Desaru, a beach and resort area along the south east coast of Johor is fast gaining popularity as a destination for Malaysian and Singaporean holiday makers. Not only is Desaru renowned for its beaches and golf courses, it offers a plethora of recreational, fun-filled and educational activities that provide for family bonding and relaxation. Because there is much to see and do, spending a mere 2 days and one night there might just not be enough! Listed below are the top things one can do in Desaru.
Desaru Fruit Farm
An attraction not to be missed in Desaru is the multiple award winning Desaru Fruit Farm. Offering agrotourism at its best, Desaru Fruit Farm has come up with innovative ideas to give its visitors a unique adventure and farm experience.
At the farm's dining hall visitors get to taste the freshest and juiciest of fruits in season which are all own farm produce. One will be surprised by the big array served as most fruits grown here are perennial fruits. For certain packages, one gets to enjoy a sumptuous fruit buffet - a fruit fiesta that should not be missed by fruit lovers!
The farm spans across 100 acres of land and grows more than 100 species of fruits and edible plants.
The orchard tour conducted by the farm expertise is indeed educational. This tour gives visitors the opportunity to see how the trees and flowers of their favourite tropical fruits look like. Visitors can ask all they want during the tour and rest assured the guide will have the answers at his fingertips to enlighten them.
Desaru Fruit Farm has incorporated aesthetic features within the farm. There are landscaped areas with streams, ponds, bridges, statues and koi fish that serve to break the monotony of a typical orchard scene.
There is something for the kids and animal lovers too as the farm also features a mini zoo and a recreational park offering go-cart rides.
It is worthwhile opting for a package that comes with lunch buffet or a set lunch. For this package visitors get to whet their appetite with tantalising dishes cooked up by the farm's chef using creative recipes with ingredients harvested from the farm.
A banana curry dish to die for!
Crispy Squid with Dragon Fruit Sauce
Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm
Another attraction, just a 30 minutes drive from Desaru is Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm. This farm which was birthed out of one man's love for this ferocious reptile, is now the largest crocodile farm in Peninsular Malaysia. The late Mr Ng Cheng Chiw, the original owner of the farm started his collection of crocodiles which were caught from the Johor River since his childhood days. He started a private farm in 1950 to house his prized possessions and only opened it to the public in 1997. Since his passing, this 10 acre farm which now has more than 1000 crocodiles is managed by his children.
A tour around the farm is very educational. The tour guide's commentary will certainly enlighten the visitors with a better understanding of these much feared creatures.
Crocodile rearing is a very costly affair as this reptile has a voracious appetite. According to Ms Ng, the present owner, expenses for crocodile feeding in the farm is a whopping Rm30,000/month. Despite this huge food budget, entrance fee into the crocodile farm is a measly RM8/adult and RM4/child making this attraction a Value-For-Money thing to do around Desaru!
At the farm visitors get to see handicapped crocodiles (some born without tails and some with other defects), crocodiles that are more than 100 years old, crocodile eggs, and baby crocodiles.
For just RM2 one also get to hold and pose with a baby crocodile!
Posing with skulls of crocodile is free!
Ostrich Farm
Another popular thing to do in Desaru is a visit to the ostrich farm. Located in Teluk Ramunia, just half an hour's drive from Desaru, this family-owned farm is a place where visitors can get up close and personal with more than a couple hundreds of huge flightless ostriches. A visit here is both educational and fun as ostriches are very adorable and tame creatures.
The farm which has about 300 ostriches is open everyday from 10am till 6pm with entrance fee as shown above.
The farm proprietors who are also the guides around the farm will get visitors immersed in a world of ostriches with the zeal shown in their commentaries.
Visitors will be enlightened with an in-depth knowledge about ostriches. Among a few interesting things visitors will get to know are "Ostrich eggs will break if dropped on concrete floors but a drill is needed to drill a hole through".
"Ostrich eggs are low in cholesterol and one egg can make 4 plates of omelettes".
"Most body parts of an ostrich have high commercial values".
.... and "Ostriches burying their heads in the sand is just a myth".
Among other things visitors can do at the farm are ostrich feeding and bird photography.
Interested visitors can also buy ostrich based products from the farm shop.
Ostrich meat delicacies can be ordered from the farm restaurant.
A plate of teriyaki ostrich costs RM25. Ostrich meat looks like beef but is tender and taste like heaven. It is a Must-Try in Desaru Ostrich Farm.
Lotus Desaru Water Park
A world of thrill awaits kids and the young at heart at Lotus Desaru Water Park. This water park which is currently the only water park in Desaru is a water based amusement park that features interesting water activities. Guests of Lotus Desaru Beach Resort get to use this park for free but walk-in guests pay an entrance fee of RM38/adult or RM19/child for unlimited fun!
The water park is uniquely landscaped with a man-made grotto, a bridge, statues, gazebos, green shrubs and plants.
An interesting feature found here is the falling coconut which sees the participants shrieking in glee when a huge coconut splash out its water on them.
The 'Lazy River' is a 500 metres long series of slides, tunnel and pools where the young and old get to enjoy a water adventure.
The 'Aqua Play' is probably every kid's dream of a playground as it features a playground embedded in shallow water. Finally, there's the huge lagoon pool where young and old alike can dip, swim, wade and seek reprieve from the scorching heat and high humidity.
Find out more at: http://lotusdesaru.com/facilities/waterpark/
The Els Club, Desaru Coast
For the avid golfers, a vacation would be incomplete without indulging in a round of golf at Desaru. The Els Club is a newly established golf club featuring 54 holes of golf in total.
Golfers would love this club for all it can offer. World class golf courses with breathtaking landscaped panorama and 5 star facilities would just about tempt anyone to book a golfing session here.
The pride of The Els Club is the beautiful Ocean Course which is a 27 hole championship golf course fronting the ocean.
Desaru Seafood
Coming to Desaru, one must try its glorious seafood. Among a few good places to eat seafood is Teratai Coffee House at Lotus Desaru Beach Resort. Visitors should try opting for its a la carte menu dishes most of which are cooked to near perfection.
Booking can be made at :http://lotusdesaru.com/wine-dine/
Another place that offers good seafood is Sengat Seafood Restaurant, which is a half hour's drive from Desaru.
Visitors can have a feast of delectable seafood meal at Sengat Seafood Restaurant with freshness guaranteed!
Address : No 58, Jalan Belanak, Teluk Sengat, Kota Tinggi, Johor
Tel No: Angie Ng : 019-7290303 or Cecilia Ng: 019-7915116
1 comment :
We started out with a mediocre Buffett of local foods. A lot of fruits of course, but constantly having to remind staff to restock the popular items, eg. Mangos and Jackfruit (nang-ka).
Took a 5-min bus ride in what was a straw hut on wheels (quite cool) to the farm. Staff fairly informative and great to learn. The Desaru fruit farm tour was fairly informative but somewhat died out in the middle with tour guide going ahead of most of the group. Understandably as many people want to stop and take a bit more time to look at different fruits / herbs of particular interest.
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