Overview Sample Itinerary More Details
Note: this is a SAMPLE ITINERARY. Each year’s tour differs slightly depending on the durian season. We will follow the durian. And you will eat great durian. And we’ll do a lot of cool fun eco-stuff on the way! So use this itinerary to get a general idea of what a day looks like on the Durian Tour, not a set-in-stone map.
Your flight must arrive by or before 8 a.m. on the Start Day.
Your flight must depart no earlier than: 6 p.m. from KLIA on Finish Day
Day 1: Introducing Penang and its Durians
I’ll meet you at our designated pick-up point in Georgetown, Penang at 9 a.m. to get an early start to a full day of durian-ness.
We’ll head directly to our accommodation for the night, an organic ec0-center with 100-year-old durian trees. We’ll be staying together in a traditional kampung-style building made out of durian wood felled on the land and artistically integrated with living durian trees.
We’ll introduce ourselves and review the upcoming week over a welcome banquet of durian, nutmeg juice, and local sweets. After this early lunch, we’ll go to Teluk Bahang National Park for an hour-long hike to the beach. We’ll return by boat in time to pick up our vegan dinner at a local vegetarian restaurant.
In the evening we’ll relax, watch the stars, and wait for the next durian to fall.
Meals included: Late breakfast/lunch | Dinner | Durian
Day 2: Tasting at Bao Sheng Durian Farm, Waterfall, Tropical Fruit Farm
In the morning we’ll drive to the famed Bao Sheng’s Durian Farm for a lesson in developing our durian palates.
We’ll learn to taste the difference between durians from old and young trees as well as sniff out the different aromas of different flavor types. Expect to taste between 5 and 15 varieties of durian, depending on availability. When we are totally stuffed, we will walk to the small waterfall nearby to cool off and rest our stomachs.
In the late afternoon we will explore more than 300 species of fruit collected from around the world at a special, extended tour of the Tropical Fruit Farm. The tour finishes with a small fruit buffet which includes durian.
Dinner will once again be local vegetarian fare. You are also welcome to just eat durian.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Durian
Day 3: Eco-Durian Farm, Jungle Canopy Walk, Durian Dinner
In the morning we’ll take a 20-minute hike to one of the highest elevation durian farms on the island, where we’ll learn about living, farming and cooperating with natural tropical systems while enjoying some unique durian varieties.
Then we’ll depart Penang Island, driving over one of the longest bridges in the world to set off on the wilder part of our durian adventure.
After a 2-hour drive we’ll settle in to 2-person, riverside chalets in Sungei Sedim National Park. Before dinner you’ll have time to explore the canopy walk, a 1 km elevated loop that will allow you to explore the upper story of the jungle and see wild and colorful fruits and flowers up close. You’ll also have time for ziplining and swimming in the small river.
I’ll also show you fruits of Durio pinangianus, a species of durian that fruits on the trunk and roots of the tree rather than in the canopy.
For dinner, we’ll enjoy vegetarian and non-vegetarian Malaysian cuisine made with tempoyak, the traditional fermented durian paste.
Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner | Durian
Day 4: Black Thorn Durian and the Mangrove Swamps
Starting our day with a hike through the jungle, we’ll depart for our next durian destination: the original Black Thorn Durian Farm.
Black Thorn is the newest variety of durian in Malaysia, and was registered only last year (2015) with the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Leong discovered the durian, with its creamy strawberry-orange flesh, back in the 1980’s, and has the oldest trees currently in existence. The durian has won the national durian championships for three years in a row.
When we’ve had our fill of Black Thorn, we’ll drive another hour to Taiping to check in to our comfortable Western-style hotel before heading to dinner on the water and an evening Firefly cruise.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch |Durian
Day 5: Wild Durian Species and the Tropical Rainforest
Departing at a leisurely 9 a.m., we’ll drive about 45 minutes to the Kuala Kangsar Agricultural Research Station, where we’ll learn about breeding durian and the various projects going on at the research station.
We’ll also taste Durio lowianus, a durian species native to Peninsular Malaysia with flesh so yellow it rivals Musang King.
When the sun is directly overhead and we’re feeling scorched, we’ll head into downtown Ipoh for some classic Malaysian iced desserts. I recommend the durian cendol.
Save some appetite, because more durian is coming. After lunch, we’ll continue to our destination for the evening in the Gopeng Rainforest. Wifi may be spotty here. Our guide will escort us to to visit an Orang Asli village, where we can buy durians harvested from wild trees. Our accommodations are also set in a durian orchard, so you can sate your hunger after our night hike with a midnight durian feed.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Durian
Day 6: D24 and the Highlands
Returning from a short morning hike, you can finish up any durians that fell on your doorstep during the night, although I’ll try to convince you to save your appetite for our highlighted farm of the day: Eden Farm.
Eden Farm was one of the first to attempt growing durian on a large scale back in the early 1980’s and 90’s. Their specialty is D24, (although we all loved their D2 last year, too). They’re located on the winding, switchback highway that leads high into the Cameron Highlands. We’ll spend most of the afternoon here.
If we have time, we’ll stop at a waterfall or other attractions that catch your attention before settling into our comfortable, western-style accommodations in the Cameron Highlands. You are free to explore on your own for the evening.
Meals included: Breakfast | Durian
Day 7: Musang King and Cameron Highlands
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 and back to the warmer durian lands below.
Today we have a very special opportunity to meet Tina, the Musang Queen. Tina is one of the few female durian farmers, a beauty queen, and one of the first people to plant what is now Malaysia’s signature durian: Musang King.
Getting to her farm is an adventure requiring four-wheel-drive, so we’ll leave the van behind and spend the night at her orchard in a simple yet comfortable farm structure. We will be sleeping together in one room tonight. There is a shower, but no hot water. This will be our most rustic yet rewarding experience, with all-you-can-eat, freshly dropped Musang King all night. There will not be Wifi available tonight.
Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner | Durian
Day 8: Tekka and Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
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.
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: Sunday Market and Last Durian Feast
In the morning we’ll get lost in the hustle and bustle of a traditional Sunday tamu, or wet market. You can explore the many varied types of street food as well as a multitude of exotic tropical fruits. Durian is also sold at the market.
Around lunch, we head to our last fruit farm. This private orchard showcases the collection of a fruit hobbyist who has collected plants from all over the world. After a tour of the orchard to marvel at the horticultural oddities, we’ll enjoy our last basket of durian together before driving to Kuala Lumpur.
Our tour finishes around 4 PM in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur. You may depart at any time.
For those who are staying the night, we will have an optional durian meet-up in the evening.
Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Durian
If you are flying out today, I can help arrange your transport to the airport. Please do not arrange your flight before 8 p.m.
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