• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Malaysia (1 Viewer)

Chris D

Well-known member
My wife and I just returned from a month in West Malaysia and Sabah. Here's some thought's.............

It's safe, inexpensive, and the people are very friendly. All the people. The food is wonderful and the roads are fine. There is some litter on the peninsula. Not much in Sabah. Air Asia is the way to get around, along with private taxis if you don't wish to drive or take buses and trains.

Fraser's Hill and the Gap are very "Birdy". Other trip reports on the Internet will give all the lists. Mr. Fong at The Gap Rest House makes a great "Chicken Chop" and the Lodge is a must for all Brit's who want to see back into their history. You can get very close to Streaked Spider Hunters at the Jelai Resort for photos. Very close. "Bird Waves" are common as are great and peculiar mammals at night (Bring a torch). Also, check bright lights at night for wonderous insects. The best resource there, and honestly -- in the whole country-- is Durai. He's also a gentleman and friend. I can't say enough about this treasure of a man.

Taman Negara (At least the area near the lodge at the confluence of the Tahan and Tembeling) is birdy, but busy in July. Any fruiting tree on the lodge grounds will pad your list with loads of colorful things. The area across the river is the closest thing to a "Boom Town" I'll ever see. Many young travellers and entrepeneurial locals. The floating restaurants are fun and the food great. Find the "Cicada Restaurant" and ask for Amzani. He's a delightful young man who is better at the local birds than he admits. Kind, sincere, and caring. I convinced him to let me employ his services a few mornings. He also knows everyone in the area. Great guy. If your looking for a quiet jungle experience, you'll have to go deep into the woods or perhaps access Taman Negara from another direction. This area was very busy, but it was "High Season".

The preserve at Kuala Selangur was full of birds but this part of the penninsula was our least favorite. It's a noble effort to protect this area and a visit helps things.

I saw 2 Nicobar Pidgeons on Pulau Perhentian Besar. We spent our last week with a nice Malay family at Fauna Beach Chalets. Inexpensive and great food and little kids. Honestly, children in Malaysia are a treasure. We loved this place. Not lots of birds, but great coral at Shark Point with 50 Kilo Wrasses, Giant Clams, and enough Black Tipped Reef Sharks to give sense to the name. Rotti Ceani for breakfast and the massive BBQ for dinner. All with the family. Beautiful.

Sabah for us was a last minute decision. $50.00 round trip airfair from KL to KK on Air Asia. Couldn't pass that up. We spent a week at BRL in the Danum Valley. Fly to Lahad Datu late and have the lodge pick you up at 5:30 pm for the 3 hour drive in. Our week there was one of the best experiences of my life. So many mammals. So many birds. And the Dusun tribe. Their Grandfathers fought the Japanese with blowpipes and had a devastating effect. They are wonderful true people. Great knowledge of the forest and great care at the lodge. They equalled the Orang Utans, Elephants, Civets, Horbills, Pittas, Trogons, etc.etc. that we saw. Just go there. Slow Loris, Tarsier, Leopard Cat, Flying Lemur, Samba Deer. We saw so many mammals along with great birds. Held Wallace's Flying Frog in my hand. It glided away when I loosened my grip. Sleeping Spider Hunters and Gibbons swinging through the trees. Taman Negara came after this visit. Can you tell? ------ Probably our best (and perhaps luckiest) birding experience there was 9 Bornean Bristleheads driving insects through the tree crowns. Not the 90 meter adacent Honey trees, but lower species who's crowns were almost eye level because we were on a slight rise. Strange and magnificent birds. Later that day a male Orang Utan constructed his nest above me while I watched 2 White Bellied Woodpeckers hunt not a few meters from my eyes. All the while the forest smells of curry leaf. A cooling rinse at your cabin and the bottomless tea decanter at the open air lodge. Rattan couches and Rhinocerous Horbills flying up the river. Just go there.

A beautiful trip. We only ever met about 8 other Americans in one month. We're scared to go anywhere. Especially a place where women wear scarves on their heads. Too bad. People were gentle and helpful. No guns and very little alcohol. Granted, we didn't walk around the seedy parts of Kuala Lumpur at night. But then again,,,,,,,,,,,why would we? Malaysia is "Up and Coming". They are proud of their country and it's diversity. Human diversity, that is. Pride in their forests, birds, and other wild things is coming along. I mean no disrespect here, but I always made the point to say what we were doing and why we were there. This was more important on the Penninsula than Sabah. Saying we were interested in "Birds and Forest" always solicited curiosity and great conversations. Western money spent on seeing their natural world hopefully help preserve. It's also just damn fun to be in the tropics with great locals,looking at birds, and stimulating interest in a possible future business that might mean a better life for some and old trees for those strange Hornbill nests. Nice time.............
 
Thanks for the report Chris. We visited Malaysia a few years ago but not birding. Judging from your experiences we may have to go back again!

Des.
 
Thanks -great report

We were in Malaysia last year visiting my son who is working in Johor. Did not manage to get to Sabah but hope to go next year.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 20 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top