blurpenguin

Well we wanted to do something local... meaning not going for a 1-2hour drive out of kuantan to a nice beach.... so we thought... let's try the Kuantan River Cruise...

we have passed it several times before... it's located opposite the Kuantan General Hospital... the Jetty... Open during weekdays for 9.00am, 11.00am & 2.30pm rides... and an additional 4.00pm on weekends... Fridays are at 9.00am & 3.00pm. Fares were a bit tad expensive after a recent hike... Adults at rm15, children at rm8... They also have joy bot rides at night. with a minimum 5 pax at rm5 each... they will take a boat ride to the mouth of the river and back to the jetty... just to enjoy the river sights... i recommend going during a full moon... (which we will try next round)

Well the boat was ok (overheard some newer boats are on the way!)... able to sit about 20... with lousy safety jackets... safety is certainly lacking... some real lifejackets were on the top ... i could count about 6-7... but thankfully they did say the river wasnt very deep about 20feet at its deepest.


the cruise will start out to the mouth of the river, going under a kinda new bridge and passing by a fishing village of Tanjung Lumpur and Padang Lalang... it also passes by a police boat jetty.


After a u-turn, it heads in... coming upon a jetty where all the fish are packed and iced ready to be shipped to the south. Here u can see quite alot of fishing boats, local and some international... the guide did told us u can recognise the states they were from by thier colors...

the entire river is bordered by mangroove swamps... also home to some eagles... there were quite a few... flying and soaring all over... unfortunately without a zoom lens, i couldnt capture any shots.

after a short ride upstream, we docked at a mangroove platform... here u get to walk in a real mangroove forest... with wooden platforms built... it was quite detiorated in certain places... and they were in the midst of upgrading the jetty to a more permanent one... here the guide did tell that in certain times crocodiles are seen in the rivers... whoa! crocodiles in the river!



overall ... the ride was somewhat a let-down for me... more possibly due to some irritate people talking and standing up, as if the boat was theirs... plus the guide's explanation was all but lost in the din... also due to bad equipment lah i suppose. They should really upgrade their facilities to warrant the extra cost.... but the people manning the boat and guide were definately courteous and helpful.


If u do try the river cruise... go the early morning one... so it's not so hot... but for bird watching... a later one would be better... and do go earlier abit to book during weekends... they tend to get most of their business on weekends.

We will definately try out their night boat ride...as it sounds interesting...