Dan's Adventure

Taman Negara is the world’s oldest tropical rainforest and has been a national park since 1938 when it was named King George V National Park until Malaysia gained independence. The park is huge, encompassing three separate states and a total area of over 4000 square kilometres. Taman Negara is home to a vast range of wildlife from tigers to rhinos to exotic birds, but for the average visitor, long tail monkeys, ants and lizards are probably all that you will see.

I made my way to Jerantut from which there are two ways of reaching Taman Negara. You can either take the bus to Kuala Tahan or you can take a boat. Both options take two to two and a half hours. On my way there I took the boat option, as usual it was the typical Asian long tail boat that made its way ever so slowly along the river to Kuala Tahan. Whichever option you take, make sure you go as early as possible to avoid the peak of the heat. The boat there was in the middle of the afternoon so I fell asleep and woke up with a nice red arm that had been left dangling in the sun.

Kuala Tahan is a village that serves no other purpose than as an access point to Taman Negara. All along the river front are floating restaurants, all offering the same menu and same high prices. I didn’t have a single decent meal whilst I was there. Kuala Tahan offers several budget accommodation options, from the noisy hostel just up from the river to quiet bungalows set back a bit from the village. There is also the option to camp if you have your own tent or can find one to rent that has all the poles. There is no accommodation within Taman Negara itself, but there are hides which can be slept in.

The park head quarters are located across the river from Kuala Tahan, so a short boat ride is required to get there. Before you can enter the park you must obtain a permit (and a camera permit) from the head quarters. Surprisingly, the cost of these is minimal, but it is advisable to get these the night before you want to enter the park to avoid queues in the morning.

Most visitors to Taman Negara don’t stray too far from the park’s head quarters. There are several trails nearby and a couple of companies more than happy to lead the way. For these trails a guide is not necessary, they are well sign posted and the most difficult part is coping with the humidity! Around the head quarters the park is very busy, especially the canopy walk which is claimed to be the longest in the world. I waited close to 40 minutes for my turn to start the canopy walk and then quickly wished that I hadn’t bothered. It was just too busy. Before you can take a step, you need to wait on the person on front of you to move. Still, it was nice to see the forest floor from above.

Further afield it is very unlikely that you will see anyone. There are plenty of day treks that are manageable without a guide. Most are over rugged terrain, with the path disappearing at times, so a bit more challenging than those close to the park entrance. Tour companies offer the opportunity to take you even further into the park with 2 to 3 day treks, but after my experience of trekking in northern Thailand I chose not to take this option.

Taman Negara is a great place to trek in Malaysia, but the humidity is a killer. Just 30 minutes after setting out I was soaked through with sweat. What should be an easy 10km walk ends up taking all day because of the heat. The park is extremely popular with tourists and Malaysians alike. I was there over Chinese New Year and the place was mobbed, so if you are going over a holiday, it is advisable to book accommodation in advance.