Take a ferry to an island of shrines that nobody is allowed to live on
Nobody lives there, pilgrims still come
A 120-hectare island ten minutes offshore, reached by ferry from Anjung Batu Jetty, with no permanent residents, an abandoned resort and golf course, and shrines and tombs scattered across it.
Why it's unique
Pulau Besar is 120 hectares in the Strait of Malacca, ten minutes off the coast. In the 1990s the residents were moved off, permanent habitation was banned, and a resort and golf course were built and then abandoned. What continued regardless is the pilgrimage: the island is covered in keramat, tombs and nature shrines, the most important being that of the sixteenth-century Sufi saint Sultan al-Ariffin, now encased in a steel cage. Ferries still run full of devotees carrying offerings.
Keramat pilgrimage islands exist elsewhere in the Malay world, so the claim is national. What is specific here is the combination: a state-abandoned resort, signage prohibiting worship at some shrines, and a pilgrimage that carries on anyway. You can walk to the split boulder at the high point and the cave on the south-western shore in a day and be back on the last ferry.
Before you go
The ferry runs roughly every two hours and a return ticket is around RM14; a taxi to the jetty is RM20 to RM30, about 30 minutes' drive south-east on Highway 5 toward Muar. Check the last return before you go, because facilities on the island are minimal.
The unwritten rules that regular pilgrims keep are worth knowing: modest dress, no alcohol, no dogs, and traditionally no pork the day before. Batu Belah, the split boulder at the high point, and Gua Yunus on the south-western shore are the sites to aim for. There are signs prohibiting worship at some shrines, so read what is posted and do not climb fences. Take repellent, because the mangrove shrines are thick with mosquitoes.