Malaysia: The Peninsula
Mountain forests and lowland jungles.
If traipsing through steamy jungles, mangrove forests, and spectacular montane forests hunting for secretive pheasants and glittering pittas sounds like fun, then Malaysia is a must, as it provides some of the best birding in Southeast Asia. Although most of the sites are forest, the lowland Dipterocarp forest, hill forest, and montane forest are all distinct, each supporting a multitude of different species. Furthermore, the coastal plain supports a long coastline harboring extensive tidal mudflats, mangroves, peat swamp forests, and scrub.
Day 1: Kuala Lumpur. You will be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Day 2: Kuala Selangor Nature Reserve. This morning we traverse the coastline of the Malay Peninsula. The afternoon will be spent exploring the mangroves and coastal thicket at Kuala Selangor, searching for the smart Brahminy Kite, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Smyrna Kingfisher, Blue-throated Bee-eater, and the many waterbirds that frequent the wetlands. This evening we’ll venture into Selangor town to eat in an authentic Malay restaurant, where we’ll get our first taste of Malaysia’s rich and tasty cuisine.
Day 3: Kuala Selangor to Fraser’s Hill. We spend most of the day exploring the secondary forest, wetlands, and mangroves of Kuala Selangor Nature Reserve. Here we seek the gorgeous sapphire-blue Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher, Laced Woodpecker, Black-naped Oriole, Abbott’s Babbler, Ashy and Rufous-tailed Tailorbirds, and the remarkably familiar Red Junglefowl, the wild ancestor of the chicken. In the late afternoon we head for the mist-enshrouded central Malay highlands, and the wonderfully cool climate of Fraser’s Hill. A former British hill station, complete with its picturesque village clock tower, and red post box, it maintains its colonial charm, and is also rightly famed today as one of Asia’s finest birding areas. The combination of the pleasantly cool climate, the quaint old English village feel, and an abundance of rich and colorful birdlife (much of which can be found bounding around the scenic mountain gardens), have made this a long-time favorite birding location.
Days 4-6: Fraser’s Hill and The Gap. Fraser’s Hill is criss-crossed by enchanting forest trails, where some of Asia’s greatest avian treasures hide in brilliant mixed-species flocks. Among the highlights are the spectacular Green Magpie, Long-tailed Sibia, Silver-eared Mesia, Blue Nuthatch, the enigmatic Cutia, Fire-tufted Barbet, and Black-and-crimson Oriole, and there is always the chance of finding pittas and partridges. We’ll check each rivulet for the superb Slaty-backed Forktail. On some of the days we will drop down to the bamboo-choked, lower elevation forest at The Gap. The drop in altitude and the distinctive change in the nature of the forest, means that the Gap is home to many new and exciting birds, These include the bamboo-loving Silver-breasted Broadbill, and appropriately named Bamboo Woodpecker, the diminutive Black-thighed Falconet, Green-billed Malkoha, and two spectacular trogons: Orange-breasted and Red-headed. The Gap Resthouse also provides entertainment, with the gardens attracting a host of birds including aqua-blue Verditer Flycatchers, and a range of beautiful sunbirds and flowerpeckers. If one of the large fig trees in the area is in fruit we will scan the crown for the hordes of frugivores that will home in on the bounty. These often include a horde of barbets that sometimes fight it out with glorious Asian Fairy-bluebirds to feast on the harvest. Scanning the forest may reveal the outrageous Rhinoceros and Bushy-crested Hornbills as well as spiderhunters, which resemble overgrown sunbirds.
Day 7: Fraser’s Hill to Taman Negara. After breakfast we travel to Taman Negara NP. This huge area of pristine lowland forest, covering 3.3% of the country’s area, is touted as “the oldest rainforest in the world”. The ancient landscape supports over 300 bird species and is undoubtedly the most important birding site in the region. We’ll spend our nights in the finest accommodation in the area, the Mutiara resort, which despite being perched right on the edge of the lush green rainforest is decked out with all the ‘mod-cons’ that you’d expect from a modern lodge.
Days 8-11: Taman Negara. Early morning birding in the resort, which holds some great fruiting trees, should get us off to a flying start. Our targets will be Blue-rumped Parrot, Thick-billed and Little Green-Pigeons, the tiny Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, and the flashy Asian Fairy-Bluebird. We’ll then explore the pristine forest along the range of fantastic trails, searching for Taman Negara’s most sought-after residents. The forest at first glance all looks the same, but pockets of forest in different areas can prove to be special for certain species. On some days we will take a short boat ride along the Tahan, and jump off on the banks to access a small, well-concealed trail in pursuit of one of Taman Negara’s top target birds – the black-and-crimson Garnet Pitta. This quiet, little-visited trail is a treat for birders and many of the forests most skulking denizens can be found in the area, including another flashy pitta, Banded Pitta, brilliant emerald Green Broadbills, rusty Raffle’s Malkohas, and the full range of Taman Negara’s tantalizing trogons, including the inconspicuous Red-naped Trogon, and the much-desired Diard’s Trogon. In other areas there are legions of bulbuls and babblers, more trogons like the dazzling Scarlet-rumped Trogon, and wonderful Whiskered Treeswifts hawking in the bright blue skies above. Absurd Black-and-red Broadbills croak beside the river while shy, flashy pheasants roam the forest trails. Among the stars of this richly adorned family, are stunning Crested Firebacks, that can sometimes even be seen on the fringes of our luxury resort, and the intricately patterned Malayan Peacock-pheasant. Blue-winged Pittas hop around furtively amongst the leaf litter, and the gorgeous fluty song of the White-rumped Shama dominates the rich rainforest morning chorus. Red-crowned Barbets, impressive Orange-backed and Great Slaty Woodpeckers (two of Asia’s largest), Green and Great Ioras, well-endowed Greater Racket-tailed Drongos, leafbirds, spiderhunters, sunbirds, and flowerpeckers all abound in these ancient forests.
Day 12: Taman Negara to Kuala Lumpur. We’ll have a little further time for some final morning birding before heading back to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur for another night.
Day 13: Departure. For those of you joining our tour of Borneo we will leave for Kota Kinabalu, while others connect to international flights.
CLIMATE: Hot and very humid in Kuala Selangor and Taman Negara, cooler and quite pleasant at Fraser’s Hill. A few short downpours are likely.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate. Much of the birding at Taman Negara is along forest trails. While they only have a few short, steep sections, the very humid climate makes them seem harder than they are. We’ll also bird at least one short but fairly steep trail at Fraser’s Hill.
ACCOMMODATION: Good to excellent. All accommodations have private bathrooms, hot water, and full-time electricity. The lodge in Taman Negara has air conditioning.