Besut is one of the eight districts in Terengganu and shares a border with the neighboring state of Kelantan. It takes approximately one hour's drive from Kuala Terengganu. Besut has many tourist attractions, including hot springs, waterfalls, mountain retreats, caves, islands and white sandy beaches.
One can visit these places in a single day as most of them are easily accessible by car. However, the exceptions are for the mountain retreat at Gunung Tebu and the offshore island, Pulau Perhentian.
A great journey trip can start with a visit to a recreational spot in Terengganu, La Hot spring which is situated in Hulu Besut. The water from the spring is extremely hot to even boil eggs. As the spring water contains sulfur and some essential minerals, it is also believed to cure body aches and skin diseases. Many people come here for this purpose.
Lata TembakalWaterfall will be the next stop. It takes only about a half hour's drive from La Hot spring. Lata Tembakal is also one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Malaysia. It is one of the best managed and cleanest recreational spots in Terengganu.
Another beautiful waterfall is Lata Belatan which is located at the foot of Gunung Tebu. It is usually the take-off point for those who wish to climb Gunung Tebu.
Gunung Tebu will take about four hours for you to reach its peak. It is about 1000 meters above sea level. It is said to be a historical site as it was once a well-known trading areas where ships from as far as China came to trade here. On top of Gunung Tebu, one can view as far as Semerak in Kelantan and even the offshore islands of Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Redang.
Your trip to Besut is not complete, if you do not visit to either Pulau Perhentian or Pulau Redang. Most tourists prefer to go to Pulau Perhentian. According to them, Pulau Perhentian takes only 30 minutes by boat from Kuala Besut. Therefore, it is probably one of the reasons why it is one of the most popular island resort spots in Terengganu. Pulau Perhentian has lovely sandy white beaches and certainly, the most famous activities are snorkeling and scuba-diving.
There is a famous market in Kuala Terengganu which is “Pasar Payang”. At the market one can buy souvenirs. One can learn on the process and procedure of producing batik by visiting a batik factory,“Nur Arfa Batik” in Kuala Ibai. The colorful batiks are very captivating. People designed batik here are extremely talented.
Batu Buruk Beach is another attraction of Kuala Terengganu. At the beach, one can try some local delicacies such as "ais krim goreng". One may also go to Rantau Abang for turtle watching. If you were unfortunate though, you did not get to see any turtles laying eggs. The turtles will only come up in the wee hours of the morning.
