The Site
This cache is located near the Kota Johor Lama Museum/Information Centre which is located on the site of the historical state capital of Johor, now all but forgotten.
Johor Lama was the administrative center of the Johor state in the early to mid-16th century, after Sutan Alauddin Riayat Shah II (the second King of Johor 1528-1564) moved to Tanjung Batu which was just beside the Johor River. He then built a "kota" (fort) from fortified rocks. With the construction of the fort, the kingdom of Johor became a powerful one, able to fend off attacks from the Achehnese several times.
You can find more information on Kota Johor Lama and its history here.
Getting there
Unlike well-known historical sites like Melaka, Johor Lama is not even easy to get to...:-(
By car
The easiest way is by car, via Kota Tinggi, taking Highway 92 south to wards Sungai Rengit.
A new bridge across the Johor River (Sungai Johor) is being built to make the whole south-eastern peninsula region better accessible. Beside giving easier access to resort town Desaru and Sungai Rengit etc, this should also benefit Johor Lama. One can see the bridge construction from the nearby Village of Teluk Sengat.
Car-rental is available in Johor Bahru (or Singapore, though the extra fees they charge to take a car out to Malaysia (if at all available) may make it cheaper to rent from JB in the first place.)
By taxi
Those without car can hire a taxi in either Johor Bahru or Kota Tinggi.
By bicycle
The adventurous (and trained!) may want to try reaching this location by bicycle.
A popular route from Singapore for cycling tours to this part of Malaysia is to take a bumboat from Changi Village to Pengerak/Tanjung Pangelih (bring your passports!), then cycle to Sungai Rengit (a 17km ride) and onwards to one's destination (often one of the plantations for some off-road cycling, or Desaru etc).
Going north on Highway 92 from Sungai Rengit towards Kota Tinggi brings one to the turnoff to Johor Lama (ca 42km). after which it is about another 7km to the site.
Cycling tips
- Bring plenty of sustenance/water
- make sure to have sun-protection with a high SPF (80+)!!
- Don't cycle alone
- Having a cellphone is usually a good idea in case of emergency. Network is not available throughout.
- Let someone else know of your plans/route and don't deviate significantly from them.
Food is available at the nearby Village of Telok Sengat, where one can also replenish water.
The return journey can be done the same way (though one needs to reach Tanjung Pengelih Jetty by 3pm to catch the last Ferry of the day!). An alternative would then be to go to Sebana Cove or via Tanjung Belungkor (see below). Those in good form can continue via Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru, though the roads get increasingly unpleasant (with dust and heavier traffic) the nearer one gets to JB :-(
Tanjung Belungkor Ferry
... is the terminal of another ferry service from Singapore (leaving there from Tanah Merah Ferry Termina). It is located about 50km from Johor Lama.
Sebana Cove
A nearby resort/Marina/golf course with its own Ferry service to Singapore. Note that the ferries do not take bicycles, though bicycles can be rented at the resort, The resort may also be able to provide am excursion to the site by coach or car. It is located about 48km from Johor Lama.
Public Transport
Finally there is a public bus that connects Kota Tinggi to Sungai Rengit and which stops 'nearby' (relatively) on Highway 92, though I have not so far been able to find out the details. Backpackers should have no problems sussing out this for themselves :-)
Site Access
The site is freely accessible, no admission fee is charged. The Museum/Informatiom Center itself opens at 9am, so early birds may have to wait to get in. The cache is located outside the information center, so it is accessible at all times. Stealth should still be practiced of course.
The Cache
The cache is a camouflaged, small lock&lock container. It is located near the small hut that contains the Sultan's grave, outside the infocenter complex. Please hide the container as you have found it.
FTF Goodie
As FTF goodie, the cache contains an unactivated trackable Geocaching patch (with Velcro back) to be worn on your clothes. It being unactivated means you can activate and thus own it yourself.