Do you love dragon fruit? It’s not surprising if you do. Nowadays, it’s rather popular due to its apparent health and nutritional benefits. It is even seeing increasing sales outside its native Asia. Hence, if you happen to need your dragon fruit fix, there’s no reason not to visit HL Dragon Fruit Eco Farm, home to the world’s largest dragon fruit… building.
Welcome to the farm
Image Credit: Tey Wee Lik on Google Review (Left), HL Eco Farm (Right)
Located an hour’s drive away from Kuala Lumpur, the farm is the third largest in Asia. Its story began in 2014 when Sam Chia and his wife, Lydia Goh, decided to start a venture with dragon fruit. The little farm has since transformed into a popular agrotourism spot, with busloads of visitors coming by regularly.
Four types
Image Credit: HL Eco Farm (Left), Beauty of Life with Jo (Right)
On the farm, you can find about four types of dragon fruits being cultivated. These are Red Ruby, Yellow King, Honey White and Pink Ruby. How can you tell these apart? Appearances and shapes, in general. For example, the Red Ruby, the most popular of the four, has a roundish shape and a very sweet taste.
The Yellow King, on the other hand, has a sourish-sweetish taste and an unsurprising yellow hue. Meanwhile, the Honey White looks quite similar to the Red Ruby on the inside but has white flesh rather than red and is more ovalish.
The Pink Ruby is in between the Red Ruby and Honey White in terms of sweetness and has pinkish flesh. This variant is the result of cross-pollination efforts and is like the farm’s own baby.
If you are ever worried about visiting when it’s not the fruiting season, don’t worry. Dragon fruit trees, especially those bearing Red Rubies, fruit year-round. They do grow best in hot weather, with the Malaysian dry spell lasting from July to September. If conditions are right, the farm can harvest up to 10,000 fruits. Fun fact: Dragon fruit flowers bloom only for a single night, before wilting before sunrise.
The record-breaker
Image Credit: Ruby Abd Wahab on Google Review (Left), HL Eco Farm (Right)
Visitors to the farm can freely roam an area of approximately three acres, with a thousand trees growing on the site. At the centre of this explorable area, though, is a gigantic dragon fruit-shaped building.
In fact, its size is the reason why the farm is on both the Malaysian Book of Records and the Guinness Book of Records. Who knew this was here of all places?
The building is not for decoration and actually houses a mini-museum. The museum is decorated with glow-in-the-dark murals detailing the history of the farm as well as the agricultural district it is located in.
You can also climb all the way to the top of the nine-metre tall building, which acts as a viewing platform. It is a perfect place for a photographer to get a good shot of the scenery.
Fruit-themed restaurant
Image Credit: HL Eco Farm
After lots of walking, you must be tired and hungry. The farm has its own restaurant, with many of its pork-free dishes having dragon fruit as an ingredient. This includes the Dragon Nasi Lemak, with the rice having a bright pink colour and a fruity taste.
Another favourite worth trying is the Jumbo Dragon, consisting of chicken curry being cooked inside a loaf of dragon-fruit-flavoured bread. For refreshments, check out the Dragon’s Breath, a fruity smoothie with dry ice for the cool factor.
Check out the shop
Image Credit: HL Eco Farm
And before you call it a day, check out the shop close to the entrance and exit of the farm. Here you can good deals on dragon fruits and dragon fruit products, as well as test a few samples of the farm’s fruits. What better way to end your visit than by bringing home some delicious dragon fruits?
HL Dragon Fruit Eco Farm
Address: Lot 7608, Jalan Besar Batu Satu, Kampung Baharu Sepang, 43900 Sepang, Selangor
Contact: 011-35287687
Website: hlinternationalgroup.com.my
You should also check out: Not the mall again! Here’s 5 farms in KL & Selangor to switch up your weekend plans.
Feature Image Credit: Kano KY on Google Review (Left), HL Eco Farm (Right)
