Fireflies Watching in River in Kota Belud

It was slightly passed 3.30pm by the time we reached Kawa Kawa Jetty in Kota Belud on 30 June 2022 after an unhurried drive from KK. The Kawa Kawa River Cruise and Fireflies Watching started with an afternoon tea at the jetty mini hall. 

The river cruise began with a boat ride along Kawa Kawa River or Wariu River to look at Proboscis monkeys. Our family of six were the sole passengers in the initial cruise. For almost an hour, we did catch sight of Proboscis monkeys, but they were seen in tree branches quite a distance from the river bank. Hence, we were unable to have a very clear and distinct view of these animals. 

After an hour, the boat returned to the jetty to pick up four more Korean passengers. We had another round of seeing the monkeys for the second time. 

Glimpses of the Proboscis monkeys.

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In this trip, we saw plenty of macaques at the river bank, which the local people considered a nuisance. These macaques were disliked by the villagers because they caused havoc to their farm, "stealing" the fruits and farm produce.

Occasionally, we caught sight of interesting scenes. We saw a lone buffalo walking in the shallow part of the river!

A lone buffalo seen walking in the river.

After the dinner at the mini hall, we drove for about half an hour to our next station at Nanamum Jetty at Nanamum river to begin the fireflies watching cruise. According to the operator, Nanamum River offers a much better sight of the fireflies.

Indeed, we were not disappointed. We spent more than half an hour looking at spectacular sights of these little amazing creatures that emit lights!

For the grandchildren, touching a live blinking firefly was an unforgettable experience!