Take The Path Less Ordinary

This post attempts to give you a quick one-page overview of Taman Negara travels.

History

Taman Negara was originally gazetted under colonial British government in 1925 as wildlife sanctuary and named Gunung Tahan Game Reserve. Initially, it only covered 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) forested land area. Later, it was renamed as King George V Park to commemorate England’s King George’s Silver Jubilee. After Malaysia’s independence, the Taman Negara moniker – meaning national park – was bestowed and today, the park has expanded to cover 4,343 square kilometers (1,676 square miles, about 6 times the size of Singapore) of land area that straddles between Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan states.

Towns and places linked to Taman Negara

One of the key reasons for Taman Negara’s popularity is its closeness to capital Kuala Lumpur. 99% of tourists enter Taman Negara through Kuala Tahan, although there are 3 other unsung gateways, namely Merapoh, Tanjung Mentong and Kuala Koh that can offer better scenery and jungle thrills. Hence, do take Kuala Tahan with a pinch of salt as it is anything but off-the-beaten-path. That said, it is still a nice place for beginners to skimp the jungle and not having to worry about getting lost.

Here a road map of towns and hamlets that connect to Taman Negara to help you get your bearings right …

Kuala Tahan gateway

Most travellers, especially ones on tour packages, are duped into believing the only way to reach “wild interior” of Kuala Tahan gateway is by chartered boat at Kuala Tembeling.

Well, the fact is, Kuala Tahan has a population of 5,000 and you CAN drive into the park yourself. There is a rural road (C163) that takes one straight to Kuala Tahan village side from Kuala Tembeling, about 80km drive, where most budget hotels and chalets are found (DIY travellers, pay attention to this!) The road is a good option if you arrive Kuala Tembeling late and there’s no boat available.

The river bank of Kuala Tahan - Don’t let these low key “floating” restaurants fool you. Believe in or not, they are fronts for turbo-charged businesses that have the entire Taman Negara tourism industry tucked in their web and transact hundreds of visitors everyday. Apart from offering meals and rest overs, one can arrange for tour packages, van/boat transfers, guides and just about anything to make you stay longer. They offer a wide range of options, competitive deals (not necessary the best) and accommodation arrangement if you decide to drop in last minute.

Making your way to Kuala Tahan jetty

Boats from Kuala Tembeling jetty leave at 9.00am and 2.00pm daily on a first come first serve basis. After 2pm, you can try your luck with vans which usually wait for passengers near Kuala Tembeling jetty. Mind you, we have even hitched a ride on a school bus for a small fee.

Important - If you have bladder control issues, take a leak at Kuala Tembeling before the boat ride. The journey takes about 3 hours to reach Kuala Tahan park office. Boats are small, have little leg room and if it rains, you’ll be soaked. Prepare to rough it out.

What’s the drill?

What separates expensive and shoestring budget packages in Taman Negara are choices of accommodation and food. Apart from that, everyone is funneled into the same conveyor belt to-dos and trails. If you’re on a typical 3D/2N, your itinerary would most probably include these spots located near the park office ….

1. Gua Telinga cave - 1 hr darkness to view bats
2. Canopy walk - 1 hr, 550m walk across 9 platforms with 8 suspended bridges.
3. Uphill trek to scale Teresek Hill (340m). 2hrs or so, depending on your fitness.
4. Rapid shooting at upstream Tembeling river. 1-2hr.
5. Video show at park office, 1hr, usually held at night.
6. Visit a settlement to see how Orang Asli aborigines from Batek tribe start fire using primitive tools. 1-2 hr. (Expect a strange feeling that the Batek are paid by tour operators to “disney-fied” a villagy settlement but hey, real ones are deep in the jungle. It will need more than 3D/2N and cost more to go deeper).

The Canopy Walk is a popular must-go and easy enough to DIY. As the 550m hanging bridge is anchored on platforms and divided into 8 spans, visitors are cautioned not to overload the spans by walking in large group.

For those who pay a more and stay a few nights, these excursions may be included ….

7. Some dipping time at Abai waterfall.
8. Night walk to view owls and insects. 2hrs.
9. Boat trip along Tahan river to Berkoh waterfall. 2-3hrs.
10. “Kelah” fish, endangered Malayan Masheer, viewing at Melantai Camp sanctuary, upstream Tahan river. 3-4hrs.
11. Overnight stays at one of the many hides that dots Tenor and Keniam trails. Your chances of spotting wildlife are better in hides that are further away from Kuala Tahan.
12. Trek Kuala Terenggan - Hulu Tembeling to see 4 different caves that fringe the trail.

Touted as “king of the rivers”, the Malayan Masheer or “kelah” is a good biological indicator as it can only thrive in water that is high in disolved oxygen. Overfishing in Taman Negara has drastically declined “kelahs” population and Melantai Camp sanctuary is one such effort to conserve wild stock.

Tour packages aside, for those on budget or would like to wing it, don’t fret. Kuala Tahan is just the place for you (with the exception of local school holidays, of course). The hard part is making the Jerantut-Kuala Tembeling-Kuala Tahan journey. Once you get there, remember that upscale hotels are on park office’s side of the river and cheapo stays are on Kuala Tahan village side of the riverbank. Between them is just a RM1 boat ride. Either side is riot of short tours you can book on the fly. Taman Negara is also slewed with marked trails for DIY hiking.

Do I really need a tour package ?

If you have kids in tow, yes. If you’re short of time, yes. If you have money to spare, double yes, and remember to make sure your package pampers you with overnights at topnotch Mutiara Taman Negara Resort. For everyone else, it depends on your interest and whether you’re a rainforest virgin.

Travelers who have visited other national parks in SE Asia will find Taman Negara a tad beaten. The population in Kuala Tahan village itself is roughly 5,000. So one can expect a certain level of modernity and development after 30 years of hosting thousands of visitors. As long as one has no trouble with hotel/chalets, one can self-guide to places like canopy walk (opens 9am-2pm), Teresek uphill hike, nightly video show at park office and as mentioned earlier, Taman Negara is brimming with well scrubbed trails. Special excursions such as Berkoh waterfall and 4×4 night safari can be arranged at floating restaurants fronting Kuala Tahan riverbank.

Entrance and permit fees

Fees are payable at park offices found at respective gateways.
Entry permit - RM 1.00 per person
Camera licence - RM 5.00 per camera
Fishing license - RM 10.00 per fishing rod
Camping Fee - RM 2.00 per person
Canopy Walk -RM 5.00 per person

Tour and services fees - It pays to make friends with fellow travelers when making your way to Taman Negara because most tour packages and services are quoted on the basis of minimum 4 persons. So, solo travelers, put on some charm. All tours and services can be arranged at floating restaurants.

Kuala Lumpur China Town - Kuala Tembeling by coach - RM40
Jerantut - Kuala Tembeling by mini bus - RM5
Kuala Tembeling - Kuala Tahan / Taman Negara by boat - RM35
Kuala Tahan - Cameron Highland by van - RM90
Kuala Tahan - Kuala Besut Jetty (en-route Perhentians) by van - RM90
Kuala Tahan - Kota Bahru by van - RM90

Jungle Trek, Canopy Walk and Teresek Hill - RM35, departure 9:30am
Night Jungle Walk - RM25, departure 9pm
Night Safari on 4×4 vehicle - RM40, departure 8:30pm
Night Safari on boat - RM40, departure 9pm
Rapid Shooting on boat - RM40, departure 10am and 3pm
Gua Telinga Cave exploration - RM45, departure 10am and 3pm
Orang Asli Village visitation - RM45, departure 3:30pm

Will I see wildlife in Kuala Tahan ?

The simple answer is rarely if the package you booked is on average price range. Tahan hide is a short walk from park office and tour operators herd visitors there by 10:30pm, in the hope of spotting some nocturnal wildlife. Sadly, visitors are often disappointed as wildlife know the place well enough to stay away. (TIP: The next time you walk into a rain forest, look around and try spotting leeches. If you don’t see any, it means there is no wildlife around to support the appetite of these critters - it’s pure logic).

If everything else fail, there are bats. These winged mammals are the only guaranteed sightings as far as wildlife watching is concerned. Most 3d/2n or 2d/1n overnight tour packages will include a hike to Gua Telinga cave, a popular hangout for local bats - droppings inclusive.

To really catch a glimpse of wildlife, higher priced specialist excursions to Tabing, Yong, Belau, Kumbang and Chegar Anjing hides which are located in less touristy sites should be to arranged in advance.

How physical can the place get ?

You can expect to walk at the speed of 2-3 km per hour flat terrain and roughly 1 km per hour on steeps. The thing you should be aware of is the heat and humidity. If you can jog 3km without breaking a sweat, Malaysian rainforest will have you drenched after the first 500m. Anything more than 10km is a sweltering march. Thinking of climbing Mount Tahan (2187 m), the highest peak in peninsular Malaysia? It’s 55km of uphill hike from Kuala Tahan - you do the maths.