Mangrove boardwalks
Walk above the tangled roots.
Toni Wöhrl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toni Wöhrl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toni Wöhrl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toni Wöhrl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Toni Wöhrl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wee Hong — CC BY-SA 4.0
An island of dense mangrove forest off the village of Kukup, about a kilometre from Johor's south-west coast, and one of the largest uninhabited mangrove islands in the world. It was declared a national park in 1997, and in 2003 the Ramsar Convention listed it as a wetland of international importance. Raised wooden boardwalks run among the mangrove trunks and their tangled roots, with viewing platforms and a tower that looks out over the island and the mudflats around it. Walk quietly and you will see mudskippers hopping across the mud, small crabs, monkeys, and birds feeding on the flats at low tide. A short boat ride from the Kukup village jetty takes you there for a few ringgit. Park entry is twenty ringgit for foreign adults and ten for students and seniors, and it opens in the daytime, from about nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. Bring insect repellent and water; the humidity is high. Kukup village itself is known for its seafood restaurants built on stilts over the water and its floating fish farms out at sea, so have lunch there. It lies near Tanjung Piai, the southernmost point of mainland Asia, so combine the two in one day.
Walk above the tangled roots.
Views over the island and mudflats.
Kukup's seafood restaurants over the water.
Off Kukup village, Pontian district, about 70 km south-west of Johor Bahru
By a short local boat from the Kukup village jetty, for a few ringgit per person; the fare charged can differ from the listed one, so agree it before boarding.