Kembali Akar

Return to Our Roots

A Family Immersion in Marine Conservation and Island Culture, hosted by Batu Batu and Tengah Island Conservation (TIC)

Saturday 6th – Tuesday 9th June 2026

What If Your Family Holiday Actually Changed Something?

Most family getaways leave only footprints. This one leaves data that helps protect a turtle population, support for a community-led kitchen, and a small but vital contribution to the science conserving the magical islands in Johor.

Kembali Akar is a four-day family immersion across two islands, where the ocean is your classroom and the community is your guide. Spend your days with the marine biologists of Tengah Island Conservation, tracking nesting turtles and surveying marine life in one of Malaysia’s most protected marine parks. Then cross to Pulau Besar, where the women of the island welcome you into their kitchens to learn recipes that have been passed down through generations and deserve to be passed down through many more.

This is a partnership between Batu Batu and Tengah Island Conservation. TIC scientists lead the conservation, and the Pulau Besar community leads the cultural and culinary heart of the experience. Both are credited as hosts, not features. Your family gets to be part of something that matters to the people who call these islands home.

Kembali Akar is Bahasa Malaysia for “return to our roots.” Turtles return to nest on the beaches where they were born. Organic waste returns to soil. Garden harvests return to the kitchen. Families return to nature. This is a programme about all of those returns, and the roots they reach back to.

What Awaits Your Family

Five anchor experiences, woven across three nights and four days. Each one is led by the people who know this place best.

  • Experience 1: Welcome, Introduction to TIC’s Work & Q&A with a Marine Biologist
  • Experience 2: Pulau Besar Day: Garden, Mangroves, Cooking, Rumah Eko - The emotional centre of the week. A full day on Pulau Besar combining four threads. See the Pulau Besar Day section below.
  • Experience 3: Dawn Turtle Patrol - A boat-based patrol at dawn of nesting beaches across six islands with TIC marine biologists, capacity 12 per outing. Families go out in a boat at dawn and help locate fresh tracks, document any active nests, and re-locate nests to the hatchery if one is found. Cohorts rotate across the stay so every booked family gets a slot.
  • Experience 4: Fish ID and Citizen-Science Snorkel - A TIC-led session learning to identify target species, followed by two separate guided snorkels - one in the reefs at Pulau Tengah and one in the mangroves of Pulau Besar where each family records what they see. Data is added to TIC's monitoring records to compare the species seen across the two different landscapes.
  • Experience 5: Impact Reveal - On the final day, each family receives a personalised summary of what they contributed: fish and target species logged, sea turtle egg retrieved (if any). You leave with a small Rumah Eko upcycled keepsake and an invitation to return.

Who Is This For?

This programme is designed for families with children aged 7 and above, and is just as rewarding for teenagers. The science is real, the community connection is genuine, and young people of all ages tend to rise to meet it.

If your child has ever asked what conservation biologists do, why turtles are endangered, why coral reefs are important, what happens to plastic in the ocean, or is interested in different cultures and communities, this is the place to find out together.

Kembali Akar is not a drop-off programme. Parents are in the water, on the boats, and at the kitchen table. The conversations that start here tend to continue long after the boat back to Mersing.

All participants should be confident swimmers, with parents responsible for supervising their children during water activities.

Each cohort is capped at (20 participants), so every family gets meaningful time with the TIC scientists and community hosts.

Everything Your Family Needs, All In

Kembali Akar is a complete family package: conservation programme, island accommodation, and all that comes with Batu Batu, in one.

Rate Includes:

  • All Kembali Akar programme activities (turtle patrols, fish ID, citizen-science snorkels, Pulau Besar full day, impact reveal)
  • Villa accommodation (3 nights, 4 days)
  • All meals from arrival to departure
  • Boat transfers to and from Mersing
  • Pulau Besar day transfers and community session fees
  • Citizen-science kit for each child (Target species slate, logbook)
  • Rumah Eko upcycled keepsake from the workshop
  • Marine Park fees, Malaysian SST & Tourism Tax

Between sessions, the island is yours to explore. Stroll through nature, take a leisurely ocean swim, or indulge in optional extras like massages. Batu Batu's natural beauty is, in itself, part of the healing.

Secure Your Spot

A Day-by-Day Look at the Programme

Saturday, 6 June

Day 1 – Arrival

Families arrive on Saturday, 6 June via the 10am or 11am boat transfer, settle in over lunch, and begin the programme in the afternoon. Guests arriving on the morning boat will also be able to join the introductory talk, marine biology Q&A, and Fish ID session.

Sunday, 7 June

Day 2 – Pulau Besar Day

The day begins at the Rumah Eko permaculture garden with composting, harvesting, upcycling, and a hands-on cooking session with local women using garden produce and local fish to prepare traditional Pulau Besar dishes.

In the afternoon, families explore the mangroves with a TIC scientist and join a citizen-science snorkel at high tide, recording marine species sightings that contribute directly to TIC’s conservation database.

Guests return to Pulau Tengah in the late afternoon, in time for sunset on the beach.

Monday, 8 June

Day 3 – Reefs and Turtles

Dawn Turtle Patrol / Dawn Track Walk

Before the island stirs, one group will already be on the water, scanning nesting beaches with a TIC biologist. Another group reads the previous night’s tracks on foot: whose were they? Did she nest, or turn back?

Fish ID Session (after lunch, all families)

Waterproof slates, target species cards, and a TIC scientist who makes marine taxonomy genuinely exciting. Preparation for what comes next.

Evenings are left free to enjoy the island.

Tuesday, 9 June

Day 4 – Reflection and Farewell

Dawn Turtle Patrol (rotating cohorts)

A final early-morning experience for families who have not yet had theirs, or simply cannot resist one more.

Impact Reveal (after breakfast, all families)

Each family receives their personalised contribution summary. A TIC scientist walks you through what your data means, and what happens to it next. You receive your Rumah Eko keepsake and your personal conservation record.

Farewell Lunch & Departure

Departure boats to Mersing at 1PM / 3PM

The Island Sanctuary

Batu Batu — Where Nature Restores You

Batu Batu is a serene eco-island retreat featuring 22 villas on Pulau Tengah, nestled within Malaysia’s Johor Marine Park. Surrounded by eight pristine white-sand beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters, this enchanting island is a haven for wildlife, where juvenile reef sharks glide through the shallows and endangered sea turtles graze in lush seagrass meadows.

Meet the Hosts

Tengah Island Conservation

TIC has spent ten years doing marine and turtle conservation work in the Mersing archipelago. The scientists who front Kembali Akar are not facilitators reading from a script. They are the people who do the work, monitor the ecosystem, collect the data and know these waters intimately. Your family works alongside them, not behind them.

The Women of Pulau Besar & Rumah Eko

Rumah Eko is TIC’s community and sustainability hub on the neighbouring island of Pulau Besar, developed in partnership with Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance, UNDP and The Habitat Foundation. The women who lead the cooking session are members of the local community, credited by name, and paid per session at a fair and agreed rate. They are hosts of Kembali Akar, not a feature of it.

Rates

All rates are per villa, for 3 nights / 4 days, inclusive of all Kembali Akar programme activities, villa accommodation, all meals, boat transfers from Mersing, Marine Park fees, SST and Tourism Tax.

Standard Prices (SGD)

  • Jungle Villa: 2 Adults + 2 Children | S$3,250
  • Ocean Villa: 2 Adults + 2 Children | S$3,400
  • Beach Villa: 2 Adults + 2 Children | S$3,600
  • Ocean Deluxe Villa: 2 Adults + 2 Children | S$3,800
  • 2-Bedroom Poolside Villa: 2 Adults + 2 Children | S$4,250
  • Jungle Villa:
    2 Adults + 2 Children
    S$3,250
  • Ocean Villa:
    2 Adults + 2 Children
    S$3,400
  • Beach Villa:
    2 Adults + 2 Children
    S$3,600
  • Ocean Deluxe Villa:
    2 Adults + 2 Children
    S$3,800
  • 2-Bedroom Poolside Villa:
    2 Adults + 2 Children
    S$4,250

Spots are limited. Submit your booking below.

Book Now

Your Invitation to Return to Your Roots Begins Here

Pulau Tengah, nestled within Johor’s protected Sultan Iskandar Marine Park in Malaysia, is a true hidden gem. This secluded island, which Batu Batu calls home, is a picture-perfect cliché of crystal-clear waters, lush greenery, white sandy beaches, and vibrant coral reefs.

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Reservations on weekdays from 9am to 11pm: +60 17 755 5888

Front Office every day from 7am to 11pm: +60 17 755 0672

Mersing Representative for any enquiries as you travel to Mersing +60 17 755 4381

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