Trekking – TM +Mt. K

To most visitors, Malaysia is synonymous with rainforests. And Taman Negara, Malaysia’s biggest national park, does not disappoint. Taman Negara is one of the world’s oldest and best-preserved rainforests. At 4,343 sq.km., it is, by far, the largest park in Peninsular Malaysia, and remains untouched as it has been for, oh, the past 130 million years or so.

The National Park, established in 1939, is located deep in an isolated part of the peninsula, yet still remains surprisingly accessible. For a rainforest experience of a lifetime, look no further.

Most visitors access the park via the Tembeling River, some 3 hours’ drive from the capital, KL. From there, it’s a 2.5 hour boat journey deep into the misty rainforest up to Kuala Tahan – the Park HQ. For many, the wild ride up the river, over small rapids and hair-raising hairpin turns, is as exciting as discovering the rainforest itself.

Once you’ve reached Taman Negara, exploring the jungle here can be as simple as a walk in the park, literally. The most popular trails nearest to the HQ are all well signposted and range in distance from .5 – 8km long. ‘Leisure trekkers’ can include caving, fishing, white-water rafting, night-time safaris, or exploring the forest canopy via a suspended walkway as part of their day out.

One of the main functions of this massive national park is to provide an undisturbed habitat for plants and animals. Should visitors be lucky enough to see any native animals, it’s a bonus.

Go to the park with the expectation that animals are difficult to see and that your chances of such sightings are remote. But there are two ways to increase your odds of animal sightings:

One of the must-do activities is to walk on the world’s longest suspended canopy walk. The 450-metre suspension walk is located 40 metres above the forest floor. The view is astonishing, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see animals scurrying from branch to branch high up in the canopy – at eye level! 

There are also several hides - basically tree houses–cum-viewing platforms - which have bunks for comfortable overnight stays.  These hides are located adjacent to swamps rich in minerals.  Wildlife ranging from tapirs to tigers visit these ‘salt licks’ at night to obtain minerals to supplement their diets. The animals move about the nearby jungle unaware that visitors are hiding and watching their every move. And even if you can’t see them, you can hear them. Nothing will keep you awake like a tiger growling at the bottom of your tree.

For walks to the more isolated parts of the park, you will want to arrange for a guide. A tough 5-day return trek to the summit of Gunung Tahan, peninsular Malaysia’s highest peak, at 2,187m, is the ultimate challenge for keen jungle-bashers.

Along the way, you’re likely to come across the shy Orang Asli people, the original inhabitants of the area, some of whom still lead a traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle of farming, fishing and hunting.

The jungle is unexpectedly cool at night and, perhaps surprisingly, has no mosquitoes. The tranquility and solitude of trekking for days through virgin jungle is, in a word, magical. But let me not lie to you - it’s tough.

Want to go from being a day tripper to trail ripper? If you believe in the scientific formula that [elevation = elation], then it’s time you go toe-to-toe with the biggest mountain in South-east Asia. Mt. Kinabalu, at over 4,100m, is not for the faint-hearted. You don’t have to be a lean, mean trekking machine to summit the peak. But you’ve really got to want it.