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Pulau Ketam (or Crab Island) is an island nestled off the coast of Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is renowned for its colorful houses and fresh seafood, making it a great option for a short getaway near KL.
We planned our Pulau Ketam trip just 3 days in advance, and it ended up being a pleasant weekend getaway.
In this post, I’m going to review my Pulau Ketam day trip with information about the ferry price, its famous food, what to do in Pulau Ketam, and more.
Read more:
16 Awesome places for a weekend getaway in Selangor
Table of Contents
1. Interesting facts about Pulau Ketam
Why is the island called “Pulau Ketam”?
I thought there must be a reason behind the name Pulau Ketam (which means ‘Crab Island’). Therefore, I tried to find the answer on Google, but there was no information available in English. So, during my Pulau Ketam day trip, I decided to observe, and what I saw were crabs, crabs, and more crabs.
When I first arrived at Pulau Ketam Port, the first thing I noticed were mud crabs – thousands of them living in the mud.
Additionally, Pulau Ketam is renowned for its chili crab dish. It’s also interesting that the seafood restaurants place a basket of crabs in front of their seafood restaurants, perhaps to let people know that they sell crabs and indicate how many crabs are available for the day.
Furthermore, I noticed that the locals even painted crabs on the roads and carved or built crab statues on the roofs of Chinese temples and shrines.
Bicycles are the main means of transport in Pulau Ketam
As the narrow road, the locals can only use bicycles or electric bicycles to travel around the island. If you wish to experience riding a bike around Pulau Ketam, there are many rental shops near the Pulau Ketam Port.
The majority of the population in Pulau Ketam is Chinese
The Crab Island was founded in the 1870s by a group of fishermen from Hainan, China. Over the years, they have built more than 1,000 wooden houses, forming a community of about 8,000 residents on the island today.
2. How to go to Pulau Ketam from KL?
To get to Pulau Ketam from KL, you need to travel from KL to Port Klang and then take a ferry to Pulau Ketam.
From KL to Port Klang
By public transportation
- KTM: From KL Sentral station, you can take a KTM Train to Port Klang (the last station). It costs only 6.40RM/adult and 3.2RM/child and takes 1 hour and 25 minutes. KTM tickets can be bought at the ticket vending machine at KL Sentral station.
- Bus: Alternatively, you can take Bus 701 to Port Klang and disembark at Kawasan 6 Klang. This bus station is just a 4-minute walk from Port Klang.
By car
Driving from KL to Port Klang takes around 50-60 minutes.
Parking is available right in front of Port Klang. Remember not to park on the road, as it’s illegal and you’ll likely be fined…that’s from my experience…Yup, lesson learned.
By tour
If you don’t drive and are not confident to travel around by public transportation, then an easy option for you is to join a tour. You can consider this tour: Pulau Ketam Crab Village Rural Adventure Tour which has received quite good reviews from previous customers.
Here is some information about the tour:
- Link to book tour: Click here (enter code DL6KGF to get RM 20 off)
- Inclusion: Round-trip transfers to and from your hotel (in Kuala Lumpur), English-speaking guide, tour at Crab Village Pulau Ketam, simple local lunch, round-trip ferry ticket.
- Duration: from 9:00 to 17:00
From Port Klang to Pulau Ketam
From Port Klang, you just need to take a ferry to get to Pulau Ketam. The ferry takes around 45 minutes and the ferry schedule is quite frequent.
On my Pulau Ketam trip, I took the Alibaba ferry. The boat is pretty clean and comfortable to sit in.
3. How much is the Pulau Ketam ferry price?
Where to buy the ferry ticket to Pulau Ketam?
You can buy it at Port Klang (Terminal Penumpang South Port) or buy it online via This link.
We arrived the Port Klang at 10 AM. There was a lady selling ferry tickets approaching us, so we bought directly from her. I saw a ticket counter at the port as well and the price is the same.
Note:
- The seller only accepts cash or TNG wallet.
- If you travel on weekends, it’s advisable to buy tickets online in advance. Buy Alibaba ferry tickets online via this link and enter code DL6KGF to get RM 20 off.
How much is the Pulau Ketam ferry price?
Below is the Alibaba ferry price to Pulau Ketam from Port Klang:
- Return trip: RM 20/adult, RM 12/child
- One-way trip: RM 12/ adult, RM 6/ child
Note:
- The schedule is printed on the ticket. However, it’s not very accurate. When we bought the ticket, the seller said there would be a ferry back to the mainland at 1:30 PM, 3:30 PM, and 5:30 PM and marked it on the ticket for us. Thus, we tried to catch the ferry at 3:30 PM, but it was 35 minutes late. We had to stand and queue up at the port for nearly an hour.
- There are two villages on Pulau Ketam: Sugai Lima and Pulau Ketam village. The ferry will make one stop at Sugai Lima first, and then proceed to Pulau Ketam. Therefore, ensure that you get off at the correct stop.
Speed boat from Port Klang to Pulau Ketam
Besides the ferry, there is another way to reach Pulau Ketam from Port Klang, which is by speed boat. This is a charter service, which means you can rent the entire boat.
Sometimes, they also offer sharing tickets for walk-in customers. The speed boat ticket costs RM 10 for adults and RM 5 for children, and the journey takes about 20 minutes.
But bear in mind that the schedule is not fixed; the boat only departs when there are enough customers.
Therefore, unless you rent the whole boat, it’s recommended to travel from Port Klang to Pulau Ketam by ferry.
💡 Read my review of other places for a short trip from KL:
- Kuala Selangor – experience Sky mirror, Blue Tears, Fireflies & Eagle feeding
- Sekinchan – take pictures with the lush green paddy field
- Selangor Fruit Valley – Enjoy fruit plucking activities & try seasonal fruits
4. What to do in Pulau Ketam?
Here below are the best things to do on your Pulau Ketam day trip.
Try local foods
I realized some famous local foods offered everywhere in Pulau Ketam which are prawn fritters, shrimp balls, fried oyster omelette, Lala omelette, etc.
Personally, I like the prawn fritters the most and their price is very cheap, only 2RM/ piece.
Wander around the village
When coming to Pulau Ketam, I feel like it is Venice of Malaysia with colorful houses and turquoise waters (to be honest, I edited the picture so the color looks more saturated, but it’s also very pretty in real life). Therefore, it’s a good idea to wander around the village to observe the local life and snap some dazzling photos.
As the main tourist attractions are within walking distance, we can roam around Pulau Ketam village on foot.
Indulge in fresh seafood
What you must do when visiting a fishing village is to eat seafood. Pulau Ketam is especially famous for its crab. Interestingly, you can see a crab basket in front of each seafood restaurant to “show off” how many crabs are left for that day.
However, bear in mind that crabs are mostly sold out during the day. If you stay overnight in Pulau Ketam, expect that it’s quite hard to find crabs during nighttime.
I had lunch at Restaurant Kim Hoe. Personally, I felt like the crab was not so fresh, but the steamed fish and prawns were sweet and tasty. Overall, my rating is 3.5/5. If you want to try crab, I don’t recommend this restaurant.
Ride a bike around the village
This is my favorite thing to do in Pulau Ketam because it’s fun and allows me to explore farther areas of the island. As bicycles are the most common means of transport on Crab Island, numerous shops offer rental services for both manual and electric bikes.
We rented an electric bike at Sealion Hotel @Pulau Ketam for 20RM/hour. A deposit of 10RM is required. Payment can be by cash or TNG wallet. After payment, the shop owner will give you a receipt, keep this receipt till you finish the journey to get back the deposit.
Visit the Snake Temple
As the majority of the population in Pulau Ketam is Chinese, you will find several Chinese temples around the village, and the most famous one is probably the Snake Temple.
There is a real living giant snake encased in a cage just on the right of the temple. I guess that’s why it’s named Snake Temple.
Stroll around the local market
The best way to see the daily life of the locals is to visit the local market. This is probably the busiest area in Pulau Ketam with a lot of restaurants (both halal and non-halal) and local shops where you can buy souvenirs. If you are looking for a place to have lunch, this is the place to go.
Check out Sugai Lima Village
If you visit Pulau Ketam for 2 days, you can also explore the neighboring village of Sugai Lima. Some tourist attractions in Sugai Lima Village include a fish farm, mural arts, Hock Leng Keng Temple, and eagle-watching activities. Fresh seafood is also available in this village.
Note: Transportation between Pulau Ketam Village and Sugai Lima Village is by ferry or speed boat.
5. Pulau Ketam day trip itinerary
To be honest, the village is quite small and there are not many things to do in Pulau Ketam. Therefore, a day trip is enough to explore the village, unless you want to explore Sugai Lima as well.
Here below is the itinerary for my Pulau Ketam day trip:
10:00 AM: Arrived at Port Klang to buy the ferry ticket. The ferry departed at 10:30 AM.
11:15 AM: Arrived at Pulau Ketam Port.
Note: The ferry stopped at Sugai Lima Port before reaching Pulau Ketam. And there was no announcement at all. Thus, check with the staff or look at the port’s name to confirm that you are at the right port.
After arrival, I walked around the village, had some local snacks, and visited some Chinese temples.
12:30 PM: Had lunch at Restaurant Kim Hoe. Our lunch costed 298RM/ 5 people.
2:00 PM: Rented an electric bike to discover a farther part of Pulau Ketam.
2:30 PM: Had fun at KTV.
3:25 PM: Headed back to Pulau Ketam Port. The ferry came at 4:05 PM.
5:10 PM: Reached Port Klang.
In conclusion, my Pulau Ketam day trip took about 9 hours, including transportation between KL and Port Klang. I believe it’s a perfect schedule, not too rushed and not too boring. I got enough time to visit all the tourist attractions in Pulau Ketam and explore farther areas using an electric bike.
6. Best homestays in Pulau Ketam
If you are planning to stay on Crab Island overnight, here are some homestays with good ratings:
Pulau Ketam D’island Beds & Cafe 别墅一阁
- Address: Jalan Tepi Sungai, 42940 Bagan Pulau Ketam, Malaysia
- Price: from RM 80/double room
- Review: helpful owner, clean room, good location, spacious bathroom.
- Book now: Click here
幸福一家民宿 Happiness Family
- Address: 38 Jalan Satu, 42940 Bagan Pulau Ketam, Malaysia
- Price: about RM 150/ room (4 adults)
- Review: friendly host, clean room but small, good location.
- Book now: Click here
吉胆街坊民宿street Homes Inn Pulau Ketam
- Address: No 71K, Jalan Dua, Pulau Ketam, Selangor, 42940 Bagan Pulau Ketam, Malaysia
- Price: about RM 890/ villa (21 adults)
- Review: central location, many eateries nearby, good hospitality.
- Book now: Click here
7. Pulau Ketam map
Above is my Pulau Ketam day trip experience which consists of details about the ferry price, its famous food, what to do in Pulau Ketam, and more.
I hope you find this post useful and feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. Thanks for reading!
1. Where is Pulau Ketam?
Pulau Ketam is located off the coast of Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. To get there, you have to go to Port Klang and take a ferry to this island.
2. Is Pulau Ketam worth visiting?
Yes, absolutely.
If you are looking for a short trip from KL, Crab Island is a good idea. It offers beautiful scenery, and fresh seafood and is very accessible from the mainland.
However, don’t expect too much for your trip, as mentioned above, the village is small and there are not so many tourist attractions in Pulau Ketam.
3. Can I drive to Pulau Ketam?
No, you can’t. You can only reach the island by speedboat or ferry.
4. How long does it take from Klang to Pulau Ketam?
From Port Klang, it takes around 45 minutes to reach Crab Island by ferry.
Nice simple but good
Hi, u mean that have ktv at ketam island ?
Hi Lim, Yes, You can find Sea lion hotel. The KTV is there
Miii you look like my daughter. I have been to Pulau Ketam many times