Firefly Tour & More! Our 1-Day Desaru Itinerary For A Fun Family Trip

Feeling the itch for a quick escape packed with excitement and local charm, especially with the school holidays arriving? Look no further than Desaru, Malaysia, a gem just a scenic one-hour drive from the Causeway. This tried-and-tested itinerary promises a fun-filled family day trip, perfect for creating lasting memories with your little adventurers.

The most convenient way to get to Desaru would be by a private car or taxi. If you don't have a car, there's the option of renting a full-day private charter taxi service. Ferry tickets and services are also available online on the Batamfast website.

Note: The guide below is based on a trip by car from Singapore to Desaru.

Breakfast/Lunch in Johor Bahru

After crossing the Causeway, fuel up for the adventure with a delicious meal in Johor Bahru (JB). You can consider dining along Jalan Sutera 1, which is a 10-minute drive from the JB customs. 

Food options here include: 

#1 Restoran Teck Sin (opens from 11am onwards)

This restaurant is famous for its delicious paper-wrapped chicken and “tze char" style dishes at very reasonable prices. The restaurant also offers comfortable indoor seating with air conditioning.

We weren't feeling very hungry, so we opted for a couple of lighter dishes, specifically the omelette, paper-wrapped chicken and rice. While the fried omelette was a familiar comfort food experience, the paper-wrapped chicken truly stole the show. The chicken was incredibly tender and soft, practically falling off the bone. This, combined with the ease of eating, makes it a perfect choice for diners of all ages, especially children. The speedy service ensured we didn't have to wait long for our delicious meal. Considering the high rating of 4.3 stars on Google, this restaurant is a must-try.

You can find their menu and prices here. 

Location

#2 Restaurant Shoon Huat (opens from 8.30am onwards)

For an earlier start, Restaurant Shoon Huat is a fantastic option. This restaurant specialises in the comforting bak kut teh — a herbal soup with tender pork ribs. The eatery also boasts both indoor seating and outdoor seating, so hooray for air-con!

I find the herbal soup to be warm, rich, and fragrant — a stark contrast from the peppery bak kut teh soup usually served in Singapore. I would recommend ordering the youtiao (fried dough sticks) and fried bean curd skins as side dishes, and dunking them into the soup for a few second before eating. Yum.

Beyond bak kut teh, delicious sesame chicken is also offered, which is not spicy and perfect for kids. Another big plus? Unlimited refills on the soup — perfect for those who love a good hearty meal.

Location

Why Jalan Sutera 1?

Beyond the delectable breakfast options, Jalan Sutera 1 offers an additional perk. Right next door to Restoran Shoon Huat, you'll find a haven of traditional snacks and pastries. This is the perfect spot to grab some souvenirs or delicious road trip treats to munch on during your drive to Desaru.

Keep a lookout for Mr Sotong, which sells dried squid, cuttlefish, dried fruit snacks, and local snacks such as dodol, sesame puffs and beh teh saw, which is a traditional baked pastry with flaky skin and sweet/salty fillings. Next to Mr Sotong is Weng Lok Kee Bakery, which specialises in traditional pastries such as fragrant egg tarts, tau sar piah (sweet bean paste cookies), heong peah and more.

Drive to Desaru Fruit Farm (1 hour drive from JB)

With full bellies (and maybe a car full of delicious snacks), it's time to hit the road! The drive to Desaru Fruit Farm will take about one hour from Johor. If you haven't heard of Desaru Fruit Farm, here's the low-down: sprawling across 180 acres, this wonderland offers a unique mix of fun, education, adventure, and of course, delicious fruit. 

The farm offers a myriad of family-friendly activities, ranging from farm tours, petting zoos, honey tasting, ATV rides and more. All activities can be booked both in advance online or when you arrive at the farm.

Desaru Fruit Farm tour: What to expect and my experience

I went with the Fruit Farm Tour, which costs 40RM per adult, or around S$11.43. Prices for kids aged three to 11 are at 35RM (S$10) per child. Infants aged 0 to 2 may enter for free. 

This package includes a walking tour of the fruit farm, herb garden, vegetable plot, and the agricultural gallery as well as a farm animal petting experience at the end. You’ll also leave with a box of assorted fresh-cut fruits each.

Having experienced the tour, I would say that the tour was rather fun, yet informative at the same time. First, you hop on the back of an open truck, and they drive you a short distance to the farm.

We learnt all about the various fruits and the specific conditions they need to flourish, and even got to experience plucking and tasting a stevia plant ourselves.

As we reached the halfway point of the tour, we spotted a charming little booth selling fish food. I highly recommend that you and your family take a moment to feed the fish in the pond — this small ‘side quest’ proved to be a crowd-pleaser for the kids, adults, and even the older folks in our group!

Oh, did we also mention that there were chickens constantly roaming freely everywhere on the farm? How cute! 

For folks who get tired easily, you’ll be glad to know that there are many benches scattered throughout the farm for you to rest. 

Personally, my favourite part was at the end of the farm — the petting zoo! 

If you love animals, I’ll guarantee you’ll like this part. There were rabbits, chickens, goats and all sorts of animals that you could pet! They have also thoughtfully installed a sink for you to wash your hands after touching the animals. 

New experience: Indoor petting corner

Since my visit, Desaru Fruit Farm has introduced a new activity called Indoor Petting Corner. 

For 25RM (S$7.14) per person, you’ll get access to the indoor petting area which houses alpacas, raccoons, miniature horses and donkeys. You’ll also get animal feed. 

ATV rides

If you have older kids who are feeling adventurous, you may also opt for the farm’s ATV rides. 

The ride costs 55RM (S$15.71) per person for single riders, and 80RM (S$22.85) for a double rider. 

I went for the ATV ride as well, which lasted around half an hour. We were given a safety briefing as well as a crash course on how to use the ATV. For those concerned about hygiene, you'll be glad to know that participants are given shower caps to put on before wearing the helmets.

We were led by staff through the plantation (you won’t be passing by the places covered in the farm tour) and overall, it felt very safe. The ATV wasn’t too fast either.

Visit the farm’s mini-mart

After all the activities are done, you and your family can chill at the farm’s mini-mart, which sells local produce, snacks and even old-school toys (like Pop Pop crackers!). 

We also snagged some fresh fruits, keropok (crackers) and dried mangos before heading for…

Dinner at Restoran Terapung Seafood Bujang Firefly

As the sun dips, head over to Restoran Terapung Seafood Bujang Firefly, a mere eight-minute drive from Desaru Fruit Farm. 

This hidden gem is an old-school floating restaurant — a true blast from the past for adults and a fascinating glimpse into kampung life for kids. Imagine bobbing gently on the water, savouring a delicious halal tze char dinner as the cool evening breeze washes over you.

Important note: Everything here is cash only, so be sure to have Malaysian Ringgit on hand!

After parking our car in front of the restaurant’s entrance, we had to literally walk the plank (haha) to enter the floating eatery. Here, the pace is leisurely, and all you'll want to do is just chill and savour the moment. 

Even ordering food was an experience — we were presented with the menu before entering the restaurant, and we had to immediately decide the dishes we wanted while a slightly annoyed pakcik (uncle) was yelling at us to hurry up in Bahasa Melayu despite there being no other customers behind us.

In the end, we decided to quit trying to read the whole menu and just went with a random package deal instead. 

Here’s a bunch of dishes we may or may not have ordered under duress: 

Price? To be honest, I don’t know what we ordered or how much everything cost. All I remember is that it wasn’t expensive. I’m happy to report that each dish turned out delicious, and the kind staff even refilled our jug of Teh O with more ice for free because it was warm and everything melted pretty quickly. 

The delicious food, coupled with the restaurant's unique vibes, created a truly unforgettable dining experience for all of us. I would highly recommend it. 

Firefly Tour in Desaru

After eating and chillaxing while watching the sunset, it was time for the main event — the Firefly Tour. 

We opted for the first tour at 8pm, and paid 20RM ($5.71) per person. The tour departs from the restaurant itself, so not having to drive to another place is a huge plus. 

We hopped on a traditional wooden boat and cruised through the enchanting (and very dark) mangrove swamps. We witnessed the magical spectacle of fireflies twinkling like stars in the bushes, and the staff made an effort to make sure that everyone had a chance to hold a live firefly in their hands. 

Pro tip: Remember to bring your mosquito repellant and get on the boat first if you want to snag the best seats! In this writer's experience, the best seats are along the sides of the boat, between the two metal poles, and facing the water.

I don’t have pictures because it was way too dark. But the tour was a nice opportunity to put away all devices (that emit light) and just enjoy nature. 

The tour lasted around 30 minutes, and it was a great experience that I wouldn’t mind doing twice. 

This article was originally published on May 14, 2024.