The Bukit Merah Laketown is surrounded by lush greenery and facing a 7,000-acre lake, barely just about 3 hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur… You can get there from the Bukit Merah toll exit (Exit 150) along the North-South Expressway….

..or it is just a 45 minute drive south from Penang making this resort a strategically placed accessible tourist attraction for millions of potential visitors…

The team from Travelogue Malaysia under Borakkita and the Influenzas team were there for a few days to check out the holiday resort there

Our bus dropped us off at the main entrance which is also known as the Marina Village…

Where we checked in before being brought to the Le Lac Cafe for our lunch…

This public area, is where the Le Lac restaurant, the hand made rolled ice cream stall (which you so absolutely have to check out!!!) and the Ripples Hawker Centre for guests and visitors to dine in can be found…

Basically, Bukit Merah Laketown Resort consist of two themed parks which are the Ecopark and the Waterpark… and two hotels… the Kampung Air water chalets and also the Bukit Merah Laketown Hotel

The Waterpark covers 11 acres, is said to be among biggest in northern Peninsular Malaysia and comes with exciting attractions such as the 1st and only Boomerang fun-slide in Malaysia, the 1st and only Giant Wet Bubble in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the 1st “Sandy Beachfront” Wave Pool in Malaysia, as well as Water Flume Rides…

Bukit Merah Laketown Resort recently just reopened its door to public since early December with some new rides Crazee Cone (a mini Sunway Lagoon Vuvuzela) and Racer Slides and we really liked the new Family Splash Adventure play area….

Some of the team stayed at the pride of Bukit Merah, Kampung Air, the water chalets which overlooked the vast and serene lake… the chalets had their own private balcony in every room… I was lucky to have had the chance to call the Seri Teratai Suite home for 2 nights…

The room itself was cosy and nice! with a spacious bathroom with an open window -which you can close, of course, if you are sharing the room and needing to shower or take a nice relaxing bath or do your daily business at the toilet…

Some of the other team members put up their 2 nights at the Bukit Merah Laketown Hotel…with pretty cosy beds and reasonably spacious rooms that can fit up to 3 people too…

Dinner was steamboat and grill at Le Lac Cafe.. and we loved it because the ingredients were all freshly prepared by the Chef for us…

Our second day at the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort began with breakfast at the Le Lac cafe… the we headed to the jetty and boarded the boat to the 35-acre Orang Utan Island, a 5 to 10 minute boat ride away…

The Orang Utan Island is a research institution dedicated to the preservation and research of orang-utans….

Founded by MK Land developer’s Executive Chairman Tan Sri Haji Datuk Mustapha Kamal, the island was developed to resemble the orang-utan’s natural habitat as closely as possible with vegetation similar to the rainforests in Sumatra and Borneo….

The research and rehabilitation centre takes up about 5 acres of land while the remaining land are for Orang Utans to roam freely. Unlike zoos, the irony here is that the humans are the ones inside caged enclosure here….

At the research and rehabilitation centre, care is given to the infants as well as to the healthcare all the resident orang utans on the island…. The facility’s ICU (Infant Care Unit) is equipped with heart monitors, IV drips, incubators, as well as a trained veterinary surgeon to cater to the orang-utan infants that may require medical assistance after birth. Infants who are admitted to the ICU will go through a specially designed rehabilitation programme consisting of 6 stages to ensure the development of their natural instincts such as foraging, nest building, searching for water source, swinging and climbing.  The rehabilitation programme aims to ensure the infant adapts well to their natural environment before their eventual release into the wild.

Recently, the jetty of the orang utan island was burnt and so it would be great if you could or would like to contribute a little for the rebuilding of that place..

Monday – Thursday … 11:00am – 6.00pm

Friday – Sunday … 10:00am – 7.00pm

School Holidays & Public Holidays… 10:00am – 7.00pm

The entrance to ecopark is about 5 minutes brisk walking or 10 minutes leisure stroll from the main ticketing counter….with lush greenery on the gorgeous serene lake on each side of you….

On the other hand if you are a guest staying at the Hotel or Kampung Air water villas you can also make use of the free shuttle and hop on one of the buggies or van…

Our visit there to the Ecopark began with a little ride on the Skycycle, a pedal-powered vehicle that takes you on an interesting through 200 metres of tree top tropical rainforest giving you ample opportunity for bird watching from a different perspective….

Quickly choosing our partners.. I chose two of my besties Izryl and Qush… Three of us quickly got in on the first Skycycle and with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, we started cycling using our arms.. the trail goes around the 3-acre Ecopark and gives your arms a pretty good workout really!!!

The ecopark is an educational tourism facility to get close to the animals.. it features three large enclosures – Nature Trail, Reptile Park and Tropical Trek, with a variety of reptile, primate, mammal, bird and fish species in an environment as close to their natural habitat.

While we were there we got to play with the miniature tortoise and took photos with the beautiful Macaw… and we also got a chance to feed the raccoons, fishes… watch a crocodile snap its fearsome jaws just as the keeper throw it a dead chicken.. see a sun bear looking for attention and for the kiddies, there is also a Pets Park where you can go pet the rabbits etc

Then some of my team members went kayaking on the lovely lake in the afternoon…

We then had a sumptuous BBQ dinner at Le Lac Cafe… and it was fun as my team members took turn BBQing….

Then we took a little trip to Taiping, just barely half an hour away to visit the Night Safari…

The Taiping Night Safari is a first of its kind in Malaysia. Using lighting which mimics the moonlight, the beauty and splendour of nature in the evening is enhanced….

The Taiping Night Safari displays nocturnal animals in natural looking settings giving the opportunity for visitors to appreciate and value the treasures of nature while enjoying oneself…

We got to see the jungle dog, owls, porcupines, clouded leopard (Baby!!!!) , giant otters, tigers, lions, black panther, giraffe, zebra, rhinocerous and even got a chance to feed some hungry hippos…

Address – Zoo Taiping & Night Safari
Jalan Taman Tasik Taiping, 34000 Taiping, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.
Tel: 605 – 8086577  Fax: 605 – 806 6025

Then it was back to our hotel rooms for the night to rest before checking out the next day to head home….

Address:
Bukit Merah Laketown Resort
Jalan Bukit Merah,
34400 Semanggol,
Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

Website: http://www.bukitmerahresort.com.my/

The Perak Travelogue is brought to you in a collaboration between Borakkita Media / Travelogue Malaysia and The Influenzas team.. supported by Emkay Group of Hotels. Thanks to our main sponsors – Bukit Merah Laketown Resort for accommodation and excursions and Rhino Airiel Travel for the return transport…