Possible Malaysia trip (1 Viewer)

[pandachris]

On the basis of no research, but needing a quick decision (no reasonable time to do proper research) there's a chance that I might be able to get to Malaysia in April to get some birding done.

A few quick questions (I promise I'll do research if it comes to fruition):

1. Is that a terrible time of year weather-wise?
2. Is independent birding possible? Don't mind hiring guides for a few days, but we like to do our own thing when possible.
3. Do we need to book accommodation in advance? We're not too fussy but prefer our own facilities if possible. We were quite happy in the "tents" in Backwoods, Goa and in various Central American cabinas.
4. Is self-drive a mental thing to contemplate? I've driven in about 30 different countries on several continents but I'm not completely without fear. Marrakech and San Jose (CR) during their rush hours were somewhere near the limit of what my nerves could stand.

Thanks for your tolerance and any help that you can provide. If we book, then I'll probably have lots more questions.

Cheers
Chris

 

[pandachris]

More questions than answers

We've booked now and will have two weeks in mid-April. We've done a bit more research and we're starting to put some ideas together. We'll want to do a little tourism as well as a lot of birding/wildlife watching.

I'm still interested in answers to the above, should anyone with local knowledge chance upon this. A couple of new new questions.

There will be two of us travelling and we'll want to be doing a lot of forest birding. Is it worth taking both our telescopes or will one be sufficient?

I've had some advice that "Birds of South East Asia ..." by Craig Robson is likely to be a useful field guide (we've ambitions to visit Vietnam and Laos at some point as well). Any other recommendations to supplement this?

 

[pandachris]

Still more questions

I'm sure that someone with a local purview will wander this way in due course, so I'll persist.

Our trip is taking shape. We'll start out as follows:

1. Arrive KLIA late evening. Transfer to KL city.
2. Day in KL, sleeper train to Singapore
3. Overnight in Singapore.
4. Return to Malaysia (method and medium as yet undecided) - head for Kuala Selangor.
5. Two/three nights in Kuala Selangor
6. About 8/9 nights to split between Fraser's Hill, Taman Negara and perhaps somewhere else.

We'd like to do a bit of city birding in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Ideally I'd like to get up around 6 and be able to walk from our hotel to a spot with a few new birds (closest we've been to Malaysia before is Goa). Can anybody suggests a suitable place to stay? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

Hio pandachris,

One telescope should be sufficient for your trip here unless both are digiscoping, so opportunity always there especially in the rainforest at Taman Negara and Fraser's Hill.

Bird book by Craig Robson is good enough but I would suggest your to hire bird guide if you wanted to fully utilized your trip especially for endemic found in West Malaysia. The guide can act as a driver too.

 

[pandachris]

Thanks Horukuru

We won't be digiscoping so I reckon we'll just bring the one scope. There's no even distribution of the workload. If we take two, then we carry one each. If we take one, I carry it

We aren't really planning on hiring a guide because we're looking for lots of flexibility at present, however we know the value of a good local expert. Do you have any contacts (preferably websites) that we could consider - maybe a day or two of guiding in/around Taman Negara would be a good idea.

I reckon I'll be alright with the driving.

Regards

Chris

 

[Chris D]

If it's still there ---- make sure you eat at the restaurant behind the mosque (at Frasier's). And (if it's your interest) check any places that have strong lights (at night) for great bugs, etc.

 

[Jason Bugay Reyes]

Yeah carry the scope hahaha :-O

If you wanted to hire guide, check this website by one of our BF member, Weng Chun - http://www.nature2pixel.com/

http://www.endemicguides.com/ - Lee Kok Chung

http://www.guidedbirding.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Surfbirds/sbirdsmalaysia.htm - Dennis Yong and Manu.

 

[pandachris]

Thanks both - keep the useful advice coming. i'll check those sites horukuru.

Creepy crawlies in the tropics Chris? We'll be there - and probably before sunset too to check for any bug-eating birds?

What sort of a restaurant is it? Not that we're all that fussy.

 

[PhilW]

Chris
Malaysia driver on the left as we Brits do. I've driven over there a few times on business but be aware KL traffic is a nightmare during rush hour - there are thousands of scooters mostly disobeying all the rules of the road!!!! Fantastic country though and friendly people. Can't comment on best birding sites as my birding has been limited to where I happen to be working at the time.

 

[Chris D]

Just great Malay food with a very friendly staff. In 2004 - inexpensive even in Malay terms. Great everything - sans pork. Also, my wife and I stayed a few nights down below at the Gap. Mr Fong was running it and made an amazing "Chicken Chop". The local people up on Fraser's are all sweet and nice. You must find Mr. Durai and at least say hello. Please mention that Chris and Dale (from California) say hi. He is a treasure and will let you know of special things.

While perhaps the best bugs are lower - I've found some great things at Fraser's and also at Kinabalu Park (similiar elevation). There was a moth at Frasier's that had a fly pattern on each wing. The type of fly you'd see on horse or dog droppings here in Cali. Also some great - huge beetles.

Siamang and slow loris were common up there. A wonderful place. Also, Pope's pit viper.

There should be great Malay fruit too. Sample all. I admit ---- I do like Durian. It's semi sacred where we stay in Bali each year.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The highlight we had in Taman Negara was a fruiting tree in the resort area. That, and having a local boy (across the river - where we stayed) show us a Great Slaty Woodpecker roost at twilight. Magic. Eat at the wacky floating places. It's been 5 years ---- so things might have changed a tad. Been to East Malaysia 3 times since though----- more magic. Greatest bugs.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst I'm rambling - I remember great "Bird Waves" at Fraser's. In my opinion best observed from above (a parking lot, your room, a road further up the hill, etc). These seemed always lead by beautiful scarlet minivets. Best though ----- they had squirrels in them. Possibly tree shrews too ---- squirrels, I'm sure. Part of the flock.

If you're interested I can send you a few photo/decriptive Emails about bugs in Sabah and some wildlife observations on an island off NE West Malaysia. Had no digital when I was at Fraser's. PM me or send your address to [email protected]

---------------------------------------------

Hope the above helped or excited some. We've spent so much time in that part of the world. Back to Indonesia this summer for 2 months. Just fantastic......chris

And also --- every guide we've met in East / West Malaysia has been 1st class.......

 

[pandachris]

Thanks both

Chris I've just spotted your final line. Missed it before I sent you an e-mail.

Phil

I'm told that Malaysian driving is much gentler than the Marrakech rush-hour (that I've negotiated three times, once without a map) or San Jose CR, so it's just going to be down to whether it makes financial sense. I get the impression that we'll be able to save quite a few hours of daylight here and there, even if the car might be idle from time to time, so probably worth it.

Whilst I'm on, anybody know a website with details of recent sightings, for Malaysia and/or Singapore?

 

[Rob Hutchinson]

Hi Chris,

1. April is a great time for birding in Malaysia, you might well get some rain but bird activity is really good at that time.

2. Independent birding is quite possible and many people do visit alone. Of course you will find many more birds with a guide who knows the sites and especially the bird calls.

3. Best to book accommodation in advance if possible.

4. No problem with self driving, the driving here is relatively civilized although best avoid rush hours around KL.

5. 2 days at 1-2 days at Kuala Selengor is plenty of time, better to spend as much time as possible at Fraser's and TN.

Rob

On the basis of no research, but needing a quick decision (no reasonable time to do proper research) there's a chance that I might be able to get to Malaysia in April to get some birding done.

A few quick questions (I promise I'll do research if it comes to fruition):

1. Is that a terrible time of year weather-wise?
2. Is independent birding possible? Don't mind hiring guides for a few days, but we like to do our own thing when possible.
3. Do we need to book accommodation in advance? We're not too fussy but prefer our own facilities if possible. We were quite happy in the "tents" in Backwoods, Goa and in various Central American cabinas.
4. Is self-drive a mental thing to contemplate? I've driven in about 30 different countries on several continents but I'm not completely without fear. Marrakech and San Jose (CR) during their rush hours were somewhere near the limit of what my nerves could stand.

Thanks for your tolerance and any help that you can provide. If we book, then I'll probably have lots more questions.

Cheers
Chris

 

[pandachris]

Thanks Rob

I think we'll avoid the KL rush hours. We've a mid-morning arrival and we'll probably stay nearer to the airport for our flight out.

We've booked two nights at Kuala Selangor, followed by two at Fraser's Hill and I think we'll play it by ear after that. We can always sleep in car if really desperate, but it means that we can extend our FH stay or move straight on to Taman Negara and have time to see another area or return to KS depending on how the mood takes us.

Chris

 

[PhilW]

Chris
This may be of interest:

http://digdeep1962.blogspot.com/

If you've negotiated Marrakech you'll be OK! its a long drive from KL International Airport to the city centre so be aware of that if you arrive late at night.

 

[pandachris]

After negotiating Marrakech I'm not sure that I'll ever be ok again. :eek!:

Great link Phil. It's bookmarked and will be checked frequently.

We're being met at the airport and when we eventually pick up our car three days later it will be straight to Kuala Selangor, so I'm hoping to completely avoid driving in the city centre.

 

[pandachris]

Car hire

After further research I'm wondering if we're getting our planning wrong. We certainly want a car for Kuala Selangor and Bukit Fraser, but it seems pretty useless for Taman Negara (I understand that there's a road that avoids the need for a boat ride from Kuala Tembelling - anybody know what this road will be like some time around 15th April - easily drivable?).

We're definitely considering a coastal location, possibly emulating digdeep in the blog linked to above and trying our luck getting on a fishing boat for a day, so we'll need a car for that. Is anyone aware of any rental locations convenient for Taman Negara? If necessary we'll just leave it idle somewhere for a few days but it would be good to save a few quid. Alternatively, might it be better to drop the car at Bukit Fraser (with whom?) and get a taxi to Taman Negara? Anybody got any better ideas? So far we've only booked the first night in KL plus a couple each in Kuala Selangor and Bukit Fraser so we're still quite flexible.

Cheers

Chris

 

[pandachris]

And another

Has anybody stayed at the Taman Negara Rainforest Resort (why do I shudder slightly when considering staying at a place that calls itself a resort)? If so, any views about whether it would be better from a birding perspective than the Mutiara Taman Negara?

 

[wengchun]

it is better to stay in mutiara. but if it is out of your budget, then you can consider the accommodation across the river.

 

[pandachris]

Hi Wengchun

Thanks for the tip. Budget wasn't an issue, I'm pleased to say. I was interested in which would most likely be best for birds. We stayed at Mutiara and got several species in the grounds that we didn't see elsewhere in Malaysia. We're going back next year and taking friends.

 

[wengchun]

Hi Wengchun

Thanks for the tip. Budget wasn't an issue, I'm pleased to say. I was interested in which would most likely be best for birds. We stayed at Mutiara and got several species in the grounds that we didn't see elsewhere in Malaysia. We're going back next year and taking friends.

glad that enjoy taman negara. currently a friend is guiding in taman negara, and he told me it has been raining frequently throughout the day and night. non so much birding opportunity.

mutiara is the best place to stay if you want to hunt for the birds early without having to take the boat to cross the river.