Kelantan Darul Naim means "Land of Lightning". This state is managed by 10 administrative jurisdictions: Kota Bharu, Pasir Mas, Tumpat, Pasir Puteh, Bachok, Kuala Krai, Machang, Tanah Merah, Jeli, and Gua Musang.
Kelantan is the most deeply conservative of all Malay states and has with just one interruption been governed by the opposition '''Islamic Party of Malaysia''' (''Parti Islam SeMalaysia'' or '''PAS''') since 1958. The party's green flag with a white full moon flutters throughout the state. Highways seem to have more signs with quotes from the Koran than actual traffic instructions; many signs are written in ''Jawi'', the old Arabic script for Malay; and even Chinese women tend to wear headscarves due to the very long cultural assimilation process.
While Malays make up 94% of the population of 1.4 million and there is also the usual smattering of Chinese and Indians, Kelantan is also home to the '''Orang Siam''', a group of 7000-8000 Buddhist Thais. The Thais have lived in Kelantan for centuries.
One strong point that differentiates between Kelantan and the rest of Malaysian states are the way Kelantanese categorize people based on their place of origin rather than the color of the skin. All Kelantanese are considered as '''Oghe Kito''' (''Our People'' or ''Orang Kita'' in standard Malay) by fellow Kelantanese no matter which race or religion they belong to. This sometimes gives the wrong impression to the non-Kelantanese Malaysians, to whom the term '''Orang Kita''' usually refers to people of the same race.
The '''Kelantanese''' dialect of Malay is famously incomprehensible to outsiders, so much so that Kelantanese and non-Kelantanese alike jokingly refer to it as ''German'' (pronounced ''gher-man'' with a hard G, but yes, it means German).
The ''Orang Siam'' also speak a dialect of Thai called ''Tak Bai'', but this is also quite different from standard Thai or even the forms generally spoken in southern Thailand.
As for second languages, some people speak English, but do not expect everyone to be able to. And while no-one will expect you to speak Bahasa Kelantan (Kelantan dialect), some knowledge of standard Malay would be very useful.
Kelantan's only airport is the '''Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (KBR)''' at Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu. '''[http://www.malaysiaairlines.com.my Malaysia Airlines]''' and '''[http://www.airasia.com Air Asia]''' provide flights to/from Kuala Lumpur . While people from Penang can reach Kelantan by FireFly.
'''To/from Thailand:''' Road users can enter Kelantan from the southern Thai province of Narathiwat at Rantau Panjang (across the Golok River from the Thai town of Sungai Kolok), and across the Golok River on the newly completed bridge at Bukit Bunga, Jeli.
A local bus runs twice daily between Gua Musang in Kelantan and Kuala Lipis in Pahang where there are connections to Jerantut for Taman Negara National Park. Buses depart Gua Musang at 1030 and 1530 and from Kuala Lipis at 0800 and 1300. Local buses also run from Pasir Puteh in the eastern part of the state to Jertih and Kuala Besut (for boats to the Perhentian Islands), which lie just inside Terengganu. To Gerik in Perak, there is one trip a day via the East-West Highway, leaving Kota Baru at 0630 and Gerik at 1230.
'''To/from Thailand:''' There are no direct bus services into Thailand. Catch a local bus to Rantau Panjang, and cross the border to Sungai Kolok where there are bus connections to other destinations in Thailand. See the Kota Bharu page for details.
The main railway stations in Kelantan where express trains stop are:
'''To/From Kuala Lumpur:''' The sleeper '''Ekspres Wau''' links Tumpat with Kuala Lumpur daily, pasing through Jerantut (for Taman Negara National Park).
'''To/From Singapore and Johor Bahru:''' The sleeper '''Ekspres Timuran''' goes to/from Singapore daily, also stopping at Jerantut. There are slow local trains to Gemas, Negeri Sembilan where the train joins the main West Coast trunk line, and even to Singapore. In early 2007, a daily day train, the '''Lambaian Timur''' was introduced, allowing travellers to enjoy the jungles of Peninsular Malaysia as it travels through the stretch during daylight hours.
'''To/from Thailand: ''' Although there is a railway branch line running from Pasir Mas to Rantau Panjang on the Thai border, there are no passenger train services into Thailand or even to Rantau Panjang. Catch a local bus to Rantau Panjang, cross the border to Sungai Kolok where the are trains to Hat Yai and Bangkok.
For more details, check [http://www.ktmb.com.my KTMB's] website.
Passenger boats also run between the '''Bukit Bunga''' immigration checkpoint near Jeli in the western part of the state, and '''Buketa''' in Narathiwat Province.
A bridge across the Golok River at Bukit Bunga is already completed.
Good roads link the main towns of Kelantan.
Bus transport in the state is handled by '''Syarikat Kenderaan Melayu Kelantan (SKMK)''', a subsidiary of the [http://www.transnasional.com.my/transportation_routes_stage.asp Transnasional Group]. Local buses link Kota Bharu with all main towns in Kelantan.
Express trains (Ekspres Wau and Ekspres Timuran) make stops at major Kelantan stations, namely Tumpat (the terminus) Wakaf Baru (for Kota Bharu), Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Dabong (for Bukit Stong waterfall), Kuala Krai and Gua Musang. Local trains stop at almost every station and halt on the East Coast line and constitute a major mode of transport for locals living in the interior of the state.
Check the [http://www.ktmb.com.my KTMB] website for more details.
Kelantan is famous for its Malay arts and handicrafts (mainly batik). The state's most instantly recognizable symbol is the ''wau bulan'' ("moon kite"), which has been adopted by Malaysian Airlines as its logo.
List of things to buy:
Kelantanese cuisine has several specialities rarely seen elsewhere in Malaysia. The dominant themes are the heavy use of '''''kerabu''''', a catch-all term covering various herbs and vegetables and often served as an accompaniment to dishes, and the multiple uses found for '''coconut''', which can be found in almost every dish.
Popular desserts and snacks include ''akok'' (wrinkled cake), ''bahulu'' (cakes) and ''keropok ikan'' (fish cracker).
Fresh coconut is RM3.
A fermented version of coconut milk is called "tuak", and usually sour. Dare to try.
There are many guesthouses & homestays (RM15-RM80/night), in town and around the beaches.
Kelantan/Kota Bharu is generally safe, and people are generally friendly.
More than anywhere else in Malaysia, in Kelantan it's important to respect local mores, especially if you head out into the countryside. It is not necessary or expected for non-Muslim women to wear a headscarf (though it would certainly meet with approval), but both men and women should wear clothing that covers all or at least most of their legs (no short shorts), and women should wear blouses or dresses which cover their torso. Long sleeves are preferable for women, and outfits which show the shoulders or midriff should be avoided. The watchword is modesty. Tourists dressed in shorts and skimpy tops are really out of place in this state.