Pulau Jerejak

Pulau Jerejak is a 362-acre forested island in the Penang Strait off the southeastern coast of Penang Island, Penang, Malaysia, within Northeast Penang Island District. Formerly a leper asylum, quarantine station and detention centre, it is now an uninhabited nature and heritage island. Known for its dense secondary rainforest, historic ruins and coastal scenery, it is accessible by short ferry from the Jerejak Jetty at Bayan Lepas and offers nature-based recreation near George Town.

Visitors reach the island by a 10-minute ferry from Jerejak Jetty at Bayan Lepas. The island is heavily forested with secondary rainforest, coastal shoreline and abandoned structures from its former quarantine station, leper asylum and detention centre. Visitors can explore jungle trails, cycling routes, coastal viewpoints and historic ruins. Facilities are limited since the former resort closed, with a jetty, basic amenities and open natural areas for walking, photography and nature observation.

Pulau Jerejak served as a leper asylum from 1868, a quarantine station for immigrants from 1875, and later as a penal settlement and detention centre from 1969 to 1993. Remnants of the asylum, quarantine camp and prison structures remain. The island also housed a tuberculosis sanatorium and was briefly developed as Jerejak Island Resort. Its layered history reflects public health and correctional uses during the colonial and post-independence periods.