Park Stories : Walking the Forests Part 1

Walking trails lead to a number of mountain peaks. Serious trekkers can attempt the 55-kilometre trail to Gunung Tahan, which needs a good deal of commitment and stamina. Day walkers -- that's me -- can aim for the nearby peak of Bukit Teresek, just 2 kilometres from the headquarters, and a longer return trail taking about 4 hours may be attempted - which we did not - we took the shorter route ... hahaha . The scenery at the peak of Bukit Teresek was so breathtaking ..... hhhaaaaaaaaaaaa ..............

Walking along the forest trails should not be taken lightly - the paths are criss-crossed by numerous tree roots. It will be often muddy and slippery after the rains. Walkers and hikers invariably fail to see the detail in the rainforest; it is better to walk slowly and quietly - (hahahaha... I kept hissing at my children to be silent ....) and to keep an eye for smaller forms of nature. Its always recommended that you have a tour guide for this as its worth it. We are not familiar with the living things in the jungle as they all look similar but the guide is able to show us their differences.

... and the tallest tree among them .... Pokok Tualang ... it is said that it can reached 100 to 200 meters tall. How small we are as compared to the tree trunk. Its not because of our 'cute' size ...look at these Mat Sallehs .... they are Italian by the way, who are in our tour group.

We are grateful that we engaged this guide with us, else our trekking will end just a tiring walk. He guided us and show us the living forms and made us appreciate their existence. And he taught us the 'magic plants' ... plants for your good health ;) Hey, we came across this ghost finger plant ... one of those 'magic' plants especially for woman in confinement after having a baby..

Some plants fascinated us. Look at this fern ... the leaves appears blue under the sunlight but when we tilted the leaves, its back to green. To know what I meant, watch this video.

Park Stories : River Trips

We marked our day one visit by having the river trip. Having 7 people in the boat and seeing the water touches the brim of the boat ... and acknowledging with faint face that the boat would not sink, we took our places on the planks. Despite this, the children enjoyed this trip ... screaming frantically for having the water splashed on their faces each time the boat hit the small waves.



It was a short ride however, to make it adventurous I would suggest taking a boat and crew at Kuala Tahan, the entry point to the park. The 8 kilometre boat ride to the cascades at Lata Berkoh passes through some of the most magnificent tropical rainforest in Southeast Asia. Huge forest giants line the river banks, their massive trunks leaning over the river at a remarkable angle in an effort to reach the sunlight. In places these huge trees have crashed into the river where the strong current has undercut the river bank. Festooned with epiphytic ferns, mosses and orchids, the age of these wonderful trees can only be guessed at.

It just after the heavy downpour when we arrived and taking the river ride to start the day. Usually the waters upstream have been muddied after the recent rains and landslides, but many of the rivers of Taman Negara are invariably crystal clear and refreshingly cool ... just like this Sungei Tembeling as seen from the canopy view.

Fishing is allowed in the park, but it takes a skilled angler to catch the famed Sebarau fish which inhabit these waters. To fantasize our pride... we caught this Ikan Jelawat.

Your agent can be reached at ida_ida855@yahoo.com ... hey, that's me again ...

Park Stories:Taman Negara

This blog and subsequent blogs to come, will be blog series on national parks specifically on tropical Malaysia rainforest - the TAMAN NEGARA.

Malaysia’s National parks and sanctuaries are a tribute to forest conservation and biodiversity. In awe to the natural beauty of Malaysia’s rainforest, no holiday or vacation in the tropics is complete without visiting a tropical forest to any ecotourist at heart.


And of course, there's no grandeur than to visit the TAMAN NEGARA....Peninsular Malaysia’s most popular rainforest park is spread out over 4,343 sq. km. of virgin jungle in Pahang. Millions of life forms call this place home – Colourful birds, glittering insects, nocturnal animals, shiny fish – these are some of the creatures you’ll see when visiting this park.

Over 10,000 species of plants, 250 kind of birds. Local mammals include mouse deer, barking deer, wild ox, and numerous monkey species. Tapir, elephant, leopard and tiger also present, though not easy to spot. There many activities to choose from or cud I say, a must to take : Jungle-trekking, white-water rafting, fishing, guided nature walks.

With so much to see and do, a trip to Taman Negara is a must on your itinerary. Note that Taman Negara is a restricted area. All reservations and bookings is advisable be made in advance. Your agent can be reached at ida_ida855@yahoo.com ... hey, that's me