Musang King
checking…Also: D197, Mao Shan Wang
Flesh: Deep golden yellow
Rich, bittersweet, custard-thick. The one people line up for.
Peak: Best mid-season, June to August on the peninsula. Raub-grown fruit commands the top prices.
The Fastest Way to Find When Durians Are in Season
Checking today's date against the season calendar…
Today:
Durian season in most of peninsular Malaysia runs June to August, with a smaller flush around December to February. Sabah peaks July to October. Sarawak runs the other way: its biggest harvest lands November to January. The exact weeks shift every year because flowering follows the monsoons, so use the live check above and the calendar below rather than fixed dates.
You can find some durian almost any month somewhere in Malaysia. But during peak months stalls overflow, prices drop, and the famous varieties show up in volume. If durian is one of the reasons you are visiting, timing matters more than anything else you plan around it.
Typical pattern for each region. Green = peak harvest, light green = smaller secondary season. The status chip on each row updates to where we are today.
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penang | checking… | ||||||||||||
| Kuala Lumpur & Selangor | checking… | ||||||||||||
| Pahang (Raub & Bentong) | checking… | ||||||||||||
| Johor | checking… | ||||||||||||
| Perak | checking… | ||||||||||||
| East Coast (Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang coast) | checking… | ||||||||||||
| Sabah | checking… | ||||||||||||
| Sarawak | checking… |
Balik Pulau is the famous growing area. Hillside orchards produce Bawang, Black Thorn, and Musang King. The harvest runs May to July, starting earlier than most of the peninsula, and there is little fruit outside those months.
Main: May, Jun, Jul
Urban supply comes from Pahang and Perak orchards. SS2 and Section 17 night markets run durian buffets during peak months.
Main: Jun, Jul, Aug · Secondary: Dec, Jan, Feb
Malaysia’s Musang King heartland. Raub holds a durian festival around July or August when the harvest is at its height.
Main: Jun, Jul, Aug · Secondary: Dec, Jan
Southern supplier for Singapore demand. Seasons can start slightly earlier than the east coast.
Main: Jun, Jul, Aug · Secondary: Nov, Dec
Ipoh and surrounding kampungs supply much of the Klang Valley. Good value during peak.
Main: Jun, Jul, Aug · Secondary: Dec, Jan
The Northeast Monsoon (November to February) makes the coast wet; the harvest lands just after, from May onward.
Main: May, Jun, Jul, Aug · Secondary: Dec, Jan
Borneo runs later than the peninsula. Native wild varieties (tabin, sukun) appear alongside planted D24 and local hybrids.
Main: Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct · Secondary: Jan, Feb
Kuching’s season famously flips the peninsula pattern: the big flush lands at year end. Look for the prized local variety known as ubah hijau.
Main: Nov, Dec, Jan · Secondary: Jun, Jul
Seasons shift year to year with rainfall. Treat this as a planning guide and confirm close to your travel dates. Updated against agricultural agency announcements each season.
What to order in season, from first-timer friendly to connoisseur picks.
Also: D197, Mao Shan Wang
Flesh: Deep golden yellow
Rich, bittersweet, custard-thick. The one people line up for.
Peak: Best mid-season, June to August on the peninsula. Raub-grown fruit commands the top prices.
Flesh: Creamy yellow
Balanced sweet-bitter, very creamy. The classic premium durian before Musang King took the crown.
Peak: Reliable through the whole main season; often the best value among premium types.
Also: D200, Ochee
Flesh: Deep orange, almost red
Intensely sweet with a wine-like finish. Sticky, fine texture.
Peak: Short window late in the season, usually July to September. Penang hillside fruit is the benchmark.
Flesh: Pale yellow
Mild and sweet with little bitterness. A common first durian for newcomers.
Peak: Widely available early in the season.
Flesh: Bright yellow
Small seed, strong bitter kick, fibrous. A connoisseur pick.
Peak: Mid-season, often sold out early at specialist stalls.
Also: D175, Ang Heh
Flesh: Orange-red tinted
Sweet, soft, not too bitter. Penang favourite named for its flesh colour.
Peak: Peaks in Penang around July to August alongside Balik Pulau festival events.
Prices and windows last checked 2026-08-24 by Simply Enak guides (KL & Penang stalls), based on typical patterns from published FAMA/MARDI guidance plus our own market visits.
Pick the month you land in Malaysia. Each panel shows which regions are in season and which varieties should be at the stalls then.
Secondary flush in KL, Pahang, Perak and the east coast; Sarawak is at PEAK. Peninsula fruit is limited and pricier, so Kuching is the place to be.
Mostly imported fruit this month
Tail end of the secondary flush on the peninsula while Sarawak keeps going. Expect slimmer pickings and higher prices outside Borneo.
None this month
Mostly imported fruit this month
The quietest month nationwide. A few farm-gate fruit appear, but most stalls run imported fruit. Not the month to plan a durian trip around.
None this month
Mostly imported fruit this month
Transition month. If the monsoon ended early, Penang can open with first flushes; otherwise stalls still lean on imports. Watch FAMA announcements.
None this month
Mostly imported fruit this month
Season opener. Penang and the east coast start first, with Balik Pulau hillside fruit leading. Early fruit is exciting but pricey and quality is uneven.
Peak builds across the peninsula. Supply thickens week by week and prices fall from early-season highs. Musang King and D24 arrive in volume.
Heart of the season everywhere on the peninsula. Raub hits its festival window and Black Thorn starts appearing at specialist stalls.
Last big peninsula month. Black Thorn is at its best and end-of-season deals appear as supply thins. Go now if you want volume and value.
The peninsula winds down; Sabah takes over at full peak. Penang Black Thorn stragglers are worth hunting, but the epicentre moves to Borneo.
Sabah closing month. Peninsula off-season begins in earnest, with only scattered farm-gate fruit and imports.
Mostly imported fruit this month
Transition month. Johor starts its secondary flush and Sarawak opens its big season. Still thin on the peninsula.
Mostly imported fruit this month
Secondary flush in KL, Pahang, Perak and the east coast, while Sarawak peaks. A genuinely good month if you are heading to Kuching.
Mostly imported fruit this month
Five checks at the stall, in order.
A ripe durian smells strong but sweet along the seams of the husk. No smell means under-ripe; a sour, alcoholic edge means fermented past its best.
A gentle shake should give a faint thud of flesh moving. Loud sloshing means the flesh has pulled away from an over-mature husk.
Plump, rounded thorns with some space between them usually signal thick flesh. Sharp, dense, crowded thorns often mean thin flesh inside.
A fresh, green-cut stem means recently harvested. Dry, cracked stems mean the fruit sat around losing aroma.
Stalls open the fruit for you on the spot. If the flesh looks watery or the husk rattles loose, they will swap it. This is normal, ask for it.
During season, Simply Enak runs a Georgetown night food tour with guided durian tasting, five Balik Pulau varieties with a guide who knows which stall is selling honestly that week. Outside season the regular evening food tours still run; ask about durian availability when you book at simplyenak.com.
Most of peninsular Malaysia gets one main durian season from June to August, with a smaller secondary flush from December to February. Sabah peaks July to October, and Sarawak flips the pattern with its biggest harvest from November to January. Exact weeks shift each year with rainfall, which is why this page shows a live answer instead of fixed dates.
You can find some durian in most months somewhere in Malaysia, but supply swings hard. In peak months stalls overflow and prices drop; in off months good fruit is scarce and expensive. If eating durian is the point of your trip, time it to the season.
June to August on the peninsula, when Raub and Pahang orchards harvest in volume. Prices ease as supply peaks, usually July. Sarawak and Sabah windows differ, so check the region table above.
Durian flowering follows rainfall patterns tied to the monsoons. A wetter or drier than usual monsoon shifts flowering by weeks, which shifts the harvest. Agricultural agencies announce expected seasons shortly before they begin; treat any fixed calendar as a guide, not a guarantee.
Balik Pulau in Penang and Raub in Pahang are the famous orchard regions. In cities, night markets such as SS2 in Petaling Jaya run dedicated durian stalls through peak season. On a Simply Enak food tour in Georgetown, durian tasting is part of the route during season.
Smell for sweetness at the seams, listen for a soft thud when shaken, look for plump spaced-out thorns, and check that the stem looks freshly cut. Our picking guide above walks through each sign. And let the stall open the fruit in front of you so a bad one gets swapped.