Cycling Malaysia’s East Coast, Kelantan to Terengganu
Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast is truly a tropical paradise, with spectacular coastal views of the South China Sea, unspoilt islands and fantastic seafood cuisine unique to this side of the country. It is also a cycling haven, with long roads that wind through traditional rural villages and picturesque beachside areas.
The east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is generally on many travelers’ bucket list, as the stunning beaches and islands are very different than those on the west coast and the Straits of Malacca. It is still somewhat underrated as a cycling destination, but we’ve found that like many other parts of the country, it is definitely a must do, especially if you are a road cyclist or a tourer, both lightweight or long haul. We’d gone there once to write a feature about Terengganu as a cycling destination during my time as Digital Editor with Cycling Plus Malaysia (paid to cycle and write about it - quite the dream job), and we’ve been wanting to return many times.
The east coast spans four different states, namely Kelantan and Terengganu in the northern side as well as Pahang and Johor down south. Being separated from the west of peninsular Malaysia by a mountain range and dense jungle, the east coast states play host to a very different cultural heritage than the rest of the country. The east is still rural and very much traditional particularly in the severely underdeveloped Kelantan side, making it a lovely region to explore by bike as the rustic locale still has agriculture and fishing as the main driving force of the economy, although the petroleum industry has resulted in a more expensive cost of living and micro economy in some parts of Terengganu.
My long term goal is to cycle the full length of the east coast and traverse all four states I mentioned above in a single tour, but wanting to take a short break only, Eka and myself opted to cover two states for now - in a mini tour of sorts. And since we had a friend who had conveniently set up a tiny house airbnb called Deru Bachok in Kelantan and our passports had not yet been renewed post pandemic, it would appear that the planets had aligned and the universe itself had conspired for us to do yet another local bike tour!
How to get to Malaysia’s East Coast
After deciding that we would begin and end our mini tour in Kelantan, we opted to take the fastest means to travel there, which was a flight to Kota Bharu. The Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa is approximately 40km away from our starting point in Bachok, Telong, and is a mere 50minute+ taxi ride away. Formerly a British RAF military base, the airport was relocated to a new terminal back in 2002, with its runway extended 9 years later to accommodate bigger aircraft. It is quite literally the only entry point to Kelantan if you are flying in.
We could have driven into Kelantan, but that would have been a long journey between 400-500km depending on which route we take from home base in Kuala Lumpur. We’d done the drive before with a pair of Volvo XC60s loaned by the company in our previous east coast trip I mentioned above, which made the 6 hour plus journey fairly bearable but still quite long. Needless to say, it was not a drive either Eka or myself were keen to do again. We weren’t interested in taking an express bus either; a long and somewhat unpleasant journey based on our previous experience.
The other option would be to take the overnight sleeper KTM train to Kelantan, which would have included a very appealing “Jungle Railway” segment. There used to be a direct train from KL to Tumpat, Kelantan called ‘Ekspress Wau’ but it was discontinued due to heavy financial losses. The current train option to the east coast now is a KTM Intercity train from Gemas in Negeri Sembilan, near the Johor-Negeri Sembilan state border, which goes through Pahang en route to Kelantan (but skips Terengganu completely).
Wanting to maximise our time on the bike for the short trip, we opted for the fastest travel method, namely a flight from KL to Kelantan. Direct flights can be booked from both the KL International Airport and the Subang Airport, if you’re coming in from anywhere in the city. If you’re coming in from abroad you will have to book a connecting flight to Kota Bharu, which is a fairly small airport and literally the only one in the state. For other states in the east coast you can opt for the Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Terengganu, the Kerteh Airport in Kerteh, Terengganu, the Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport in Kuantan, Pahang, or the Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru, Johor.
OUR CYCLING TOUR
ON THE MAP
Our route started in northern Kelantan and went through a small bit of the state, following the eastern coastline to cross the state border into Terengganu, before looping back to our starting point almost the same way. This was a recce of sorts, a prelude to a longer tour we hope to do in the future.
DAY 1 - Bachok to Penarik
Distance 78km
Climbing 149m
Difficulty Easy/Intermediate
Since we had the opportunity to leave all our luggage at Deru Bachok at our starting point, we had a nice no stress start to our first day, rolling out in the morning after watching a stunning sunrise on the beach. Heading southeast we crossed the Tok Bali bridge and continued down the coast to cross the state border into Terengganu, making a pitstop at Pantai Bisikan Bayu for some fruits I brought to snack on before grabbing a quick breakfast in Kuala Besut. As a tourist stopover point for ferries and boats to the islands we didn’t raise any eyebrows there, as there are generally a lot of travelers rolling through the town. The most attention you will get is locals asking if you need a ferry transfer somewhere offshore.
We stayed off the main trunk road as much as we could, riding through a lot of beachside and coastal gravel tracks. We made a quick roadside pitstop at Kampung Beting Lintang for a late lunch of kuey teow goreng before continuing on our way. Rolling through Setiu Wetlands we soon found ourselves circling around Kampung Fikri on fairly quiet paved roads, and had some nice inner roads to ride through before having to exit to the wider trunk road. The last stretch was an exhausting battle against the late afternoon headwinds along the exposed main route all the way to Kampung Penarik, where we had an early dinner with a golden hour view and cycled the remainder of the way to Sekeping Penarik, our accommodation for the night with a lovely view of the beach.
DAY 2 - Penarik to Kuala Terengganu
Distance 66km
Climbing 92m
Difficulty Easy/Intermediate
The second leg of our journey began with yet another breathtaking sunrise, a daily occurrence there considering our location on the east coast. A traditional breakfast of nasi dagang helped fuel our legs as we continued along our journey, with spectacular views of the South China Sea all along the kampung connector route. Along the way we also used the main trunk road, eventually sitting down for a fantastic lunch of seafood fried rice and keropok lekor at a beachside restaurant still in the more rural areas on the fringes of Kuala Terengganu city itself.
The sun was high above our heads as we neared the city limits, and we’d gotten a nice roasting by the time we reached the Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge, the first drawbridge built in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. I was understandably nervous approaching it, but the bridge climb is actually a gentle one, easily done even with our heavier load. We’d opted to stay at Suite18 Boutique Hotel, which has been a favourite for many traveling cyclists and the staff have no issues with you bringing your bikes inside. We managed a quick laundry run and a splendid dinner of asam pedas fish, spiced chicken and rice at a local baba nyonya restaurant nearby, before bedding down for the night.
DAY 3 - Kuala Terengganu to Bachok
Distance 132km
Climbing 191m
Difficulty Intermediate
The return leg was a big day for us, squeezing two day’s worth of riding into a single one. Anxious to reach Bachok before sunset, we prepared to set off bright and early under cloudy conditions after some overnight rain, and got some decent mileage in before stopping for breakfast. We’d made a conscious decision to carbo load the night before, and had enough energy to keep going until our roti canai breakfast stop at Kampung Batu Rakit. Zipping in and out of the trunk road and into the quieter small roads we reached the far end of Pantai Penarik, finding a beachside stall to stop for a second breakfast of keropok lekor and fried prawn balls.
By lunchtime we’d reached Kampung Fikri and our halfway point, stopping for a local lunch of nasi kerabu at one of the local watering holes before setting off again. The sun was out in full force by then, so out came our salt stick fast chews and Himalaya Salt candy, while our water bottles got some ice refills to get us through the midday hours. After saying goodbye to the Setiu Wetlands and putting in a nice bit of distance, we had a quick waffle and drink snack at Kampung Beting Lintang, then took a slightly different route and came across a roadside stall selling satar, which I packed in my handlebar bag to enjoy later by the beach at Pantai Bukit Keluang.
Continuing on our way, we reached Besut town right after what appeared to be a fairly heavy rainstorm, which had left the roads wet and many puddles that hadn’t yet dried up in the afternoon sun. Considering we still had a bit of a distance left to our end point, Eka made an executive decision to have a teatime snack by the beach at Kampung Dalam Rhu, finding another roadside stall that sold freshly grilled satar as well as otak-otak. Accidentally gunning it back up the Tok Bali Bridge (because I am an idiot), I ran out of steam on the final last bit to Deru Bachok, and was infinitely glad to end the ride.
Taking my helmet and shoes off to sink my feet in the warm and soothing waters of the beach in front of our Airbnb at the end of our mini tour felt like the most wonderful feeling in the world. And since we’d done 130km, we decided it was fitting to celebrate the completion of our journey with no major issues (minus Eka’s RD battery tab breaking and my tyre plug popping off) with another delicious dinner of seafood maggi at Sepoi-Sepoi Cafe, Deru Bachok’s sister establishment. I definitely slept soundly that night!
Exploring Bachok, Kelantan by bike
Bachok is approximately 25km east of the capital Kota Bahru and about 40km from the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa. This made it a fairly good location as a base for the starting point of our east coast tour. Fairly underdeveloped compared to Kota Bahru and Pengkalan Chepa, Bachok is still a rural area dominated by agriculture land, with livestock allowed to roam free in the villages, often wandering onto the roads too. Because of its coastal location, fishery is naturally also a huge part of the local economy.
Being pretty far up north in the state and close to the Thai border, Bachok has a strong Siamese heritage. The local population is made up of Malay, Chinese and Siamese minorities. Even the name Bachok is said to be derived from two Siamese words Ban and Chak, which translate to village and nipah, a native mangrove plant. There’s even a Siamese Buddhist temple in Bachok called Wat Phithikyan Phutthaktham, which has a 100-foot tall statue of a standing Buddha. The two dragon statues that make up the fence of the temple was also donated by a former Thai priest.
But one of the main reasons to visit Bachok is obviously the beaches, being home to one of the most beautiful (though unfortunately often trash covered) coastal areas in all of peninsular Malaysia. Facing the South China Sea, the eastern coastline is what you would expect of a tropical island paradise, with azure blue seas that wash onto white powdery soft sands. There are many beaches along Kelantan’s northern shoreline, many of which offer a number of water sports and other activities to visitors (who are sadly also most likely the litterbug culprits).
Bachok’s coastline is also home to an important part of Malaysia’s WWII history, namely 9 British pillboxes. Built to defend the coast from the invading Japanese army, these pillboxes were built in 1938 by the local villagers and Indian soldiers. Mostly damaged by erosion and vandalism like most of the pillboxes in the rest of the country, there is however one pillbox at Pantai Melawi that is intact and has been preserved for tourism. It is interesting to note that Kelantan’s Pantai Kuala Pak Amat was where the Japanese landed one hour (or two, historical accounts differ on this) before Pearl Harbour was bombed in December 1941, making Malaya the real starting point of the Pacific War portion of WWII.
Another reason to head to Bachok and Kelantan in general is obviously the food! We always love sampling the local foods in Malaysia as each state, district and even village will have their own local specialty. Kelantan’s cuisine is no exception, with the people, culture and food a reflection of the agrarian state with a rural lifestyle, featuring a hybrid of Malaysian and Thai flavours. This is hardly surprising, as Kelantan used to be part of the Kingdom of Siam, before the Anglo-Siamese Treaty was signed in 1909.
As for Eka and myself, we obviously did not spend nowhere enough time in the state to explore to our heart’s content. Obviously this means we’ll be back again sometime in the future, hopefully as part of a longer tour along the whole of the east coast. Fingers crossed that happens sometime soon!
If you liked this tour write up, consider giving these other tours a read too:
Cycling Malaysia’s West Coast from Klang to Pangkor Island
Cycling Malaysia’s Northern States to Langkawi Island
We also have a number of international tours if you’re looking for ideas to travel abroad:
Cycling Spain’s Andalucia 2017
Cycling Taiwan’s East Rift Valley, Jiufen and Houtong 2019
Cycling Seoul to Busan, South Korea 2019
Cycling Shikoku, Japan 2.0 2022
Cycling Northeast Taiwan 2023
