Fishing is important in Pulau Ketam

Pulau Ketam, meaning "Crab Island" in Malay, is an island at the mouth of the Klang River, near Port Klang, downstream from Kuala Lumpur. It host Chinese fishing villages comprising houses on stilts.

Understand

The settlement was established in circa 1880 by mainly Teochew and Hoklo (Hokkien) Chinese fishermen. The buildings in the floating village are all propped up on stilts which extend up to 10 m below the water's surface. The streets, while appearing like normal paved roads, are similarly supported. Outside the main town, more precarious looking wooden bridges can be found. There are no cars on the island and getting around by bike is the norm, though there are a few motorbikes.

Teochew, Hokkien and Mandarin Chinese are the main dialects spoken, though English is commonly understood.

Get in

The Pulau Ketam Ferry is long and hard and has doors only at the front

By ferry

The only way in is by boat from Port Klang.From Port Klang railway station, head across the tracks towards the water and look for the small ferry terminal to the left. Alibaba Pulau Ketam Cruises started operation since Oct 2016. Using high speed sight-seeing passenger boat which can accommodate more than 100 pax per trip, equipped with indoor air-cond cabin and open air sight-seeing upper deck. RM18 for return trip, RM10 for single trip. Standard Travel time 35 min, it may take longer during low tide. Services starts from 7:30am - 7:30pm during weekend and 7:30am - 6:30pm during weekday. Air Cond Services Services have about 15 ferries per day. The last boat from the island leaves at 5:30PM on weekdays and at 6PM on weekends. There are always speedboats on call that can be chartered at any time of the day or night. 40 min travel time, RM8 per trip. There's also the Speed Boat; RM10 per pax, 20 min travel time.

Get around

Rent bikes for RM5 per day or take a boat trip.

See

Mangrove, water, houses on stilts, fish markets.

Do

Wonder how a Chinese fishing village ended up in Malaysia.

Buy

Despite only being accessible by boat the shops are reasonably priced and fairly well stocked, so don't worry about having to buy everything in KL beforehand.

Eat

Seafood restaurants abound and a variety of other foods are available.

Drink

Beer - the settlement is Chinese-dominated, so drinking won't bring stares from conservative Muslims.

Sleep

There's at least two hotels both offer bicycles to rent. Prices are a lot cheaper than in KL.

• Hotel Sea Lion, S3, Jalan Merdeka (The hotel to the ferry pier), ☏ +60 3 3110 4121. A basic but comfortable hotel. Free WiFi. Fan and A/C rooms. Has restaurant. Closest to the pier. RM28 - RM98 (Double room from RM38). 
• Pulau Ketam Inn, 6P, Jalan Merdeka (The hotel to the ferry pier), ☏ +60 3 3110 5206. A basic but comfortable hotel. Free WiFi. Only A/C rooms. Closer to the town. RM45 - RM128. 

Connect

The hotels have WiFi.

Go next

Take boat trips around the islands, though boat back to Port Klang is the only way to leave.