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Kota Tinggi

Kota Tinggi is a small town in the state of Johor of Malaysia, located around 42 kilometers north-east of Johor Bahru, on the road to Mersing. Kota Tinggi can also be reached by ferry from Changi terminal in Singapore where tourists need to pass through the immigration check point at Tanjung Belungkur ferry terminal before their arrival.Kota Tinggi is also the name of the district where the town is situated.
 
Kota Tinggi district is administered by Kota Tinggi District Council (Majlis Daerah Kota Tinggi), which is based in Kota Tinggi town.
 
The town itself is of little interest, but the waterfalls at Lombong, located 15 kilometers north-west of town are popular tourist destinations. Kuala Sedili, a small fishing town located 37 km north-east of Kota Tinggi town is the second largest fishing port in east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
 
The waterfalls are 36 meters high, and are located at the base of the 634 meter high Gunung Muntahak mountain. The cool river water drains through a series of shallow pools ideal for swimming. The natural beauty of some parts of the location has somewhat been spoiled by resort development with artificial landscaping.
 
There are also many beaches along the coastal part of Kota Tinggi. The most popular beaches are Tanjung Balau, Desaru and Batu Layar ('sail rock'), which are 58 km, 55 km, and 62 km from Kota Tinggi town respectively. Chalets and hotels offering reasonable rates can easily be found along the beach.
 
Teluk Sengat, located 25 km east of Kota Tinggi town is the popular seafood village among tourists, especially those from Singapore.
 
The Kota Tinggi park was made famous by the river and the waterfall. It is the focal point of the day's outing. This is one waterfall that is southernmost and near to urban Singapore. Over the years and growing demands, the Park area was upgraded continuously. To us northerners, we could hardly recognize the place as a forest park. It is as crowded and developed as any theme park that we see in urban Kuala Lumpur.
 
The area of the park itself is relatively small by our standard. It has a gigantic car park, almost half the area of the park. From the car park to the main waterfall area, is a beeline line along the bank of the river. This walking distance is approximately a kilometer.