Malaysia’s Top family travel and leisure destinations

Malaysia, a renowned tropical vacation in the world, is a perfect destination for you to plan educational holidays with your family. Here are some suggestions for those who enjoy nature, landscapes and various rainforest attractions.

Kuala Selangor Fire Flies Tour

One of the most interesting places to visit around Kuala Lumpur is to go towards Kuala Selangor to watch the fireflies. Known locally as the Kelip-Kelip, most travel agencies will offer these packages which usually involve only half a day, which will take place during the evenings to the night. If you are not the adventurous type and would like to have everything taken care for you, the best thing is to engage an agency who will make all necessary arrangements for you. This tour has become one of the most popular tours that has saw hundreds coming to the swamps each month to experience one of the most amazing sights in the world.

Cost for this excursion

Price would usually range around RM150 to RM200 for adults while kids below 12 will be around RM100 to RM150 which will include a meal and transport. The whole trip will take about 6 hours and you will begin your journey at around 4pm. Located along the mangrove swamps of Kuala Selangor, you will embark from a starting point within the city where you will be visiting the swamp area as well as having a meal there.

The Experience

Once everyone is on-board, the bus will head out to Kuala Selangor through Kampung Kuantan, which is a sleepy town and is the main set out point to the natural habitat of this species. Take note that you should wear thick clothes if possible as there might be other insects like mosquitoes which will leave you scratching among one of the largest firefly colonies in the world today.

Visiting Kota Melawati

Before embarking to the swamps, you will first visit fort Altingsburg or known locally as Kota Melawati. This is where you will be brought towards Melawati Hill which is a scenic site that offers you a view of the town as well as the Malacca straits out there. The fort was built during the rule of Sultan Ibrahim in the 1780s where it is a 3 storey structure that includes a lighthouse which was enacted in 1907. From here, you might be able to see some of the rare animal species like the Silver-Leaf Monkeys and the Long-Tailed Macaques who are friendly if you give them peanuts.

After that, you will then be brought towards the highlight of your trip. You will be taking the tongkang here which typically is an un-motorised boat where you will head to the trees where the fireflies roam freely. This would be one of the most spectacular display of lights made up of thousands of fireflies that form a Christmas tree. After that, the guide will bring you for a meal nearby for a taste of the local seafood and cuisine before heading back to the city centre.

This is the first article for this Travel destination series. Check back this section for more destinations with tips.