MY · Johor · 1.33°N 103.44°E

kukup

Stilt-house fishing village over the water, chilli crab and kelong trips.

Best time
Any time of year. Weekends are busy with visitors from JB and Singapore. Evenings are best for seafood.
How long
Half a day
Getting there
About 1 hour's drive from JB through Pontian, or about 4 hours from KL.
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MY · Johorkukup1.33°N 103.44°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Stilt-house fishing village over the water, chilli crab and kelong trips.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKukupMY, Johor
KLkukup
≈ 280 km from KL, as the crow flies
The houses in Kukup Laut village are built on coastal intertidal area, the seawater rising and falling when flood and ebb tide.

Photo: Wee Hong · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A small fishing village near Johor's south-west tip, built on stilts over the water and famous for its seafood restaurants. Out in the strait are kelongs and fish farms, and just offshore is Pulau Kukup, a protected mangrove island.

Makan

  1. Chilli crabCrab in a thick, sweet-spicy sauce at the restaurants on stilts.Map ↗
  2. Steamed fishWhatever came in that day, steamed simply with soy and ginger.Map ↗
  3. Dried seafoodSalted fish, dried shrimp and belacan to take home.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. The stilt villageWalk the plank walkways between houses over the water.Map ↗
  2. A kelong tripBoats go out to the floating fish farms, where you can see how the fish are reared.Map ↗
  3. Pulau KukupA mangrove island national park and Ramsar wetland, with boardwalks through the mangroves.Map ↗
  4. Tanjung PiaiThe southernmost tip of mainland Asia, about 20 minutes away.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Ferries to Tanjung Balai Karimun in Indonesia leave from here. You'll need your passport if you're crossing.
  • Low tide leaves mudflats under the village, so it can smell of the sea.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.