Nestled on the south-east coast of Malaysia, Desaru is a relatively new but exciting development that feels unexpectedly remote, despite its close proximity to Johor Bahru. At under 2 hours’ drive from central Singapore, or a 90-minute ferry ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, Desaru offers an exotic holiday that won’t involve waiting 2-3 hours at an airport for an international flight. Located in Johor and boasting 17km of pristine beaches and many world-class hotels, such as Anantara and Westin, Desaru was recently voted one of the World’s Greatest Places by Time Magazine. As well as its beautiful scenery, Desaru has become a great centre for fun family adventures. That means that, as well as being able to feast on Desaru’s famous seafood, visitors can also spend their days and evenings doing memorable activities. BusyKidd has compiled our 10 favourites of these Desaru activities for families.
Make Some Furry Friends at Desaru Mini Zoo
For kids who’d like to get up and personal with some animals, rather than seeing them from afar in the wild, Desaru Mini Zoo offers an opportunity to pet some cute and friendly birds, reptiles and furry 4-legged friends. Visitors can feed foods such as corn and beans to a wide varierty of animals including alpacas, rabbits, camels, horses, and ducks. There are also plenty of other hands-on experiences on offer, such as feeding milk to baby goats, holding a sugar glider and stroking a bearded dragon. No animal-lover will come away disappointed after a visit to this welcoming little zoo.
Make a Splash at a Waterpark
Image Credit: Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark via Facebook
Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark isn’t just any old water park, it’s one of the world’s biggest and has over 20 exciting rides. Visitors can choose between a long looping lazy river, one of the world’s biggest wave pools, or a mix of wet and dry rides. These exciting rides include a surf simulator, a pirate ship that swings through 180 degrees, tube slides, and a rollercoaster that includes a 360-degree loop. Another highlight is The Tempest, an exhilarating ride that sends you down a 20-metre tube before dropping you 8 metres. Smaller children can enjoy a more tranquil splash zone for kids called Kids Ahoy. Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark does not have a dedicated website, but tickets can be purchased through all the major ticketing companies, such as Tripadvisor, Klook and Viator.
Get the Juice at a Fruit Farm
Desaru Fruit Farm is a huge farm that extends over 180 acres through the tropical countryside. You can do a guided tour of the farm which includes a visit to the fruit orchards, fishpond, and the vegetable and herb garden. Visitors can see fruits such as durians, jackfruit, guava, mangoes, starfruits, passion fruits, rose apples, and soursops. Kids can feed koi carp in the fish pond and even visit the farm’s petting zoo, which includes animals such as rabbits and goats. There’s also a bee farm where visitors can see how honey is made and taste the honey produced on the farm. The farm has a restaurant the offers a tasty lunch menu that is unsurprisingly weighted towards fruit-influenced dishes and ends with an all-you-can-eat fruit buffet.
- Email: [email protected], Telephone: +60 12-772 1817
- More Details
Learn Some Tall Tales at an Ostrich Farm
Image Credit: Imani Nadiah via Google reviews
With its flock of over 100 ostriches, Desaru Ostrich Farm is the largest ostrich farm in Malaysia. The ostrich is the largest flightless bird and, indeed, the largest of all birds. These birds also produce the biggest eggs on the planet, the equivalent of about 24 standard chicken eggs. At Desaru Ostrich Farm, visitors can learn fact like these about ostriches, take part in ostrich feeding, ostrich riding, and will often see baby ostriches. The Farm’s restaurant has a menu that includes ostrich dishes, and its shop sells products such as ostrich egg cake.
Address: Jalan Telok Ramunia, Kampung Changi, 81600 Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia
Look for Crabs on a Rockpool Walking Tour
Image Credit: Junglewalladesaru.com
Kids always love the anticipation of finding a tiny fish or crab in a rockpool. With its 17km of beaches, Desaru offers plenty of opportunity for impromptu exploration for marine life. However, if you’d prefer to do an organized activity, led by an expert in marine habitats, various companies offer guided tours of the beaches and tidal flats. JungleWalla Tours is one such company and provides 2-hour tours that help participants find the best rockpools containing creatures such as crabs, barnacles, anemones, and even small fish.
Desaru Mangrove Tour
Companies such as JungleWalla Desaru also offer tours which can introduce you to one of the world’s most important ecosystems, the mangrove. Mangrove forests can be found on the Desaru coast where they grow in the saltwater and play important roles such as reducing soil erosion and providing nurseries for small fish. In Desaru’s Sungai Lebam mangroves you might be lucky enough to see kites, sea eagles, herons, mudskippers, and monitor lizards from the tour boat. Alternatively, if you want to get closer to the action, you could enrol on JungleWalla’s kayaking tour of the same Lebam river. This 90-minute adventure includes a stop at Desaru Fruit Farm to sample and buy fresh fruits.
Swing Some Clubs at the Els Club
Image Credit: The Els Club via Facebook
Golf fanatics, or even those who aspire to be golfers like the eponymous Ernie Els, should head to the Els Club Desaru Coast. Boasting 27 championship holes, designed by the great man himself, as well as a 50,000 square foot clubhouse, this world-class golf course is open to non-members and offers golf in a tranquil setting. One of its three 9-hole courses, called the Valley Course, was recently recognized as the best golf course in Malaysia at the World Golf Awards.
See the Lights at Kota Tinggi Firefly Park
Image Credit: Kota Tinggi Firefly Park via Facebook
Living in Singapore we never get the opportunity to see the beautiful firefly, also known as the ‘lightning bug’, which is in fact a species of beetle. However, Kota Tinggi Firefly Park is only a 30-minute drive from the Desaru Coast and offers the opportunity to see these twinkling fairies. In fact, this area is a natural feeding spot and breeding ground for fireflies so is one of the best places in the world to see them. Kota Tinggi Firefly Park organize a boat trip which departs at sunset and allows guests to see daytime wildlife such as monkeys and lizards before night falls and the fireflies come out to dance! You can contact the park directly or book via a number of tour companies.
- Address: Jalan Kota Tinggi, 81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia. Telephone: +60 17-460 7775
Polish off the Binoculars for Birdwatching
Image Credit: JungleWalla Desaru via Facebook
If you’re more interested in seeing flying animals of the feathered kind, the Desaru coast is a fantastic place for birdwatching, thanks to its coastal, wetland and mangrove habitats, which are home to over 100 bird species. If you’re lucky you might see birds such as the White-bellied Sea Eagle, Crested Sea Eagle, Pied Hornbill, Common Kingfisher, Blue-throated Bee Eater, and Ruby-cheeked Sunbird. Most tours last around 90-minutes to 2 hours and provide experienced guides and transport.
Get Wet Doing Water Sports
Bordering the South China Sea, the beaches along the Desaru coast are generally shallow and calm, and thus offer a great location for partaking in numerous different watersports. Virtually all the beaches are suitable for swimming, and many of Desaru’s resorts offer water-based activities such as parasailing, jet skis, banana boats, and fishing trips. Lotus Desaru is one of the hotels offering such water-based activities.
With so many world-class hotels and such a variety of fun-filled activities available, Desaru is sure to become a favourite of Singapore families who want the thrill of an overseas vacation without the long journey. Why not plan your holiday today?
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