Pantai Pelindung
(Pelindung Beach)

Pantai Pelindung (Pelindung Beach) is just about 3 kilometers (or about 10 minutes drive) from Kuantan, Pahang.

Fronting the sea off Kampung Pelindung, a quaint village located just before Beserah if you're coming from Kuantan, this beach is really still unknown to tourists.

Perhaps I can say that it is a "well-kept secret" beach, a hideaway, its existence known perhaps only by the villagers and the nearby residents of Kampung Pelindung and Beserah.

So you will find that the beach is rather empty of visitors, and even during week-ends, there are very few people and picnickers there.

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Pelindung Beach, facing the South China Sea, is connected to the long, white beaches of Beserah and Batu Hitam.

Teluk Chempedak, a very popular beach destination, is actually on the south or right side of Pelindung beach. But we have to go over and cross to the other side of the big boulders, rocks, hills and jungle making up Bukit Pelindung (Pelindung Hill) to get to Teluk Chempedak from Pantai Pelindung.

To get to Pelindung beach, you have to go through a narrow but well-tarred road from the main Beserah Road to Kampung Pelindung, and Kampong Pelindung Pantai, a village fronting the sea.

An alternative way from the main road is through Taman Pelindung, a modern housing estate comprising of terrace houses. The narrow road to the beach is indicated by a signboard "Perkelahan Pelindung" (or "Pelindung Picnic Area").

As mentioned, the beach area is normally very quiet, unlike Teluk Chempedak or Batu Hitam, and you can park your car really near the beach.

Parking there is free, of course. Just park your car under one of those shady trees, take out your mat, and enjoy the beach. But don't be surprised if you find some goats wanting to join you too!

Coconut trees and shady trees line the beach, providing a relaxing, calming and restful atmosphere for picnickers and visitors.

There is also an old World War 2 concrete defence structure or pillbox near the beach, built as a defence post by the British against the Japanese army landings at the bay.

The name "Pelindung" which means "shelter" was said to originate when villagers fled to the nearby hills to seek shelter and hide in the jungle from the Japanese invaders then.

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You will find perhaps just two or three wooden-structured restaurants or eating places at Pantai Pelindung. They prepare mostly local food and snacks.

Keropok lekor, a popular local snack or crackers made from fish and flour, is usually cooked by the stalls there in the afternoon. It is eaten with a dip of spicy chilly or tomato sauce.

And of course, while you are there, don’t forget to watch the fishing boats and fishermen, dutifully hauling their catches and bringing them back to land.

And further away, you can sometimes see or make out the shape of big ships plying out in the sea.

At night lights from the fishing boats and ships can be discerned, and on a breezy, starlit night, coupled with the sound of the sea, it's just heavenly!

So check out Pantai Pelindung or Pelindung Beach whenever you’re in Kuantan. And whenever you wish for a quiet beach to while away your day, head there, it's a perfect escapade.

Until then, as always, from me...

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