7 Eco-Farms in Johor for Families

If you are looking to expose your kids to the wonderful world of nature in the form of farm stays, you do not have to fly to Australia or other countries to do that. Our neighbouring state up north, Johor, offers farm stay experiences at a far more economical level.

So if you are on a shoestring budget, here are a few suggestions where to take the family for that farm experience during the school holidays - with 4 out of the 7 listings offering their own accommodation options.


1. Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm (KOREF) Resort

Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm Resort is a no ordinary farm. Or resort. A little more than 2 hours by car from Tuas Checkpoint, the Eco Farm spans 260 acres of arable land at the fringe of the tropical Malaysian Rainforest Reserves.

Top draws of the Eco-Farm include the wide range of outdoor activities that families can partake in. Kids can row on a bamboo raft, pretend they are participating in Ninja Warrior on the Water Obstacle Course, scurry like little hamsters in a Water Ball and go zipping down a Flying Fox line suspended over the lake. For something calmer, there are rabbits, ducks and fishes to feed.

It is also the first and only certified organic rice farm in Malaysia that provides free and easy eco-farm stays. Stay in its Floating Chalets on the lake for that simple kampong-living experience. Nature lovers will enjoy this rustic getaway.

Read more about our experience here: www.cheekiemonkie.net/2014/10/farm-stay-in-johor-malaysia-koref-resort.html

Address: Km 43, Jalan Kluang Mersing, 86700 Kahang, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia
Tel: +6 07 771 3431 | +6 012 720 8158 | +6 012 768 3149
Website: www.organic-kahang.com


2. UK Agro Farm

Situated in Johor - about an hour’s drive from Singapore - UK Agro Farm Resort is Malaysia’s largest goat and sheep farm, with 100 acres of grazing land for 4,000 sheep. It offers a farmstay experience but the farm is also good for a day trip. There are tons of farm activities to do such as touring the Herb Sanctuary and Mushroom and Fruit Farms to learn all about plants. The highlight of the farm tour is probably feeding and cuddling sheep at the Sheep Farm. Kids can try bottle feeding baby goats, or feeding grain to ostriches at the Ostrich Park.

If the kids still have energy to expend after that, they can partake in the Sheep Challenge where they would be given 3 minutes to catch sheep in an enclosure, and stand to win a prize if one is successful. Or if they prefer something less exhaustive, families can sign up for UK Agro Resort’s DIY activities ranging from lantern-making, kite-making to baking their very own goat milk muffins or curry puffs.

Accommodation is at the ‘Long House’, a traditional house structure that has its roots in the Iban community in Sarawak. Built on stilts and with long corridors, the rooms overlook vast green meadows and grazing pastures. Rooms come with the usual amenities like air-conditioning and water heater so they are pretty decent, clean and functional.

Read more about our experience here: www.cheekiemonkie.net/2012/05/farm-stay-in-malaysia-part-1.html

Address: Plot 8, Project Pertanian Moden Kluang, KM13 Jalan Batu Pahat, 86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia
Tel: +607-759 7555; +607-759 5018; +607-759 5991
Website: www.ukfarm.com.my


3. HS Farm

This is one farm that I stumbled onto online while researching for farmstays in Johor. We have yet to pay it a visit but from what I read, it is surrounded by lush tropical greenery and situated within a 15-minute drive from Muar Town and Muar Jetty.

Photo from HS Farm's website

Guests can enjoy activities including fishing, cycling, horse riding and a mini zoo. The rooms look simply furnished, and come with a fan and a flat-screen TV. If you are planning to go with the extended family, this may be a good choice as the extra large rooms can sleep up to 8 persons.

Photo from HS Farm's website

Address: PTD 4116, Parit Pajar, Jalan kesang, 84000 Muar, Johor. Malaysia
Website: welcome.hsfarmstay.com


4. Tanjung Sutera Resort

The only listing here that does not have 'Farm' in its name, I too stumbled upon this resort while searching for unique resorts in Johor to bring the family to. But the above average online reviews that I had read cemented its inclusion status into this list.

Tanjung Sutera Resort is located 40 metres above sea level in the East Coast of Johor, Malaysia. Once a coconut plantation, it spans a hilly area of more than 20 acres of land, overlooking the true blue South China Sea and comes with a touch of kampong ambience.

Photo from Tanjung Sutera Resort's website

From the resort, trek to Tanjong Sedili which is located at the South eastern coast of Johor adjacent to Jason Bay. This area is home to a stretch of scenic rocky coast and beach that contain rich inter-tidal marine life and geological rock formations which pre-date to the Jurassic period! Other facilities include water sports and a swimming pool.

Photo from Tanjung Sutera Resort's website

Accommodation includes standard rooms, family suites, cottages and even a seaview suite. All the rooms have air-conditioning and are fitted with water heaters.

Address: Lot 901 Kuala Sedili Besar, 81910 Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia
Tel: +6019 776 76 77
Website: tanjungsuteraresort.com


5. Zenxin Organic Farm

You may recognize the brand 'Zenxin' as its organic vegetables are sold in our supermarkets here. And that should not come as a surprise as Zenxin Agri-Organic Food is Malaysia’s leading producer, distributor and retailer of organic produce. Situated just before the turn-in to UK Agro Farm (so its a great pit-stop if you are on your way to the sheep farm), Zenxin houses an Organic Park which is the first open-to public organic farm in Malaysia, combining the educational and recreational purposes.

Admission is chargeable (Adults RM10 & Child (4-12) RM8) and visitors will be able to one go on a tour of the huge farm and learn more about how various vegetables and fruits are grown. There are even bicycles for rent, or longkang fishing for the kids. There's also a mini petting farm with rabbits, ducks and quails for kids to feed and play with.

Photo from Zenxin Organic Farm's website

Remember to head to the restaurant after the farm visit for an affordable organic steamboat meal!

Address: No.8, Jln Teknologi 1, Kws Perindustrian Mengkibol, 86000, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: 9am - 9pm
Website: www.zenxin.com.my


6. Desaru Fruit Farm

Desaru Fruit Farm is great for a day trip to Johor, with more than 100 varieties of tropical fruits for kids to see. Go on the guided farm tour to visit the 180 acres of natural tropical fruit land, view the agricultural gallery, fish pond and vegetable and herb gardens. Kids will no doubt be smitten with the Petting Zoo, and also have the opportunity to learn more about bees and taste local raw honey. Lunch is usually included in the package.

Photo from Deasaru Fruit Farm's website

Prefer to stay over for the night in Desaru instead? The nearby Lotus Desaru Beach Resort is a great option with one, two, three or four-bedroom apartments AND... a huge ‘spash-tacular’ water play park located in the middle of the resort. Read more of our stay HERE.

Address: No 1, Sungai Cemaran, Desaru, 81930 Kota Tinggi, Johor Darul Takzim
Website: www.desarufruitfarm.com


7. Sri Tanjung Leisure Farm

This is one farm that I have not brought the monkies to but I figure if your kids love animals like mine do, Seri Tanjung Leisure Farm might just be worth checking out. Besides being able to see various plants and tropical fruit trees, kids can visit the mini zoo which is home to ostriches, fishes, horses, ponies, rabbits, birds and more. Admission is chargeable at RM10 for adults and RM8 for children.

Address: Ptd 5577, Parit Lan, Kayu Ara Pasong, 82010 Pontian, Johor
Website: stl-farm.com.my

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Enjoyed this post? My book is OUT NOW and it contains three chapters (10 listings each) of travelling ideas and activities for the kids!

So YES, you will be hearing more about it in the month of June. Because it is the most important book in the world and will change your life for the better. Without it, you will feel incomplete and lost whenever the school holidays, weekends and public holidays come along.

Okay, so maybe I exaggerate when I say Got Kids, Go Where? is the most important book in the world. BUT I'm not kidding when I say the book contains brand new 50 chapters - each consisting 10 listings - which works out to a whopping 500 family-friendly activities! So order your copy online or grab one from Popular and Kinokuniya bookstores!

Link: www.armourpublishing.com/product/got-kids-go-where-pre-orders

A Farm Stay close to home

(Daddy blogs)

Remember our farm stay experience in Johor, Malaysia last year?

We were back again at the farm resort a few weeks back, all because the extended family wanted to. A convenient excuse I know, but I was pretty sure the monkies wouldn't mind cuddling some goats once again!

Situated in Johor - about one hour's drive away from Singapore – UK Agro Farm Resort is Malaysia's largest goat and sheep farm, with 100 acres of grazing land for 4000 sheep. It is good for a day trip, but if you are looking for a farm stay experience without busting your wallet, this is as good as it gets.

And as usual, the expansive view at the farm reminded me of how much fun we all had the last time we were here.

I wouldn't go into the details of our stay at UK Agro Farm Resort because you can read my review in 2 parts here: Part One and Part Two. But obviously, the highlight of the Farm has got to be its 3-hour Farm Tours, which consisted visits to the feedstock processing factory, sheep pens, goat milk processing centre, herb sanctuary, ostrich park, Jakun village, fruit farm, nursery, mushroom and vegetable farms.

There are different Farm Tour packages to choose from and you can view them in detail HERE. Essentially, one can opt for either the 3-hour Guided Tour on a Mini-bus or a 2-hour Tour on a Horse Cart. And since we adults allowed the kids to make the all-important decision, they predictably went for novelty.

The main difference between the Mini-bus and Horse Cart tours, aside from pricing, is that the Mini-bus tour comes with a guide, who will explain the going-ons behind the various stop points in the Farm. In case you are wondering about the pricing, here they are:

Mini-Bus Tour
Adult: Off-Peak RM40.00 | Peak RM50.00 (per Person)
Child: Off-Peak RM35.00 | Peak RM45.00 (per Person)
Senior Citizen: Off-Peak RM20.00 | Peak RM30.00 (per Person)

Horse Cart Tour (seats 4 per cart)
Peak: RM200.00 per Cart
Off-Peak: RM160.00 per Cart

Off-Peak: Monday - Thursday
Peak: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Public Holidays & School Holidays 

Back to the tour proper and obviously the kids - humans, not the baby goats - were always going to go bonkers when offered the chance to bottle-feed the adoring goats.

Oh, and cradling them too!

We were then herded to the goat milking pen, something which we didn't have the chance to see the last time when we were here.

The rest of the tour was more or less similar to our previous visit, where we fed some ostriches at the Ostrich Park and visited the Herb Sanctuary, Mushroom and Fruit Farms.

The kids even tried their hand at dart-blowing at the Jakun Village!

So all in all, it was safe to say that all the kiddos enjoyed the farm experience (even though the weather was so darn hot!).

So it was a relief when we headed back to our air-conditioned Resort Room.

Accommodation comes in the form of a 'Long House', a traditional house found in the Iban community in Sarawak. Built on stilts and with long corridors, the rooms overlook the vast green meadows and the grazing pastures of the Farm. We got the Deluxe Room (RM240 per night) which came with one double bed and one single bed, with the usual amenities like air-conditioning and water heater. So yes, it was pretty decent, clean and functional.

And if you are wondering about meal options, the Farm Resort has its own café and restaurant which serves standard food fare like fried rice and noodles, coupled with their signature dishes of lamb chop, mutton soup, salt-baked kampong chicken. Do try the lamb chop - it's so succulent and tender!

Alternatively, you can also have a delicious steamboat meal at the Zenxin Organic Farm – an organic vegetables farm – which is a 10-minute drive away from UK Agro Farm Resort. Which we did as well.

All in, the Farm Resort makes a pretty unique family getaway if you are looking beyond the usual staycation or themepark/waterpark/anythingpark vacation. A one-night stay is more than adequate to keep the kids occupied I reckon, plus there is always LEGOLAND Malaysia to look forward to on the way back to Singapore!


Useful Information

UK AGRO FARM RESORT
Plot 8, Project Pertanian Moden Kluang,
KM13 Jalan Batu Pahat, 86000 Kluang,
Johor, Malaysia
Tel: +607-759 7555; +607-759 5018; +607-759 5991
Fax: +607-759 7991
Website: www.ukfarm.com.my
Email: info@ukfarm.com.my
Location Map: Click HERE
Directions: Take the North-South Highway from Tuas Checkpoint. Take the Air Hitam Exit, and turn right at the T-junction after the toll. Pass Zenxin Organic Farm and a set of traffic lights. You will see a huge UK Agro Farm signboard on your left. Turn left into a gravel-laden road. Continue on it and turn right on seeing the sign.
GPS Coordinates: N02 01.109 E103 13.117

Farm Stay in Malaysia - Part 2

(Daddy recounts)

If you haven't read about our adventures at the Farm Resort earlier in the day, you can do so HERE.

The Jakun Village was our next Farm Tour stop, which was a few steps away from the Ostrich Park.

Inside the Jakun Village, there were built-up structures of huts, tree-houses and hunting traps, which offer an insight into the Orang Asli's ethnic culture.

It was here that I felt perhaps having a guide would have been more beneficial, especially since he would be able to give a better explanation to the boys with regard to how the Orang Asli went about their daily activities in the village.

Nevertheless, they still found great joy in scaling the tall Tree-house.

I would have joined them, but then I remembered the Orang Asli were hardly a fat bunch. Likewise, I gave the swings a miss too. Bummer.

As we moved along to our next stop, we spied flocks of sheep grazing in the distance. It was then we found out that the sheep are released from their sheds at 10am, 1pm and 4pm everyday onto the fields. Definitely not a sight I would have imagined to be seen in Malaysia.

The Goat Feeding station was next, and boy did the kids love this one.

I realise kids really love feeding animals. Whenever there are feeding activities - be it dogs, rabbits, chickens, goats, birds or horses - kids will feed them. Wholeheartedly, and in a fuss-free and quick fashion.

If only the same applies when it come to self-feeding.

Our final stop of the Farm Tour brought us to the Mushroom Farm, where we were able to see how various types of fungi were grown and harvested.

The boys were sort of praying they would get to see their fave mushroom of the lot - the enokitake, or enoki mushroom.

But the farm only had oyster mushrooms.

Or the lingzhi mushrooms.

I overheard that one can purchase these mushrooms to grow and harvest back home. But they would need to be kept in a very moist area, like the bathroom. Wah, no need go supermarket already.

As for the boys, at least they had another Tree-house to entertain themselves while the wifey & I tucked into a complimentary concoction of mushroom salad at the farm cafe.

And with that, our 2-hour Farm Tour came to an end. But no, we weren't just about done yet. Not when there were other parts of the Farm Resort to explore!

Notice that Ale was already out cold from the day's exertions, while the 2 older monkies were still raring to go. And I can't fault them, not when the scenery there is so very breathtaking.

 While the wifey was busy getting lost in the picturesque landscape, the boys zeroed onto something else.

The Mini Zoo housed a rojak collection of animals such as peacocks, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, monkeys, hedgehogs and a giant monitor lizard. Almost all of the birds are free to roam and free to be petted. If you are fast enough to catch them that is.

Compared to what we had experienced during our Farm Tour, the Mini Zoo has got to be the most disappointing of the lot. The entire area seemed to be set up in a very haphazard manner, and the cages didn't look very well-maintained.

I think the one who would be the most interested in the Mini Zoo would be Ale, because her current obsession happen to revolve around birds and ducks. Or Elmo. But that's a different story altogether. Pity she was still in dreamland when we breezed through the compound.

The thing which hugely interested Ash & Ayd was the Sheep Challenge - where one would be given 3 minutes to catch the sheep in an enclosure, and stand to win a prize if he/she is successful. Ash was sure he could snare the prize, and I would have loved to let him have a go. Unfortunately it was drizzling at the time when we were there, and the Sheep Challenge was closed.

No matter, I promised Ash & Ayd we would be back again... perhaps with the grandparents. Which ultimately was met with a huge roar of approval.

With that, we went for our dinner and headed back to our room for a night of recharge.

The next morning, I couldn't let all the beautiful surroundings around me go to waste and so made Ale my photography subject.

I asked for a pose and this was what she did. Just don't ask me where she learned that from, because I am absolutely just as clueless.

Only thing I am sure is, that she is way more cooperative than the 2 other buggers in the room.

And of course there was still room to complete the picture with the other lovely woman in my life.

Bliss. :)

When our tummies finally did rumble, we made our way to the Resort's cafe for our breakfast.

Breakfast was included in the room pricing, and it was at best simple food fare - fried rice, spring-rolls, nuggets, fried egg and all-you-can-drink goat's milk Milo.

I asked the boys to smile nicely for the camera before they tucked in, and this is what I got.

I give up.

And I think Ale shares the same sentiments.

Overall, we did enjoy our last minute 1-night getaway and I reckoned the boys especially loved the activities that came with the Farm Tour. Although Ash keeps reminding me that he still wants to complete the Sheep Challenge!

Food-wise, the Farm Resort offers a full board package so families need not worry about meal options. See a sampling of what food they offer HERE.

We didn't get the full board package though, because we found a restaurant which serves yummy steamboat and other zi-char fare at the nearby Zenxin Organic Park. More about that HERE.

Personally, I felt the Farm Resort was a refreshing change from the usual resorts that we had been to. It isn't exactly 5-star, 4-star or even 3-star accommodation but the farm experience that came with the stay was something I didn't expect to be available in such close proximity to Singapore.

Useful Information

Contact Information: Click HERE
Location Map: Click HERE

GPS Coordinates: N02 01.109 E103 13.117

View more photos of our 1-night Farm Stay at UK Agro Farm Resort, Malaysia 

on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.303226839757592.70136.110845722329039&type=3