about Sama² Pangkor Island

Malaysia has many islands.
If you’re looking for crystal clear waters, head to the islands on the eastern side of the Malay Peninsula (Redang Island, Perhentian Island, Tioman Island) or the islands of Borneo.
If you’re looking for a certain level of convenience, head to Langkawi Island or Penang Island.

There is plenty of information available about the islands mentioned above, but there is very little information about Pangkor Island.
Due to the lack of information, I encountered many backpackers who were disappointed and moved on to the next destination, saying “There’s nothing on this island".

During my backpacking days, when I believed in finding my own way to enjoy a place that at first glance seemed to have nothing, information about Pangkor Island was only half a page in the Japanese backpacker’s bible, “CHIKYUU-NO-ARUKIKATA – Malaysia Edition."
I never dreamed back then that a chance encounter on Pangkor Island, which I visited on a whim simply because I wanted to see what was on the other side of that mere half-page, would end up changing my entire way of life.

During my first trip to Pangkor Island, the boatman I met there, Mr. Non, pulled out a business card from his tattered wallet, and it turned out to be the business card of an editor from the “CHIKYUU-NO-ARUKIKATA" travel guide.
According to Mr.Non’s explanation, that person apparently visited Pangkor Island multiple times every year.
Nevertheless, the fact that there was only half a page of information about Pangkor Island was likely due to decisions made by editors or those in charge, based on factors such as “Pangkor Island is not as famous as other islands" and “there is no demand from Japanese tourists".
“It’s been several years since he stopped coming to this island", Mr.Non said sadly, and she still cherishes his business card.

My first trip to Pangkor Island ended unsatisfactorily due to scheduling constraints.
I visited Pangkor Island for the second time with a bit of mischief in mind, wondering “How would the boat shop owner react if I went there a second time?".
As expected, Mr.Non was surprised and happily exclaimed “You came again!?" And that moment was the moment when my true friendship with Mr.Non began.
Wanting to see that joyful expression again, I continued to visit Pangkor Island year after year during my wandering travels.
Each time, I made new friends not only with Mr. Non but also with other people on the island, and every time I spent time with them, I made many new discoveries which made me think “This island can really be enjoyed in so many different ways!".

During the day, I volunteered at the boat shop and visited hidden scenic spots that only locals know about, which my friends told me about.
At night, I would be taken around to various places by Mr. Non who had a wide network of contacts.
As I repeated this every year, I became known as “a somewhat eccentric Japanese person who comes to Pangkor Island every year as if returning to their hometown".
And above all, I feel that each and every precious memory I made with the many Japanese tourists I met on Pangkor Island, who put up with my and Mr.Non’s overly intrusive behavior without a single frown, has deepened my feelings for Pangkor Island.

Having frequented Pangkor Island for 18 years, and well past the midpoint of my life, I received the blessing of having my first daughter, which has made it difficult to visit Pangkor Island as often as I used to.
Therefore, in the hope of alleviating some of the concerns of those who might be interested in Pangkor Island, which is still relatively unknown to many Japanese people, I created this “Sama² Pangkor Island" based on my own experiences and updated it with information from many friends on the island including Mr.Non.

Please note that since this website is run by an individual, I may include affiliate links when introducing hotels or products in order to help cover server maintenance and domain management costs.
Thank you for your understanding.
We would appreciate it if you could make hotel reservations and purchase items necessary for your trip through our website, if possible.

Finally, if you have visited Pangkor Island after seeing this website, please send us your opinions and thoughts by email or post, such as “This was good", “This was a problem", “It would have been more helpful if there had been something like this" or “This information is outdated", so we will do our best to convey your voices to the island and encourage all those involved to make this a reality.
We would appreciate your help.

“Sama² Pangkor Island" Production, Operation, and Management
2023.Dec.16 Tsukasa Tomioka