Overview Tour Style Terms and Cancellations
Duration: 9 days, 8 nights
Start/Finish City: Penang to Kuala Lumpur
Group size: 5-8 durian fiends
Price: $2200
Request a private room for an additional $450. Limited availability.
How much durian can you eat?
This trip is a durian smorgasbord.
Sure, we’ll also go hiking, explore forest parks, go rafting, and learn a lot about the other amazing fruits and edible plants in Malaysia, but such activities are merely time fillers between the tour’s main purpose: consuming durian. The 9 days we will be together will be spent seeking out as many types of durian in as many terroirs as possible.
Every day we’ll visit one or two durian attractions: an organic farm, commercial farm, jungle orchard, botanical collection, “durian restaurant” and even an agricultural research station.
See photos from the 2015 Malaysia Tour here.
Prerequisite of travel: You must not dislike durian odor.
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Why Durian In Malaysia?
If you’re wondering “Why durian?” you’re obviously new to this website and durian-loving community. Welcome!
Durian is our favorite fruit here, and it might be THE ONLY reason you’re coming to visit Southeast Asia. Being pulled here by Durian Allure alone is pretty common.
Durian originated in Malaysia, so it only makes sense that it’s a country of durian connoisseurs. Like wine snobs, Malaysians wax poetical over different varieties, and every region and farm has it’s own specialty cultivars.
This tour explores both sides of Malaysia Durian Snobbery: we’ll do the high-brow, cultivated tasting and sampling as well as heading into the jungles and the wild source of this delicious fruit. On this tour I’ll share everything I’ve come to love about Malaysia with you in 9 action-packed durian days.
What’s Included
Meals
- Limitless durian consumption. All you can eat durian, every day
- All you can eat rambutans, cempedaks, longkong, and any other fruit we find.
- 27 meals, including ALL breakfast, lunches and dinners
- Authentic local cuisine with a focus on exotic plant foods
- Vegan and vegetarian options at every meal (I’m a vegan)
- But you don’t have to be vegan
Accommodations
8 nights of beautiful accommodations in quiet, natural settings with all the Western comforts and a good view.
Activities
- All Durian Farm Tours and Buffets
- National Park Fees
- Zip-lining and white water rafting
- Firefly cruise
- Feeding Elephants
- Visit to the Orang Asli (Malaysia’s native peoples)
- Cameron Highland Organic Farm
- 1 Reflexology Massage
Transportation
Transfer to our meeting point and all transport to activities in a private group van
Where We Go
This mission to let you taste as many of Malaysia’s durian varieties and species as possible will take us from the islands through the mountains to the city of Kuala Lumpur.
Please book your flights to arrive in Penang, Malaysia and depart from Kuala Lumpur Airport (KLIA). You can either meet me at a specified meet-up location in Georgetown, or be transferred via taxi (included) to the tour start. A summary of destinations is below.
Sample Itinerary
Note: Itinerary is subject to change in the event of bad weather or whatever we need to do to make this tour crazy awesome, tasty, and enjoyable for you.
Day 1: Introducing Penang and its Durians
Meet me in Georgetown in the morning and the durian smorgasbord begins! After a hearty durian lunch at our first farmstay, we’ll hike to a beach for a swim and a boat ride. Dinner is from an authentic, local vegetarian restaurant.
Meals included: Late breakfast/lunch | Dinner | Durian
Day 2: Tasting at Bao Sheng Durian Farm, Waterfall, Tropical Fruit Farm
Today we’ll start breaking down durian flavor at the famous Bao Sheng Durian Farm. After cooling off in a nearby waterfall, we’ll head to a diverse tropical fruit farm to see some of the horticultural world’s wonders. Bring your appetite and a keen sense of curiosity!
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Durian
Day 3: Eco-Durian Farm, Jungle Canopy Walk, Durian Dinner
An easy hike into the hillside of Penang takes us to a unique permaculture durian farm. When we’re full, we’ll depart Penang Island for the mainland, arriving at Sungei Sedim National Park by mid-afternoon for the canopy walk, a zip-line, or just relaxation time before our dinner of traditional Malaysian cuisine made with durian.
Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner | Durian
Day 4: Leaving Penang and Black Thorn
After an optional early morning hike, we’ll depart the national park for the original home of the Black Thorn durian and the sweetest cempedak I have yet tasted. In the late afternoon we’ll check into our comfortable Western-style hotel and enjoy dinner on the water and a firefly cruise.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch |Durian
Day 5: Gopeng Rainforest and Durian species
Stepping deeper into the jungle, we’ll taste one or two species of durian native to Peninsular Malaysia and meet the native inhabitants, an ethnic group called the Orang Asli. Today is all about diversity, wild durians, and exploring the Malaysian jungle. Our jungle chalets are set in a durian orchard, so you may feast all night.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Durian
Day 6: Cameron Highlands and D24
Heading inland, we’ll wind our way into the mountain range toward the Cameron Highlands, stopping at one of the oldest commercial durian farms specializing in D24. The topography changes as we head toward higher elevation, and we’ll walk through the cloud forest before checking into our comfortable colonial-style hotel where you can explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Durian
Day 7: Cameron Highlands and Musang King
Continuing to explore the culture of the highlands, we’ll enjoy an English breakfast of tea and a tour of a tea plantation before heading downhill to the warmer durian climes below and a special, adventurous trip to a Musang King orchard where we’ll spend the night.
Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner | Durian
Day 8: Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary and Tekka
Rising early to help Tina harvest and clean the Musang King and D24 durians for shipment to Singapore, we’ll depart for Raub to enjoy a well-deserved durian buffet and taste a regional favorite: Tekkah.
After a hearty durian lunch, we’ll pick up some specialty Honey Jackfruit for snacks and spend the afternoon with the elephants at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Center. This is a government-run center concerned with caring for orphaned and wounded Asian elephants. We will
Our hotel is nearby, so we’ll check-in early to explore the city for dinner. You can join me at a vegetarian restaurant or explore on your own.
Meals included: Breakfast | Durian
Day 9: Bentong Sunday Market and Last Durian Feast
The bustling Bentong Sunday Market is an exciting place to look for new fruits and local Chinese cuisine. Pick up a light breakfast here before we head to a very special garden for our last durian hurrah. After a catered lunch and a smorgasbord of tropical fruit and durian, we’ll depart for Kuala Lumpur. The tour ends in Chinatown.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Durian
Reviews From Last Year
Two of 2015’s attendees came back for the 2016 Thailand Durian Tour:
Last summer my husband and I went to Malaysia for a durian tour. It was a great experience, we went to many areas far off the tourist track, met durian farmers and researchers, and ate tens of different types of durians, many of which we picked ourselves. As… much… durian… as… you… want. Does that sounds like almost heaven to you?Our tour leader, Lindsay, told me that durian people were the best, and I would have to agree. I’ve never been on a group tour with such a great bunch of people.
This summer we are planning on going on Lindsay’s Thailand durian tour.
Besides durian, we gorged ourselves on mangosteens, cempedak, jackfruit, lychees, longans, and so much other stuff whose names I don’t even remember now. Most of which we just picked ourselves.
Well, I am working myself into a durian frenzy here, which can’t be satisfied by any of the anemic Monthong durian picked under-ripe and shipped over here. If you love durian you owe it to yourself to go to the source and tour with a durian expert. —- Liz, 2015 Malaysian Durian Appreciation Tour
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