The waters around Tioman and its neighbouring islands are protected as a marine park. The fee you pay at the jetty helps fund it.
Independent travel guide. Not affiliated with any ferry operator, resort or government agency.
What is protected
The marine park covers the sea around Tioman and several small islands nearby. It protects coral reef, seagrass beds and mangroves. Surveys have recorded around 350 species of hard coral and more than 300 species of reef fish in these waters.
On land, the island's forest is home to the binturong, slow loris, palm civets and many birds, and to species found nowhere else, such as the Tioman walking catfish and a small frog known only from Gunung Kajang.
The fee
Visitors pay a conservation fee in cash at the departure jetty: RM 30 for non-Malaysian adults and RM 15 for children, RM 5 and RM 2 for Malaysians. See getting there.
Reef etiquette
- Do not touch, stand on or kick coral.
- Do not feed fish; it changes their behaviour and harms the reef.
- Take all rubbish back with you, including from boats.
- Collecting shells, coral and marine life is not allowed.
Turtles at Juara
Sea turtles nest on the beaches of Juara on the east coast. A local turtle project runs a hatchery there, moving eggs from nests at risk from tides or predators and releasing hatchlings. It takes volunteers during the nesting season, which in 2026 ran from March to October. If you visit, follow the project's rules: no lights or flash on the beach at night, and keep your distance from nesting turtles.
