Firefly fascination for Brunei agents

Fascinating Malaysia wonder of fireflies at Kg Kuantan at the Selangor river estuary, one of the largest firefly colonies in the world. Visitors have to travel by boat to watch the fireflies. Filepic

A Brunei delegation comprising travel and tour agencies and local media, invited to participate on a Post-Tour to West Malaysia, recently had the opportunity to witness one of Malaysian nature's wonders - the fireflies.

Malaysia is among the three countries in the world with this unique wonder, said Mr. Nagaraja, a freelance Malaysia tour-guide, who has been in the line for almost five years now.

Located at Kampung Kuantan, a fishing village just outside Kuala Selangor, the site is of one of the largest firefly colonies in the world.

The village is situated 56km away from Kuala Lumpur and 9km from Kuala Selangor town centre. The journey from Kg. Kuantan jetty to the fireflies sites is about 1km, where visitors have to travel by boat (sampan), an ideal way to watch the fireflies.

Sampan rides are also very quite. Propelled by rowing, the use of sampan avoids smoke and noise pollution and no picture-taking using a flashlight, thus maintaining the idyllic mysterious nature of the environment.

The best time to witness the beauty of this mysterious insect is any time from evening till late night. And the best is when there is no moon-light especially at high tide, said a sampan man.

The fireflies site at Kampung Kuantan is among the many well known tourist attractions not only for the state of Selangor but Malaysia as a whole.

The fireflies are a form of insect from the bug family. And what makes these fireflies so unique and marvelous is their ability to produce twinkling bright lights at a rate of one twinkle every three seconds. From far, we could see foliage looking like a decorated Christmas tree with thousands of fireflies gathering on them, their shiny and glittering mass appeared like shimmering stars in a truly ethereal surrounding.

The insects measure around 6mm in length, the male fireflies produce much brighter lights than the female species. This enables the male fireflies to attract their mates.

The fireflies survive by sucking out nectar produced by the Berembang tree.

And fireflies are not all that Kuala Selangor has to offer. It is rich in history and blessed with matchless natural beauty such as Bukit Melawati and the old lighthouse or a stroll through the nature park and bird sanctuary.