Pulau Ketam

 

Overview

Pulau Ketam or Crab Island is a small island situated about 60km to the South West of Kuala Lumpur off the coast of Klang in the Strait of Malacca. The island’s inhabitants are mainly Teochew and Hokkien Chinese fishermen with the main spoken dialects being Teochew, Hokkien and Chinese Mandarin but English is commonly understood. The settlement was established around 1880, with an influx in population when Chinese from Taiwan took refuge in Malaysia during World War II as they fled from the Japanese.

The island has two villages, namely, Kampung Pulau Ketam and Kampung Sungai Lima which are separated by a jungle with no roads connecting the two villages. Undoubtedly, as the name suggests this little island is a seafood haven renowned for fresh crabs, prawns and fish. It strategic location as a stop-over point for fishermen en route to rich fishing grounds, the tourism and their pivotal role in supplying seafood to the Klang Valley has made the island into a prosperous fishing village.  

Places of Attraction

Every visitor experiencing Pulau Ketam for the first time is awe struck by its unique construction style. As they approach the island, houses and even streets appear to be floating or hovering above the surface of the water as they are built, above mangrove swamps, on wooden stilts that span from 1m to 10m above sea level. The ferry ride to the island offers a panoramic view of the mangrove swamps and the bustling harbour with scores of sampans (small row-boats), fishing boats and tongkangs (lighters). Nature lovers can observe a wide variety of crabs and marshland birds. The locals’ lifestyle is very simple back-to-basics with no traffic congestion and pollution as the only mode of transportation within the island is cycling. Most tourists visit Kampung Pulau Ketam which is comprised of two main streets with a multitude of small shops and restaurants including the largest seafood restaurant, Kuai Lok Hian. There is also a wet market with many local delicacies, a bank with an ATM, schools, a church, a mosque, a police station and some colorful Chinese temples such as Nang Thiam Keng Temple and Hock Leng Keng Temple, fronted by sculptured sea animals. Additionally, there is also a fish farm and a place where wooden fishing boats are made almost completely by hand. City dwellers can stay at Pulau Ketam Inn, Hotel Sea Lion or easily find homestay facilities and rent bicycles (RM 5 per day) to get around.

Accessibility and Transportation

By public transport, you can arrive at the KTM train station in Port Klang or by car you can reach via Federal Highway. In Port Klang, the Jetty Point offers ferry services to Pulau Ketam within 40 minutes.