Fireflies and Blue Tears in Kuala Selangor: Which Evening Tour from Kuala Lumpur?
4 min read
The short answer
Kuala Selangor is the mangrove coast north-west of the capital, and the three evening trips that leave from Kuala Lumpur all do the same three things: a stop at the hilltop fort of Bukit Melawati, a boat ride among fireflies after dusk, and, if the water cooperates, the “Blue Tears”, a faint blue glow in the river. We would book the Fireflies, Blue Tears, Eagles and Seafood Meal tour at €42.38 per person (4.3 stars from 919 reviews), the most reviewed of the four below. It is listed as 6 hours, with a seafood dinner if you choose that option, and its page names the Petronas Twin Towers as the drop-off.
The four tours side by side
| Tour | Listed length | Meets at | Boat and dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies, Blue Tears, Eagles and Seafood Meal · €42.38 | 6 hours | Harriston Boutique, MATIC, Jalan Ampang | Electric-motor boat; 5-course seafood dinner if the option is selected |
| Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour · €55.13 | 8 hours | Berjaya Times Square main entrance, or hotel pick-up if the option is selected | Boat ride; the description names a dinner in a fishing village |
| Kuala Selangor: Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour · €30.95 | 5 hours | Pick-up in the city centre: Bukit Bintang, Berjaya Times Square, MATIC or Kuala Lumpur City Centre | Long-tail boat; ask the operator whether the seafood dinner is in the price |
| Eagles, Fireflies and Blue Tears Boat Tour · €17 | 2 to 6 hours | The jetty at Sky Mirror World & Boat Café; no hotel transfer | Boat rides with life jackets; light refreshments or a hotpot are optional |
What the three tours with transport have in common
The first and third tours state the driving time: the first lists a 75-minute van ride on the way there and again on the way back, and the third says one hour each way. All three include Bukit Melawati, a former hilltop fort with a lighthouse and troops of silvered leaf monkeys. On weekends and public holidays the first tour’s page says cars are not allowed up the hill, so you either take the tram (not included) or walk up a short slope.
The third tour adds a stop at the Shree Shakthi Devasthanam temple. Its page says the main temple is closed for restoration, so you only photograph it from outside. It also offers eagle feeding at an extra charge, and says moderate walking is required.
Group size, and who they are not for
The first tour’s page gives a standard group of up to 12 people. The third lists private and small-group formats of up to 8 and a standard group of up to 34, and says group size depends on the option you pick. On the second tour’s page, people with back problems and wheelchair users are listed as not suitable, and it asks you to bring insect repellent. The fourth page says children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. We found no age limit on any of the four pages, so if you travel with young children, ask the operator before booking.
When the glow shows up
The first and third pages say that seeing the fireflies and the Blue Tears depends on conditions, and the second says the same of the Blue Tears. Visit Selangor, the state tourism site, says the Blue Tears are found where the Selangor River meets the Straits of Malacca and that the first three days of the lunar month, around the new moon, are the best time. It lists boat rides from the Sky Mirror jetty at 8 pm, 9 pm and 10 pm and recommends going from 9 pm, since the glow is best seen at least two hours after sunset. For the fireflies the timing runs the other way: the state’s page for the Kampung Kuantan Firefly Park names slightly after 8 pm on a clear, moonless night as the best time, gives opening hours of 7:45 pm to 10:30 pm, asks you to be at the ticket counter around 7:30 pm and advises booking in advance. Check the start time on the booking page for your date and compare it with those hours.
Going on your own
The fourth tour is the one meant for people who make their own way: the page says to leave Kuala Lumpur at least 1.5 hours before departure, because the trip takes about an hour or more, and that parking is available near the jetty. Visit Selangor lists bus 100 from the Medan Pasar stop in central Kuala Lumpur, a trip of about two hours, but the last bus back leaves Kuala Selangor at 7 pm, so it does not work for an evening boat ride. If you prefer to drive, compare rental cars for Kuala Lumpur and check the excess, deposit and fuel policy before you book. Driving back after a late boat ride is the part to think through.
Our pick
If you want dinner and a simple end point, take the first tour with its meal option. If your hotel is in the Golden Triangle and you want hotel pick-up, look at the second; its page notes that pick-ups outside the Golden Triangle carry a surcharge payable in cash to the driver. For a shorter evening, the third is listed at 5 hours. For more outings from the capital, see the 30 firefly and Blue Tears tours, from €8.04, or our day trips from Kuala Lumpur.
