Pulau Ketam

Crab Island lies in the mangrove off Port Klang, and the settlement on it - founded by Hainanese and Teochew fishing families in the nineteenth century - is built entirely on piles over tidal mud, with plank walkways and concrete causeways instead of streets and not a single car. Bicycles and small motorbikes do everything. Underneath the houses at low tide is grey mud, mudskippers and crabs; at high water the whole village sits over the sea. The economy is fishing and aquaculture, the food is seafood and it is the main reason day-trippers come from the Klang Valley, along with the Chinese temples, the murals painted through the lanes, and the simple novelty of a town with no ground under it. There are basic guesthouses for those who stay.

What you actually see

• A village entirely on stilts - plank walkways over tidal mud, no solid ground.
• No cars at all - bicycles and small motorbikes only.
• Seafood restaurants - the reason most day-trippers make the crossing.
• Chinese temples and murals - through the lanes between the houses.

When to go

All year; weekdays to avoid the crowds. A day.

Honest expectations

At low tide the mud below the houses smells strongly and looks bleak. Weekends are packed with day-trippers. Facilities are basic and the walkways are narrow and uneven.

Nearby

Port Klang is the ferry port; Klang town and its heritage walk are inland.