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| (Information last updated 30 Aug 2020) |
Pengerang is a peninsula at the southeastern end of the state of Johor, Malaysia. Officially a part of Kota Tinggi distict, the name is usually used to cover everything south of Desaru, notably including the dock and immigration post at Tanjung Pengelih, the village of Kampong Pengelih and the nearby town of Sungai Rengit.
Understand
Long a sleepy backwater of fishing kampungs (villages) and the odd intrepid Singaporean cyclist, in the 2010s Pengerang has been largely taken over by the storage tanks and flare stacks of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex, an integrated downstream oil and gas processing facility, which also includes the Petronas Teluk Ramunia Yard.
Get in
By plane
The town does not have its own airport. The nearest airport is the Senai International Airport (JHB IATA) in Senai. Or, you can fly into Singapore's Changi Airport, which is a short distance away from Changi Point Ferry Terminal, where you can catch a bumboat to Pengerang.
By car
Sungai Rengit is around 35 km south of Desaru, or 120 km from Johor Bahru. With the Senai-Desaru Expressway now open, the journey from Johor Bahru to Desaru is less than 1 hour.
By bus
RAPID bus 808 travels from Larkin Bus Terminal in Johor Bahru to Bandar Penawar in Desaru and onward to Sungei Rengit twice a day.
By boat
There are two operational ferry terminals in Pengerang, both of which serve Singapore only. As of Dec 2019, ferries to Sebana Cove are no longer operating, and there are no direct services from Indonesia.
- 1 Tanjung Belungkor Ferry Terminal (Terminal Feri Tanjung Belungkor), Bandar Penawar 81600. Limbongan Maju has the only scheduled services from Singapore to Pengerang, operating from Changi Ferry Terminal (not to be confused with Changi Point Ferry Terminal) twice a day weekdays and five times a day on weekends. S$26/50 single/return.
- 2 Tanjung Pengelih Passenger Jetty (Jeti Penumpang Tanjung Pengelih). The other option is to take a "bumboat" from Changi Point Ferry Terminal (not Changi Ferry Terminal) to Tanjung Pengelih (signposted as "Pengerang"). These boats have no set schedule, leaving when there are 12 passengers, or enough passengers to pony up for the remaining seats. Arriving at 7 AM sharp when the terminal opens is the best way to avoid delays, otherwise you may be in for a long wait. The rickety, slow and uncomfortable wooden bumboats (S$11/person, 75 min one-way) have now been largely displaced by faster, modern, air-conditioned fibreglass boats which are well worth the small premium (S$13/person, 35 min one-way).
Get around
Public transport options in Pengerang are basically non-existent. Taxis shuttle between the Tg Pengelih dock and Sungai Rengit for negotiable prices: the opening gambit is RM 40, but you may or may not been able to haggle a better price. From Tg Belungkor, there are also two free shuttle buses a day to the resorts at Desaru.
Bicycles can be rented in Sungai Rengit, or you can rent one at Changi and bring it with you.
See
- Pengerang British coastal battery. site of a major World War II-era British coastal battery. The part of it at Pengelih, right next to the immigration point, is open to the public but in a state of nature, with no trails, signs, etc. Most of the rest is now used by the Malaysian military.
Nature
- 1 Batu Layar Beach (Pantai Batu Layar), Bandar Penawar 81600. Beach.
- 2 Desaru Ostrich Farm, EMR 15, Kampung Simon, Teluk Ramunia, ☏ 601125152153. Zoo.
- 3 Lebam River Wetlands (Tanah Lembap Sungai Lebam). The wetland area is the place for firefly viewing.
Do
Sports
- 1 Sebana Cove Resort Golf Club, ☏ 6078266688. Golf course.
- 2 Rumah Rakit Ikhwan, PTD 60, Kampung Air Bentan, Ladang Sungai Papan, Bandar Penawar 81900, ☏ 601131377294. Leisure center for river-related water activities as well as accommodation.
Buy
Supermarkets
- 1 Econsave Teluk Ramunia, No. 1-11, LOot 741, Jalan Teluk Ramunia, Kampung Changi, 81600 Bandar Penawar. Supermarket.
Others
- 2 Sungai Rengit Bazaar (Bazar Sungai Rengit), Jalan Pasar, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81600. Bazaar.
Eat
Sungai Rengit's primary claim to fame is its lobsters, served up in every form imaginable by many seafood restaurants. Expect to pay around RM 200/kilo.
- 1 Boathouse Tavern Restaurant, Kampung Lepau, 81600.
- 2 Jade Garden Seafood Corner, Lot 4785, No. 1, Jalan Siakap, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81620. The largest and most famous operation in town, now in a large, airy air-conditioned hall at the seafront. Laden with tanks of doomed crustaceans and even a hotel. Prices are clearly marked and the extensive menu has plenty of other options as well, including a number of fish grown/kept in nets out back. Try the Lobster in Superior Broth or the somewhat sweet deep-fried Cereal Lobster.
- 3 Super Lobster Restaurant (龍皇海鲜楼), No. 7, Jalan Jenahak, Kampung Sungai Rengit, Bandar Penawar 81600. Seafood restaurant.
Drink
Sleep
Lodging options in Pengerang are quite basic, and most visitors only drop in on their way to the bright lights of Desaru.
Hotels
- 1 Amerald Resort Hotel, Lot 1231, Jalan Kampung Punggai, Sungai Rengit, 81600, ☏ 6078243000, ✉[email protected]. Hotel.
- 2 Ghazrin's Hotel Pengerang, No. 6-7, Jalan Rengit Sentral 1/1, Taman Rengit Sentral, 81600, ☏ 60109584009. Hotel.
- 3 Ocean View Hotel, Kampung Sungai Rengit, 81600, ☏ 6078264555. Hotel.
Resorts
- 4 Arena Sepang Resort, ☏ 60197229103, 60197892135. Resort.
- 5 Batu Layar Beach Resort, Bandar Penawar 81600. Resort.
- 6 Desa Selatan Resort (Southern Village Resort), Lot 5850, Kampung Lepau Development, 81620, ☏ 6072670182. Resort.
- 7 Lakeview Terrace Resort, PTD 5025, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Pengerang, 81620, ☏ 6078190300, ✉[email protected]. Resort.
- 8 Lotus Seaview Beach Resort Pengerang, Lot 1272 Tanjung Punggai, Sungai Rengit, 81620, ☏ 6078781881, ✉[email protected]. Resort.
- 9 Maliessa Beach Resort, Jalan Teluk Remunia 1, 81900 Bandar Penawar, ☏ 60197068723. Resort.
- 10 Punggai Bayu Beach Resort, Bandar Penawar 81600. Resort.
- 11 Sebana Cove Resort, Lot PTD 2940/2941, Mukim Pengerang, 81600. Advertised as an integrated resort with residential, commercial, golf course and ferry terminal, this ambitious Pengerang pioneer has been slowly falling apart for the past twenty years. Avoid.
- 12 Tanjung Sepang Beach Resort (TS Beach Resort), Lot 338, Kampung Tanjung Sepang, Teluk Ramunia, 81620, ☏ 60197639594, 60197739594, ✉[email protected]. Resort.
- 13 VIP Fishing Resort, Ayer Tawar. Resort in the middle of the sea with various sea-related activities and in-house amenities and entertainment.
Connect
- 1 Pos Malaysia Pengerang Post Office, JKR 644, Jalan Besar, Kampung Pengerang, 81600.