Kuala Rompin faces the South China Sea. This place is, perhaps, the next best thing after the beaches of Kuantan and beyond. In fact, Kuala Rompin is developing into an attractive holiday destination in its own right. The minimalist approach in tourism development in this area is what makes it great if your idea of a great holiday is peace and quiet.

Less developed than the other popular beach destinations, today's Rompin is conveniently accessed by road from Kuantan via Pekan or by way of Kota Tinggi in Johore. This is in stark contrast to the persona of the place way back in the 1960s when the road to Kuala Rompin from the royal town of Pekan hugged the coastline and the brackish waters of the mangroves. Those times, travelling the lonely single-lane road would make you feel so alien -- as though you were elsewhere and not in peninsular Malaya.

Also during those times, the raging waters of the South China Sea would sometimes spill on to the road during the tempestuous moments of the monsoon. Perhaps, the only form of creature comfort then was the Batu 16 retreat for the Pahang royalty. People would often stop over at this place to stroll on the beach or have a weekend picnic. Like many a desolate zones such as this, there would be amazing stories, which were sometimes chilling when they were told on location.  One was about the profusion of saltwater crocodiles in the area. It sort of makes you wonder whether it is be safe to be in the water. However, to this day there have never been any reports of such creatures attacking humans although there have been many cases reported in the vicinity of Kuala Sungai Pahang (mouth of the Pahang river) near Pekan.

Today's Rompin offers all the basic modern amenities to keep the seasoned urbanite sane. Good cellular phone coverage, a modest selection of hotels and resorts and a good road network that links the place to the other parts of the peninsula.

If you like seafood, Kuala Rompin is highly recommended. Try the many restaurants which  serve fresh freshwater prawns (udang galah). This area used to boast among the best in udang galah  in the 60s. The quality then was so different from the bred varieties offered today. Today, most of the wild udang galah have all but disappeared in many places except for the area near the mouth of Sungai Rompin between January and March. Sungai Rompin still offers a rich variety of seafoods, including the kepah  (freshwater clam) and lala. Crabs and squids are still in abundance although the fishermen would have to venture out further now.

While in Rompin, why not make your way to Puteri Inn and have a taste of the lemang there? Lemang? "Big deal," you may say. But, mind you, over here they pack the lemang in mangkuk kera (pitcher plants); hence the name. It is, essentially,  steamed glutinous rice cooked in pitcher plant and served with beef or chicken rendang.

Sungai Rompin is a great place to catch lala between the months of March and August. For the avid angler, the inland lakes and commercial fishing ponds offer hours of blissful fishing.

The Raya Haji International Billfish  Challenge is a world-class event to look out for come August every year. This event is all about international teams vying to bag the most number of marlins from the waters off Kuala Rompin. It is a catch-tag-and-release affair but I wouldn't want to comment on the level of stress suffered by this graceful creatures. But, still, it is quite a harmless pursuit. Besides this, the annual Rompin Fiesta is another much-awaited event. It is held around mid-June.

If there is no rain and night sky is clear, you can go upriver from Lanjut jetty to see fireflies by the thousands nesting on berembang trees on the banks of Sungai Rompin. You can also do a spot of star gazing and bird watching in Rompin. The increasingly popular sport of wood ball has its Pahang base at the Lanjut Golden Beach Resort. Several international wood ball championships have so far been hosted here. The 188-acre Lanjut Golden Beach Resort, which is about 21km from the town of Kuala Rompin is the only place with a golf course.


GETTING THERE
Rompin is 215 km or 3½ hours by road from Johore Baru via Mersing and the coastal road. From Kuala Lumpur it is 285km via Seremban, Bahau, Mu'adzam Shah (3½ hours journey). The distance between Kuantan and Pekan is 125 km or a 90-minute drive.