Surrounded by durian orchards, rubber and oil palm estates, kampungs and forest reserves, sits the settlement of Ulu Geroh, where the indigenous Semai community protects the largest flower in the world.

Often called the jewel of the rainforest, Rafflesia flowers bloom close to the forest floor and last for less than a week. The flashy reddish-orange colour of an open flower emerges from a dull, brown, round bud the size of a swollen softball.

A rarity among jungle flora, it takes intimate knowledge with the environment to catch these spectacular plants in bloom. And the Semai are just the ones to know.

They collect forest products – rattan, bamboo, herbs, fruits, food animals, plant material – and previously sold Rafflesia buds and Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing butterflies to outsiders.

With assistance from the Malaysian Nature Society, a few Semai residents serve as nature guides to transfer local knowledge into ecotourism opportunities. Since 2004, these local guides receive supplementary income and earn money for a community fund to improve the village.

Ulu Geroh harbors more than just the Rafflesia. Suitable habitats for the exquisiteRajah Brooke’s Birdwing butterfly are nearby and easily seen. Jungle trails offer an array of lizards, stick insects, spiders, gingers and flowers amid serene nature landscapes.

The Semai community is responsible for taking visitors to the Rafflesia conservation areas. Several nature guides are now recognized by the Ministry of Tourism as professional Green Badge Certificate holders.

Since 2004, a few guides set up ‘Sahabat Ekopelancongan dan Memulihara Alam indah’ or the ‘Friends of Ecotourism and Nature Conservation’, known formally as SEMAI.

Part of the money earned from guiding services and merchandise sales are deposited in a community fund and later used to assist community people and projects.

Visitors need to call the SEMAI in advance to arrange the most suitable date to observe a Rafflesia in bloom.

All visitors must make their own arrangements to get to Gopeng town, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours from KL, and just off the North-South Plus Highway. From Gopeng, SEMAI guides will arrange 4WD transport to the village (a 45 minute drive). Your personal details are needed for permission from the Forestry Department to access the Forest Reserves.

The meeting point in Gopeng is in front of the Gopeng MCA office. Pick up time is 9:00 am and exit time is 2:30 pm. Other arrangements can be requested.

Visitors choose from among three different activities that can be packaged together as a double or triple combination. If the Rafflesia is not in bloom, then visitors can choose to go for a jungle trek. There is an information centre and dormitory at the settlement to assist with education and research activities.

If you’re interested in taking the Ulu Geroh Raffelsia Trail, you can get in touch with the tour guides. Their contacts are listed below -

En. Ahha (Green Badge Guide) – +6017 3245200

En. Umar Sara – +6012 6456254

Ratna Emah (Green Badge Guide) – +6017 5040389

The forest is a virgin dipterocarp forest that is home to the Temuan, the biggest orang asli tribe in Selangor. The population of the Temuan is about 16,000 strong and many of the orang asli in the Temuan have been urbanized, meaning don’t be surprised if you see one of them walking around playing Angry Birds on their iPhone.

The language of the Temuan is a dialect of Bahasa Malay, so if you speak Bahasa Malay, navigating the Orang Asli camp should not be a problem.

There is no charge for going to the forest reserve itself, but you might want to spend about RM 30 – RM 50 for food and transport getting there. There area restaurants in the reserve where you can buy food and stock up on supplies if you’re planning on going trekking.

If you’re planning on going trekking, then spend about 3 – 6 hours exploring the area. Some of the trails are more difficult than others and talking to the park attendants to find out more about the trekking and cycling routes in the area.

Check out more images of the Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve

Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve Highlights

Orang Asli Museum

The orang asli museum is a well-stocked museum where you can learn about the Temuan tribe and other indigenous peoples of the Pensiular. The museum is a one-of-a-kind establishment in Malaysia and is run and operated by the Department of Orang Asli Affairs, a subsidiary group of the government that looks after the orang asli people of Malaysia.

The museum itself is a show case of all the tools and equipment used by the orang asli for generations, from blow pipes to porcupine-quill nose rings. The museum is an interesting show case of how life was like for the orang asli hundreds of years ago.

You can contact the authorities of the Orang Asli Museum for more information at this number +603 6189 2122) or visit their website at www.jheoa.gov.my/index-english.htm

If you’re planning on checking out the Orang Asli Museum, the opening times are –

Saturday – Thursday (9am – 5pm)

You can get in touch with the relevant authorities with these details -

Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli Selangor
Tingkat 3, Bangunan Sultan
Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah,
40000 Shah Alam,
Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel : +(60)3 – 559 0375
Fax: +(60)3 – 550 9828

The main type of crop grown in Sekinchan is rice, so expect wide open Padi fields that stretch on for ages. Beautiful.

Although rarely does anyone stay over at Sekinchan overnight, there are options if you just can’t get enough of this quaint little town. The best way to find a place to stay is to ask the locals, the town isn’t that big and we’re pretty sure that they’ll be able to guide you in the best direction.

Check out more images on Sekinchan

Sekinchan Highlights

Photography

Sekinchan is an extremely beautiful and peaceful place. This makes it perfect for photo sessions with that brand new SLR that you just bought. Sekinchan is increasingly becoming a popular destination for wedding photos as people from KL take the short trip north to capture that perfect moment. Yes, trust us, it really is that good.

You should probably allocate around RM 100 for transport, food for the day and any other items that you’re looking to buy. Also, be expecting to spend around 3 – 6 hours there, but you might end up spending more time than that, the Rhino Sanctuary closes early (about 6pm) so make sure you start your journey bright and early

Check out more images on the Rhino Sanctuary

The focus of the sanctuary is to breed Sumatran Rhinos, as one of the world’s most endangered species of Rhino, the Sanctuary is doing an amazing job of bringing up these Rhinos and introducing them back into the wild.

Visiting the Rhino Sanctuary, you can see how the caretakers take care of the animals, feed the animals and watch them interact in their (not so) natural habitat.

Overall an extremely educational experience that we would suggest to anyone with an interest in animal conservation, hell, even if you don’t we suggest you go and support the cause!

Rhino Sanctuary, Sungai Dusun Highlights

Sightseeing

If you’ve never seen a Rhino, then you’re in for a treat. The Rhino Sanctuary is a great place to see the animals upfront. If you’re lucky, you might even get to feed them, but don’t hold your breath.

The guides there are extremely informative and friendly. We suggest you take the time to learn as much as you can because it is a real eye-opener.

Serendah Waterfalls is located near Sekeping Serendah and should be one of the items on your list if you’re planning on staying a night at Serendah’s famous eco-resorts.

A popular attraction for local “KLlites”, Serendah Waterfall is sometimes packed on the weekend with locals from Kuala Lumpur coming down to enjoy its icy-cool waters. So if you’ve got a ton of leaves to clear, we suggest rounding up some friends and hitting the falls on a weekday. It’ll make for a much more enjoyable experience because there will be less people around.

Serendah Waterfalls are well equipped with modern day facilities such as changing rooms, toilets and eateries.

Getting into the Serendah Waterfalls is free, but expect to pay about RM 30 for the cost of getting there and also a meal after an icy-cool swim.

Check out more images of Serendah Waterfalls

Serendah Waterfall Highlights

Swimming

Though probably not as nice as the Chilling Waterfall in Sungai Chilling (If you’re looking for stunning waterfalls), the surrounding atmosphere of the Serendah Waterfalls is one of peace and tranquility at the Serendah Waterfalls (barring most weekends). The waters are icy-cool and refreshing, so swimming is a must! The waters are generally not that deep so it is pretty safe even for people who can’t swim, and for those who can, the waters are deep enough for you to dip your head in the water and do a couple of laps. Perfect!

You can find out more about rafting in Sungai Selangor by contacting the damn information centre, which is open at these hours –

Tuesday – Sunday: 9am – 4pm

Check out images on Sungai Selangor

The dam was completed in 2003 to supply water to parts of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, but its construction drew controversy because of its envi­ronmental impact, safety issues and the displacement of two Orang Asli settlements and their land. The Orang Asli here is from the Temuan tribe, Selangor’s largest indigenous group.

Sungai Selangor Highlights

White water rafting

You should probably go with a tour group (you can find them the dam’s information centre) if you plan on going rafting. The cost of tour groups range from RM 50 to RM 100 per person. Don’t be too miserly with your money as the waters can get quite violent so it’s always best to go with a more experienced tour leader (note: expensive). Allocate about RM 150 for the transport, rafting and food.

If you’re planning on going rafting in the area, we suggest you spend 1-3hrs on the rapids and
the rest of the time trekking through the Kuala Kubu Baru forest, make a day of it!

The starting points for whitewater action are along the road leading to Fraser’s Hill, part of which skirts the Sungai Selangor Dam. This sec­tion of the road offers sweeping views of part of the 600-hectare (1,480-acre) forested water catch­ment area.

To get a rough idea of how much it costs to go rafting you can check out this site http://www.squidoo.com/raftingselangor. However, do note that this is only a ROUGH guideline to how much it would cost.

If you’re looking for some peace of mind, or simply to get out of the house and explore the land, then Taman Alam Park fits into that description well another attraction of notice here is the Altingsburg Lighthouse, which was built back in the 18th century.

Getting is relatively cheap with adults being charged RM 2 and children being charged 50 sen. The Park is open from 7am to 7pm so you have an ample amount of time to stroll through the forest. We recommend spending about 1-3hours to soak up some nature and try out one of the trails.

Check out more images of Taman Alam Nature Park

Inside the 240-hectare park are three ecosystems – secondary forest, a man-made lake and a mangrove forest with views out to sea – and you can explore them all on a series of five trails lasting between 20 minutes and two hours, including a raised walkway above the mangroves.

Taman Alam Nature Park Highlights

Bird Watching

There are three bird-watching towers in the park that you can climb up to get a better overview of the park. Around 150 species of birds have been spotted in the park, though we’re not going to pretend we know what any of them are, I’m sure it would get most bird-watchers turned on. The man-made lake is peaceful and makes for a great picnic location.

For more information on Taman Alam Kuala Selangor Nature park, check out their official website at www.mns.org.my

The Kuala Gandah Elephant conservatory is home to 5 different elephants aged between 7 to 17 years old and is a great education experience if you’re looking to find out more about these endangered animals. The elephants themselves are trained to interact with humans and you’ll be able to play with them and feed them (with supervision of course).

There is an admission fee to get into the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation centre which goes back directly into helping the elephants and also supporting the cost of the conservation centre, so don’t be stingy with your wallet. Allocate about RM 50 per person for transport and food (also, a small donation)

You should probably spend about 1-3hrs in the conservation centre, try coming around 2 pm so that you’ll be able to play with the elephants.

The operating hours for the conservation centre are –

Weekdays: 12pm – 4.45pm

Weekends and public holidays: 10am – 4.45pm

Check out more images of the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Center

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary Highlights

Mingling with the elephants

There is an afternoon programme that starts at 2pm where visitors can play with the Elephants and also ride the elephants.The elephant trainers are all highly educated and committed to the cause of nurturing these endangered creatures.

You can get in touch with the operators of the conservation centre at this number +603 9075 2872

This park has facilities such as rest huts. These huts with benches have are ideal for picnic and acts as shelter from the sun and rain.Toilets and changing rooms are also available at different levels of the falls.

There are many stalls that sell food and drinks at the entrance of the park. You have to pay an entrance fee to get into the forest as well as parking for your car. Locals are required to pay RM 1 and foreigners are required to pay RM 3 upon entry.

Check out images of Kanching Recreational Forest

Kanching Recreational Forest Highlights

Swimming

There 7 layers of waterfalls, with the first 4 waterfall layers being popular among visitors. You can reach the upper tiers of the waterfalls, but it takes some time and if you’re not looking for an adventure, then the first 4 layers are more than deep enough for you to take a dip in the waters.

Barbequing is a popular activity here as city slickers bring along their own food to barbeque in the area. Coal can be purchased from the local authorities for cheap.

Kanching Recreational Forest: How to get there

Kanching Recreational Forest is located between Rawang and Selayang. Drive towards Selayang and after that Rawang. Look out for the Hutan Lipur Sg. Kanching Signboard, you should pass it along your way to Rawang.

Head further up and make a U-Turn and you should see a signboard saying “Kanching Recreational Forest”.

Parking costs RM 10 per car, however you should expect to spend about RM 30 if you’re expecting some food and/or maybe treat yourself to some neon souvenirs on display.

The I-City attraction is a self contained city complete with office lots, shopping malls and shops during the day. Some of these shops and eateries open during the night to serve the visitors that come for the main attraction – the lights.

As an affordable and admittedly different type of attraction, I-City is well worth a visit, if only for the sheer novelty of standing in the middle of a city, literally, full of lights.

Check out photos from I-City

I-City Highlights

Photography

As a completely new type of attraction around Kuala Lumpur, we guarantee that you’ll probably have seen nothing like it. So don’t forget to bring a camera and capture that moment so you can show it off to your friends on Facebook!

One of the best sights at I-City is the “snow display”. It costs about RM 15 to get in (the last time we checked). The snow display showcases ice men, raindeers as well as other frozen critters made completely of bring, white neon lights, the room itself is air-conditioned, which tries to stimulate the feel of it being winter (fairly successful we say, it’s freezing in there). However, the RM 15 price tag on going in is a little steep and we can honestly think of better things to spend our money on, so here’s our advice, if you’re from KL, don’t waste your money – wait for a distant relative to come and bring them on a trip down to I-City THEN pay for it. But if you’re from out of town, then go ahead and pay for it and see what it’s like if Malaysia really did snow.