MNS Nature Guides, Special Interest Group organized a day trip to the Dato' Henry Barlow's Tea Estate over the weekend. Located in a natural forest backdrop the property cover a sprawling 96 acres of mostly primary forest. Dato' Barlow is famous for his large collection of butterflies and moths which is one of the largest private collection in S E Asia.
The drive to the meeting point at the McD restaurant in Genting Sempah is an easy 45 minutes drive from the city of Kuala Lumpur. From there it's another 20 minutes on mixed tarmac and stone paved road. The main structure as we approached our destination is an elevated mansion built of granite and mortar. Left pretty much in it's original state it has all the English architecture of olde.
Our trek around the estate took about 2 hours. Along the way we were introduced to the variety of flora and fauna all personally selected by Dato' Barlow himself. some trees were planted from seed brought in from South Africa. After the tour it was 'BYO' (bring your own) lunch. Some even brought canvas sheets which they lay out on a cool corner of the lawn. After lunch we were shown the much awaited collection of butterflies and moths we had all come to see. And what a collection it was! I will let the pictures tell the story.
All of us went away happy that we had made this once a year trip. For me it was after two misses. Here are some photos taken during the trip.
Entering the estate's narrow winding road.
Arriving at the main gate
Ascending the concrete steps leading to the mansion
Record numbers , 50 pax in all.
Bloom drenched by the morning's rain
The Man himself - Dato' Henry Barlow
English style living area
Chatting with guests
Giving a brief on the history etc
What has caught the attention of everyone?
Brightly colored bloom.
Briefing taking place at the concrete steps
And moths too
More butterflies
Simple tools of the trade
Exiting the estate at the end of the trip.
The drive to the meeting point at the McD restaurant in Genting Sempah is an easy 45 minutes drive from the city of Kuala Lumpur. From there it's another 20 minutes on mixed tarmac and stone paved road. The main structure as we approached our destination is an elevated mansion built of granite and mortar. Left pretty much in it's original state it has all the English architecture of olde.
Our trek around the estate took about 2 hours. Along the way we were introduced to the variety of flora and fauna all personally selected by Dato' Barlow himself. some trees were planted from seed brought in from South Africa. After the tour it was 'BYO' (bring your own) lunch. Some even brought canvas sheets which they lay out on a cool corner of the lawn. After lunch we were shown the much awaited collection of butterflies and moths we had all come to see. And what a collection it was! I will let the pictures tell the story.
All of us went away happy that we had made this once a year trip. For me it was after two misses. Here are some photos taken during the trip.
Entering the estate's narrow winding road.
Arriving at the main gate
Ascending the concrete steps leading to the mansion
Record numbers , 50 pax in all.
Bloom drenched by the morning's rain
Sprawling lawn outside the mansion
English style living area
Chatting with guests
Giving a brief on the history etc
What has caught the attention of everyone?
Brightly colored bloom.
Briefing taking place at the concrete steps
And moths too
More butterflies
Simple tools of the trade
On the lawn in front of the mansion
Exiting the estate at the end of the trip.
