Pulau Kukup National Park

Pulau Kukup lies in the Malacca Strait off the south-western tip of the peninsula and is a solid block of mangrove - about six hundred hectares of it, with no permanent inhabitants and no dry land in the ordinary sense, since the whole island is intertidal mud held together by roots. It was designated a Ramsar wetland in 2003 and gazetted as a national park, and a boardwalk with an observation tower runs into it from the jetty, which is the only practical way to see the interior. What you get is mangrove at close range: pneumatophores standing out of the mud, mudskippers, fiddler crabs waving, monitor lizards, and a good migratory bird count in season. The fishing village of Kukup on the mainland opposite is built on stilts over the water and is the other half of the visit.

What you actually see

• An all-mangrove island - six hundred hectares of intertidal root and mud.
• A boardwalk and tower - the only route into the interior, with a viewpoint.
• Mudskippers and fiddler crabs - the mudflat life at close range.
• Kukup stilt village - the fishing settlement built over the water opposite.

When to go

All year; migratory birds in the northern winter. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Mosquitoes and sandflies are severe - cover up. The boardwalk has been closed for repairs at times, so check before crossing. There is no beach and no swimming; this is mud and mangrove.

Nearby

Kukup village and Pontian are on the mainland; Tanjung Piai is south.