6 trails to try at Tanjung Tuan

For first time visitors to Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest near Port Dickson, the most obvious walk this forest reserve offers is the punishing trek up its tarmac road to its lighthouse. But look closer and you’ll discover wooded trails that are short and easy to navigate, with scenic views, unspoiled beaches and historical landmarks.

For novice and young KL hikers who have graduated from Taman Tugu’s well marked and mapped forest paths, Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest in Melaka (though geography close to Port Dickson, Tanjung Tuan is officially located in Melaka) is the perfect place to test those new found skills on proper forest trails.

All trail featured here are short and relatively easy, with some partially paved and consisting of concrete stairs. Some of the trails are also easily combined: the Forest and Dutch Well intersects, while Monkey Bay and Bukit Batu Putih are connected (view the trail  here.)

#1 Forest trail
One of the longer routes on the promontory, this undulating 1 kilometre long trail is the first you’ll come to once through the park gates, and begins behind the Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest ranger station. Looping through virgin coastal rainforest to exit 50 metres higher, close to Malaysia’s oldest lighthouse, this trail has no beach or scenic view but for beginners presents a do-able challenge with interesting plant life and the possibility of silver leaf monkey and resident raptor sightings.

The entrance to the Forest trail, located just beyond the ranger hut. 

Liannas twist and turn around trees and hang from branches.

A strangling fig tree, its dead host still in its clutches.

There are some impressive trees here such as the Sepetir and Meranti and a Strangling Fig that clutches its dead host tree in a final embrace. Where a fire exposed the forest floor, groves of wild ginger plants and macarangga scrub have sprouted. At the gazebo, the trail intersects with a stairway. Up takes you towards the exit, while down heads towards the Dutch Well, should you decide to complete 2 trails in one go.

Time from trailhead 25 minutes
Distance 1 kilometre
Rating Moderate with lots of undulation.
For the map and details go to my AllTrails map for Forest trail here.

#2 Dutch Well trail
The Dutch Well Trail begins where the Forest Trail ends, along a concrete path, 100 meters or so from the foot of the lighthouse. Where the Forest Trail disappears left behind the gazebo into a copse of Meranti trees, the Dutch Well trail veers right down a series of steps that curls down towards a dirt trail and the forest floor.

This approach leads to the Dutch Well and Forest trails.

The gazebo where the Forest and Dutch Well trails meet.

The ramshackle wooden boardwalk. If the ground is not boggy, it’s safer to walk on the ground.

The Dutch Well. Spooky but a great spot to find frogs and er…. plastic water bottles.

A small stretch of sandy beach located at the end of the trail. Pulau Masjid, seen here in the distance, can be reached during low tide.

Hang Tuah’s footprint … allegedly.

A ramshackle wooden boardwalk cuts across the boggy ground past the historical well. Discreetly hidden behind a curved concrete wall, it’s just one of the many things that add to the sense of eeriness that pervades this side of the Tanjung Tuan headland (Ringu, anyone?). The trail culminates at a stretch of beach facing Pulau Masjid, which can be reached during low tide. Another well, purportedly dug by Hang Tuah, is hidden to the right, while his “footprint’ is supposed to be embedded on the rocky outcrop next to it. Both are sites of worship for those who dabble in the dark arts. Or so I’m told.

Time from trailhead 10 minutes
Distance 650 metres
Rating Easy but mostly stairs.
For the map and details go to my AllTrails map for Dutch Well trail here. 

#3 Monkey Bay trail

Clear water and a sandy beach almost entirely to one’s self.

Leading down towards a quiet, unspoiled beach, Monkey Bay trail is Malaysian Nature Society’s most requested route during Tanjung Tuan’s annual Raptor Watch event, for its short length and scenic seaside pay off. Its trailhead, which begins behind lamppost #20, would put off less adventurous novices; a verge of bare earth, worn from use, it’s steep, slippery and formidable looking but roped on one side for safety.

The leafy trail back up towards the Park’s tarmac road.

This trail is easy on the way down and a little tougher on the way up. However, as it is short, you can take your time and not over exert yourself, if you find it challenging.

Nothing else is as steep as this initial initiation. The remainder of the trail, much of which is framed by climbing lianas, zig zags down towards the beach, flattening out as the water’s edge draws closer, which makes it easy going one way and a little tougher for beginners on the way back up. I’ve yet to spot the macaques after which the bay is named but Monkey Bay’s shore is a haven for specialised plant life such as Mengkuang Laut and Sea Hibiscus and intertidal life such as bivalves, gastropods and edible algae like sea grapes . The beach also supports campers who come to pitch their tents here; but don’t mind them, there’s plenty of golden sand to go around.

Time from trailhead 10 minutes
Distance 400 metres
Rating Easy and suitable for children.
For the map and details go to my AllTrails map for Monkey Bay trail here.
Note I recorded it from Monkey Bay beach back to the trailhead behind lamppost #20.

#4 Vantage Point trail
A short, mildly undulating, out-and-back trail that starts behind lamppost #19, the beginning of the Vantage Point trail can appear misleading. Curling through a tangle of thorny Bertam palms and Lemba and Bayas shrubs at first, the trail soon reveals itself to be wide, leafy and shaded by a canopy of tall  Tembusu trees.

The trailhead is located near this lamppost, just behind the gazebo.

Vantage trail is pleasant, leafy and surrounded by tall Tembusu trees.

The reward at the end of the Vantage Point trail – a view across Monkey Bay to Bukit Batu Putih.

Navigating the top of a ridge with the Straits of Melaka to your left, the trail ends abruptly in a fence. Climb through the hole in the bottom and 100 metres on the other side to your left, where the trees part, is a clearing. The trail gets its name from this vantage point, which offers a breathtaking view across the crescent shaped bay to the rugged limestone outcrop of Bukit Batu Putih. Like other smaller trails that you may have encountered en route,  you can head down to Monkey Bay from here or in the direction of Port Dickson’s famed Blue Lagoon if you continue straight.

Time from trailhead 10 minutes
Distance 500 metres
Rating Easy and suitable for children.
For the map and details go to my AllTrails map for Vantage Point trail here.

#5 Pulau Intan trail
Hidden on the far side of the lighthouse is a trail that leads down towards Pulau Intan, a small rocky peninsula that becomes cut off from the mainland when the tide rises.  At the intersection keep right (left leads towards the Dutch Well and trail beach) and follow the uneven stairs down town to the beach past the lookout points in various conditions of decay.

The first section of this route down to the beach consists of a dirt trail. 

One of two deserted beaches to choose from.

Two graves located side-by-side on Pulau Intan.

The second beach on the other side of Pulau Intan is a sandier proposition.

There are two beaches to choose from. The first is rocky and dominated by a single Avicennia tree, its spindly roots reaching up from between the ground like gnarled fingers. On the other side of Pulau Intan is a gorgeous sandy beach, usually deserted and my favourite spot on the promontory. Explore Pulau Intan and you’ll find graves belonging to people who presumably saw fit to make this special spot their final resting place. Guess they must have felt the same way I do about this special place.

Time from trailhead 10-15 minutes. 
Distance 500 metres.
Rating Moderate and mostly stairs.
For the map and details go to my AllTrails map for Forest trail here.

#6 Bukit Batu Putih trail

The metal staircase and bright yellow sign that marks the entrance to the Bukit Batu Putih trailhead.

Wide and worn, the trail is easy to pick out and lies atop Bukit Batu Putih’s quartz ridge.

The final push up Bukit Batu Putih’s craggy rock face.

The view along the coast of Port Dickson from Bukit Batu Putih will defy any expectations you have of this seaside town.

The unexpectedly satisfying views from atop Bukit Batu Putih is the reason for Tanjung Tuan’s recent rise in popularity. The trailhead is located at the top of set of metal stairs placed against a verge just before the foot of Tanjung Tuan’s historic lighthouse. Short and wide, the trail is suitable for beginners and only mildly undulates through the dry coastal terrain. A final push is required up the peak’s craggy rock face to enjoy the breathtaking views. Featuring striking blue bays and the Straits of Melaka stretching for miles towards Sumatra, Bukit Batu Putih is busiest at weekends especially just before sunset.

Time from trailhead 15 minutes
Distance 1.3 kilometres from park entrance, 400 metres from trailhead.
Rating Easy with a little rock climbing towards the end; not suitable for young children, unless heavily managed by an adult.
For the map and details go to my AllTrails map for Bukit Batu Putih here.
Note My trail map includes the walk along the road from the park entrance to the trailhead where the metal staircase is located.

Hiking in Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest
Best time visit: Year round. Guided interpretive nature walks with Malaysian Nature Society’s volunteer nature guides are available from the Nature Guides booth during Raptor Watch weekend. Walks are RM2 for adults and RM1 for children and times and dates are announced on the Raptor Watch blog and Malaysian Nature Society Facebook page.
Facilities Toilets are located near the entrance to Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest and parking is available next to PNB Ilham Resort. At the weekends ice cream vendors congregate at the park entrance, while drinks are sometimes sold at the lighthouse steps.
Admission RM1. Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest is open daily from 7am to 6pm.
Tip Flip flops are great for the beach but proper sports or hiking shoes or sandals are recommended for hikes. Be sure to bring sufficient water and sunblock.
Getting there Chart a course for Tanjung Tuan Recreation Forest or PNB Ilham Resort.
GPS coordinates 2.412603, 101.855564