Malaysia: Lake Kenyir, Terengganu

I briefly suggested Lake Kenyir as a destination in my earlier post on Why You Shouldn’t Skip Kuala Terengganu if you happen to be travelling to one of the many beautiful islands off the coast of Terengganu in Malaysia. As mentioned in that post, Kenyir has long been a haven for anglers and is now actively being developed as an eco-tourism destination. But what does that even mean? What Kenyir really has to offer to visitors? Even I, as someone who hails from Kuala Terengganu, had the same questions myself so I would not blame you if you have the same thoughts as well. Hey! Great minds think alike, no? These questions were answered when I first went to Kenyir last year in April 2014 and again in June 2015 as part of the itinerary for the Terengganu International Squid Jigging Festivals.

The following are the reasons why Lake Kenyir is fast becoming a must-visit eco-tourism destination, not only in Terengganu but also in Malaysia.

Kenyir Island Hopping

In 2014, we hopped on a boat and went on a 7-hour island-hopping around the lake. When I first heard about it, I was like, “What? Island hopping in a lake?” but then I quickly remembered that Lake Kenyir is the largest man-made lake in South East Asia, about three times the size of Singapore, so yes, it IS big, so naturally there are plenty of islands around the lake. The interesting thing about each of these islands is that they’re being developed with their own unique attractions and eco-tourism activities so you won’t be left saying, “Oh no! Not another stop, all these islands look the same!” unless if you’re dead-set against eco-tourism so you can look forward to seeing and/or experiencing something new every time you get off the boat and hop onto the next island.

There is an island that has been designated as a Bird Park, Butterfly Park, Tropical Park, Orchid Park, Herbal Park and probably the most popular one, Kelah Sanctuary, where you’d need to do some relatively easy trekking from the boat jetty to see and maybe swim with thousands of kelah fish (Malayan mahseer), an experience you’d probably never forget.

'Minyak beruk' is literally 'ape oil' 😁

Can you see kelah fish? Maybe not yet...

Can you see them now? :)

I personally think that even though the island hopping trip took about 7 hours (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. including lunch break), it was still quite a rush. So perhaps it is advisable that you start earlier or skip a few islands if you prefer a more leisurely trip around the lake.

If you’re more adventurous, you can also opt to go jungle trekking and head to one of the few waterfalls around the lake or explore mysterious caves like Bewah and Taat Caves.

Kenyir Water Park

And then, of course, there is the new Kenyir Water Park that is located on Poh Island, just across the water from Pengkalan Gawi Jetty. While the water park might be relatively small (it has just completed its first phase of development at the time of visit in June 2015), there is no doubt that it would bring lots of fun and laughter among the youngsters in your party. This was certainly evident among the young visitors when I was there. 

Kenyir Elephant Village (KEV)

Canopy walk at KEV

Kenyir Elephant Village, not far from the lake itself, was initially set up as a place to rehabilitate and protect wild elephants that became displaced due to developments around the Lake Kenyir area. It provides an opportunity for visitors to see elephants in “natural” and open enclosures outside of a zoo but still in a safe environment. While I personally do not recommend nor agree with the elephant show (where elephants young and old put on a performance to an audience) at KEV, I could still appreciate its other attractions and features like jambatan gantung (or canopy walk where you can walk around the area and see the elephants from above), the treehouses (which visitors could soon rent overnight) and the elephant bathing activities in the beautiful stream in KEV compound. In fact, I do believe these features are enough to pull in visitors to KEV even without the elephant show.

Having a bath. And a laugh.

The stream at KEV

Again, as briefly mentioned in my previous post on Kuala Terengganu, the above attractions could easily take one full day for you to complete, making it a great option for a day trip from Kuala Terengganu. A 2-day trip, however, would be more ideal. If you’d like to stay in the area, fret not, as there are plenty of resorts and rumah rakit (or boathouses) too for you to choose from. The latter probably is a great option if you’re an angler, and even if you’re not, I think it’d still be a pretty cool experience too.

If you had asked me more than a year ago if I’d recommend Lake Kenyir to anyone, I’d probably say, “I’m not sure” or “I don’t know” but now I certainly would not hesitate to recommend it as one of the must-visit places in Terengganu.

How about you? Have you been to Lake Kenyir before? What do you think of it? If you haven’t, would you consider it as part of your itinerary to Terengganu/Malaysia?

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Further Information:
Lake Kenyir | Kenyir Elephant Village

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Acknowledgement

My appreciation and thanks go to Tourism Terengganu and Gaya Travel magazine for the opportunity to join Terengganu International Squid Jigging Festival 2015.

For other ideas on what to do/eat in Kuala Terengganu, read: Why You Shouldn't Skip Kuala Terengganu Where the Locals Dine in Kuala Terengganu Going to Kuala Terengganu? Do check out these Kuala Terengganu hotels for your accommodation there. For other blog entries on Malaysia, click here.