Experience the best of Cherating

Cherating is a beach village on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, north of Kuantan, strung along a curve of sand beside the South China Sea. Casuarina trees shade the beach, and small guesthouses and cafés sit along the road behind it. The slow pace and the sunsets have drawn backpackers and families here for decades.

A turtle sanctuary on the beach cares for turtles that nest along this coast, and visitors can take part in hatchling releases when the season allows. The Cherating River winds through mangroves, where boat trips at dusk drift under trees lit by fireflies. Workshops teach batik painting, and in the monsoon months the surf breaks along the beach attract surfers.

Seafood grilled over coals, fried noodles and nasi lemak are the dishes of the beach cafés, and fish from the day's catch is cooked at simple roadside restaurants. The calm months in the middle of the year suit swimming, while the rougher waves of the year-end monsoon bring the surfers.