Are the Selangor Fireflies ACTUALLY Worth It? [our honest review]

The Kuala Selangor fireflies are known world wide, and when we asked for recommendations before heading to Malaysia this was everyone's top choice. As the smallest fireflies in the world, they have the fastest flashes of light - 3 per second - and it comes highly recommended to add this activity as a "must-do" during your visit to Kuala Lumpur. If you're considering booking a tour, read on for our personal experience on this adventure, and why it might not be worth it.

Other posts you might be interested in :

• Kuala Lumpur - BEST Things to Do
• Batu Caves - A Guide
• Is Vientiane, Laos, Worth a Visit?

Our Essential Travel Resources :
​There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are our favorite websites and resources to help you plan an incredible trip.

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Selangor Fireflies - Tour Rundown

The tour begins at your hotel, as long as you're located somewhere near downtown Kuala Lumpur, around 2 pm - where you'll be picked up along with any other travelers booked on your tour. We had a group of 7, plus our driver. After making your way to multiple hotels you'll be shuttled off towards Kuala Selangor with hopes of seeing an incredible firefly show. The drive took us about 2 hours, with a stop at the Kuala Selangor Nature Park to feed the monkeys. Although this is not encouraged, and there are signs everywhere asking you not to feed the monkeys, your guide will encourage you to have the monkeys sit and jump on you while feeding them. We also took a short walk into the park and museum, however were never given time to see the lighthouse. 

Book the exact tour we did right here!

After arriving near the Selangor River, you'll be brought to a local seafood restaurant, where you'll be served dish, after dish, after dish...after dish. Once we arrived here we had about 2 hours to eat and explore the area. Although there isn't much nearby, we did find a small market to get an ice cream for dessert and a little cafe that had some great coffees and beers! After the two hour break, we gathered with the rest of our group to be brought over towards the tour boat docks. It was mandatory for us to wear lifejackets, however our group was lucky to have an entire boat to ourselves - there were many large tour groups there that seemed to be packed like sardines onto similar boats.

​From here the sun will just be setting, and you'll take a 20 minute boat ride up the river to an area where the fireflies are gathered on mangrove trees. Once you arrive, you'll spend about 20 minutes enjoying the fireflies on the riverbank, before taking the 20 minute boat ride back to where you started. The tour ends with another 2 hour drive to drop everyone off at their hotels in Kuala Lumpur.

We stayed at the Santa Grand Signature in Kuala Lumpur and loved that it was within walking distance of the Petronas Towers!

Our Review - Are they REALLY worth it?

Our honest opinion? No, this tour is not worth it. Although we were happy to have done it and we'll never regret an adventure, this would be one that we wouldn't recommend. For 20 minutes with the fireflies, this is a long 6 hour tour. Seeing the monkeys was interesting, the food was delicious with many vegetarian options, and the boat ride was nice - however we truly just weren't that impressed with the fireflies.

​Taking into consideration that these are the smallest fireflies in the world that also happen to blink in synchronized flashes (3 per second), we really couldn't see them well. As they stay on the trees and you stay on the boat, the closest you'll get is a few feet away, and they honestly just look like twinkling Christmas lights. Our recommendation would be to spend the money on something else in Malaysia, and go out into your backyard (if you're in the USA!) to see something similar, especially on the East Coast!

Watch our Adventures in Malaysia here!

Other Malaysia blog posts!

• The Batu Caves - A Guide
• Kuala Lumpur - Best Things to Do
• Kuala Selangor - Best Fireflies in the World?!

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