with a safe and trustworthy local operator.
Click here for more details and prices.
Click here to read more about driving in Malaysia.
Part 2: How To Travel To Pangkor Island By Ferry
There are two mainland ferry terminals serving Pangkor Island: Lumut Pangkor Ferry Jetty and Marina Island Jetty Complex.
Both ferries arrive at Pangkor Town, but the journey times, departure schedules and booking arrangements differ.
Both options currently cost RM10 each way, but you’ll need to buy a return ticket.
I have used both ferry services, so I’ll walk you through what to expect at each terminal.
Option 1: Lumut Pangkor Ferry Jetty
This is my preferred option if you’re arriving by bus, as the jetty is only a short walk from Lumut Bus Station. It also has more ferry options, especially during the week.
The ferry from Lumut to Pangkor Island takes about 35–40 minutes and arrives in Pangkor Town. The ferry operator is Konsortium Mesra Duta.
It’s a quick two-minute walk from the bus terminal to the Lumut jetty to Pangkor Island.
You can buy tickets from the ticket counter to the right of the building but it is super easy to book online. I bought mine through Easybook here. I only needed to show my ticket on my phone. There was no need to get paper tickets on arrival.
Click here to check the latest timetables and book your ferry ticket to Pangkor Island.
There is a seating area to wait for your boat.
Once called up, you simply walk along the walkway to your boat.
The boat had eight seats per row with a walkway in the middle. You can see it pictured above.
Luggage is stored at the start of the seating area. It’s all very easy but note that you’ll need to be able to carry your own luggage up and down a few stairs in both Pangkor and Lumut.
There’s no assigned seating in either ferry so if you want a window seat, get on towards the front of the queue.
Option 2: Marina Island Jetty Complex
Marina Island is south of Lumut and connects to Peninsular Malaysia by bridge, so you can drive straight here. It’s closer to Pangkor Island so the ferry trip is closer to 10 minutes long.
Departure times vary, so check the latest timetable and availability for your travel date. Sometimes the booking schedule is only available around a week in advance.
When I travelled during a long weekend, ferries were running every 15 minutes, but I still had to wait an hour and a half for the next available departure because I hadn’t booked ahead.
For this reason, I highly recommend booking in advance, particularly on weekends and public holidays.
I found this terminal initially overwhelming but this is probably because I accidentally arrived here on a Saturday around lunchtime on a long weekend. It’s really not the best time to come here!
But actually once I took a deep breath, it was fine. This is Malaysia so it was relatively straightforward and people are always respectful.
What was annoying is that if you buy a ticket here, you have to use one of their computer terminals to book it yourself then go to a ticket counter to print it.
It was an annoying process when you have luggage and it’s busy. I definitely recommend you buy your ticket ahead of time to avoid this. Then you can show your ticket on your phone or print it out to board.
Click here to check the latest timetables and book your ticket.
There are many eating places and shops located right here and a whole lot of logs to sit on. It had quite a festive vibe when I was there.
About 15 minutes before my ferry time, we were called up (not in English, but you can’t really miss it). Our tickets were scanned and then we waited on the jetty until our boat was ready for us.
We then hopped on the boat. There were a few steps up and then down again so make sure you can carry your luggage. There was a luggage area at the front and then plenty of seats. I was surprised that the seats were maybe only 2/3 full on the boat despite it being such a busy day. It’s great that they don’t overload.
I found the Marina Island and Lumut ferries equally comfortable, and their interiors seemed very similar.
Either Option: Arrival In Pangkor Town
Whichever ferry you take, you’ll arrive at Pangkor Town.
Getting to your accommodation from here is straightforward. Simply follow the walkway from the ferry into the terminal area, where you’ll find the island’s distinctive pink taxis.
There is a set list of prices (in Malay but it’s easy to decode, see photo below). However, taxi drivers don’t necessarily keep to this especially when busy. I had to pay a few ringgit more but at least I was out of there quickly!
The pink taxis are actually pink vans, making them particularly handy for families and groups travelling with luggage.
Getting To Pangkor Island From…
Here are detailed instructions for some of the most popular journeys to Pangkor.
How To Reach Pangkor Island From KL
Travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor Island is straightforward.
The cheapest option is generally to take a bus from Kuala Lumpur to Lumut, then walk to the nearby ferry terminal and catch a boat to Pangkor Town.
Check out Lumut bus ticket options here.
Alternatively, you can drive or book a private taxi to either Lumut or Marina Island. Marina Island is particularly convenient if you’d prefer a shorter ferry crossing.
Allow around 3–3.5 hours for the road journey in favourable traffic conditions, plus time for check-in and the ferry.
You then take the ferry across.
There are no regular direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor Island, so travelling overland is the most practical choice.
Click here for our full guide to how to go from Kuala Lumpur to Pangkor Island.
How To Get To Pangkor Island From Singapore
It’s also straightforward to work out how to go to Pangkor Island from Singapore. I took this journey myself.
You basically have the choice between taking a morning or overnight bus to Lumut for the ferry or a flight to Ipoh and then travelling overland to the ferry terminal.
Click here for bus options and prices.
I chose to fly to Ipoh to save some time. See latest flight prices here.
I then took a taxi from the airport using one of their coupon taxis. You can find more options below to get from Ipoh to Pangkor Island.
Once you make it to a ferry terminal, you can easily take a ferry using the instructions above.
How To Get From Penang To Pangkor Island
The answer to how to get to Pangkor Island from Penang is also straightforward.
You can take a bus, which takes from 3-4 hours and costs from RM20-30. Find timetables and options here.
The buses leave from Butterworth. This is easy to reach from George Town on a frequent ferry.
These arrive in Lumut where you can take the ferry as per the instructions above.
For a more convenient journey, you can drive or take a private taxi directly to one of the ferry terminals.
If you want to travel from Pangkor Island to Penang, it’s the same in reverse.
How To Get From Ipoh To Pangkor Island
As with everywhere else, you basically have two options for getting from Ipoh to Pangkor Island.
You can take a bus to Lumut – find options and prices here.
The bus takes about two hours, costs around RM13 and there are options in the afternoon and evening.
Or you can hire a car and drive or take a taxi to get you to the ferry terminals.
You can book a taxi here. You can also get a coupon taxi at Ipoh Airport to take you there, and it takes about an hour and a half.
Once you make it to Lumut or Marina Island, you can easily take a ferry using the instructions above.
Final Words
While Pangkor Island can feel a little trickier to get to, it is quite straightforward. Just remember that you need to take a bus, taxi or car to Lumut or Marina Island, then catch a ferry across to the island.
I highly recommend you book your ferry in advance especially on weekends. You don’t want to waste time at a ferry terminal when you can be on Pangkor instead.
You’ll be enjoying paradise in no time!
I hope you found this guide to how to get to Pangkor useful. You can find our list of the best hotels in Pangkor here, all the top things to do in Pangkor Island here and our full travel guide to Pangkor Island here.
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
