Kuala Tahan Experience 2019

Imagine sleeping on a sandbank by a river, listening to the flow of the water cascaded through the rocks; and when one looked out of the tent in a pitch-black night, one could see the sky full of stars. There were no cars, no pollution, only the sound of insects and animals ... that was the serene life of this camping trip in the wilderness of Kuala Tahan, Taman Negara, from 3 – 5 May 2019.

Do view photos below courtesy of yours truly, KC Leong:

CLICK HERE for Highlights Album (53 photos) – A summary of the photos;

CLICK HERE for Detail Album (163 photos) – The rest of the photos (note: photos in Highlight Album are NOT repeated in the Detail Album). 

 Arriving at the jetty of Kuala Tahan, one hour journey from the nearest town, Jerantut. (left) KC Leong, TehWE, Michelle Wong, Emily Kam, ChongYF, SC Yong, Kellie Wong, Shu-Lin, Cleo (not in the photo: Josephine Hoh)

 Arriving at the campsite

Weather – In April 2019 where we experienced 11 days of heavy rain and 10 days of light drizzle resulted in flooding at many places in Kuala Lumpur, surprising it was quite dry over here in Kuala Tahan. Hence, the boat could not reach the previous camp site due to shallow water level. On Day 1 evening, the sunset was fantastic with the vibrant orange hue; not only on the west side, but reflected on the east end also. It rained at 3pm on Day 2 but for a short span of 20 minutes; everyone has to check and wipe the tents dry.  

Pitching of tents – instead of everyone setting up his or her tent, we used the gotong-royong method where a few would help to set up the tents one at a time.

 Gotong-royong in setting up the tents

Cooking – Adi and Jennifer, the Event Coordinator/ Provider, would provide a BBQ meal on Day 2 evening, or provide the add-on meals separately; or one can opt to cook on their own. 

Through experience, it is good to form a small team with guys and gals together. So ChongYF, Shu-Lin, Emily and I were on one team. While ChongYF and I were busy setting up toilet tent and clotheslines, the ladies were busy cooking meal. And when the meal was ready, Emily would shout our names at the top of her lungs as we were at the far end of the campsite still busy working. When I was small, running around in the neighbourhood, my mother would do the same when dinner was ready – a fond memory of my childhood.

They quipped that make sure ladies that could cook are identified; otherwise, not only that the guys would have to set up toilet tent, clotheslines, but still have to cook 😊

 Taking a dip in the river; the water is slightly warm (unlike the mountain water that is much colder)

Places that we have visited in this trip:

Canopy Walkway (closed for many months);

Bukit Terisek;

Lubuk Simpon;

Taman Negara Park Centre;

Orang asli settlement;

Boat cruise to Lata Berkoh rapid;

Santuari Kelah.

 Spectacular sunset with the vibrant orange hue

Team members:

KC Leong (organizer), ChongYF, SC Yong, TehWE; Emily Kam, Lim Shu-Lin, Michelle Wong, Kellie Wong, Josephine Hoh, and Cleo.

Event Coordinator/Provider: Adi and Jennifer; if you would like to experience the nice camping site and the nature, do contact Adi at +6011-3756 2106

 Relaxing and chatting on the sandy ground in the evening (Michelle, Kellie, Shu-Lin)

 Day 2 morning going to Canopy Walkway (but it was closed for many months already), and hike to Bukit Terisek

 At Lubuk Simpon ... white sandy beach and brown-looking water (actually, the water is clear)

 Yummy BBQ dinner with grilled chicken drumsticks prepared by Adi and Jennyfer

 Day 3 morning ... preparing breakfast by Emily, Shu-Lin, Kellie

 Visit of orang asli settlement; Michelle trying on the deadly blowpipe

 Exciting boat cruise to Lata Berkoh rapid and Santuari Kelah; the water is shallow and with rocks beneath. So the boatmen have to steer clear of the rock.

 Having a dip in the water at Lata Berkoh rapid; after the previous day's rain, the river water is muddy.

 Having our lunch at Santuari Kelah. We returned to the jetty at 3pm, and we could not find any public toilet to refresh - there was no water! We have to drive all the way to Termerloh Toll Plaza to take bath, almost 2 hours' drive away.

Dinner at Bukkit Tinggi (7:30pm) Restaurant 126 ... delicious and reasonable price: for seven dishes (3 dishes of meat), per pax is only RM13.50 (this is the cheapest meal that I have ever come across eating in Chinese restaurants) 

Do click here to view my previous trip at Kuala Tahan 3D2N camping in September 2018.

Posted by KC Leong

Jungle Experience at Kuala Tahan

Imagine a white sandy campsite located just next to a riverbank, and next to the campiste is the edge of the millions year-old tropical rainforests. We were camping at this unique campsite for the 3D2N, back-to-nature experience at Kuala Tahan in Taman Negara from 22 to 24 September 2018.

Do CLICK HERE to view photos courtesy of yours truly, KC Leong.

 Arriving at the campsite

The Kuala Tahan experience was really an enjoyable one. I told Encik Adi, the friendly organizer who speaks fluent English, that we would come back again during dry weather, with a bigger group. It is a lot of work for the organizer who would undertake to set up the community tent and cook for the team members. He also planned and synchornized with the boatmen to take the group to the various parts of the national park. Encik Adi can be contacted at +6014-735 5140

 The community tent set up by Encik Adi (left) and for cooking use

Activities and experiences:

a. Camping – a wonderful and peaceful experience camping at this nice campsite;

b. Canopy Walk – strolled along this long suspension bridge on the treetops high above the ground, termed as one of the world's longest and highest canopy walks;

c. Bukit Teresek – hiked up one of the trails where one can see Gunung Tahan;

d. Dark-brown reflection of the water – a unique sight of Tahan River;

e. Boat cruise to Lata Berkoh – exciting boat journey where the boatmen would steer the longboat to avoid hitting the huge rocks and big fallen tree trunks submerged under the shallow water; 

 Getting ready to visit the Taman Negara national park

f.  Lata Berkoh cascades – relaxed in the water and enjoyed the rapids while having our tea and snacks there;

g. Kelah Sanctuary Lubok Tenor – feeding the many big fishes at the sanctuary area; 

h. Visit Bateq Tribe orang asli settlement – watched demonstrations of traditional hunting methods using blow pipes, and setting up fire the nature way. The orang asli speak Bahasa M'sia; they have dark skin with short and tight curly hair, and live a nomadic lifestyle in Taman Negara;

i. Swimming in the river – anytime of the day for a true jungle experience.

 The canopy walkway ... (left) ChongYF, Kenneth, ChuahTK, KC Leong, Jennifer, Adi  ... not in the photo: Josephine Hoh

Hornbills – it was a rare experience witnessing hornbills flying high above us, even higher than the tallest trees. First, we could hear the unique and loud chirp even before they arrived. Looking into the sky, we could see the three birds flying in a straight line, almost of the same distance apart. In the evening around 7:00 p.m., the three birds would return home by flying in southward direction; and at 7:00 a.m. the following morning, they would fly in westward direction – exactly of the same flight path. We quipped that they were going to office to work in the morning, and flying home in the evening guided by their in-built GPS navigation system.

 Group photo at Bukit Terisek with two Cambodian ladies (left, 4th and 5th)

 Chong YF taking a dip in the river at Lubuk Simpon

 Visiting Bateq tribe orang asli settlement

 The flat and sandy campsite with a commanding view of Tahan River

 Preparing BBQ dinner by Adi and Jennifer 

 The trees in this national park are huge

 Getting down from the boat for a short walk to Lata Berkoh

 Just like in a drawing

 Lata Berkoh cascades

We met Laura en Janita and sister who are from Nethelands. After the Taman Negara trip, they would visit Cameron Highland en route to Langkawi.

Kuala Tahan jetty ... for overnight stay in the park, it is advisable not to park the cars here as the area may be flooded after heavy rain

For those who would like to visit Kuala Tahan and see the wonders of nature, one can stay in Mutiara Taman Negara, a 3-star resort, which is opposite the river. Crossing the river by boat is RM1 per person. Alternatively, one can also stay in the many hostels or homestays on this side of the river.

Kuala Tahan Jetty GPS Coordinates:

4°23'00.9"N 102°24'04.3"E

4.383582, 102.401194

Travelling time from Kuala Lumpur to the jetty is about 3 hr 30 minutes; nearest town to the jetty is Jerantut which is one hour's drive away.

Posted by KC Leong