Weekend Getaway at Kukup: Day 2

Breakfast was ready before we got up on Sunday morning. The house owner cooked us some more local food, such as nasi lemak, "ang ku kueh" and porridge. After getting fed we headed off to the Pulau Kukup National Park, one of the largest mangrove islands in the world. We got on the boat from the pier in town, which took us to the Pulau Kukup, located about 1km offshore of Kukup.

Fish farms on the sea

After a short boat ride we arrived at the island and walked up the jetty to the national park reception. There were displays on the history, ecosystem and the abundant vegetation and wildlife of the island but we were too eager to explore the wetland for ourselves to take much notice.

Jetty of the National Park

Mangroves covering the island

The most prominent structure on the island was the suspended bridge over the river. It was quite wobbly but gave a beautiful view of the island and the sea if you managed to stay steady on it. We followed the boardwalk that led us deeper into the forest. There were signages along the way bearing information about the different plants. At the end of the boardwalk was a 3-storey high tower that offered an awesome panoramic view of the entire island. As we followed the boardwalk back to the national park reception, we saw a group of 4-5 wild boars that looked like a family. They kept pushing their noses into the mud and appeared to be looking for food. They kept making funny noises and were totally adorable!

Suspended bridge over the Sg Ular

View from the suspended bridge

Mangrove roots

Boardwalk

The adult wild boar was a bit darker in colour while the young ones had stripes on their trunk.

From the mangrove island we boarded the same boat and headed to one of the fish farms. There were rows of them built on the water and they were all made of wood. Once arrived we were joined by a few other tourists and were greeted by the owner of the fish farm. He shown us the separate nets where the fish were kept and the other types of shellfish that they kept.

Fish farms

Baby shark and some more marine animals

After visiting the fish farm the boat took us back to the Kukup town. We picked up our luggage from the chalet and had lunch at an open-air seafood restaurant in town. The seafood was nicer than dinner on previous night and the coconut pudding was delicious! After lunch it was time for home. The same driver from yesterday picked us up from the restaurant and took us all the way back home to Singapore.