Turtle-Watching at Rantau Abang

Turtle Watching at Rantau Abang, Terengganu is one of the must do activities in Terengganu. Whenever you go to Terengganu, make it a point to go Turtle Watching at Rantau Abang. Rantau Abang, a popular tourist destination in Terengganu is located at a distance of approximately 60km to the south of Kuala Terengganu and is a breeding ground of giant leatherback turtles. Turtle Watching at Rantau Abang, Terengganu is a lot of fun as you can relish the serene ambience of this place as you lie quietly in wait, from midnight to dawn, to watch giant leatherback turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs.




Rantau Abang is an ideal nesting grounds for the giant Dermocheleys coriaca or the leatherback turtles as its warm grainy sands, favorable beach terrain and steep and deep slope make it easy for these lazy beings to ‘land’ straight up the beach. Rantau Abang is one of the most talked about tourist spots in Terengganu and the best time to visit it is from May to June as the turtles come to its beaches at this time of the year as these are the peak egg laying months. Come here and enjoy Turtle Watching at Rantau Abang in Terengganu. It is once in a lifetime experience to see these turtles, lumbering slowly up the white sandy beaches to lay eggs and then crawling back to the sea.



Rantau Abang is one of the very few leatherback nesting sites in the world. Many turtle sanctuaries have been established all over the world in an effort to reverse the decline of leatherback turtles and Rantau Abang is one such place. These giant turtles grow up to 2.5m long and sometimes weigh more than 375 kg. Visitors are forbidden to collect or eat turtle eggs in Rantau Abang and even licensed turtle egg collectors need to acquire prior permission for collecting turtle eggs here . If you want to learn more about these turtles you can watch a documentary on the turtle and its nesting habits that is screened at regular intervals at the Rantau Abang Visitors' Centre. Enjoy Turtle Watching at Rantau Abang!