MY · Kedah · 5.68°N 100.37°E

tanjung dawai

Ikan bakar, dried seafood and fishing boats at the mouth of the Merbok River.

Best time
Any time of year. Come in the late afternoon to shop for dried fish, then eat as the restaurants fill up at sunset.
How long
Half a day
Getting there
About 4–4.5 hours' drive from KL on the North–South Expressway to Sungai Petani, then west through Merbok. It's about 40 minutes from Sungai Petani and around 1.5 hours from Penang.
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MY · Kedahtanjung dawai5.68°N 100.37°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Ikan bakar, dried seafood and fishing boats at the mouth of the Merbok River.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingTanjung DawaiMY, Kedah
KLtanjung dawai
≈ 318 km from KL, as the crow flies
  • Photo: Syahdu · Public domain
  • Photo: Syahdu · Public domain
Pukat Bilis Boat.

Photo: Syahdu · Public domain

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A fishing village on the north bank of the Merbok estuary, facing Pantai Merdeka across the water. People drive out for ikan bakar by the river mouth and leave with the boot full of ikan bilis and salted fish.

Makan

  1. Ikan bakarPick your fish and have it grilled with sambal; some places will cook what you buy from the boats.Map ↗
  2. Keropok lekorChewy fish sausage made with ikan parang, fried to order.Map ↗
  3. Salted fishSalted talang is what most people take home, along with the ikan bilis.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Arked Tanjung DawaiThe market building by the jetty, packed with dried fish, ikan bilis, belacan, keropok and salted eggs.Map ↗
  2. The jettyWatch the boats unload at the fisheries jetty by the river mouth.Map ↗
  3. A sunset dinnerThe waterfront seafood places look across the estuary to Pantai Merdeka.Map ↗
  4. Bujang ValleyTemple ruins and the archaeological museum at Merbok, on the drive in.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Bring a cool box, and ask the shops to double-bag dried fish for the car.
  • There's a mix of Chinese and Malay seafood places, so check if you need halal.
  • Pantai Merdeka looks close, but by road it's the long way round via Sungai Petani.

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