To tell this story right I have to go back a bit and tell how I found out of this unknown Island in Langkawi.
At one point of time, I stayed at MotoDorm Hostel in Langkawi. The Hostel was only listed on AirBnB and not on any other booking websites. Why MotoDorm ... well because I had free money from AirBnB and it was expiring so I find it interesting to stay at a hostel where if you book a bed for the night, the owner will lend you a motorbike or a bicycle for a day. Imagine that ... it came together ... bed and transport.
Moh the owner was a mechanic and seeing my bike and chatting with me for many hours gave me tips on how to go around solo biking South East Asia and a crash course of Bluey mechanics. He was the one that mention Pulau Tuba in Langkawi that is not part of any standard tourist package, for the traveler and not the tourist.
Getting to Pulau Tuba
The departure point to Pulau Tuba is at Pekan Rabu jetty, by a boat locally operated and cost RM5 one way per person. There is no schedule ... you get to the jetty and ask around to make sure you are at the correct jetty and just wait. People started gathering and waiting around ... wait till someone yells Pulau Tuba, Tuba Tuba Tuba, and everyone gets up and follows him to the boat.
So the boat operator will only depart when he feels there is sufficient number of people to make the trip worth while. The same goes for the way back to Langkawi Island from Pulau Tuba so a Day trip to Pulau Tuba will need a lot of luck to be quick and easy or lots of time and patients.
The boat ride was about 15 minutes and they let everyone off at the jetty of Pulau Tuba. There are two jetty at Pulau Tuba and its kinda of random which jetty the boatman wishes to go. Regardless of which jetty the boatman bring you to, there will be a few locals with many motorbikes parked at the jetty for rent.
Getting Around Pulau Tuba
There is really only one way to see Pulau Tuba, which is renting a motorbike/scooter. Motorbike rental for the day cost RM15 per bike and the business is very chill too. I got a bike for RM15, paid the man on the spot and off we go. I never showed any licence, no paperwork, just money = bike.
Sightseeing Pulau Tuba
Pulau Tuba is like Langkawi trapped in a time-loop stopped at around 1950 where all this here never change. The small community here farm little fields of rice and vegetable for their own need and farm animals such as cows, buffalo, goat, chicken, etc all roam free around the Island.
The loop was pretty small and one can finish seeing Pulau Tuba in 20 minutes if one goes too fast, so relax and slowdown the pace to match this forgotten place and enjoy chilling around for a few hours.
At one point of time, I stayed at MotoDorm Hostel in Langkawi. The Hostel was only listed on AirBnB and not on any other booking websites. Why MotoDorm ... well because I had free money from AirBnB and it was expiring so I find it interesting to stay at a hostel where if you book a bed for the night, the owner will lend you a motorbike or a bicycle for a day. Imagine that ... it came together ... bed and transport.
Moh the owner was a mechanic and seeing my bike and chatting with me for many hours gave me tips on how to go around solo biking South East Asia and a crash course of Bluey mechanics. He was the one that mention Pulau Tuba in Langkawi that is not part of any standard tourist package, for the traveler and not the tourist.
Getting to Pulau Tuba
The departure point to Pulau Tuba is at Pekan Rabu jetty, by a boat locally operated and cost RM5 one way per person. There is no schedule ... you get to the jetty and ask around to make sure you are at the correct jetty and just wait. People started gathering and waiting around ... wait till someone yells Pulau Tuba, Tuba Tuba Tuba, and everyone gets up and follows him to the boat.
So the boat operator will only depart when he feels there is sufficient number of people to make the trip worth while. The same goes for the way back to Langkawi Island from Pulau Tuba so a Day trip to Pulau Tuba will need a lot of luck to be quick and easy or lots of time and patients.
The boat ride was about 15 minutes and they let everyone off at the jetty of Pulau Tuba. There are two jetty at Pulau Tuba and its kinda of random which jetty the boatman wishes to go. Regardless of which jetty the boatman bring you to, there will be a few locals with many motorbikes parked at the jetty for rent.
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| Boat Ride to Pulau Tuba |
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| Pulau Tuba Jetty |
Getting Around Pulau Tuba
There is really only one way to see Pulau Tuba, which is renting a motorbike/scooter. Motorbike rental for the day cost RM15 per bike and the business is very chill too. I got a bike for RM15, paid the man on the spot and off we go. I never showed any licence, no paperwork, just money = bike.
No helmet was given, and is not really needed in this small Island. Returning the bike after touring can be done anytime at the jetty by just parking and leaving the keys in the ignition of the motorbike.
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| Rent a Bike at the Jetty of Pulau Tuba |
Sightseeing Pulau Tuba
Pulau Tuba is like Langkawi trapped in a time-loop stopped at around 1950 where all this here never change. The small community here farm little fields of rice and vegetable for their own need and farm animals such as cows, buffalo, goat, chicken, etc all roam free around the Island.
The loop was pretty small and one can finish seeing Pulau Tuba in 20 minutes if one goes too fast, so relax and slowdown the pace to match this forgotten place and enjoy chilling around for a few hours.
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| Pulau Tuba |
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| Pulau Tuba |
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| Pulau Tuba |
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| Pulau Tuba |
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| Pulau Tuba |
There is also a new bridge which crosses from Pulau Tuba to Pulau Dayang Bunting. While Pulau Dayang Bunting is famous for the freshwater lake and Island hopping which is sold as day trips to tourist, this part of Pulau Dayang Bunting on the other side of the tourist attraction gets no visitors apart from the day trippers to Pulau Tuba.
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| Bridge to Pulau Dayang Bunting |
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| Local Communal Hall at Pulau Dayang Bunting |
Finally, is food ... the famous Mee Udang (Prawn Mee) of Pulau Tuba. There is not much food around but somehow the local local people that was visiting Pulau Tuba when I was on the boat with them told me about the most famous stall in Pulau Tuba.
Ordering the Mee Udang, the Makcik asked if I wanted the special or the normal one. One Special please. RM 12 for a humongous bowl of Mee + Prawn ...
Ordering the Mee Udang, the Makcik asked if I wanted the special or the normal one. One Special please. RM 12 for a humongous bowl of Mee + Prawn ...
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| Mee Udang - Pulau Tuba |
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| Mee Udang Stall |
Once bored with doing nothing at Pulau Tuba it was time to head back to the Jetty and wait till there was enaugh people again to get a boat back to Pulau Langkawi.
Traveled on : Oct 2018
#blurtravels #pulautuba
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