Water Taxi Tour

Enjoy a pleasant Straits cruise on the water taxi

The school holidays are here again and your children would be eagerly anticipating some family time together, especially on weekends.  You know some outdoor adventure would be great for family bonding but you cannot take long leave. 

The pressure is on and if are cracking your head, wondering what to do with your children during the holidays, you will be pleased to know that there are simple solutions right here. 

“You don’t have to go far for a change of scenery,” said Chua Poh Kok, Operations Director of Prima Sierra Holidays and committee member of the Johor Tourism Association.  “The holidays are an excellent opportunity to take the children out to explore the latest developments in Nusajaya,” he added.  Chua said the smooth drive from Johor Baru will take you to discover nearby sites like Kota Iskandar and Puteri Harbour.

Safety comes first so visitors don life-jackets before
boarding the water taxi

He said at Puteri Harbour, visitors have two tour options by water taxis.  One is for a straits cruise that allows visitors to enjoy the scenic sights of water villages like Kampong Tebing Runtuh along the Tebrau Straits en route to the Second Link Bridge. 

The other option is for fishing enthusiasts to enjoy the thrill of fishing from a floating platform at Lido Village Fish Farm.  Another option includes a visit the Seletar Cultural Center at Kampong Sg Temon Baru Skudai to learn more about the indigenous people.

Fishing from the platform at Lido Village Fish Farm

Security is a priority and all the water taxis are equipped with life-jackets for passengers to wear on board.  These speedboats, helmed by licensed pilots, have a maximum capacity for 16 passengers.

Lido Village Fish Farm is the largest milk fish farm in the state and Johor is so far the sole producer of milk fish.  The farm, located off the coast of the Danga River, started in 2000 with only three cages on a raft but has expanded to the size of four football fields.  

While the farm experience is an added option, fishing enthusiasts can hire a fishing rod at RM15 with bait for a relaxing day of fishing from the floating platform which is equipped with toilet and washing facilities.  

Visitors check out the children's fishing spot
under the trapdoor

Chua, himself a fishing enthusiast, devised a safe way for young children to have their own fishing fun while the adults concentrate on their pursuits.  A square trapdoor is built into the floor of the platform which opens up as a fishing spot for children.  For added safely, a stainless steel cage is sunk into the hole so that anything that happened to fall in can be easily retrieved.

“You can bring your own food and have a picnic while you fish,” said Chua, emphasizing how pleasant it is to spend the day on the platform which is so securely anchored down that you can hardly feel any movement. 

Visitors at the Seletar Cultural Centre at
Kampong Sg Temon Bahru, Skudai

If you still feel hungry and wish to buy snacks, there is also a convenient order service for food from nearby seafood restaurants with an additional delivery charge of RM10.  It’s a holiday after all so you can order in takeaways like chillie crabs or fried squid to enjoy.

The water taxi tour is RM20 per person for a minimum of 8 persons while the boat and fishing package is at RM45 per person with no charge for any number of fish caught during the day.  The schedule for water taxi departures from Puteri Harbour are at 10am, 1pm and 4pm.  For more info and to make reservations, contact Prima Sierra Holidays on Tel: 607 – 521 7087 or visit website: http://www.psholidays.com/.

A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets on 24 November 2011