Kuala Selangor Fireflies

Located by the coast of Malaysia and a two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Selangor is well-known for two things—fresh seafood and fireflies. The best part for visitors is that these usually come together.

Since the fireflies only come out at night, it’s best to have a leisurely seafood dinner first when reaching Kuala Selangor. The local fishermen that ply the river (Sungai Selangor) will return with the fresh day’s catch, which are then served to visitors at the seafood restaurants by the riverside. Meals are relatively cheap there, so watch out for some tour packages that charge excessively high prices for dinner. Hiring a personal tour guide often cost less than joining a pre-packaged tour, so compare prices before going.

After a delicious dinner of fresh seafood, you can move on to see the fireflies at around 8pm. There are two areas in Kuala Selangor where you can view the fireflies. The first is the privately-run Firefly Park Resort at Bukit Belimbing and the second is the government-managed firefly viewing point at Kampong Kuantan. The Firefly Park Resort is a more developed location with chalets along the riverbank, while Kampong Kuantan is a more idyllic location.

Ticket prices are slightly lower for Kampong Kuantan, but both places offer boat rides on the river (which last about 30-45 minutes) to take you to parts along the riverbank where you can view the flashing green lights of the fireflies. At Kampong Kuantan, traditional wooden rowboats called sampans are used instead of the motorized boats used at the Firefly Park Resort.

When planning your trip, try to avoid going on a night when the moon is full as the firefly lights will be harder to see on a bright night. It’s also important to go on a day when the weather is clear as fireflies will generally fail to appear on rainy nights.

Dubbed kelip-kelip in Malay (which means blinking), fireflies are flying insects that can create their own light. During your boat ride, the fireflies will usually be found near the mangroves by the riverside as these trees (called berembang in Malay) provide their main source of food.  

The hundreds of congregating fireflies flickering green lights are a sight to behold at night. Flash photography is forbidden during the boat ride, but even so, it can be difficult to capture the subtle beauty of the fireflies on camera, so it’s a good idea to just relax and enjoy the sights without worrying about trying to capture it.