Hippos
A close-up morning feeding.
Frostpolar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frostpolar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frostpolar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frostpolar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frostpolar — CC BY-SA 4.0
A large nature reserve of lakes and marshes at Dengkil near Putrajaya, created in 1998 on land exhausted by tin mining and sand dredging, so that the old mine pits became lakes covered in lotus and water lilies and a refuge for birds and wildlife. Its best-known residents are two hippos brought from Botswana, living in a lake of their own, which you can watch up close at their morning feeding between ten and half past ten. Another lake holds crocodiles, fed at weekends, and water birds and peacocks roam the reserve, drawing birdwatchers from early morning. You explore on paths and wooden bridges between the lakes, or on a bike hired cheaply at the entrance, and a lookout tower gives a view over the whole reserve. Entry is free, and it opens daily from eight in the morning to six in the evening, with a break at Friday prayer time. It is a quiet spot for families and nature lovers, best in the morning before the heat. Pair it with nearby Putrajaya in one day.
A close-up morning feeding.
Old mines turned to lakes.
Water birds and peacocks.
Dengkil, Selangor, about a quarter of an hour's drive south-west of Putrajaya
At the morning feeding between ten and half past ten, when they come close to the lakeshore; the rest of the day they mostly stay in the water.