Kampung Kuantan Fireflies, Selangor

There are many places where you can see fireflies throughout Malaysia, but probably the most famous are the ones at Kampung Kuantan, near Kuala Selangor.

One of the reasons for its popularity is the fact that it is only about 65km from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, and that it can also be combined with a trip to the old stronghold of Bukit Melawati in Kuala Selangor where you see the silver-leaf monkeys as well as having a seafood dinner at Pasir Penambang on the banks of the Selangor river.

There really is no good public transport options to Kampung Kuantan, so it is best visited by self-driving or engaging a driver/tour operator to take you there. If you drive there yourself, it is not too difficult, as it is a tolled highway for most of the way, and there is ample free parking places at Kampung Kuantan. However, driving back will be in the dark, so if you are not comfortable doing that, get a driver.

Viewing times start from after sundown, i.e. about 7:30pm to 10:30pm onwards; so there is absolutely no point in arriving any earlier than that. After parking your car in the carpark, walk along the road to the river. You will pass a food court on the left and then see the administration building on the right. Enter the building to buy your tickets.

The ticket counter.

Tickets are sold per sampan, which is the local name for the traditional rowboat. As of October 2016, the boat ticket costs RM53 (including GST) and the sampan can fit a maximum of 4 persons. Hence if your party consists of less than 4 people, a good tip would be for you to see if there are any other people outside willing to share the costs of the boat before buying the ticket, as it would still cost RM53 regardless if you are 1 person or 4.

The tickets are sold per boat, and one boat fits a maximum of 4 people.

One sampan ticket costs RM53 (as per October 2016).

Once you have bought your tickets, make your way to the queue, where you will be asked to wear the life jackets.

Wearing life jackets.

After wearing the life jackets, you will wait for the sampan to come to the jetty one by one.

The Sampan.

Once your sampan arrives, you clamber onboard and take your seat.

Getting on the sampan from the floating pontoon.

Then off you go into the night, as the boatman rows you away downstream towards the other bank of the Selangor river.

Off you go into the night.

On the banks of the river, grow mangrove trees called berembang in the local malay language. It is these trees that attract the fireflies or "kelip-kelip" (as they are known locally), At night the fireflies gather at the trees to eat the leaves and glow with a dim greenish light that glows in synchronicity. The purpose of these flashing lights are evidently to attract a mate.

The boatman will row you from tree to tree to observe the glow of the fireflies gathered on the berembang. The effect is beautiful, as the trees look like christmas trees lit up with dim lights against the darkness.

Unfortunately, cameras are of not much use here, and taking pictures of the fireflies are nearly impossible due to the pitch blackness. So just relax and take in the sight of fireflies.

Bear in mind that there will be some mosquitoes, as it is dusk on the river; and although it is night, the heat and humidity is still there, as there is very little wind. The whole trip will take between 15 to 30 minutes, and the boatman will row you back to the start point of your journey.

Back to the jetty.

The Kampung Kuantan fireflies is a nice trip to take in conjunction with other sights in the Kuala Selangor area.

It is best to visit during dark nights with no moon; and obviously avoid rainy nights. As with any tourist attraction, weekends will have more visitors.