Tanjung Piai National Park

Tanjung Piai is a cape located in Pontian, Johor. The name Tanjung Piai is derived after a local fern, known as the “Paku Piai’. The Tanjung Piai National Park covers 526 hectares of mangroves and another 400 hectares of inter-tidal mudflats. It is an interesting place to visit due to its many unique features.

Geographically, the cape is located at the Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia. The park allows the visitors to experience the scenic coastal mangroves. The visitors can walk along the long boardwalks that provide a good opportunity for bird watching activity and also observing various species of animals that taking refuge in the park. The park is a home to about 20 original mangrove species and nine related mangrove species, three types of primates, one endangered bird called the Lesser Adjuntant Stork, mangrove crabs and mud skippers.

The Mangrove roots bind the soils in place and prevent coastal erosion, thus filtering the salt water from intruding into the water table. In return, abundance of food resources are produce and the environment provides shelter for fish, crabs, prawns and other animal species to flourish.

The park hosts several sections such as Visitor Complex, Tanjung Piai Landmark Monument, Boardwalk, Observation Tower, Camp Site, Jetty, Obstacle Course and The Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia landmark.

Visitor Complex houses an Information Gallery, the park’s office, a souvenir shop, a multipurpose hall and a prayer room. Tanjung Piai Landmark Monument offers a welcome landmark monument measuring 20m high and 10m wide that is made of eco-friendly fiber reinforced concrete. The monument’s stark grey color represents the rich mangroves and mudflats of Tanjung Piai.

The Boardwalk connects every section in the park. Its length stretches 1.2 kilo meters. The Boardwalk enable the visitors to walk right into the heart of the mangrove forest. There are two observation towers along the boardwalk, where the visitors can enjoy the glorious view of the surrounding mangrove and bird life.

There is also an Obstacle Course section. It offers various challenging physical obstacles for an individual or a team. The obstacle courses include physical activities such as running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed and endurance.

There is a campsite located on the eastern side of the Visitors Complex. It can cater 30 tents or a total of 120 campers at a time. Located at the end on the boardwalk is a jetty that facing right out into the Straits of Malacca. On a good day, the visitors can enjoy the breathtaking view of sunset. Nearby is the globe shape monument and a plaque marking The Southernmost Tip of Mainland Asia

Image by: Johor National Park

Tanjung Piai is reputed to be located at the southernmost tip of mainland Asia. It is a mangrove wetland as that of Kukup Island National Park. The main attraction is none other than its coast, touted as the southernmost tip of Asia. The walk leading to the tip was quite scenic. Standing on the platform at the southern tip facing the Strait of Johor, with glimpse of Singapore lying across the strait, I was overwhelmed with a strange inexplicable feeling of helplessness /emptiness and melancholy.

Huan Kee
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