Kota Tinggi Bike Ride

Beauty and history reside in Kota Tinggi, located around 42 kilometers northeast of Johor Bahru. It’s a town that cradles history in its quaint fishing villages, lush tropical rainforest and great sandy beaches.

The sunny morning filled the atmosphere with great enthusiasm that we excitedly hopped on our bicycles. It was time to venture out and explore the best of Kota Tinggi!

Tun Sri Lanang Jetty

We started off from the main town of Kota Tinggi, which had two different views on each side. The murky waters were calm with boats tied up to the jetty. 1. The Tun Sri Lanang Jetty hosts evening trips to watch the fireflies sparkle among the bushes, changing the entire landscape into 45 minutes of magical journey.

Mini Kelantan

Look across the jetty and you find the sleepy town being awakened by the opening of the shutters of the shops. Dubbed as the 2. Mini Kelantan, this entire vicinity is filled with textile shops. Rows and rows of baju kurungs that cater to the Johorians put on a peacock show and the best display gets the customers in. Comprised of sellers mainly from Cambodia and Vietnam, their textiles are brought in by lorry. The name Mini Kelantan came due to the neighboring village that was called the Kampung Kelantan.

Makam Sultan Mangkat Di Julang

From here, we cycled 4.23km to our next destination, the 3. Makam Sultan Mangkat Di Julang. The road led us to a quieter housing area of colorful wooden houses. We reached the cemetery, a famous historical tomb in Kota Tinggi, and it was quieter than the usual. A yellow building was erected right in the middle, with a few tombstones behind. It held a story for sure. The interior of the yellow building was clean, and rectangular carved floors with a bed of white pebbles with royal tombstone were found. Herein sleeps the last ruler of Johor, Sultan Mahmud Shah II.

As we inspected the interior, a middle-aged man, with heavy Johorian accent was filling us up on the folklore. Jealousy, deception, revenge and a final indispensable curse were the themes of the unfortunate tale. The story begins: a former Palace Officer who was jealous of the Admiral (Laksamana) Megat Seri Rama from Bintan took revenge on his heavily pregnant wife, Dang Anum when the Admiral went off to war. He deceived her by letting her eat a piece of the jackfruit that was meant for the Sultan.

Upon reaching, the Sultan found out that the fruit was cut open before he could even make his royal tasting. With the Palace Officer poisoning the Sultan’s mind, he called upon Dang Anum to be punished. In dire need to save her unborn child, she told the Sultan that the piece of fruit was for her child and to which the Sultan wanted a proof. They cut open her belly and, in fact, found the unborn child holding on to the piece of fruit.

The Admiral who was livid upon finding out the death of his wife and child decided to seek revenge. During a Friday prayer, as the Sultan was being lifted (di julang), the Admiral ambushed and killed him. Before he drew his last breath, the Sultan cursed and forbade the sons of Bintan to step foot in Kota Tinggi for eternity. If not, they will vomit blood to death. The Admiral died too, and the legend still rings in the present day where the Bintanese fear to come to Kota Tinggi. We spent a little more time walking around the vicinity with the story still drumming in our ears. We then continued on our journey.

Kota Tinggi Waterfall Resort

The next destination was an exciting one, the waterfalls! From the Makam Sultan Mangkat Di Julang, we cycled 21.31km further. The straight roads were beginning to curve to the left and the right, with short palm trees filling the panoramic view. We finally reached the 4. Kota Tinggi Waterfall Resort! We passed the welcome sign and pedaled up to see how Mother Nature has carved this one. With a short uphill with waterslides catching us at the corner of our eyes, we saw the majestic falls. The silver waters cascaded effortlessly down, forming a pool of clear stream for the children of the earth.

A small flight of stairs led to the next tier and the adventurous ones took the chance in a heartbeat. We walked up and reached a small bridge with smaller rapids racing down. As we rounded the corner, there was another beautiful cataract that was draping in silvers. The sound of the waters thundering down filled the air and echoed louder due to the hollow semi sphere made naturally. The deep pool formed by the waterfall glinted, inviting us for a plunge. We took a moment to enjoy the warm bliss and headed back down.

Kampung Lukut

We hopped on our bikes again and spun to our next destination. At 33km, we were making our way to our last destination, 5. Kampung Lukut through Kampung Teminin Baru. The curtain changed from a plateau of palm trees to weeds as tall as us and a distinct mountain appeared. It was called the Gunung Panti, a bird sanctuary and also a famous area to spot the infamous Big Foot. After 14km of cycling from Kampung Teminin Baru, we entered the small village and the curtain dropped again, changing to rows of wooden houses. We were taken to a slower-paced lifestyle and so quiet a place that the only loud sound heard was coming from the turning of our wheels. This village hosts homestays, exactly where we would be ending our journey. But of course, nothing ends without a good home cooked lunch.

Local delicacies

We were careful to not offend the villagers with our Westernized city culture, although they seemed to have understood the culture well to give us a leeway. We washed our hands from the silver pot, intricately designed, and then in the village’s common hall, the women of importance served us an array of deliciousness. 6. Plates of sambal jering ikan bilis, pisang masak lemak, ayam masak merah, fried fish and kangkung were spread out in front of us. We delved into our food after the kind gesture from the lady. For dessert, we had fresh fruits, and there was a plate of small green unripened bananas staring at us. “Who eats green bananas?!” we asked. We were told the fruit was actually sweet on the inside. The curious and skeptics quickly grabbed one each and took a bite. All eyes widened—it was sweet! How magical for the city dwellers!

We ended our 47.32km cycling escapade through nature and took lodging in this minimalistic homestay. A great way to rub cultures with the locals and also breathe in fresh air!

Cycling Route – Kota Tinggi Bike Ride