Kuala Selangor

Malaysia

Mangroves ~ Kuala Selangor

Kuala Selangor is a coastal town located an hour away from Kuala Lumpur, home to a protected mangrove sanctuary and historical hill. This charming town attracts many visitors and tourists over the weekend who come to enjoy the rich seafood culture, see fireflies twinkle by the river or catch the panoramic view from Bukit Melawati. The town, which has a thriving fishing industry, is located directly by the mouth where the Selangor River meets the sea.

There is no suitable beach and you're most likely to sink waist-deep into mud at certain parts of the coast. The sea is also murky, though it provides a bountiful harvest of mussels, clams, crabs and fish that are the hallmark of Kuala Selangor's fine seafood restaurants. The large river is a popular fishing spot where you can charter boats for angling bass, barramundi and snappers. Hence, one of the main attractions is the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, just 5 minutes away from the town center.

This small estuary has a mix of coastal forest and mangrove swamps, with a bund seperating the wetlands from the dry forest. A small reserve at 200 hectares in size, the park is still home to a rich diversity of wildlife, including birds, otters and monkeys. A small entrance fee is charged at the headquarters near the gate, where you can proceed on the trails to explore different parts of the sanctuary. At strategic points, there are watchtowers where you can gaze out over the mangroves and forest while watching birds sweep from the horizon.

Some hides are stationed around the main wetlands area, where avid birdwatchers will peer from binoculars to observe herons, storks and raptors. Also watch out for the otters that swim in the river that meanders through the park. They come out most often in the evening and watching them play in the water conjures child-like images. The monkeys are notably 'absent' from the park, as a result of too many visitor feedings in the nearby Melawati Hill. Other things you'll see in the park are tonnes of mudskippers and little crabs scurrying across the muddy terrain.

After the park, you can take a short walk to climb Bukit Melawati, a historical hill that was once the site of a massive fort used by locals and then the Dutch to watch over the tin trade during the 19th Century. A museum, playground and recreational facilities are scattered around the peak along with old cannons placed sporadically. While the view from the top is amazing, a panoramic vista of forests, buidlings and the sea, what really draws the crowd up are the silver leaf monkeys, a gentle and docile species of primate.

Trachypithecus cristatus is characterised by its smooth and silky grey fur with a silver lining. These adorable monkeys are very gentle in nature with docile temperaments. The slightest loud noise will send these guys running up the nearest tree, sign board or lamp post. However, years of visitors providing them biscuits, sweets and bread have made them accustomed to people. They will climb on visitors while allowing themselves to be stroked or photographed closely.

While troops of silver leaf monkeys now adorn the hill, the long tailed macaques, a nasty and rabid breed of primate used to be more numerous in the past, harassing visitors for food and generally being a nuinsance. Back then, the silver leaf monkeys would keep their distance away from people and were more often seen in the Kuala Selangor Nature Park. The situation has reversed today; you hardly see any of the macaques anymore though they are still around.

A trip to Kuala Selangor is worth it just for getting close to these beautiful silver leaf monkeys. Other popular activities include seeing the fireflies along the Selangor River in either Kampung Belimbing or Kampung Kuantan. The firefly population has seriously eroded over the years, leaving them nothing more than sporadic flickers instead of 'Christmas lights' as they were onced described.