Recreation and Sports

Pahang is famous as an outdoor recreation destination. Most tourists visit Pahang for its beaches, islands and recreational activities. A few annual international meets create the extra interest in sporting events such as the Malaysian International Dirt Bike in Kuala Lipis and the International Monsoon Madness in Kuantan.

Sailing and Surfing

Cherating Beach is famous to surfers, in fact, the old Cherating Village has been known as the “Surfer’s Haven” since the 1970s. Balok Beach is another attraction for passionate wind-surfers and is the venue of the International Monsoon Madness Challenge. Teluk Chempedak in Kuantan also offers a range of water sports such as kayaking and sailing.

Scuba Diving

The warm waters and good visibility make Pulau Tioman a paradise for scuba divers. Beautiful and untouched coral reefs make up the seascape around the clear waters of the island topped with schools of a variety of fishes being the natural habitat the area.

Jungle Tracking

Being a state with a plethora of rainforest, there are plenty of destinations where you can go for hiking and jungle tracking. There is the Taman Negara with the Canopy Walkway, the famous Gunung Tahan, West Malaysia’s highest mountain, and the ancient Endau-Rompin State Park and Kenong Rimba National Park.

Golfing

There are plenty of Golf Clubs in Pahang where golfers are spoilt for choice such as the Royal Pahang Golf Club in Kuantan, the Awana Golf and Country Resort in Genting Highlands, the Bukit Tinggi Golf and Country Club in Bukit Tinggi, the Berjaya Beach Golf and Spa Resort in Tioman Island, and many, many more. You can either tee off at the highlands where the air is cool and crisp or by the beach with the crashing waves in the background.

White Water Rafting

If you fancy a little action, make your way to the Besu Rapids which is one of the best white-water rafting locations in Malaysia. Apart from that, the Telom Descent is another location considered as one of the world’s wildest river rides. Other popular spots for recreational rafters are at Sungai Tembeling, Endau Rompin, Janda Baik-Bukit Tinggi, Sungai Anak Jelai and Sungai Lipis.

Bird Watching

The annual Fraser’s Hill International Bird Race takes place in the middle of June and has drawn bird enthusiasts from all over the world. It is a fun event where nature lovers outdo each other to sight, identify and record the most number of bird species within a set time frame and location. Other destinations perfect for bird watching include the Taman Negara with over than 300 species of birds spotted and recorded, and the Endau-Rompin State Park where more than 250 bird species were spotted and recorded there.

Cave Exploration

The Gunung Senyum cave has at least 20 caverns accessible to the public making it the ideal place to make forays into the unique environment of caves. You can get all dirty crawling through the Gua Telinga (the Ear Cave) at Taman Negara or Gua Buta, Gua Harimau, Gua Batu Tinggi and Gua Hijau at the Kenong Rimba National Park. There is also a temple cave called Panching Cave (Charas Cave) at the Sungai Lembing town.

Water Park

Bukit Gambang Resort City is the first and largest water park resort city in the East Coast of Malaysia. Amongst its unique and fascinating attractions include a man-made 20-acre lake with breathtaking views offering a wide variety of fun water activities for children and adults alike.

Mount Climbing

Gunung Tahan, located within the Taman Negara National Park in Pahang, is West Malaysia’s highest mountain. There are other mountains to conquer such as in Cameron Highlands (Gunung Brinchang, Gunung Beremban, Gunung Jasar and Gunung Perdah).

Horse Riding

There are a number of locations in Pahang where horseback riding is an established activity. Horseback riding is available in Kuantan at the Mahkota Equine Centre, at Fraser’s Hills, the Awana Horse Ranch at Genting Highlands and the Berjaya Hills at Bukit Tinggi.

Fishing

Pahang is also home to the largest lakes in Malaysia – the Bera Lake and the Chini Lake respectively, which are perfect spots to go on boat rides and fishing trips. The Royal Pahang Billfish International Challenge in Rompin is one of the toughest and best angling competitions in the world.