Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest — Attraction in Malacca

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.

#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.

#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.

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.

#3 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...

😁.. My first visit to this place.. drove abt 1hr from KL and i must admit, it was a pleasant trip overall. The location is not difficult to find, thanks to Googlemap.. there’s a big entrance and you can’t missed it.

It was my wife 2nd visit, she commented it was much much better, with better amenities, signage, a viewing platform and cleaner too.

You start with a narrow road up hill and you hv a few options to divert into forest trails .. I took the one to Batu Puteh (White Rock) .. the trail is not tough, say 4/10 with some steep slope but the last meters is for you to climb a steep rock to the top.

Once you made it.. it does feel awesome (though it’s only 200m+) and the view is beautiful..while holding on the the pole with Malaysia flag at the other end… 🥰..

Don’t forget the viewing platform along the way, it has a signage pointing the distance to Indonesia.. it says 3000km+ … I thought that’s too big a number.. Google map shows me the gaps is only 30-40km only…. 😂 time to row my boat to cross over to Indonesia 🤩

Along the trail you see a number of fungi and mushrooms,🍄.. some are very pretty too..

The lighthouse marked my end of trail, why can I say… it’s a light house… I saw sulfur powders around the place…guess to keep the snakes away… from here it’s all downhill back to the entrance and enjoy the breeze … wish I had my hot latte along …

My verdict : love it as it’s my first time, nice hiking trails, lovely views especially on top of the rock. Do pay a visit to this lovely place when nearby.. it worth at least one visit.. 👍

Note: climbing up is easy, I find it’s harder when climbing...

Another name Tanjung Tuan is Cape Richardo. Tanjung Tuan is associated with a fisherman who is also a saint who takes care and observes Tanjung Tuan's peak. This sacred splendor begins when it passes through a violent vortex in the middle of the sea, especially during the floating moon. All the fishermen who are trying to cross the violent vortex will sink and disappear just like that but the sailor fishermen will pass through it. Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest is included in Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Reserve, Melaka. Sometimes it is known as Tanjung Tuan Recreation Forest or Wildlife Protection, Marine Park of Malacca State. Tanjung Tuan is rich in various fauna and flora. It is a stopover of 300,000 birds each year. It is estimated that 54 species of birds inhabit this forest. On January 5, 1971, 60.70 hectares (140.06 acres) of Tanjung Tuan's Permanent Forest area was gazetted as Wildlife and Bird Areas under the Wild Animal Protection and Burng-Bird Ordinance under the authority of the Forestry Department. This area overlaps Permanent Forest Reserve under the authority of the Melaka State Forest Department. At 1.1.1971 Wildlife and Bird Protection Ordinance No. 2/195 was abolished and replaced by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The area of this forest reserve is 60.75 hectares. It is still a Bukit Pantai Dipterokap Forest...