Lumut - The Dinding River

Lumut is well known as the port to Pulau Pangkor. However, Lumut has a few worth to visit areas itself. One of those areas to visit is the Dinding River. Few people however go inside the river arms. And this is sad because it is worth a visit.

The Dinding river is in fact more a sort of delta then a long river. The river doesn't go far into the country. In fact, the furthest sources are about 25 km away. It is therefore surprising how big the river arms around Lumut are. The area is mostly rough and even unexplored by most people. Around Lumut you will find many fish and prawn farms using the water for the breeding of fish and prawns.

However, it is also an excellent area to go around by boat. And that is what I did. Mr. Syed from the Era bed and Breakfast Hotel in Lumut asked me to join him on a little cruise with a small boat to explore a little of this mangrove jungle.

View on Lumut from the Dinding River

It was an eye opener, I have to admit. Of course, I had seen the river. When cycling into Lumut you get a clear visit on the river. Also, when I was in Kampung Atjeh, near the local yacht harbor, there's plenty to see. But Mr. Syed brought me somewhere else. In fact we went close by the the Desair flat complex just outside Lumut. I had already seen the great views from the top of the Desair building and I had been very surprised how far the wetlands stretched out to the horizon. Now, with Mr. Syed I was in the wetlands myself.

Swamps of the Dinding River near Lumut

The swamps are full of life. Many birds nest here and it's a favorite place for the monitor lizards, here in Malaysia better known as biawaks.

We were late in the day at the river. It was very quiet. In fact, apart of birds flying around and the wind, there was little noise. The traffic seemed to be as far away as the moon. With only a few kilometers from civilization, we could have been in a time machine back in the old days before the British and the Dutch were colonizing Malaysia. I was day dreaming about pirates rowing up the river arm and hiding their stolen goods somewhere on one the little islands in the river. I know, I sound like a late romantic.

The Dinding River near Lumut, an oasis of peace and quietness

The further we went on the river, the less water there was in the river. The Dinding delta, if you want to call it a delta is quite wide but has little water in some arms. Some arms are connected but some arms do not have enough water even for a rowboat to pass. Unfortunately we didn't have much time. The boat stopped for some time and we didn't do anything else then listen to the silence and trying to get a glimpse of the birds and other animals living here. It was a great early morning or late afternoon trip.

Organize your own Dinding River cruise

Did you get curious to get into the river arms? When Mr. Syed told me about it, I got really curious. It's something highly recommended if you are interested in animal life, mangrove forest and silence. The river arm is really worth a visit. For booking, please call Mr. Syed at 013 5983005 or 013 5054991 or 05-6838910. You can also contact me for more information.

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