Last week, my boyfriend and I went to Tioman Island for our 3rd year anniversary. We had been planning for a trip since long time ago, but both of us were busy with work and our trip kept on being delayed. One day, my boyfriend gave me a surprise that he had booked two bus tickets from Kuala Lumpur (KL) to Tanjung Gemok and ferry tickets to Tioman Island to celebrate our anniversary. Thanks to the surprise, we finally got to spend time with each other and release our stress from work.
Since there was no direct bus from Kuala Lumpur to Tioman Island, we had to take the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Gemok and exchange to ferry to Tioman Island. The following is the summary of our trip to Tioman Island:
| a) | Departure point – Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) |
| b) | Sanwa Express from Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Gemok |
| c) | Arrival at Tanjung Gemok Jetty |
| d) | Taking ferry to Tioman Island |
| e) | Arrival at Paya Jetty Tioman Island |
Departure point – Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS)
Our tickets mentioned the departure point from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), Kuala Lumpur at 4:00am. We arrived at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) around 3:00am and went to the ticket exchange counter to check-in. Once the staff has verified our booking, she also told us the departure gate and platform number to board the bus.
Since we took early morning bus, many shops were closed except for few convenience shops that were operating 24 hours. We went to the convenience shop and bought some drinks and breads before we departed. After that, we went to the departure gate and waited at Gate 7 for the bus.
Sanwa Express from Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Gemok
The bus arrived after a few minutes of waiting. We queued up and gave our boarding pass to the staff to confirm our trip. After a quick check, we boarded the bus, put our bags in the overhead compartment and found our seat.
My boyfriend booked Sanwa Express tickets for our trip. The Sanwa Express bus to Tanjung Gemok had 44 seaters and equipped with air-conditioning. If your phone ran out of battery, you can find a USB port under the seat.
Taking bus from Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Gemok took around 5 hours, so we took the opportunity to take a nap while heading to Tanjung Gemok.
Tips: The temperature in the bus was cool, so I would like to advise you to bring a jacket / sweater along the journey.
Arrival at Tanjung Gemok Jetty
After 5 hours journey, we arrived at Tanjung Gemok Jetty.
We bought two-ways ferry tickets from the ticket counter. The ferry ticket costed RM35.00 per way. After we made the payment, each of us got two tickets (go and return), red colour boarding pass and a simple map of Tioman Island.
Before heading to take the ferry, we were required to pay a Marine Park Conservation Fee, which is the fee used to manage and maintain Tioman Island. The following table is the Marine Park Conservation Fee for your reference:
| Marine Park Conservation Fee | |
| For Malaysian: Adult: RM5 Children / Senior Citizen: RM2 OKU: Free |
For Non-Malaysian: Adult: RM30 Children / Senior Citizen: RM15 OKU: Free |
The following are the facilities of Tanjung Gemok Jetty:
The departure time for our ferry tickets were at 11:30 am. While waiting for the ferry, I bought a waffle from the food stall. Honestly, the waffle was so crispy and nice!
Taking ferry to Tioman Island
Upon reaching the departure time, there was an announcement to inform all the passengers for boarding. We took our belongings and proceeded to the jetty after the announcement. Please take note that the red-colour boarding pass had to be presented before we board the ferry.
Oh yeah, we boarded the ferry safely! I also managed to take some photos of the facilities on the ferry.
Arrival at Paya Jetty, Tioman Island
After 2 hours’ trip, we finally arrived in Tioman Island! We dropped off at Kampung Paya jetty and walked to the hotel that we booked – Paya Beach Resort.
Tips: Please take note that there are few drop-off points at Tioman Island. Please double check the location of your hotel before you disembark at the jetty. There will be an announcement on every drop-off points, so stay alert.
From the jetty to our hotel was just a 5-minutes walking distance. There were direction boards that guided us to the hotel. Along the way to the hotel, there were few restaurants, diving services and duty free shops.
After a long journey, I was so glad to be able to dive on to the bed and rest in the hotel.
At last, I would like to share with you the website that my boyfriend used to book the tickets. He told me that he booked the bus tickets at BusOnlineTicket.com, which is an online ticket booking portal that provided convenience for him. He could check the bus schedule and made payment easily online.
As compared to driving by ourselves, taking bus from Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Gemok allowed my boyfriend to have more time to rest during the journey. You also can have this wonderful experience like us. Book your trip to Tioman now!
