Birding at Bukit Tinggi
Bukit Tinggi is a rather unusual birdwatching destination in Malaysia. This hill, located about 1.5 hours from Kuala Lumpur, is a replica of Colmar, a town in northeastern France. Within the botanical garden of this site, near the Japanese garden, a bird hide allows observers to see one of Malaysia’s rarest birds: the Mountain Peacock-Pheasant (Polyplectron inopinatum).
In my opinion, this pheasant is the only real interest of the place. Colmar Tropicale is an artificial town built from scratch, where hundreds (if not thousands) of tourists wander through shops and restaurants. The botanical garden itself is a small green area located outside the town. The hide is heavily overcrowded with noisy photographers who are often disrespectful toward the birds, turning the hide into something resembling a chicken coop due to the excessive amount of corn being fed. Having the privilege of observing this pheasant at Fraser’s Hill is far more rewarding than seeing it here at Bukit Tinggi.
Where to see birds at Bukit Tinggi?
Hide
The main birding spot at Bukit Tinggi is the hide. It is located at the far end of the botanical garden and can only be reached on foot. You must walk across the entire garden before finding a small path that leads to the hide.
This hide is famous for attracting the Mountain Peacock-Pheasant (Polyplectron inopinatum), a pheasant endemic to Malaysia that can be seen relatively easily here but is very difficult to observe elsewhere in the country. If Bukit Tinggi is known among birdwatchers, it is clearly because of this species. Another attractive bird that can also be seen here is the Ferruginous Partridge (Caloperdix oculeus).
Other passerines also frequent the hide, including the Siberian Blue Robin (Larvivora cyane), Dark-sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica), Ochraceous Bulbul (Alophoixus ochraceus), Orange-headed Thrush (Geokichla citrina), Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis), and White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus).
Botanical Gardens
If you get tired of sitting (or standing) next to noisy photographers in front of the hide (speaking from experience 🙄), you can take a walk around the surrounding gardens. Although there are sometimes many non-birding visitors, a few interesting species can still be observed.
In these gardens, you may see the Raffles’s Malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea), Red-bearded Bee-eater (Nyctyornis amictus), Mountain Imperial Pigeon (Ducula badia), and even hornbills such as the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros).
Many bulbul species are also present, including the Stripe-throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus finlaysoni), Hairy-backed Bulbul (Tricholestes criniger), Scaly-breasted Bulbul (Ixodia squamata), Black-crested Bulbul (Rubigula flaviventris), Olive-winged Bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus), Cinereous Bulbul (Hemixos cinereus), and even the Mountain Bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii). Beyond bulbuls, other species such as the Blue-winged Leafbird (Chloropsis moluccensis), Lesser Green Leafbird (Chloropsis cyanopogon), and the Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna) can also be observed.
How to get to Bukit Tinggi?
Bukit Tinggi is not a freely accessible public site. Some parts of the hill may not be private, but access to the gardens is restricted.
Reaching the hide requires a few important steps. First, you must pass a security gate at the base of the hill. There is no official information regarding opening hours, but from around 7:00–7:30 a.m. access should not be an issue. You will need to explain to the guards that you wish to visit the Japanese Garden hide for birdwatching. Once you reach the second security gate at the top of the hill, you cannot go directly to the gardens. You must first go to the reception desk of the Colmar Tropicale hotel (after crossing the bridge) to purchase entrance tickets. After buying your tickets, you can drive to the garden parking area and then walk through the botanical garden. At the end of the garden, you will find a small trail leading directly to the hide. Don’t worry—you can’t miss it.
A second option is to stay overnight at one of the two accommodations in Bukit Tinggi. In that case, you will already be inside the complex and can access the botanical gardens early in the morning. Entrance tickets to the gardens are included when staying on site.
If you do not have a private vehicle, expect to walk quite a lot. Buses can take you from Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Tinggi, but once there, the first internal shuttles only start running at 10 a.m., which is far too late for birdwatching at the hide. We chose to rent a car in the town of Raub.
Where to stay in Bukit Tinggi?
There are not many accommodation options in Bukit Tinggi—only two.
Both are clean and comfortable. The first option is reasonably priced, while the second is more expensive. However, the latter is newer and offers better overall comfort.
If you prefer to stay outside Bukit Tinggi and make a day trip, you can stay in the town of Bentong at Kristal or One World Lodging.
