Port Dickson travel guide

Port Dickson, Malaysia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Port Dickson

Introduction

Port Dickson, known to most people simply as PD, is a beach resort town in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, and the second largest urban area in the state after Seremban, the state capital. It sits within Port Dickson District, and its administration is run by the Port Dickson Municipal Council.

The council has a long institutional history behind it: it began as the Port Dickson Sanitary Board in 1928, became the Port Dickson Town Board in 1950, and was the Port Dickson District Council from 1979 until it took its present name in 2002.

Before you go

Port Dickson began as a charcoal-producing area and was later developed as a small port by the British during the Strait Settlement period; it was also known as Tanjung, Malay for "cape," and as "Arang" (charcoal) after the carbon mine that once stood at the first mile of the coast road, Jalan Pantai. Tin ore in Lukut drew Chinese immigrant miners in the 1820s, and the British, seeing the area's potential as a harbour, intended it to supersede the port at Pengkalan Kempas. The town takes its name from a commanding officer called Dickson, though others credit Sir John Frederick Dickson with founding it and Pulau Arang in 1889. The oldest shophouses, four in number, stand in Jalan Lama.

The town grew into a busy trading centre, with railways built to speed its development, and its beaches were fairly well preserved through that growth. A boom in hotels and resorts came in the late 1990s; some projects stalled, and unfinished construction can still be seen around the tourist town, though improving economic conditions and booming tourism in Malaysia are reviving them. The 18-km beach stretching from Tanjung Gemuk to Tanjung Tuan is now a popular holiday destination drawing visitors from as far as Kuala Lumpur, and many Singaporeans have invested in holiday homes in and around Port Dickson.

Getting there

Port Dickson is a gazetted entry point for Malaysia, served mainly by ferries from Dumai in Sumatra, Indonesia; check the Malaysia Get in section for visa requirements. By road, the Seremban–Port Dickson Highway (E29) connects the town with Seremban and joins the North–South Expressway (E2), which runs the length of peninsular Malaysia. For the town itself, leave the highway at the Lukut interchange (Exit 316); if you are heading to the beach resorts south of town, continue to Si Rusa or to the end of the highway near the hospital at Teluk Kemang. To join the E29 from the North–South Expressway, use the Port Dickson interchange (Exit 219) between the Seremban and Senawang interchanges. Port Dickson also sits on Federal Route 5, the Coastal Trunk Road, which links it to Malacca to the south and Klang to the north.

Frequent buses link Port Dickson with Seremban, both direct express services using the highway and local buses on the old toll-free road; the trip takes about an hour. On weekdays there appears to be only one company running between Seremban and Port Dickson, roughly one bus per hour. From elsewhere in Malaysia, the easiest bus route is via Seremban. Local buses also run to Sungai Pelek in Sepang district, where you can connect to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and south to Pengkalan Kempas and Tanjung Agas, continuing to Kuala Linggi in Malacca with connections on to Malacca city. Port Dickson has a rail link but no train services; the nearest station is in Seremban, reachable from Kuala Lumpur, from where you take a bus or taxi. Daily ferries run between the jetty in the middle of town and Dumai.

Getting around

Port Dickson is a long, spread-out place, with the beach strip running for many kilometres and the town centre, resorts and beaches scattered along it. That shapes everything about how you move: most visitors rely on cars, taxis and ride-hailing rather than public transport, and it pays to plan how you will get between your hotel and the beach before you arrive. There is no metro, tram or light rail, and no train services either — the old branch line to Seremban closed and was dismantled, so the nearest station is in Seremban, from where you continue by bus or taxi.

The bus station is a useful landmark because the main taxi rank sits right next to it. Taxis are one of the most practical ways to get around, and fares are negotiable in practice, so agree your destination and the fare before you set off — Port Dickson is unusual in that taxis here are said to receive commission for delivering passengers to certain hotels. Ride-hailing apps are a convenient alternative, particularly for short hops between resorts and beaches where local buses are infrequent. A local bus runs along the coast to Blue Lagoon and back, a cheap way to reach the far end of the strip, and other local services link the town with Sungai Pelek (for connections to the airport), and south to Pengkalan Kempas, Tanjung Agas and Kuala Linggi.

Walking is pleasant along the sand but of limited use for getting between places: the town area is largely kampung houses with no shopping centres or major attractions to anchor a stroll, and even after you reach the Port Dickson area a fair distance often remains before you arrive at the beach. Driving is the most flexible option and car rental is available locally, making it easier to stop at viewpoints and move between town and the outlying beaches. Federal Route 5, the Coastal Trunk Road, runs through downtown and links to Malacca and Klang; the Seremban–Port Dickson Highway joins the North-South Expressway, with the Lukut interchange for town and Si Rusa or the highway's end near the Teluk Kemang hospital for the southern resorts. Driving onto the sand is popular, but soft sand means vehicles can get stuck — off-road vehicles cope better, and ATVs are commonly driven on the beaches.

Where to stay

Port Dickson's accommodation runs along the coastal road, and where you stay depends on whether you want beachfront simplicity or a resort with more facilities. At the budget end, Kong Ming Budget Hotel at Batu 8 in Telok Kemang sits right on the beach but keeps things basic, with no air-con and no TV. Sunshine Hotel at Batu 1 on Jalan Seremban offers another inexpensive option in town.

Food & drink

Port Dickson's local cooking is hot and spicy, built on coconut milk and the small, fierce cili padi that will make your mouth and eyes smart. Look for fish cooked in a thick coconut gravy, and for rendang, beef simmered with coconut milk and a rich blend of spices, usually eaten with lemang, glutinous rice cooked inside bamboo. Nasi lemak is a must, and the stall known as Wak Rahman is among the best known for it. For variety, head to the marketplace, where Chinese, Indian, Malay and international food sit side by side, and try the homemade putu mayam sold by Bismi Putu Mayam, also available for functions and gatherings.

Seafood is the other draw: Weng Yin Seafood Village serves fish, prawns, crabs and bamboo clams, and Kal Hoe Restaurant is a Chinese seafood place also known for its "German Knucke" and a late-night beer. Along Jalan Pantai you'll find Seaview and Curry House; Mak Mah sits next to the Shell gate entrance, and Restaurant SN Mohhamad is in the town area near the post office, where Restoran Abu Bakar and others cluster. Country Home in Lukut is well known, and The Famous PD Eating Point covers Chinese and Western dishes. For Western food with a Malaysian accent, El Cactus is a reasonable choice: expect nachos, burritos, fajitas and quesadillas made with local substitutions rather than authenticity, plus pizza, pasta and frozen lime margaritas. Every first Saturday of the month there's a night market in Port Dickson Town, full of food and fruit. Alcohol is expensive and there are no bars as such, though some resorts have bars that get lively at weekends and during Malay holidays.

What to see and do

Tanjung Tuan, also known as Cape Rachardo, is the area's standout sight: a 16th-century lighthouse built by the Portuguese to guide ships into the Port of Malacca, still in operation today. Climb the narrow spiral staircase for a panoramic view across the strait to the coastline of Sumatra, and time a visit between September and March, when migratory sparrows, honey buzzards, swifts, hawks and eagles stop over at the cape. From the lighthouse, walk down the steps beside it and follow the jungle trek to a secluded beach; about 50 metres to the right of the track you'll find a footprint embedded in rock, said to belong to the legendary Malay warrior Hang Tuah, with a well nearby that he is said to have dug. Elsewhere, the Army Museum Port Dickson, next to a Malaysian Army camp, displays vehicles and aircraft used by the Royal Malaysian Army along with a Communist tunnel, while the Lukut Museum and Fort, about 7 km from town, preserves a fort built in 1847 by the Bugis warrior Raja Jumaat to control the tin trade, along with the remains of an old palace foundation and a royal burial ground. Further afield at Fort Kempas, near the village of Keramat Ujung Pasir, you can see the 15th-century tomb of Ulama Sheikh Ahmad Makhtum with its carved megalith, the "Batu Bersurat" stone inscriptions, and an "ordeal stone" said to tighten like a vice around the arm of anyone who lies.

The coast along Port Dickson is lined with beaches, and you can arrange water-skiing, canoeing, snorkelling and wind surfing through your hotel reception; if you sail, look into temporary membership at the yacht club. Fishing is a highlight, though stocks are depleted, so head out by boat or to a kelong rather than casting from the beach, unless you're after ikan sembilang (catfish). The Blue Lagoon (Pantai Tanjung Biru), about 15 km from town, offers greenery, open blue sea and space to swim, boat, wind surf and water ski, with plenty of accommodation nearby.

Three days in Port Dickson

Day one: Start in Port Dickson town itself, the heart of the district on Negeri Sembilan's coast, and get your bearings along Jalan Pantai. The town's history runs from the Port Dickson Sanitary Board and Town Board through the District Council to today's Municipal Council, and the older names of the area - Tanjung and Pulau Arang - hint at the coastline's shape. Ease into the Malay character of PD before planning the rest of your stay.

Day two: Head north along the coast to Lukut, once tied to the area's tin trade and its Chinese community, then continue to Pengkalan Kempas. Both sit within Port Dickson District and reward a slower pace than the town. Keep your route simple and return to the coast for the evening.

Day three: Take in the cape at Tanjung Tuan and the nearby stretches of Tanjung Gemuk, with Jalan Lama offering an alternative to the main highway. If you are travelling onward, the Port Dickson Highway links to the North-South Expressway for Kuala Lumpur, and the Strait Settlement heritage and the town's naming after Sir John Frederick Dickson give context to what you have seen. Visitors from Singapore and from Dumai in Sumatra, Indonesia, use the same approaches, so plan your exit with the expressway exits in mind.

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