Johor Island Hopping Day Trip

Being an island lover myself, I have always wanted to experience island hopping. There are lots of beautiful islands off the coast of Mersing, Johor including several uninhabited ones. The only way to access these uninhabited islands is by booking a Johor Island Hopping Tour or chartering your own private boat.

Last weekend, I managed to organize a trip of 15 people from Singapore through Meetup.com. We traveled to Mersing after work on Friday and spent a night there before embarking on our island hopping tour the next morning. After we registered at the jetty the next morning, without much delay we began our much awaited island hopping day trip! We will be hopping on to four islands with some hiking and snorkeling activities in between.

9:00am: Water Wading at Pulau Raja Sandbank

Our first stop was water wading at the shallow waters surrounded by Pulau Raja, Pulau Seribuat and Pulau Sembilang. It took us 40 minutes to reach here from Mersing. The sea here was crystal clear with water level at knee to waist height. There were also a couple of sand bars in this area which made this place a picturesque spot for photoshooting. We had lots of fun wading thorough the water and enjoying the scenery around us. As we were about to leave, we could not take our eyes off the mangroves surrounding the shore of Pulau Raja. As I was about to ask whether we could go in, our guide steered the boat into the mangroves. For nature lovers, this trip is going to be a treat!

10:15am: Hiking at Pulau Seribuat (a.k.a Pulau Rahsia)

The most anticipated itinerary had to be the hike to Pulau Seribuat, our second island. After having our breakfast on the beach, we followed our guides as we hiked and trekked to the peak of Pulau Seribuat.

The hike was a pretty short one, about 20 minutes. Difficulty was about moderate as there were some boulders that we had to cross. The view on the top was nothing short of breathtaking. I wished I had bought a 360 degree camera as the scenery from here was stunning at every angle. We could even spot Pulau Tioman up North.

After the hike, we actually wanted to stop by the back of the island for some fun rock diving and snorkeling. However, the current was deemed too strong by the team and we decided to give it a miss. Well, safety always comes first!

FUN FACT: THE ISLANDS WE VISITED SO FAR ARE TECHNICALLY IN THE WATERS OF PAHANG STATE

12:00pm: Roaming Around the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park

Before we disembarked for our next island, we were taken on a ride around the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park. We passed by several islands of Johor including the famous Pulau Rawa. Seeing Pulau Rawa again reminded my of my trip here in 2016. Oh the memories when I saw the red water slide and little A-frame chalets of Alang's Rawa Resort. As it was illegal to hop on Pulau Rawa, we just parked our boat at a fair distance away from the island and soaked in the beauty of Pulau Rawa.

1:00pm: The Uninhabited Paradise of Pulau Hujung

Pulau Hujung is one of the three islands of Pulau Babi. As you depart from Mersing, you will notice 3 islands side by side in a row which belong to the Pulau Babi island group - Pulau Babi Besar (Pulau Besar), Pulau Babi Tengah (Pulau Tengah) and Pulau Babi Hujung (Pulau Hujung). Only Pulau Hujung has no island resort.

The beach here is as white and soft as Pulau Rawa. We had our lunch here and rested. There were some corals just off the shore too but nothing too spectacular.

3:00pm: Boat Snorkeling Off Pulau Tengah

After Pulau Hujung, we snorkeled at a coral rich area at a few hundred metres off Pulau Tengah. The corals here were not too bad but certainly no match to Pulau Tioman. I even saw a small reef shark swimming at shallow waters! But too bad I wasn't quick enough to fire up my GoPro and it was gone in seconds. Was really glad to see some members in the group tried snorkeling for the first time. I still remember my first snorkeling was also at around this area a couple of years back as I began my quest to visit the Johor islands.

4:00pm: Final Stop at Pulau Besar

It was about 4pm now and we headed to our 4th and final island, Pulau Besar. There were some construction works going on near the jetty but as we walked towards the resorts, it began to look familiar again. We passed by Aseania Beach Resort, up till now my favourite island resort of all the Mersing islands I've been to. Just check out my review here if you are interested to visit Pulau Besar. There was also a burger stall and shops selling island merchandises!

By the time we reached Mersing Jetty, we were all exhausted but filled with lots of wonderful memories from the day trip. We showered up and had our dinner in Mersing Town before heading back to Singapore. It was certainly a unique experience hopping on one island after another. Every island is charming in their own way and I think it will be a trip that you will never forget!

Fancying an island hopping experience yourself?

Check out the latest Johor Island Hopping Day Trip Package by clicking the link below!

Johor Island Hopping Day Trip Package Here