Deerland, Pahang

Deerland, despite its name, is actually a small family owned petting zoo located near Kuala Gandah in Pahang. Yes, Kuala Gandah as in the place where the Elephant Sanctuary is located. You can read about the Elephant Sanctuary by clicking on this link.

As a small zoo, Deerland is probably not a destination as of itself, but combined with a visit with the Elephant Sanctuary, can be a useful complement to the sanctuary, especially if you arrive early in Kuala Gandah before the activities start there at around 1:30pm onwards.

To get there is basically the same as described in the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary write-up, only when you reach the fork in the road with the green signboard, take the road to the right which heads towards Bukit Rengit.

About a couple of minutes after the junction you will arrive at Deerland. Park along the side of the road under the shade of the trees. No parking fees involved.

Deerland. Park by the roadside.

After parking, go to the ticket office and buy your tickets at the ticketing booth. Deerland opens at 10:30am but is closed on Fridays.

The park opens at 10:30am but is closed on Friday.

Ticket counter.

Ticket prices are a mystery as it did not appear to be displayed anywhere and there are probably double-pricing strategies in play i.e. different prices for locals and foreigners. Anyway, as locals we were told to pay RM6 per person and given a ticket showing RM5 crossed out. Probably RM10 for non-Malaysians?

RM5 or RM6?

After paying you will be given a sticker to stick on your shirt, and a coupon to exchange for deer food. Then open the gate and enter.

Enter the turnstile into Deerland.

Deerland is essentially in a rainforest, and narrow uneven footpaths lead into the park.

After passing a cage with birds, you will come to a man at a makeshift stand. In exchange for your coupons he will give you a small basket of potatoes cut into strips to feed the deer.

You will then come to a large fenced-up enclosure where the deer freely roam under the trees. There is no grass or undergrowth within the enclosure, probably eaten by the deer to leave just bare earth.

The deer know you are coming with food.

Food...

Where's the food?

Food?

Food!

Feed the deer with the potatoes. Some of the deer are friendly and some are more aggresive. Pet the friendlier ones!

Me... hungry.

What... finished?

The deer have a pretty big area to run around and generally seem well treated. Unlike other zoos, you can get to feed and pet them which makes it more memorable. On one of our earlier visits, one of the staff even allowed us to go into the enclosure and spend time with the deer.

Next to the deer enclosure is an ostrich. This guy is a bit fierce.

Beware of the ostrich.

After the deer enclosure, there are a few other cages containing various types of birds and one containing cats, apparently they are "bengal cats".

Among the bird enclosures, there are indian peafowls. One of the peacocks opened his tail for us to admire.

Indian Peafowl.

A rather unusual peacock also resides here, being of totally white plumage, probably an albino?

Albino peacock.

Further on is a small enclosure, where the friendly staff allows you to hold and play with the hedgehog.

Hedgehog.

Next to the hedgehog enclosure are three cages containing pythons. If you are not squeemish, the staff will take the snake out of the enclosure and drape it around your neck for that photo opportunity.

Hmm... are you my next lunch?

Albino python.

Apparently, the snakes only eat once a month. Or so we were told by the staff.

Further along the trail, we came across a couple of super cute prairie dogs. We could have probably spent all day looking at the antics of these 2 rodents. Standing on their hind legs, looking at you, these comical creatures stood watching us while chewing on kuaci (sunflower seeds) as if we were their daily entertainment.

Prairie Dog.

You looking at me?

Deerland is not a big zoo, you could probably breeze through it in half-an-hour. Also, with the advent of political correctness, you may find zoos in general something you wish to avoid.

It is true that some of the cages in Deerland, especially for the birds seem a little small and some of the animals like the raccoons look distressed, but the vast majority of the other animals, especially the deer seem to be content and well looked after.

Kids, especially will get a kick out of feeding and petting the animals. A nice enough stopover on the way to the Elephant Sanctuary.

Deerland Park

Address: Bukit Rengit road, Lanchang, Pahang.
Tel: 013-967 6242
Business Hours: 10.30am - 5.30pm; (Friday off)
Admission Fee: RM6 (MYKAD holder, adult); RM4 (child).

Broga Hill, Selangor

Broga is a small town on the Selangor side of the border with neighbouring Negeri Sembilan state. Situated about 50km away from Kuala Lumpur, and 33km from Seremban, the name "Broga" is said to originate from the "Buragas", a mythical creature that lives in the forest.

Broga is situated in a valley surrounded by lush green hills at the edge of the Titiwangsa range and tropical rainforests. One of the neighbouring hills is called Bukit Broga, or Broga Hill, and is unusual in that the top of the hill is devoid of trees, which is uncommon in a tropical rainforest.

Instead the hilltop is covered in lalang, or long grass, which is where it gets its alternative name of Bukit Lalang. At 400m (1312 feet) in height, Broga Hill has become a popular hike for casual trekkers and on weekends you will find people of all ages clambering up the hill.

To get there from Kuala Lumpur, you would need to drive towards the town of Semenyih. After passing the town, take a left at the traffic light. You will pass the Universiti of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNiM) campus on the left. Continue on straight until the road narrows and you will see the following sign on the left and a rabbit farm on the right.

Look out for this sign. The rabbit farm is on the right.

Turn left at the sign and park in the palm oil plantation. The land is privately owned and you will need to pay RM2 to park here. If you are really cheap, you could park by the roadside, but really RM2 is not too much to pay.

The land owner has also constructed toilet facilities which are locked. Pay RM1 to the guard and he will unlock the facilities for you. The toilets are surprisingly clean and well-maintained, at least when we were there. If you need to go, go now as there are no facilities once you begin your hike.

Park in this palm oil plantation.

Start your hike towards the far end of the plantation. You will see a dirt road leading off into the distance.

Dirt path leading off into the distance.

You will see a signpost to confirm you are on the right track. The sign will tell you that Broga Hill is 1.7km away; and if you are really ambitious, Tok Wan Mountain is a 4.8km trek. Usually it would take about 45 minutes from the carpark to climb up Broga Hill, and Tok Wan Mountain is supposed to take 2 hours to get to from the carpark.

Broga Hill is a 1.7km trek.

Cross the boom gate to begin the hike.

A short 5 minute easy walk will bring you to this shed.

A gateway marks the start of the real uphill slog.

The palm oil plantation ends at this gateway and beyond the tropical forest begins. From this point onwards the dirt track goes steadily upwards. If you are reasonably fit, you would probably find it not too difficult. However, if you are totally unfit like yours truly, you would quickly find yourself short of breath and pausing frequently.

The trees are fairly thick on both sides of the track, with an occasional squirrel scampering amongst the tree tops. In dry season, the track is fairly easy to negotiate but if it rains, it would probably turn muddy real quick.

Eventually, you will start to get a partial view out from between the trees.

Tree line eventually begins to clear.

A bench provides a resting place and a short respite. The climb to this point would probably take 15-20 minutes depending on your level of fitness.

The trees then thin out and you get a view of the steep incline up the bare hill of the first vantage point.

The tree line ends to reveal the steep incline up to the first peak.

This is quite a steep incline and there are ropes and chains to help you clamber up the bare hill.

As you pull yourself up, take a look around and see Broga town in the valley below.

Eventually you will reach the hilltop. A nice 360 degree view of the countryside can be seen. Take a pause, and rest here, for this is not the final peak yet, just the first peak of three.

The first peak is at 880 feet above sea level.

A bench to rest at the first peak with views towards Semenyih and the setting sun.

The dirt track continues onwards towards the 2nd peak and the tree covered 3rd peak beyond.

View of the first peak from the second peak.

At the time of our visit, there had recently been a fire, and the trademark lalang was burnt and gone.

Broga Hill is an interesting hike and can be easily done in the weekend. However, although it is not a long hike, it pays to be prepared. Wear proper shoes, bring enough water and walking sticks if you have them. If you plan to see the sunrise or sunset, a flashlight would be useful. If it rains, the trail will become muddy, so be prepared to get dirty.