Ketam Island (Pulau Ketam in Malay language) is a small island located off the coast of Port Klang, about 50km west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The island is famous for its delicious crab dishes and its name, Ketam, even means ‘crab’. The island is a popular destination for local Malaysian foodies.
Table of Contents
1. How to get to Port Klang
2. How to get to Ketam Island
3. Trip to Ketam Island
4. Ketam Island crab dish
How to get to Port Klang
To get to Tam Island from Kuala Lumpur, you can take a train to Port Klang, a port city on Malaysia's west coast. This train, called KTM, takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. If you board the train at the departure station and get off at the final stop, Port Klang, you can see the passenger terminal heading to Ketam Island.
Alternatively, you can take a tour or drive to Port Klang on your own. We arrived in Port Klang after driving for about 1 hour and 20 minutes via the Federal Highway KL (code 2 highway) connecting Kuala Lumpur and Klang City, which boasts extremely congested traffic.
How to get to Ketam Island
The passenger terminal is a small two-story building called South Port Passenger Terminal. Toilets in this passenger terminal require a fee. And on the way to the building's bathroom, there is a large statue of a crab with its claws spread out.
You can take a ferry to Tam Island. There are two types of ferries: fast ferries and regular ferries (with air conditioning). The speedboat takes about 20 minutes to Ketam Island, and the regular boat takes about 35 minutes. The fare is RM12 for adults one way.
There is a ticket booth for the regular line, but for the speed line, there was a lady sitting on a bench selling tickets. Due to the schedule, I had to wait about 30 minutes for the regular boat, but I heard that the speed boat would leave right away, so I took the speed boat.
There is no air conditioning on the speedboat (in fact, there is no need for it), and the seats are long wooden planks on either side of the small boat. We were sitting almost at the back of the speedboat, and as soon as it started and picked up speed, we had to hold on tight.
The sea color on the way to Ketam Island is an earthy color and in the distance you can see the huge STS cranes of Klang Port unloading container ships.
Trip to Ketam Island
As soon as you arrive at Ketam Island, you can see small crabs coming out of small holes in the island's mudflats. The size of the island is 22km2. However, the island feels small because the space available for sightseeing is small.
It was still too early for lunch, so we decided to look around the island. To tour the island, you can rent an (electric) bike or go on foot. There are no cars or motorcycles on the island, and the only means of transportation are boat rides, walking along the narrow wooden or concrete paths within the village, or riding bicycles or motorcycles.
When you get off the boat, you will see a small square with the English alphabet for Ketam Island. After passing the square, a narrow wooden walkway begins. You can enjoy the sights and sounds of the island as you walk along the promenade.
After passing through the small market alley to the left from the police station, we went to see a Chinese temple called Boseonggung (宝聖宫) near the school. On one side of this temple, large snakes and large turtles live.
Ketam Island is mainly inhabited by Chinese people, and you can see their one- and two-story wooden houses. Many homes offer homestays. The wooden houses are painted in colorful colors, a little different from the houses on the mainland. Houses usually have open doors so you can see inside.
Beyond the wooden walkway, you can also see many mangroves that are home to many crabs and marine life in the tidal flats.
Ketam Island crab dish
I went back to the police station to eat some food. We went to a restaurant where a few customers were sitting and ordered crab, clam, and vegetable dishes. Singapore Chilli Crab is not famous in Malaysia. So, there are even places where chili crab is cooked Singapore style.
It's hard to say that Ketam Island crab dish is the best crab dish I've had in Malaysia, but the crab meat is fresh and, best of all, affordable. The clams were also fresh. However, the amount of rice was smaller than on the mainland.
But what surprised me most was the ABC (Malaysian Dessert) I ordered before the food came out. I liked it because it wasn't as sweet as other shaved ices.
Anyway, Ketam Island has a variety of seafood restaurants where you can try a variety of crab dishes. Next time I go, I'd like to try the restaurant in the market near the police station.
After eating, we went back to the market and bought some dried shrimp. Dried shrimp is a common ingredient used in cooking in Malaysia. And this time I took a regular boat to return from Ketam Island to Port Klang. On regular flights, you can enjoy air conditioning and watch Chinese movies on TV.
We had lunch on Ketam Island, then went to Klang for dinner and went to Boston Lala, the best shellfish restaurant. Somehow, I only ate seafood all day.
Why don't you eat crab dish on Ketam Island?
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