Paya Indah Wetlands: What To See There.

I decided to spend one Saturday morning in Paya Indah Wetlands to see what it has to offer. This place is quite near my home but ironically I had no idea what it was all about.

1. How To Get There?
    The address of this place is: 
    Km 4 , Jalan Dengkil-Banting, 43800 Dengkil, Selangor.
    It is very near to KLIA and Putrajaya. It takes about 15 minutes to drive there 
    from either place mentioned. The road sign leading to this place is quite clear 
    and it should not be a problem getting there.
    For Enquiry, Tel No : 03-87687616  or  03-87688726

2. Opening Hours:
    This place is opened everyday from 7.30am to 7.00pm 
     It used to be privatised but now it has been taken over by the Ministry of Natural 
     Resources and Environment and it is managed by the Department of Wildlife and 
     National Parks. Entrance is free.

You will need to register with the security before entering.

3. The Information Centre

The Information Centre is not too far away from the entrance. This is a place where you can get brochures, rent bicycles, kayaks, paddle boats, chalets etc.

 A write-up about the wetlands is displayed at the entrance of the info centre.

4. What is Paya Indah Wetlands All About?
It is basically a recreation park encompassing 14 swampy lakes of varying sizes. A portion of the park is swampy land (especially the land around the lakes). It is also a sanctuary for birds, fish and wildlife. There are proper tarred roads around the park and you can actually drive around the entire park in less than half an hour without stopping. It is also feasible to walk around the entire park and that's what we did. 

Proper tarred road around the park.

5. Things To See 

     I) Hippos Feeding starts at 10am    

There are more than two but we only saw two hippos that day, the mother and its baby. Heard these hippos were a gift from the Botswana Government.

II) Crocodile Feeding starts at 11am

The crocodile lake is properly cordoned off as the crocodiles are really aggresive.

These crocodiles are such smart creatures. At 11am sharp you can see the crocodiles making their way from all corners of the lake to the feeding depot, as though there is a biological clock in them.

Dead chicken were thrown to the hungry crocodiles. 

There was a violent tussle for the chickens. Not all crocodiles got to eat as not many chicken were thrown in.

III) White Pelicans, Ducks, Geese & Peacock.  

IV) Lotus and Lotus Ponds

V) Flowers (Not Many Though) 

Wild Jackfruit 

6. Things To Do

    I) Rent A Bicycle (RM5 for 2 hours)       

II) Angling - Everyday except Fridays 

    The rate is RM10 per rod per 2 hours

Angling is only allowed at Thypa Lake. Benches and chairs are prepared for anglers.

III) Picnicking & Camping

The Family Park is created for visitors interested in picnicking or camping.

IV) View Tower

A good view of the wetlands can be seen from this view tower.

This is the view taken from the view tower.

 V) Other Activities
    Kayaking- Only available for a group of 10-20 paxs. Booking has to be made 2 
    weeks in advance. The rate is RM7/kayak/half hr.

    Paddle Boating- Only on Sat, Sunday and Public Holidays. The rate is 
    RM7/boat/half hr.

7. Facilities
I) Chalets For Rent (RM120 per unit per night)

II) Meeting Rooms/ Conference Hall

    The rent is RM500/hall

III) Cafeterias & Public Toilet
     There are two cafeterias in the park

Belibis Cafe is the main cafeteria. However there is limited choice of food. Toilets are readily available too.

All in we spent about 3 hours in the park. It was quite a pleasant outing.

You may be interested to view the official website of Paya Indah Wetlands at:
http://www.nre.gov.my/Malay/EkoPelancongan/Pages/PayaIndahWetlands.aspx