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ALOR GAJAH - Imagine savouring the rich flavour of freshly fallen durians beneath the shade of durian trees, while occasionally turning your attention to the antics of rabbits, goats and meerkats housed at a nearby mini zoo, all set against the lush greenery of an orchard.
This unique experience, which goes beyond the usual orchard visit that typically ends at the dining table or with visitors relaxing under the trees while enjoying durians, is now being offered through the distinctive concept introduced by Duta Riang Villa here.
Spanning 42 acres (16.997 hectares) and home to about 1,600 durian trees, the destination offers visitors the chance to enjoy the King of Fruits while spending quality time with family or friends through various recreational activities, including visiting the mini zoo, archery and ATV rides.
Its director, Koh Kai Xiang, said the approach was developed to provide visitors with more choices while ensuring that the destination remained attractive even outside the durian season.
"Besides the durian orchard, agro and nature elements are incorporated through the mini zoo and ATV activities. We are selling an experience, not just fruit. Apart from enjoying fresh fruit, visitors can explore various other activities, and they are also interested in learning how to choose good-quality fruit as well as food safety aspects.
"You are what you eat. Every customer should know what fruit they are being served, its quality and food safety, especially durian, which is the ‘King of Fruits’," he told Bernama during the Melaka Surreal Durian Experience 2026 programme organised by Tourism Malaysia Southern Region recently.
For this reason, Duta Riang Villa, which began operations in 2025, places emphasis on ensuring that visitors return home not only with exciting experiences but also with knowledge about the King of Fruits.
With opportunities to gain a closer look at the world of durian cultivation, including learning about the various varieties of the popular fruit and how the trees are cared for at different stages of growth, Koh said the approach would give visitors a clearer understanding of the fruit.
"Some customers who have visited during the durian season return the following season, especially after being satisfied with the quality and safety of the fruit offered,” he said, adding that Duta Riang Villa also receives tourists from abroad, including South Korea.
Sharing more insights into the intricacies of durian cultivation, orchard worker Ahmad Safwan Fathi Zainuddin said each variety had a different maturation period and time of falling, with Musang King and Udang Merah typically falling earlier than Black Thorn.
"The care of the trees also depends on weather conditions and the stage of growth, including during flowering, fruit-setting and fruit-development stages. At this orchard, Black Thorn and Musang King are among the main varieties planted, alongside Kim Hong and Udang Merah,” he said.
Ahmad Safwan, who has worked there for a year, said one of the orchard’s unique features was its grafting technique, which allows two durian varieties to grow on the same tree, such as Kim Hong on the lower section and Musang King on the upper section, while sharing the same root system.
"It is the same tree, with Kim Hong at the bottom and Musang King at the top. The grafted Kim Hong and Musang King tree also has the potential to produce larger fruit compared with ordinary trees.
"Musang King can also have different shapes, sometimes round and sometimes elongated,” he said, adding that the durian season in Melaka typically peaks from May and continues until July, depending on the conditions in a particular season. - BERNAMA