Peninsular Malaysia - Central Route II

Duration 8 days and 7 nights

Target Birds 150 to 200 species

Destinations Kuala Selangor, Fraser’s Hill, Taman Negara, Genting Highlands

One of Malaysia’s best kept secrets is the biosphere of the Malay Peninsula. This geographical zone is one the most bio-diverse regions on earth. It is a treasure house of some of the most exotic plant life, birdlife, animal life, and coral and fish life on the planet. Its rainforest is inhabited with tigers, leopards, elephants, sambar deer, sun bears, tapir, rhino and many others. It resounds with the whooping call of the gibbons and the unfamiliar cries of the hornbills, pheasants, barbets and babblers. Within this biosphere lie the states of Selangor, Penang, Perak and Kedah and Terengganu. Collectively it offers vast expanse of untouched rainforest, golden beaches, secluded coral islands and amazing flora and fauna.

Our birding adventure will take us through several habitats that will include tidal mangrove forest, lowland rainforest and montane forest. Along the journey we will also search for the birds that frequent the rice paddies. This will offer a broad spectrum of Malaysian birds. These birding sites are well known among the worldwide birding community and our guides second to none. At all times we will ensure our clients the best Malaysia can offer in birds, accommodation and food.

The first site that we will visit is the mangrove forest of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park and the surrounding areas. Mangroves are a very unique ecosystem, which is influenced by the rise and fall of the tides. Here we target to see a unique list including Lesser Adjutants, Milky Storks (Released 2004), Eagles (Created Serpeant & White-bellied), Brahminy Kite, Black Baza, Honey Buzzards etc (Migration season), Red Junglefowl, White-breasted Waterhen, Slaty-breasted Rail, Pink-necked Pigeon, Malaysian Bronze-cuckoo, Black-bellied Malkoha, Greater Coucal, Barred Eagle-Owl, Buffy Fish-Owl, Large-tailed Nightjar, Kingfishers (Stork-billed, White-throated, Black-capped, Collared & Common), Dollarbird, Barbets (Coppersmith & Lineated), Brown-capped (or Sunda Pygmy) Woodpecker, Greater Goldenback, Mangrove Pitta, Common Iora, Bulbuls (Red-eyed & Yellow-vented), Black-naped Oriole, Warblers (Oriental Reed & Inornate), Flyeater, Ashy Tailorbird, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Mangrove Whistler, Mangrove Blue-Flycatcher, Pied Fantail, Paddy Field Pipit, White-breasted Wood-swallow, Tiger Shrike, Mynas (Common, Javan), Sunbirds (Ruby-cheeked, Olive-backed, Brown-throated), Scarlet Flowerpecker, Oriental White-eye, Munias (White-rumped, Scaly-breasted, Black headed & White-headed), Baya Weaver etc.. Kuala Selangor is also an part of Birdlife International's Important Bird Area (IBA) and is good for its waders and waterbirds. Common sightings during the migration season end Sept-March would include Plovers (Little Ringed & Mongolian), Whimbrel, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruddy Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper, Terns (White-winged, Caspian, Black-naped & Little) etc.. 

Our second site is the hill resort of Fraser’s Hill (also part of an IBA) for highland & lower montane birds. Here we will spend the next 3 days in birding heaven. At Fraser’s Hill we will get to see about 50 -70 highland species and we will hope to catch good views of mostly sunda endemics i.e. Blyths Hawk-Eagle, Malaysian Hill Partridge (E), Yellow-vented Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot, Green-billed Malkoha, Brown Wood-Owl, Treewsifts (Whiskered, Grey-rumped), Laughing-thrush (Black, Chesnut-capped & Chestnut crowned), Trogons (Red-headed & Orange-breasted), Red-bearded Bee-eater, Hornbills (Rhinoceros, Great, Wreathed), Barbets (Black-browed, Gold-whiskered, Brown), Yellownape (Greater & Lesser), Broadbills (Silver-breasted & Long-tailed), Red-rumped Swallow, Large Woodshrike, Malaysian Cuckoo-shrike, Grey-chinned Minivet, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Bulbuls (Black-headed, Black Crested, Ochraceous & Mountain), Drongos (Bronzed, Lesser & Greater), Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black and Crimson Oriole, Green Magpie, Sultan Tit, Blue Nuthatch, Babblers (Buff-breasted, Striped-Tit, Golden, Grey-throated, White-hooded & Large Scimitar), Silvered-eared Mesia, Mountain Fulvetta, Long-tailed Sibia, Slaty-backed Forktail, Malayan Whistling Thrush (E) and Blue Whistling Thrush, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Flycatchers (Verditer & Little Pied), Large Niltava, White-throated Fantail, Black-throated Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter, Flowerpeckers (Buff-bellied & Orange-bellied), Everett's White-eye etc..     

Our adventure concludes at one of South East Asia's finest national park - Taman Negara. It is the most favored birding destination for Peninsula Malaysia to primarily get the fantastic lowland birds. Sitting amidst towering rainforest trees and among the oldest rainforests and the Tembeling River is a gem of a resort that will be your base for the next 3 days of fantastic birding. The lowland rainforest at Taman Negara is home to over 240 species of birds and it is your guide’s regular sites.

Its primary forests and the network of jungle trails among the forest understorey houses some of the most diversified birdlist Malaysia has to offer. We will try for gems such as the Lesser Fish-Eagle, Bat Hawk, Black-thighed Falconet, Malaysian Hill-Partridge, Ferruginous Wood-Partridge, Crested Fireback, Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, Great Argus, Malaysian Peacock Pheasant, Red-wattled Lapwing, Pigeons (Thick-billed, Little Green, Large Green, Wedge-tailed, Green Imperial & Green-winged), Long-tailed Parakeet, Parrots (Blue-rumped & Blue-crowned), Cuckoo (Indian, Oriental Banded Bay, Plaintive, Drongo & Asian Emerald), Malkohas (Raffles & Red-billed), Lesser Coucal, Owls (Reddish Scops, Collared Scops, Brown Hawk & Spotted-Wood), Nightjars (Malaysian-Eared & Large), Trogons (Red-naped, Diard's & Scarlet-rumped), Kingfishers (Blue-eared, Oriental Dwarf, Rufous-collared & Stork-billed), Hornbills (Bushy-Crested, Black, Oriental, Rhinoceros, Great & Helmeted), Barbets (Gold-whiskered, Red-crowned, Red-throated, Blue-eared & Brown), Woodpeckers (Grey-headed, Crimson-winged, Grey-and-Buffed, Great Slaty, White-bellied, Buff-rumped & Buff-necked), Broadbills (Dusky, Banded, Black-and-Red, Black-and-Yellow & Green), Pitta (Garnet, Banded & Blue-winged), Black-winged Flycatcher Shrike, Scarlet Minivet, Green Iora, Leafbirds (Blue-winged, Greater & Lesser), Bulbuls (Straw-headed, Scaly-breasted, Stripe-throated, Cream-vented & Red-eyed), Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black-naped Oriole, Black Magpie, Large-billed Crow, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Babblers (Abbott's, Rufous-crowned, Grey-headed & Chestnut-winged), Malaysian Rail-Babbler, Flycatchers (Dark-sided & Asian Brown, Grey-headed & Tickell's Blue), Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Monarchs (Black-naped & Rufous-winged), Spotted Fantail, Forest Wagtail, Hill Myna, Scarlet Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Flowerpeckers (Scarlet-breasted, Yellow-vented, Orange-bellied, Pin-tailed Parrotfinch and many others and if we are very lucky, we’ll see unique wildlife too.

The tour then heads back towards Kuala Lumpur with a stop at a unique bird-watching destination, Awan Genting Highlands. Setting itself apart from the other sites, we will be able to reach 1760m in elevation even to 700m at its central base and also to the lowlands at 150m. This is where, we will want to target specifically the upper montane birds. Montane and highland specialists such as the Chestnut-tailed Minla, Rufous-vented Niltava, Mountain Leaf-Warbler, Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch, Mountain Tailorbird, Black Eagle, Pygmy Wren-Babbler. This is also the best site to end a bird tour as we will be granted access to areas that are restricted to other birdwatchers and we’ll target birds that we have missed from previous sites. Also part of an Important Bird Area (IBA), this site has so much of birds and wildlife to offer.

~ End of Tour ~