Malaysia · FIREFLY TOURS

Firefly Rivers in Malaysia: The 15 Best Night Boats

49 tours  ·  from $7

Whole riverside trees blinking in unison, and on the right night a wake that glows blue behind the boat. The 15 below cover Kuala Selangor, Kota Tinggi and the Sabah rivers, with prices, the seafood dinners attached and what the moon does to your chances.

Kuala Lumpur: Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour - Leaving Kuala Lumpur for Kota Melawati
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Kuala Lumpur: Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour

1.Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 664 reviews · 8 hours · from $79Our pick

Escape Kuala Lumpur for an eight-hour evening with guides such as Sasi, Darwin, Charlie, or Chandran. Visit Kota Melawati, feed monkeys, eat seafood by the river, then cruise among fireflies and search for Blue Tears. Hotel pickup is optional, and the bioluminescence depends on weather and water conditions.

“We had a wonderful experience on the Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour. Everything was well organized, from the hotel pickup to the return in the evening. Our tour guide Sasi was absolutely fantastic – very friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable. He explained a lot about the local area, nature, and wildlife, and you could really feel his passion for what he does. He always made sure everyone felt comfortable and had enough time to enjoy each stop. In addition to the fireflies and the magical Blue Tears, we also had the chance to see monkeys, which for me personally was the absolute highlight of the tour. Observing them…”

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Kuala Lumpur: Fireflies & Blue Tears Tour with Seafood Meal - The 75-minute ride from Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur: Fireflies & Blue Tears Tour with Seafood Meal

2.Fireflies & Blue Tears Tour with Seafood Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 632 reviews · 6 hours · from $54

Leave Kuala Lumpur for Melawati Hill, where you can feed wild silver leaf monkeys and visit Altingsburg Lighthouse. After a Chinese seafood dinner by the river, take an electric boat through mangroves lit by fireflies, then look for blue bioluminescent plankton. Guides such as Dinesh, Wan, and Abdul are known for adding useful local context.

“Wonderful trip and enjoyed it very much. Monkeys, Fireflies and blue tears really wonderful.”

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Bongawan River Cruise: Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies Mangrove - Starting at the Floating Mosque
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Bongawan River Cruise: Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies Mangrove

3.Bongawan River Cruise: Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies Mangrove

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 437 reviews · 8 hours · from $58

Spend eight hours with guides such as Timmy, Eddie, Simon, or Zai visiting Kota Kinabalu’s Floating Mosque and Cocoa Kingdom before a Bongawan mangrove cruise. Look for proboscis monkeys and macaques, watch the Sky Mirror sunset, and finish with fireflies and dinner. The $58 price includes transport, food, guiding, and all listed stops.

“Eddie was a great guy and guide. Carmen was friendly and helpful, she was nice to talk to me as a solo traveller. The tour is totally worthy if you have a free day in KK. also the groups was small which was nice”

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Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour with Dinner (SIC) - Bukit Melawati, monkeys, and an old fort
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Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour with Dinner (SIC)

4.Kuala Selangor Fireflies and Blue Tears Tour with Dinner (SIC)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 199 reviews · from $62Top rated

Spend about 7.5 hours beyond Kuala Lumpur with an English-speaking guide, visiting Bukit Melawati, meeting silver leaf monkeys, eating a local seafood dinner, and taking a night boat to see fireflies and blue tears. Darwin and Steven are among the guides praised for clear communication and useful detail. Pickup is available from selected city hotels.

“It was an amazing experience. Our tour guide was awesome. She give us a lot of information about everything in Malaysia and related to our tour. I forgot her name but she is a wonderful grandma and if I want to repeat this trip I will dRead more”

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Amazing Fireflies With Blue Tears Watching & Kuala Selangor Tour - Bukit Melawati, monkeys, and the Strait of Malacca
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Amazing Fireflies With Blue Tears Watching & Kuala Selangor Tour

5.Amazing Fireflies With Blue Tears Watching & Kuala Selangor Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 197 reviews · from $55

Travel from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Selangor in a small shared group of up to 15 people. Visit Sri Shakti Temple and Bukit Melawati, then take included boat rides to see mangrove fireflies and blue tears, a natural glow from marine plankton. Guides such as LG and Guna are praised for friendly, flexible service. Dinner costs extra.

“Driver was very knowledgeable about the places we visited, due to traffic got a bit tight for time but made it all! River boat handling really good”

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Glowing Kuala Selangor Firefly Tour - The Kampung Kuantan boat ride is the main event
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Glowing Kuala Selangor Firefly Tour

6.Glowing Kuala Selangor Firefly Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 154 reviews · from $44

Leave Kuala Lumpur at 4:00 pm for Sri Shakti Temple, Bukit Melawati’s monkeys and views, then cruise the Selangor River among fireflies. Your guide, often LG or Guna, handles the driving and local stops. The six-hour tour includes transport, water, and the firefly boat, but not dinner or optional blue-plankton trips.

“1st step till the end I did enjoy with the whole trip. Drive name LG was very friendly and humble person. I liked stopped at temple, monkey stop and finally at the firefly boat.. Wonder experience 👍👍💞”

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Kuala Selangor Fireflies Evening River Cruise from Kuala Lumpur - The 3:30pm drive from Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Selangor Fireflies Evening River Cruise from Kuala Lumpur

7.Kuala Selangor Fireflies Evening River Cruise from Kuala Lumpur

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 150 reviews · from $60

Leave Kuala Lumpur around 3:30 pm with an English-speaking driver such as Rajan or Bala, visit Sri Shakti Temple and Bukit Melawati, then cruise the Selangor River after dark to see fireflies flashing in berembang trees. Hotel pickup within 5km of KLCC, transport, entrance fees, and the boat ride are included. Dinner and tram rides cost extra.

“Poorly organised tour, were taken to a temple and to see monkeys, no commentary along the way, no idea of any significance of the locations. The dinner was not organised until we arrived at a row of restaurants, we were the only oneRead more”

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Bongawan Wetland: Proboscis Monkey and Fireflies Shared Tour - Dinner with a local touch
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Bongawan Wetland: Proboscis Monkey and Fireflies Shared Tour

8.Bongawan Wetland: Proboscis Monkey and Fireflies Shared Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 137 reviews · 1 day · from $65

Spend an afternoon and evening at Bongawan Wetland with guides such as Timmy, Eddie, James, or Nick. Cruise the mangroves for proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques, birds, monitor lizards, and perhaps crocodiles, then enjoy dinner, sunset, and fireflies glowing in the trees. Hotel pickup, transport, entry, guide, tea, and dinner are included.

“There are not enough words to describe how much we enjoyed this tour! And it all because of our guide Timmy. He has great personality, he is full of interesting facts about Borneo, he was very thoughtful and polite! He tried his best to make our day special and we can’t thank him enough! Beautiful boat ride in mangroves, funny monkeys, glowing fireflies and the most beautiful sunset we’ve seen! Highly recommend this activity!”

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Borneo (Klias) River Cruise & Fireflies Tour - The 1pm pickup and two-hour ride south
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Borneo (Klias) River Cruise & Fireflies Tour

9.Borneo (Klias) River Cruise & Fireflies Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 126 reviews · from $50

Leave Kota Kinabalu around 1pm for the Klias Wetlands, about 132 kilometers away. Cruise the river for proboscis monkeys, langurs, macaques, birds, and possible crocodiles, then eat a Malaysian buffet before a night boat ride among fireflies. Guides may include Khatty, Sulani, or Roddy. Expect a long, sometimes bumpy drive.

“The transfer is a little bit long but totally worth it. Our guide was amazing for the first time in Kota Kinabalu. Well organized and communicated trip to the Klias river. We have seen a raptile lots of monkeys and the fire flies. Thanks.”

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From Kuala Lumpur: Fireflies Tour and Seafood Dinner - Leaving Kuala Lumpur in a private car
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From Kuala Lumpur: Fireflies Tour and Seafood Dinner

10.Fireflies Tour and Seafood Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 113 reviews · 6 hours · from $119

Travel from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Selangor in a private car with an English-speaking guide. Visit Bukit Melawati, see macaques and silvered leaf monkeys, eat a basic seafood dinner, then row along the Selangor River beneath millions of synchronized fireflies. Guides such as Yuvanesh, Jay, and Murali have been praised for their local insight.

“Was an excellent tour lasting 6 hours. Our guide Ganesh was knowledgeable regarding the sites and history of Kuala Lumpur and Malysia in general. He was very versatile with the tour taking us to very interesting sites which were a delight to see. The restaurant we were taken to in Kuala Selangor (rehmaniya) was very nice. The food was what the locals enjoy as opposed to catering for the tourist market. The stop at Bukit Malawati was beautiful as we managed to capture the sunset. The highlight of the tour was of course the fireflies ... riding in a rowing boat under the starlet sky the sight of the glittering…”

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Sky-Mirror Photographing and Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies Watching River-Cruise - Searching the Mangroves for Proboscis Monkeys
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Sky-Mirror Photographing and Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies Watching River-Cruise

11.Sky-Mirror Photographing and Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies Watching River-Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 109 reviews · from $81

Leave Kota Kinabalu for Bongawan, where you will cruise mangroves for proboscis monkeys, watch macaques, pose at Sky Mirror Beach, and search for fireflies after sunset. Guides such as James, Nick, and Bird help with wildlife spotting and beach photos. Pickup, snacks, drinks, dinner, and hotel return are included.

“Driver didn't speak at all after picking us up. No idea where we were going or how long it would be. Two guides spoke at the same time in Chinese and English so you couldn't hear anything. Left sitting around for ages with no info most of the time. The mirror photography is just a bit of beach when the tide comes in. There was a massive storm and they said we'd leave the beach if it started raining. Instead they left us for an hour in a tin shack whilst they played on their phones and said nothing. Then the weather got too bad to leave so we had…”

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Kuala Lumpur: City Sights, Batu Caves and Fireflies Day Trip - Rivers, towers and a fast city overview
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Kuala Lumpur: City Sights, Batu Caves and Fireflies Day Trip

12.City Sights, Batu Caves and Fireflies Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 107 reviews · 9 hours · from $103

This nine-hour tour combines Kuala Lumpur’s major sights, Batu Caves, Melawati Hill, a seafood dinner and a night boat ride among Selangor’s fireflies. An English-speaking driver-guide such as Jaya, Yati, Wan or Riz handles the route, photos and local context. The day is busy, but private transport makes the long distances easier.

“Well whole tour really depands on ur guide. And our was just fantastic !!! Provide ton of informations about everything we came in touch with, give us a stop where we want and flexible update thigs to our needs. Fariz was just the great !”

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Kuala Selangor Tour from Kuala Lumpur with Fireflies Boat Ride and Seafood Dinner - Melawati Hill, old cannons, and royal graves
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Kuala Selangor Tour from Kuala Lumpur with Fireflies Boat Ride and Seafood Dinner

13.Kuala Selangor Tour from Kuala Lumpur with Fireflies Boat Ride and Seafood Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 91 reviews · from $88

Leave central Kuala Lumpur at 3:30 pm for Kuala Selangor, where you’ll visit Melawati Hill, see monkeys and wildlife, eat a local seafood dinner, and board a wooden rowboat after dark. The firefly ride lasts about 30 to 45 minutes, though some outings run shorter. Hotel pickup, guide, transport, dinner, and boat fare are included.

“The driver was on time to collect us at the hotel. The drive from KL to the Fireflies is very long at least one hour, it was a bit boring as we were on the motorway. The dinner was interesting. The Fireflies were beautiful.”

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Private Tour: Kuala Selangor Firefly Blinkings including Seafood Dinner - Is $95 per person good value?
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Private Tour: Kuala Selangor Firefly Blinkings including Seafood Dinner

14.Private Tour: Kuala Selangor Firefly Blinkings including Seafood Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 67 reviews · from $95

Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle from Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Melawati and Kampung Kuantan. Visit the old hilltop fort area, feed silvered leaf monkeys, eat a basic local seafood dinner, then share a boat ride beneath thousands of blinking fireflies. The full outing takes about six hours.

“The tour states the following in the title: "Private Tour: Kuala Selangor Firefly Blinkings including Seafood Dinner" It's not a private tour as they state. It's a group tour. This was planned in the evening as a romantic event for both of us as we had Read more”

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Bongawan River Cruise Proboscis Monkey, SkyMirror, Fireflies - Meeting at The Shore and heading out at 1:00 pm
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Bongawan River Cruise Proboscis Monkey, SkyMirror, Fireflies

15.Bongawan River Cruise Proboscis Monkey, SkyMirror, Fireflies

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $52

Travel from Kota Kinabalu to Bongawan for a mosque visit, chocolate tasting, mangrove river cruise, sunset at SkyMirror beach, fireflies and a local dinner. Guides such as Timmy, Simon, Eddie and John are praised for friendly service, wildlife knowledge and careful driving. Expect a full day with up to 48 people.

“It's a nice arranged trip. We experienced the nature, learned about a bit history about Sabah, and saw the most fabulous sunset on the beach! Big thanks to our guide Timmy, he is professional, friendly and funny. He made conversation with each of the guest, and made sure everyone had a good time. I highly recommend this trip to everyone, if you like nature, and sunset!”

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