Tioman, the beautiful and wild island

Malaysia: Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text:

As we approach the island of Tioman (or Pulau Tioman in Malaysian), I feel that I will like the place. It is big, immense! In the sea mist of the early morning, a sloping profile emerges, covered with a dense and humid vegetation, where still cling to shreds of clouds.

There is jungle everywhere, mountains, beaches still not built too much.

Air Batang Beach (ABC Beach)

I get dropped off at the beach ofAir Batang, also called ABC Beachin the northwest of the island. It's the quiet beach for budget travelers and as soon as I take the first steps on the path along the narrow sandy strip, I'm thrilled.

It is quiet, green, charming. We are far from the overpopulation of Perhentian Kecil and its alignment of bars, restaurants and cottages.

Air Batang Beach, also called ABC Beach. Tioman Island, Malaysia. — In Tioman, there is jungle, mountain and untamed beaches... I love it! Here, the beach of Air Batang, also called ABC Beach.

Air Batang beach. Some blond sand and some waves on this windy day. And not a cat ...

A Malaysian, noticing my diving bag, escorts me nicely, with the usual litany of questions (Where do you come from ? How long are you staying ? etc. etc.) to the diving center located shortly after the pontoon.

A young guy is rinsing regulators (the mouthpiece that attaches to the tank and "relaxes" the air underwater, which allows you to breathe). He greets me in English with that inimitable local accent.

😂

We immediately go to French ... "It's definitely the week of the French! he told me. There's plenty of them right now." To accommodate me, he advises me the first series of bungalows, the Mawar Chalets.

In front of the dive center, trees grow in the sea. (Air Batang Beach, Tioman, Malaysia)

I go there and put my bag without hesitation. I visit the chalet 6, which has just become available. A bargain, for only 20RM (about 4,50€), whereas I had to pay three times more on Perhentian Kecil to have the equivalent.

A basic bungalow (bed, mosquito net, fan, shower), all made of wood, facing the sea, with a small veranda, where I can hang my hammock. It's the first thing I do.

I arrived very early and I have the whole day ahead of me to explore the surroundings. I will also register for the next day's dives...

Malaysia: Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006