Located about 70km from Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Selangor, or “Estuary of Selangor”, lies at the point where the Selangor River meets the sea. Surrounded by forest and mangroves, it was once the capital of the Selangor sultanate in the 18th century, thanks to its strategic location. Today, the town oozes a sleepy, laidback vibe, but is well equipped with facillities, including major banks, a science school, a firestation, and places of worship.

It is here that you’ll find Bukit Malawati, a hill on which sits the ruins of a Malay fortress, as well as a lighthouse – making it a popular tourist spot for history junkies. People also come here to see the large colony of silver-leafed monkeys that call the hill home.

Visitors take a tram (essentially a modified vehicle with carriages attached to a tractor) to get up the hill, which takes about five minutes and is priced at RM5 for locals and RM10 for foreigners.

As the tram chugs up the road, you’ll pass by large boulders on the hillside – all that remains of the old Malawati Fort, which was built by the Selangor Sultanate to repel Dutch attacks.

Its strategic location, with the steep hill face and surrounding mangrove swamps, acted as natural defensive ramparts. Despite this, it still fell to the Dutch and they renamed it Altingburg, fortifying its walls and strengthening the fort with cannons. A year later, a surprise attack by Selangor Sultanate forces drove the Dutch back to sea. It remained under Malay rule until the late 19th century, when British gunboats pounded the walls to smithereens.

Once you’re at the top, you’ll be greeted by a colony of silverleafed monkeys (plus a few macaques). Because the hill is a tourist attraction, the primates are used to humans, and are reliant on them for their source of food. There are peddlers here selling food like bananas and fruits that you can feed to the animals, but beware because the animals will absolutely climb onto you to get your food. One of the peddlers mentioned that they can eat up to one kilogramme of food a day.

The silverleafed monkey, or silvery lutung, is an Old World ape endemic to the forests of Sumatra, Borneo, and Peninsular Malaysia. They are categorized as vulnerable, with populations declining due to deforestation and loss of habitat. Like their namesake, they have silvery fur, although babies are golden with pale skin. Their temperament is generally mellow, which means you can get pretty close for photos, but be mindful as they are still wild animals and may act erratically. The macaques, however, should be approached with caution as they are much more aggressive.

The summit of the hill is the highest point for miles around, affording visitors panoramic views of the river winding towards the sea. There are a couple of cannons here as well, including an old cannon called the Meriam Penggawa (originally called Petoi Boga in the Bugis dialect, meaning ‘White Princess’) which is shrouded in mystery. Discovered in one of the tombs of the Selangor Sultans, it is said that the cannon mysteriously fired on its own three times since it was brought over from its original spot.

Also here you will find the Baitulhilal, a moonsighting pavilion, which Muslim religious authorities use to sight the moon on the eve of Ramadhan, which would then signify the beginning of the holy month.

Another prominent landmark here is the Altingsburg Lighthouse, built by the Dutch and spruced up by the British almost a century on. Unfortunately you can’t access the buildling, but the views from the outside are still great, and it looks well maintained. Within its grounds is a museum chronicling the history of the fort, but it wasn’t open during our visit.

We spent some time enjoying the sea breeze under the cool shade of the trees while watching the monkeys. It was fascinating to see them interacting with each other; relaxing on the branches, playfully chasing one another, jumping across branches, fighting, grooming – very human-like interactions.

If you’re up for a walk up / down the hill, check out some of the landmarks along the way such as the Traitors Rock, a large stone slab where legend has it that a palace maiden was beheaded for adultery, as well as a poisonous well where traitors were apparently lowered into a mix of poisonous latex and juice from bamboo shoots to undergo a slow and painful death.

We spent about an hour on the summit, before returning to town and driving two minutes away (the weather was scorching, it wasn’t coz we were lazy) to Auntie Foo, a cafe in the middle of town. Only outdoor seating was available as they told us the inside was ‘reserved’ (we came and went, but no one showed up) – so we had to sit on the verandah. It was still fairly cool, as is usually the case with old shophouses.

Auntie Foo serves mostly Western and Asian fare. We already had lunch, so we got some dessert to quench our thirst and cool down from the sweltering heat. The cendol was nice but the portion was small; the Hubs gulped it down within two mouthfuls. The Ais Kacang, on the other hand, was humongous, topped with a dollop of sweet vanilla ice cream, crushed peanuts, rose syrup, and other goodies.

The cafe also sells souvenirs and handicrafts.

Aside from visiting the hill and its monkeys, there are a lot of other things you can do in Kuala Selangor, namely firefly watching at night on the river, and taking photos at the Sasaran Sky Mirror beach (which is often dubbed the Salar Uyuni of Malaysia, because the beach appears like a mirror at certain hours of the day). You can also go eagle feeding, or take a hike at the Kuala Selangor Nature Park.

If you like the laidback vibe of small towns, history, and nature, it’s worth the drive for a daytrip, or even an overnight stay as there are plenty of homestays and boutique hotels around.

Getting There

Kuala Selangor is best accessed by car. Driving along the North-South Highway, exit at Sungai Buloh and follow the signs towards Kuala Selangor. There are buses plying the route as well, but I wasn’t able to find updated information online.

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