Review & Tips: Taman Negara, Malaysia

Please be aware that these posts don't provide comprehensive, guide book level information. We're not claiming a lack of bias either ;) These overviews are simply a record of our experience which we post in the hope that they may occasionally provide more up to date, specific or detailed information than you've been able to find elsewhere...

Taman Negara. It's big. It's real big. It's adventurous too, but remember that Indiana Jones had to spend a lot of time trudging up hills and getting slosh in his boots before he stumbled on the Temple of Doom. In other words, the cool stuff is here but you have to work for it. Don't forget your park and camera permits, you are required to carry them in the park at all times and the fine is steep if you don't have them. Park permit = MYR2.00 per person, Camera permit = MYR5.00 per camera, available from travel agents before arriving or park headquarters on arrival.

Getting There:

Get yourself to Jerantut (the jumping off point for the park) by train, bus or minibus transfer. Check Doug's Kota Bharu review for info on the Jungle Railway if you're coming from there.

The morning train from Kota Bharu arrives in time to direct transfer to Kuala Tahan (Taman Negara base camp) by the afternoon boat/minibus, which would get you there just before dark, otherwise you can overnight in Jerantut and head to the park in the morning.

We organised our travel to the park in Jerantut, through NKS - an affiliate of Sri Emas hotel across from Jerantut station. NKS seem to have cornered the budget travel market for the park with offices in Jerantut, Kuala Tembeling (the jetty) and the park itself. All the prices quoted for transport and activities here are NKS prices. Check their website for changes.

If you're coming direct from Kuala Lumpur, the minibus transfer from KL to Kuala Tembeling (jetty for boat ride to Taman Negara) costs 35RM each

From Jerantut you can choose to go to Kuala Tahan direct by minibus (MYR50.00 each return) OR by minibus transfer to Kuala Tembeling then riverboat transfer to Kuala Tahan.

We took a minibus to Kuala Tembeling jetty for MYR5.00 each. The boats from there to the park take 3 hours and leave at 9am and 2pm. The river journey is great, but be sure to use the toilet before leaving - it's a long ride! Boat costs MYR25.00 each, MYR50.00 open dated return.

You can leave the park the same way, or you can go direct by minibus to the Cameron Highlands or Tok Bali jetty (Perhentians) for MYR55.00 each.

We left by minibus back to Jerantut (you don't have an option if you want same day transfer to Perhentians or Cameron Highlands), but the bus was in bad shape and took almost as long as it would have to go back the way we came...

Accommodation:

Jerantut: Hotel Sri Emas, fan room with hot shower and perhaps the worst double bed on the face of the planet - it was more like a hammock than a bed - and you need to be careful on the poorly lit stairs. Apart from that, Sri Emas was quite cheap and very clean (contrary to LP guide) and good value at MYR25.00 per night for a double. If you need aircon, rooms available over the road at the NKS hotel.

Kuala Tahan: Park Lodge, MYR50.00 per night for quite decent, slightly musty smelling chalets with shared verandahs, paper thin walls and slippery bathrooms. If you're travelling with electronic devices it's nice to have 2 power points though! Beds were a bit... itchy. Not sure if those little critters flew or crawled in - they were certainly small enough to have negotiated the insect screens...

The folks at Park Lodge were absolutely lovely, and the lodge has a nice common area and fascinating gardens, good cheap food and breakfast is included. It's perhaps a bit far away from town but you're going to need hiking practice for the park anyway :p . Park Lodge offer vehicle transfers which could have been a bit more frequent/reliable, but what the hey - they're free! It was very quiet when we were there but would fill up quickly in season . The friendly++ owners go out of their way to help any way they can. They've also got the sweetest cheeky kitten you're ever likely to play with.

Ecoton Lodge. Next class up from Park Lodge and right down close to the river, very convenient to shops, floating restaurants, jetty, river crossings etc. We saw them fumigating everything in the rooms, which could be good or bad. Rooms looked nice inside. Roosters will wake you up. MYR90.00 for an aircon double.

Cheap guesthouses line the riverfront, just pick some stairs and follow the path to your choice! They're available from MYR20.00/night.

On the other side of the river far from the madding crowds is Taman Mutiara Resort. It's a typical resort with all the facilities you'll pay through the nose for. The cocktails we sampled were ordinary and overpriced - though irresistible after a long walk. The staff didn't seem very friendly though. Maybe that's 'cause they knew we were interlopers ;). The resort apparently doesn't like visitors and annoying "Guests Only" signs were posted on all the walk paths through the place to the public trails behind and next to it. Rooms looked pretty ordinary and small for the price – starts at MYR180.00/night for the cheapest.

If you want the camping experience you could do as a Dutch couple we met did and take a tent and some supplies upriver to Kuala Trenggan, where there's an abandoned resort whose timber chalets are in the process of being reclaimed by the jungle. Boats pass regularly for resupply and there's still a few intact verandahs if you find your tent's not coping with a tropical downpour. It's a great location high above the river bend and best of all it cost our Dutch friends MYR1.00 per night to stay there!

Eating & Drinking:

Our guesthouse (Park Lodge), yum! Lots of cute little floating restaurants with the basics (all the same, nothing flash but very cheap), the resort for something nicer. Floating restaurants are great for cheap, utterly enormous ice fruit shakes you could drown in. Convenience stores in town on the roads back from the main jetty stairs are quite expensive with not a lot of choice. Park Lodge served beer but otherwise the village is apparently dry and alcohol available only at the resort. Try the curried veggies at Park Lodge, who have a great menu with good vegetarian options.

Facilities:

Park headquarters located at the back of the Taman Mutiara resort. Just follow the paths back from the river crossing stairs. You can hire tents, sleeping bags and other camping equipment there as well as find maps and book hides. Internet is a lot cheaper than LP Guide claims - 5RM/hour at Rivernet, just follow the paths along the river (up the stairs of course!) till you see the satellite dish and the signs - and reasonable speed. No banks, no money changing at the village. River crossings are signposted from the floating restaurants opposite the Mutiara Resort stairway, MYR1.00 per person per crossing.

Activities:

You can book all your activities at NKS Travel (www.taman-negara-nks.com) before you go or at their floating restaurant/office after you arrive, but asking around at your guesthouse, along the riverfront and checking prices at the various restaurants will find you the things you want to do at cheaper prices (unless your guesthouse is NKS affiliated, like Park Lodge).

Options include "rapids shooting" which even after so much rain was still very ordinary excitement-wise, though it was a nice trip upriver. If you are catching a boat to one of the upriver hides/treks you'll do the same thing and actually get somewhere. MYR30.00

Hides: We didn't see any animals but the noise was amazing and it's something that you should experience at least once. Didn't honestly see the difference between the "close" hide (Bumbun Blau) and Bumbun Kumbang, except that the former was better kept. I was glad we took the sleeping bags and packed food from guesthouse. Honestly there's not much difference in how far from "civilisation" they are. Sightings are reportedly more common at Kumbang but I'm skeptical. Boat ride to Trenggan, 1 hour walk from Bumbun Kumbang is MYR80-90 each way (90 through NKS, we got it a bit cheaper). Our boatman was very good and is known by the name of "Dee". He said he was working with a conservation group to help beat an elephant path back from Kumbang hide. Very knowledgable, friendly and happy to tell you a little extra. MYR5.00 booking fee at park headquarters for hides. You can read about our night at the hide here. Incidentally, if you bargain for those river trips you could probably get a much better deal than we did. Dee also told us that the locals favourite camping spot is a mountain just upriver on the same bank as Kuala Tahan, though I've forgotten the name – ugh. He told us guides to the top could be hired from in town.

Day and night jungle "walks" and safaris: Nothing you couldn't find by yourself with a simple map, a flashlight and your eyes open. MYR20-30

Cave exploration – Gua Telingga: This cave is slippery and tight. Not for the faint of heart. Don't go without a guide. It is smelly and more difficult and squeezy than it sounds. Not for bigger people, as a skeletally thin Swedish woman so kindly pointed out to me... grrrr. I prefer to save cave exploration for somewhere open and cool :p MYR40.00

Orang Asli tours: Many people love these. Includes blowpipe dart demo. You can see the camps from your boat on any river trip or by yourself if you take a walk that goes near Gua Telingga cave - but unless you introduce yourself the villagers will ignore you. MYR40.00

Real inner jungle walks: Overnight treks up to 4 days. 2 trek options of varying lengths. Both sound good. We met Aaron, an American who was on one, in Bumbun Kumbang. He missed out on his final day of trekking because the river came up too high. He looked exhausted but was very happy with his trek, despite not seeing any wildlife either. It was just him and his guide hiking as quietly as possible, too. These hikes are cheap for large groups, but the larger your group the less likely you are to encounter wildlife! MYR118.00 for four or more people on Keniam Trail overnight stay, up to 1220.00 for 3 nights on the Tenor trail. You better be keen... There's also a much longer trek (9 days) to the summit of Gunung Tahan available. It's said you're guaranteed to see some of the local fauna on this one. Let us know if it's true!

The Canopy Walk: This is a must. Close by Kuala Tahan on the other side of the river. Essentially ladders with boards laid on them, the walk is enclosed by ropes suspending it from overhead cables between the trees. The canopy walk is a swaying confrontation with the primal fear of heights. The views from a couple of the spans are magnificent and being up in the canopy provides a whole new perspective on the jungle experience. Well worth the MYR5.00 per person admission charge. The walk out there's a good primer on what to expect on the more far-flung trails as well. If you want time to savour the experience go really early, because the platforms between spans can only bear a maximum of four people at a time. That means that once the walkway is busy, everybody gets pushed along by the person who just wants to get the hell down!

Environment:

Big, big beautiful primary jungle but sweaty, bloody hot and DO NOT go during rainy season. The leeches were hell, the mud was all-pervasive and quite honestly it often felt torturous rather than wondrous. Don't miss the giant tree, probably the greatest thing to see here, on the trail from Gua Telingga back to Mutiara resort (but watch your step). Lack of animals was disappointing but the bugs were fantastic as well as frustrating (go on a short night walk around your guesthouse). It's wonderful that this area is (sort of) protected because it is truly primeval. The locals are doing a good job of preserving it. Even the ubiquitous palm oil plantations haven't encroached here yet but if tourist dollars drop you know they will...

Impressions:

Hard work. Maybe we were unlucky. Visit this place but do it at the right time of year (unlike us) and be prepared and you'll have a great time. Our Dutch friends upriver at Trenggan had the right idea. Take a tent and good supplies, get off by yourself and really experience it, otherwise it's not worth the effort.