Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest is located in the
administrative area of Alor Gajah Municipal Council (MPAG) and is bordered with
Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan. It is about 20 minutes by bus from Melaka
Town. The beach is a newly established recreational area for the whole family.
Various activities can be done here such as picnicking, boat
riding, kite flying and swimming. There are services like horse riding but it
is chargeable.
Every morning, local residence from the vicinity come to the
beach to catch 'geragau shrimp' (a very tiny shrimp), which is in abundance
from August to October. This activity is seasonal according to the monsoon
wind.
'Geragau' shrimp is very popular among local people in
Melaka. They are made into 'belacan' (shrimp paste) and 'cencalok' (shrimp
sauce).
Every Sunday from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, there is a free
"Dondang Sayang" performance. There is also a lot of food and fruits
stall along the beach. This beach promises serenity and tranquility to relieve
stress after a hard week of work.
Tanjung Tuan Lighthouse
The star attraction here in Tanjung Tuan, the light house
was built by the British in the 18th century on the highest point of the cape.
The site of the light house is said to be the same site where an old light
house was built by the Portuguese during their occupation of Melaka in the 16th
century which was later destroyed in a war. It is the oldest lighthouse in the
country and is still in use today.
In the 1990s, a radar for monitoring
purposes of crossings by large ships was installed in the light house. On a
bright and clear day, one can see Sumatra Island across the Straits of Melaka.
The lighthouse is not open to visitors, nevertheless the
keeper is more than willing to bring visitors for a tour if one were to request.
There are 66 flight of steps leading to the lighthouse. To reach the peak of
the lighthouse, one has to climb 72 flight of steps. The lighthouse is
controlled by the Shahbandar of Melaka as Tanjung Tuan is a territory of Melaka
even though it is located in Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan).
View from the top
Enjoy the good view from the top of the hill overlooking the
Straits of Melaka where the light house is located. From this vantage point,
one can see the town of Port Dickson and the outline of Indonesia's Sumatra
across the Straits of Melaka.
While you are here, try to use your imagination skill to create the
numerous fighting scenes between the Portuguese and Dutch armadas in the sea
below that took place over 500 years ago.
Tanjung Tuan Forest Reserve
The entrance to Tanjung Tuan Forest Reserve is right at the
mouth of PNB Ilham Resort. The forest is worth checking out since it's chockful of
forest birds and there's a lighthouse at the very end of the trail.
Birding
During March every year, birders from all over Asia and world would
descend upon Tanjung Tuan to watch thousands of raptors fly overhead from the
Straits of Melaka.
Spotted Eagle
Purple Throated Sunbird
Pink Necked Green Pigeon
Red-Eyed Bulbuls (Pycnonotus brunneus)
PNB Ilham Resort
Birding spots around PNB Ilham Resort :
1) Observatory Tower at PNB Iham Resort - You can watch raptors
glide on warm thermals during the hot noon hour. Bird's eye view of tanjung
Tuan from here.
2) Tanjung Tuan Lighthouse - Lots of Olive-Winged Bulbuls over
here. There is a guide to raptors right at the top over here. Visitors can spot the
usual sparrowhawks during migratory season. Or, if you're not into
birds, you can see the narrowest point of the Straits over here.
3) Jungle Trails in the Nature Reserve - Lots of forest
birds species.
Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Santuary
The Tanjung Tuan Wildlife Santuary is located half way
between the main entrance of the Tanjung Tuan Recreational Forest and the peak
of the hill where the lighthouse is located.
Dusky Langurs or Dusky Leaf-Monkeys (Trachypithecus
obscurus)
The local Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis)
Green Turtles
Here, you'll find monkeys in group along the way but if you
venture further in the jungle trail, you'll be able to sample some of the
coastal hilly rainforests' flora and fauna. For easy navigation, the jungle
trails are clearly marked.
