How To Go To Rawa Island From Singapore (3 Easy Ways)

Getting to Rawa Island from Singapore takes a combination of land and sea transport!

Expect the entire journey to take slightly less than 4 hours from Singapore to your chosen resort on Rawa Island.

That is assuming that traffic isn’t too heavy at the Singapore-Johor border!

Read also: How To Go To Tioman Island From Singapore

Don’t want to take your chances with public transport?

Need more space for your travel buddies and you?

Tired of the long queues at immigration?

Sounds like you could be in need of a private car service to get from Singapore to Mersing Jetty so you can take a boat to Rawa Island!

After all, a holiday should be as relaxing and as stress-free as possible!

You can book a private car service through SGMYTAXI!

Why You Should Book A Private Car From Singapore To Rawa Island:

• You choose your own departure point and time
• No need to wait for and share the ride with strangers
• You will not need to alight from the car at immigration
• Comfortable cars that are spacious and well-maintained
• Experienced drivers
• Easy to book
• Affordable rates

Read also: How To Go To Rawa Island

The private car service can take you straight from your doorstep in Singapore or whatever location you wish, to Mersing Jetty.

The journey takes roughly 3 hours from Singapore to Mersing Jetty.

Just have your luggage and passport ready on the day of departure!

To hire a private car from Singapore to Mersing Jetty & vice versa, we recommend SGMYTAXI.

From Mersing Jetty, you can reach Rawa Island via a 30-minute speedboat ride:

Each of the 2 resorts on Rawa Island offer speedboat services to fetch guests from Mersing Jetty to Rawa Island.

Important!

Give yourself at least 30 minutes at Mersing Jetty to:

1. Register using your travel voucher at the Rawa Island Resort Mersing Office before you take a speedboat to Rawa island
2. Pay the Marine Park Fee
   1. For Malaysians: RM5 (Adult), RM2 (Children/ Senior)
   2. For foreigners: RM30 (Adult), RM15 (Children/ Senior)

3. Pay the Johor National Park Fee
   1. For Malaysians: RM5 (Adult), RM2 (Children/ Senior)
   2. For foreigners: RM20 (Adult), RM10 (Children/ Senior)

Read also: Tioman Vs Rawa: Which Island Is The Best?

The bus journey can take 3 to 5 hours from Singapore to Mersing Jetty. You have to take the Singapore-Johor Custom traffic into account too.

Especially when you book a boat to get from Mersing Jetty to Rawa Island!

Factor some buffer time into your schedule to avoid missing your boat to Rawa Island!

Prepare yourself! It’s a long journey and you will be tired before you get to Mersing Jetty!

There are a total of 5 different bus operators that provide services from Singapore to Mersing Bus Terminal.

And between them, this adds up to about 4 trips to Mersing Jetty daily.

Most of the buses start the journey early in the morning so be ready to wake up early (e.g. 6:00am to 7:00am) so you can get to the designated boarding point on time!

The average duration for a one-way trip regardless of bus operator, is 3 hours and 30 minutes if traffic isn’t too heavy at the Singapore-Johor border.

Read also: How To Go To Tioman Island From Mersing Jetty

Coach Ticket Price:

Singapore To Mersing Bus Terminal: SGD$31 (Adult/ Child)

Mersing Bus Terminal To Singapore: SGD$31 (Adult/ Child)

Departure Location & Time:

Kovan Hub 206 (6:00am)

Bugis MRT Exit D (6:30am)

Return Location & Time:

Mersing Jetty (6:00pm)

Arrival Station At Singapore:

Bugis MRT Exit D Taxi Stand or Kovan Hub

Coach Ticket Price:

Singapore To Mersing Jetty: SGD$31 (Adult/ Child)

Mersing Jetty To Singapore: SGD$26 (Adult/ Child)

Departure Location & Time:

Bugis MRT Station (6:30am)

Return Location & Time:

Mersing Jetty (6:00pm)

Arrival Station At Singapore:

Bugis MRT Station

Read also: How To Go To Rawa Island From Changi Airport

Coach Ticket Price:

Singapore To Mersing Jetty: SGD$21 (Adult/ Child)

Mersing Jetty To Singapore: SGD$21 (Adult/ Child)

Departure Location & Time:

Singapore Flyers (6:30am)

Return Location & Time:

Mersing Jetty (6:00pm)

Arrival Station At Singapore:

Singapore Flyers

Coach Ticket Price:

Singapore To Mersing Bus Terminal: SGD$33.90 (Adult/ Child)

Mersing Bus Terminal To Singapore: SGD$15.93 (Adult/ Child)

Departure Location & Time:

The Plaza at Beach Road (9:00am, 7:30pm and 10:00pm)

Return Point & Time:

Mersing Bus Terminal (12:30pm, 2:00pm)

Arrival Station At Singapore:

The Plaza at Beach Road

Read also: How To Get To Mersing Jetty

Coach Ticket Price:

Singapore To Mersing Jetty: SGD$35 (Adult/ Child)

Departure Location & Time:

Golden Mile Tower (6:30am)

Boon Lay Shopping Center (7:16am)

Book your bus tickets online or choose to purchase your tickets from the counter at the bus station.

Make sure that you book early if a public holiday is approaching! Tickets sell out fast!

Read also: How To Go To Tioman Island From Tanjung Gemok Jetty

Your bus will likely drop you off at Mersing Bus Terminal which is a quick walk of 10 to 15 minutes to Mersing Jetty.

At Mersing Jetty, you can then take a 30-minute speedboat service to Alang’s Rawa Resort or Rawa Island Resort. Contact your respective resort ahead of your arrival to arrange a boat!

Important!

Allocate at least 30 minutes at Mersing Jetty to:

1. Register at the Rawa Island Resort Mersing Office before the speedboat departure to Rawa island. Bring along your travel voucher!
2. Pay the Marine Park Fee

1. 1. For Malaysians: RM5 (Adult), RM2 (Children/ Senior)
   2. For foreigners: RM30 (Adult), RM15 (Children/ Senior)

3. Pay the Johor National Park Fee

1. 1. For Malaysians: RM5 (Adult), RM2 (Children/ Senior)
   2. For foreigners: RM20 (Adult), RM10 (Children/ Senior)

Driving up is quicker than taking a bus or coach from Singapore to Mersing Jetty.

Another benefit is the flexibility – you leave whenever and wherever you want from Singapore or Mersing Jetty!

Again, you will likely be tired by the time you reach Mersing Jetty!

Read also: Best Option From Singapore To Tioman Island

Prepare for a journey that could potentially take 3 hours or more depending on the traffic at customs!

This is the route you should take:

Singapore (via Laluan Persekutuan 3/AH18) → Johor Bahru → Kota Tinggi → Jemualang → Mersing Jetty

Mersing Jetty Route & Map: http://bit.ly/jbmersingjetty

Address: Jeti Penumpang Mersing, Jalan Abu Bakar, 86800 Mersing, Johor, Malaysia

Waze & Google Maps: Jeti Penumpang Mersing

Read also: 4 Simple Steps On How To Take The Train To JB From Singapore

At Mersing Jetty, you can leave your car at a secure car park by the jetty at a cost of RM15 per night per car.

Arrange a speedboat ahead of your arrival to Mersing Jetty with the resort of your choice – either Alang’s Rawa Resort or Rawa Island Resort.

They will pick you up from Mersing Jetty and on to Rawa Island for a 30-minute ride across the sea.

Important!

Be at Mersing Jetty at least 30 minutes to:

1. Register at the Rawa Island Resort Mersing Office before the speedboat departure to Rawa island. Have your travel voucher at hand.
2. Pay the Marine Park Fee

1. 1. For Malaysians: RM5 (Adult), RM2 (Children/ Senior)
   2. For foreigners: RM30 (Adult), RM15 (Children/ Senior)

3. Pay the Johor National Park Fee

1. 1. For Malaysians: RM5 (Adult), RM2 (Children/ Senior)
   2. For foreigners: RM20 (Adult), RM10 (Children/ Senior)

Unfortunately, there are no commercial flights that will take you directly to Rawa Island or Mersing from Singapore.

But a paradise like Rawa Island is worth getting to!

Since Rawa Island is pretty remote from civilization, it’s good to know what to expect:

Your chosen resort will give you a selection of boat departure timings after you book a room with GoIslands.

From these, you can select your preferred boat departure time.

If you cannot make it for that allocated time, you can still hire a private boat charter from the resort.

For example, if you want to go to Rawa Island on a Friday night and cannot afford to take half-day off work for the 3-hour journey from Singapore to Mersing:

• Speedboats from Alang’s Rawa Resort are available from evening and until midnight on Fridays. But if you need a boat outside of their usual hours, they will charge RM250-350 for a one-way trip.
• For Rawa Island Resort, a private boat charter costs RM500 (one-way) if you miss their scheduled boat. The timing is only provided a day before your trip.

Read also: Rawa Island Package Review (Which Rawa Island Resort & Package Should You Go For?)

To arrange for a boat return trip from Rawa Island to Mersing jetty:

Reconfirm with the resort reception on Rawa Island at least 1 day prior to your intended departure date.

Alang’s Rawa Resort has no WiFi but Rawa Island Resort has WiFi at their restaurant and bar.

Besides this, the phone network is typically not reliable.

So if you do want access to the internet, you can get a Malaysian sim card with a data plan:

• Maxis performs the best here
• Celcom connection is possible but limited
• Digi has very weak signal range on Rawa Island

Be prepared, especially when you’re in the middle of nowhere!

Necessities include:

1. Sunscreen
2. Motion sickness pills
3. Light summer clothing – Bring some short sleeves as well as long sleeves (for sun protection), shorts, trousers (no jeans!), dresses and skirts are also ok
4. Underwear
5. Swimwear
6. A jacket or pullover to combat the air con in the buses or ferries
7. Shoes – A pair to walk in the water to avoid getting cut by sharp coral and of course, flip flops for lounging about! And a pair of good walking shoes that you will be travelling in.
8. A raincoat (and dry bag for your electronics and valuables)
9. Your toiletries
10. Electronics – like your camera and charger
11. A small day bag – passport, ample money (bring Ringgit), credit cards, your essential medicines, mosquito repellant, water bottle, dry snacks, sunglasses, scarf/sarong, etc
12. Snorkeling gear – scuba fins and mask
13. Optional: Diving gear (these are not provided on the island)

Try to get to Mersing jetty at least 1 hour before your ferry departure time in order not to miss your ferry!

But sometimes, life happens and you have to miss your ferry due to unfavorable sailing conditions, road congestion, public transport delays, etc!

Don’t despair! At least there are some comfortable overnight options in Mersing:

1. Mersing Hotel – 5 minutes’ walk from Mersing Jetty with rates below RM100 per night. There is a 24 hour convenience store nearby (7 eleven) as well as a pharmacy (Guardian).

2. Riverside Hotel – Rates of around RM90/night for basic rooms make this another budget-friendly choice that is a 3-minutes walk to Mersing jetty.

3. Hotel Havanita – At rates of about RM150/night, you’ll be a little more comfortable in this hotel. It is the best-rated hotel in Mersing. The distance from Mersing Jetty is 1.1km so you will need a taxi to get to the hotel.

October to February is the monsoon season and during this time, the island will not be accessible to visitors owing to rough sea conditions.

Your best bet is to go when it’s sunny! The best time to visit Rawa Island is anytime between April to September is fine!

The peak months are June and July. And it will be in your best interest to book your room way in advance if you wish to go during these months!

Read also: Best Time To Visit Tioman Island

All sea-related activities can be done directly in front of the resort and waters surrounding the island without having to charter a boat out to sea.

Other Things To Do In Rawa Island:

• Hiking
• Island-hopping
• Kayaking
• Volleyball
• Waterslides – there are 2 that go straight into the sea!

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