Pantai Penyabong & Pulau Mawar (Revisit) – Endau Seafood Trip and The Search for Window of Heaven

It all started with William’s message asking how we are doing, which mountain we are going soon and whether we shall meet up since it’s been eight months since our Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek in December 2019. With that we ended up planning a weekend trip to Endau where William is currently based, to visit both Pulau Mawar and Gunung Arong. Apart from Yogi and David who couldn’t make it, this trip is technically a mini gathering for our EBC trip (E.C Choi, Uncle Mak, William, Terry and myself) and we had Angeline (Uncle Mak’s girlfriend) and E.C Choi’s whole family (including his 7-months baby boy) tagged along. 

How to get to Endau

The journey from KL to Endau takes about 4 and a half to 5 hours. Although we previously (2 years ago) travelled to Mersing to get to Pulau Mawar and Gunung Arong, this time around we found out from William that we can also get to these two places from Endau. The travelling distance (duration) is the same (around 30 minutes) regardless of where you are travelling from, be it Mersing or Endau. 

Endau Seafood Meal (Part 1) – Lunch @ Cao Yang Restaurant

Our trip is mainly a seafood trip besides visiting Pulau Mawar and Gunung Arong, and the very first place we went upon arriving in Endau is a local Chinese restaurant, famous for bak kut teh and shark meat - Cao Yang Restaurant. 

Restoran Cao Yang

Group photo

Our lunch

Besides their signature bak kut teh (we ordered the dried one) and spicy shark meat, William also brought over some fresh seafood he bought from the fishing village. The restaurant owner charges a reasonable fee for cooking the seafood ingredients we brought. Thanks to the freshness of the seafood and the chef’s amazing cooking skill, we had a finger-licking lunch that day.  

Address: 9, Jalan Dato Mohd Ali Road, 86900 Endau, Johor
Opening hours: 61m to 4pm daily
Phone number: +6013-9561313
GPS Coordinate: 2°39'12.7"N 103°37'12.7"E

Pantai Penyabong – Best Pisang Goreng in Town

After lunch, we headed towards Pulau Mawar but before that, we stopped by Pantai Penyabong first on William’s suggestion as this beach is famous for what he claimed is the best pisang goreng (fried banana fritters) in town. 

Pantai Penyabong

Previously known as Pantai Pasir Lanun (Pirate Sand Beach), as Pirates from South China Sea stopped by and settled down due to its calm sea water and availability of water supply, this beach is later Pantai Penyabong, deriving from the malay words of “menyabong ayam” which means cockfight, due to the cockfighting activities conducted by pirates.

See the queue? That's the queue for pisang goreng

The stall selling pisang goreng and ikan celup tepung

The beach is now refurbrished with a new medan selera, playground and toilet (chargeable) facilities for visitors. If you are here, do look out for the corner stall selling ikan celup tepung (fried battered fish). We had sata, celup tepung, pisang goreng, and keropok lekor (fried fish cake). My favourite is definitely their pisang goreng and keropok lekor. You will definitely be able to spot this stall as it is at the corner opposite the jetty and the queue is always long. As the weather was hot, we also bought some coconut jelly and drinks from other stalls.

Sata, keropok lekor, pisang goreng, ikan celup tepung and coconut jelly

Pricing for your reference

The playground will keep your kids occupied and for adults like us, we prefer taking a stroll towards the jetty to look at the sea. Many were fishing at the jetty, and from here, you can clearly see Pulau Tioman. I didn’t know it would be so clear as I would imagine the island being a far distance away!

Let's walk to the jetty

We saw Tioman!

Close up

The peaks of Tioman

I shall climb them one day

Address: Medan Selera Penyabong, Kampung Penyabong Pantai, 86900 Endau, Johor
Opening hours: 2pm to 7pm, daily

Pulau Mawar Revisit – Window of Heaven

Next stop was Pulau Mawar, a small restricted island that is only accessible by foot during low tide. It used to be a famous spot among photographers for shooting milky way, but has since become increasingly popular among hikers and campers in recent years due to the beautiful rock formation. In fact, E.C Choi, Terry and I had been to Pulau Mawar two years ago, so this trip is more or less a revisit. However, two years ago, we are only aware of the signature stone arch dubbed “The Gate of Heaven” and Tanjung Mawar. This time around, William brought us to another landmark dubbed “The Window of Heaven”. 

The Gate of Heaven I visited 2 years ago

The Window of Heaven

Entry point of Pulau Mawar:

Ps: A week after our trip in Aug 2020, the area seemed to have been gated. No one knows for sure the reason why the fences and gate is up but for now, the place remains open to public but they may either start imposing entrance fee or prohibit entry entirely. So, do be prepared to be denied entry or being charged an admission fee in the future. 

Getting to Pulau Mawar is very simple. All you have to do is to look for Teluk Sari beach, the entry point. If you are using google map or Waze, just type the follow address: 

Jalan Penyabong Carpark Opposite Pulau Mawar
Address: Jalan Penyabong-Tanjong Resang, 86900 Mersing, Johor
GPS Coordinate: 2°36'37.2"N 103°46'35.5"E

My detailed sharing on how to get to Pulau Mawar, and what to expect there can be found in this blog post two years ago: Pulau Mawar & Teluk Sari – Gate To Heaven and A Stargazing Rendezvous

Windows of Heaven and how to find it?

So, where exactly is this Windows of Heaven which we missed two years ago? 

As shared two years ago, we need to walk along the beach shoal towards the mangrove forest and make a right turn to head to “Gate of Heaven”. To get to “Window of Heaven”, we would have to walk towards the left of the mangrove forest. As always, Pulau Mawar is only accessible when the tide is low so that we can walk on the emerging sandbar. So, always check the tide schedule prior to your visit to avoid disappointment.

My simple but ugly illustration of Pulau Mawar

It’s a bit of walk but the terrain is flat, so it wasn’t a problem for me who was 30 weeks pregnant at the time of visit. However, since it could still be slippery, I brought a hiking stick with me for additional support. It’s a relatively easy walk (15-20min slow stroll) as compared to the path towards Gate of Heaven where one would need to climn a little towards to end, therefore Window of Heaven is more accessible to young children and elderly. 

Walk to the left, towards Window of Heaven

Please wear comfortable trekking shoes as you would need to walk on swamps

Beautiful mangrove

Saw some cute mini crabs along the way

Some photo just for fun

After walking on swamp, the last stretch is dry and flat land

Still lots of mangroves here

Me, heavily pregnant

Finally arrived

So crowded

Hubby and I

Mr & Mrs Kong

Another take

Solo shot #1

Solo shot #2

Solo shot #3

Solo shot #4

Group photo #1

Group photo #2

Group photo #3

This place is always crowded on weekend, so expect to wait for your turn for photography session, especially when there are large group of family or friends. One thing to note is that many tend to climb up the rock formation to position themselves in the “window frame”, but it is actually a dangerous act. Not only that you risk falling, over time the formation may collapse, and when that happened, it may cause casualties to whoever on the rock formation or standing right beneath. There are plenty of pose we can do without having to climb up, yet still turn out to be instagrammable, so let’s be creative without having to climb the rock, shall we?  

Bonus: Pulau Mawar sunset

By the time we have finished taking photo of “Window of Heaven”, it was almost time 6pm, and William suggesting to bring us to his secret sunset spot in Pulau Mawar. Don’t ask me where it is since it’s a secret spot and I did not tag along considering I’m pregnant and it requires some scrambling and climbing, hence not suitable for pregnant lady and young children. In the end, I stayed behind with Doris (E.C Choi’s wife) and children and played on the beach while waiting for the guys to return from their sunset hike. 

Terry's photo at the secret sunset place

Endau Seafood Meal (Part 2) – Dinner @ unnamed restaurant near Taman Markisa

As sun sets and the guys returned from their sunset hike, we made our way back to our homestay to freshen up. Yeap! This time around we rented out a homestay instead of camping at Teluk Sari. After all, we have a pregnant lady and a 7-months old baby so we chose comfort over nature, especially since Teluk Sari is now crowded with campers and there is no water source at all. 

After shower, William brought us to restaurant operating from a house in Taman Markisa. There is no signboard and I presume it usually caters to regular customers and locals. Just like our lunch, William once again brought over his fresh seafood to be cooked here for a fee (very reasonable fee!). We had scrumptious meal that night consisting of steamed AAA size prawns, stir-fry kam heong crab, fish stew, steamed homemade fish balls, fried squid, fried pork, and stir-fry slipper lobster. Every dishes were delicious and how I wished I was not pregnant and can have some beer with this meal. 

Our seafood dinner

We ended the night with mooncake and tea session at our homestay where we talked about hiking, camping, and future plans post-covid. Let’s go on another oversea hike next, shall we?

Breakfast @ Kedai Kopi Jit Tong

The next morning activity consists of a hike to Gunung Arong and a visit to Seri Mahkota Waterfall in Endau-Rompin National Park. However, as I was pregnant I decided to give it a miss. After all, I had hiked Gunung Arong two years ago. The waterfall on the hand, though just a short walk from the car might be too slippery for me. 

For info on Gunung Arong, check out this blog post on my hike in August 2018: Gunung Arong Day Hike - The Love of Tanjung Resang

Terry decided to stay with me and we ended up going for some local breakfast while the rest enjoyed their hike. We drove to town and found an old school coffee shop located in the same row of Cao Yang Restaurant, called Kedai Kopi Jit Tong, where we had Malaysian all-time favourite breakfast - kaya butter toast, nasi lemak, coffee and tea. 

Our breakfast place

My breakfast

Address: 15-2, Jalan Dato Mohd Ali Road, 86900 Endau, Johor
Opening hours: 6.45pm – 6pm, closes on Friday
Phone number: +607-794 2643
GPS Coordinate: 2°39'13.0"N 103°37'12.9"E 

Endau Seafood Meal (Part 3) – Lunch @ Restoran Fu Man Lou Seafood

Once the rest returned from their waterfall trek, we checked out our homestay and prepared to head back to KL. But first, William brought us out for lunch at a restaurant near Tanjong Gemok Jetty - Restoran Fu Man Lou Seafood. 

Address: 41&42 Tingkat Bawah,Japan Sri Tanjung 1/1, Tanjung Gemok, 26820 Kuala Rompin, Pahang
Opening hours: Daily from 12pm to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Phone number: +6019-7217000
GPS Coordinate: 2°39'35.1"N 103°37'20.1"E

Buried within rows of vacant shops, this restaurant is easily missed by non-locals but the food is delicious. Once again, William brought fresh seafood here to be cooked for a fee – crab, fish, prawns and squids. 

Our lunch

We had crab beehoon, steamed asam fish, steamed prawns, as well as deep fried squid and ordered their rojak chicken, salted vege seafood soup and stir-fry french bean. With a happy, full stomach and reluctant, heavy heart, we said goodbye to William and headed back to KL, promising to keep in touch and meet up in KL soon. 

Final Thoughts

Many would probably question my decision to be travelling around when I’m pregnant (30 weeks pregnant). Most people seem to think that pregnant lady needs to rest more, walk less and stay away from outdoor activity. However, I disagree and find that being active during pregnancy is important for both mommy’s and baby’s health. My advice is to be careful, stay hydrated and don’t over exert yourself. However, if your pregnancy is a high risk one, do seek your gynae’s approval being doing any activities. 

I’m glad Terry and I decided to travel all the way to Endau even though we knew we wouldn’t be joining the team for Gunung Arong and Seri Mahkota waterfall hike. It may seemed like we were there just for seafood, but what matters most is to meet up with friends and enjoy each other companion. We are now looking forward to future gathering and perhaps organising an island hopping trip next. 

Looking for a guide for Gunung Arong, Pulau Mawar and Mersing island hopping? You may contact William who is an experienced guide for these places. 

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Bonus: Nearby attraction

Have more time to spare and wanted to explore more of nearby attractions? Here’s some of the places nearby you can combined during your trip to Endau / Mersing. 

Gunung Arong 
Although I didn’t join the gang this time around since the hike is not pregnant friendly, you can read more about it my previous hike (2018) here.

Camping at Teluk Sari 
Teluk Sari is the gateway to Pulau Mawar, so one can easily camp here for a night as it’s a nice place for stargazing and to shoot milky way. However, the only downside is there is no water source which may be inconvenient. Read about my Teluk Sari camping experience here

William had actually offered to bring us island hopping if we can extend our trip by an extra day, but since it’s a little last minute and I was pregnant at that time, we gave it a miss. I will definitely be back for an island hopping tour after I deliver, perhaps bringing our little bundle of joy along. 

Endau-Rompin National Park via Kuala Rompin
About half an hour from Endau town is the one of the national park of Malaysia – Endau-Rompin National Park. There are three entrances to the National Park and the closest to Endau town is the North East Entrance (Kuala Kinchin via Kuala Rompin). Here, one can visit the waterfall such as Seri Mahkota Waterfall. As I was pregnant during our visit, I didn’t join the rest, but I was told it was beautiful and just a short walk from the car park. 

Air Papan and Teluk Buih
A more commercialised beach town of Mersing, it is more accessible as the road signage is clear and it’s only about half an hour away from Mersing town. I’ve visited both during my Johor road trip back in 2016. Read more about it here.

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-Thanks for reading-

Related entries:

Pulau Mawar & Teluk Sari (First Visit)
Gunung Arong
Endau-Rompin National Park via Selai
Sungai Bantang Waterfall
Johor Road Trip