You probably have not heard of Pulau Payar, or you might have heard of it but never been there. For those who joined LPG's Northern Exposure Trip to Penang from Oct 29 to Nov 1, some of them had taken the option to visit Pulau Payar on October 31, 2005.
What is this Pulau Payar anyway? It is one of the Langkawi's 99 islands and the one and only Marine Park in the west coast of West Malaysia. If you like Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian in the east coast, you will sure fall in love with her.
Crystal clear water, coral reef and fishes. Ideal for snorkeling and diving. In fact, you just have to walk a few meters from the beach, there you are, you would be able to see coral reef and lovely coral fishes around you. You can even touch one or two of them.
Where is Pulau Payar? Well, it is located near Kuala Kedah, a fishing village about 10km from Alor Star. Visitors can go to Pulau Payar from Kuala Kedah, or Langkawi main island. However, it is also accessible form Penang too. There are day trips operated by various tour companies in Penang, Langkawi and Kuala Kedah.
Depending on what you are looking for and if you are a Malaysian, a day trip from Penang will cost about RM120 to RM250. The RM120 basic tour package included return ferry trip, packed lunch and snorkeling equipment. The ferry will depart Swettenham Pier, Penang at 8:50am and arrive Pulau Payar about 1.5 hours later. Once on the island, you can relax on the beach or go jungle trekking. Most people will go for snorkeling when it is high tide. The beautiful coral reef is just a few meters from the beach.
If you do not want to get wet, you may choose the other package, RM150 will bring you to Malaysia's 1st and only Reef Platform, there you can do a marine life observation without getting wet. Of course, if you prefer, you can always join those going for diving or snorkeling. It will cost you RM250 for the whole trip if you go diving.
Another attraction of Pulau Payar is fish feeding. Prepare bread or fish food (caution: do not pollute the water), school of coral fishes will sure be attracted and the feeder will soon be surrounded by them. Sharks will come too. Don't panic, these are baby sharks and they are not aggressive at all.
