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Kukup, located on
the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia, is a well
known fishing village located on the
southwestern part of Johor while the famous
island of Pulau Kukup is the largest uninhabited
mangrove island in the world. Kukup is
about twenty kilometers away from Pontian while
Pualu Kukup is located very near to Tanjung Piai.
Kukup is
known for its fish farms and restaurants selling
delicious and fresh seafood whereby most of the
open-air restaurants are built on stilts over
the water.
Kukup Island was
gazetted as a national park in 1997 and in 2003,
this island was granted the status of a Ramsar
site. This 647ha island is a nature's paradise
with more that 70 bird species and 30 mangrove
species and nature lovers will be glad to know
that this island attracts animals such as birds,
mudskippers, crabs and wild boars. One of the
legends has it that this place was the home to
five celestial princesses whose existence was
compromised when one of them fell in love with a
sailor and eloped. Activities on the island
which can be enjoyed by tourists include
observing mangrove plants and wildlife on the
boardwalk, bird watching and watching the
breathtaking views from the observation tower
and suspension bridge.
To get to Pulau
Kukup, visitors must go the Information Centre
in Pekan Kukup. Them make your way to Kukup
Jetty which is located near the famous High King
restaurant. A short boat ride to this famous
island will cost about RM5. Visitors mainly come
to Kukup for its
shrimps are also likely to stop at Kampung Air
Masin (Salt Water Village) to buy the famous
Johor belacan, a type of prawn paste and tourist
attractions on Pekan Kukup include a 150-year
old fishing village on stilts, mouth-watering
seafood, boat cruises and kelong stays. Day
trippers can look forward to feeling the brush
of salty air against their faces in the
traditional kelong cruise on board an old
fishing boat.
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