Taman Negara
Translates as ‘national forest’, Taman Negara is the world’s oldest rainforest and home to the indigenous Batek Orang Asli ‘original people’.
Having spent the majority of my past visits in Malaysia visiting cities or coastal beaches, visiting Taman Negara was high up on my ‘must visit’ list. Billed as the ‘oldest rainforest in the world’, although I’m not sure how accurate that can be, I wanted to come experience the nature and wildlife of Malaysia, but also the slow-paced village life that juxtaposes the high-rise busy city of Kuala Lumpur.
Taman Negara is fairly easy to reach by public transport, although many will arrive via tours, transfers or rental car. More on how to get there below.
Taman Negara is well-established for tourism. However, it’s not overly built-up nor Westernised, so perfect balance of tourist comforts and authentic culture. It has a range of accommodation options, restaurants run by locals serving local food, good transport connections, and plenty of activities and tours. Just to note that many of the activities will require hiring a guide or booking onto a tour. There are areas of the rainforest, nearest the entrance, that you can explore on your own but if you want an ‘inner jungle’ experience (a hike into the forest lasting more than 1 hour) then you will need to hire a guide. Alternatively, I guess you could ignore the warning signs and continue on your own, but beware that this jungle is home to tigers. While we were there, we were told there were tiger spottings near the villages in the forest. I can’t tell whether this is something they tell all tourists to deter them from exploring the jungle alone, or whether these are genuine sightings - who knows - but all the tigers are tagged and their whereabouts can be tracked by rangers so there is some benefit to hiring a local guide.
We stayed for 2 nights and found this was enough to get in some simple walks and a couple tours. More substantial hikes deeper into the jungle will probably require a bit more time.
How to get to Taman Negara
Taman Negara is the national park. To visit the national park you will most likely want to reach and stay in the nearby town Kuala Tahan, which is just across the river from the national park entrance. Check the FAQs below for where to stay.
Kuala Tahan can be reached easily by road, and if you are planning to drive there yourself, you’ll be pleased to know that the roads are in good condition.
You will also see many options to reach the town by boat. This is a hybrid option with a drive to a small jetty in Kampung Kuala Tembling and then a boat ride up the Tembling River to Kuala Tahan. The boat option takes 2-3 hours longer than a direct drive.
The boat ride is pretty nice. Calm waters, warm breeze, a good chance to spot some wildlife along the riverbanks, we saw water buffallo. You sit on the floor of a covered wooden boat with a cushion on the bottom and back. It’s not immediately uncomfortable, but after the 2-3 hour ride it can get a bit sore. If you are travelling around the wet season, make sure to have some waterproofs easily accessible in case it starts to rain during your journey.
Travelling by public transport:
If travelling by public transport, you want to make your way to Jerantut, the nearest large town. Jerantut has a train station and a bus station, so you should be able to reach the town by either modes of transport. Most routes will involve travelling through Kuala Lumpur.
Once in Jerantut, you want to catch a local bus / taxi to Kuala Tahan. You can find a general schedule of buses from Jerantut to Kuala Tahan here.
If you want to include the boat ride in your journey you are better off booking with a travel company as there aren’t public boat routes - you will have to charter your own boat.
Travelling by car:
Alternatively, you can travel by car (private transfer or rental), book a transfer through a travel agency, or book transport as part of a tour. Many of the local accommodations will also offer transfers from Kuala Lumpur for an additional price.
Travel agencies that you can book transport through:
NKS Hotel and Travel (I couldn’t get the website to work)
I booked my transport through Hans Travel. They were easy and clear to book through and had good drivers. One of the shuttle buses was a bit old and some of the seats were uncomfortable but fine for a 2 hour journey.
Han Travel minibus
Boat that you ride up the Tembling River to Kuala TahanKampung Kuala Tembling transfer office, Han TravelThings to do in Taman Negara
There are plenty of activities to do in Taman Negara, however there are few that can be done unaccompanied. Many activities will require a guide or for you to book onto a tour. I found this quite frustrating as I like to be able to explore things myself. The activities that you can do on your own are in the main tourist areas, so do not lend towards deeper exploration of the park or ‘getting off the beaten track’. If this is something you do want to do, look into hiring a guide to explore the park further.
When going on a hike look out for coloured discs which mark the route. Red usually indicates the outward journey, and yellow the return journey.
Below I’ve listed the activities you can do on your own, and the activities you will need to book for. I visited during low season, just at the start of wet season, so it wasn’t busy at all and could book activities on the day. Some tours I struggled to book onto as we weren’t able top meet the minimum number of people (usually 4). To overcome this you can choose to cover the costs of the minimum number of people, in many cases this wasn’t too expensive.
Unguided activities:
Tahan hide - this is the closest animal hide, only a couple hundred meters from the entrance dock. If coming during nightfall you will need a strong torch to reach far enough to see any animals. You are likely see deer at this hide.
Canopy walkway - you will need to purchase a ticket from the main office ‘Wildlife HQ’ before you can enter (5RM for adults). It is a rather simple and rudimentary walkway made up of planked over ladders laid over large nets. There are some sections where you will be walking along these planks on a steep incline or decline. The walkway is quite narrow, and does swing a little too. It felt safe, and I didn’t find it particularly challenging or thrilling. Do consider your comfort around heights and stability before starting, because once you start, you have to walk all the way through to get off. The canopy walkway is a nice way to get a view of the rainforest from high up and get closer to nature (mainly flora, we didn’t see much animal wildlife). This attraction is open between 10am - 4pm and can get pretty busy with tourist groups. Maybe try arriving around lunchtime, when tour groups are breaking, to avoid crowds. In the event of rain, the walkway is closed - this includes being closed throughout the wet season.
Bukit Terisek (Terisek hill) - A popular and accessible hike, but quite a steep incline. The trail is mostly made up of floorboards and steps, the last couple hundred meters do not have floorboards and you will walk on the jungle floor. The floorboards have been placed to make the terrain more accessible but there are a couple of broken and uneven sections that you should look out for. The hike is about 1.7km, and should take around 30-40 minutes to reach the viewpoint. Bring plenty of water, there is none on route.
Lubuk Simpon - Supposedly a natural pool alongside the river, it was really just access to the river. This water here was calm and shallow. It was still the dark muddy brown as the rest of the river, so not particularly appealing, and you will see plenty of tour boats zip past.
Camp at Kuala Terenggan site - you will need to take a boat up the river to this site. From here you can hike to Kumbang hide, a popular hide for spotting tapirs and a hide you can camp/stay in overnight.
Bird watching - Most areas around the park entrance and local trails are good for bird-watching. You can expect to see pheasants, hornbills, kingfishers, barbets and more. You can also book onto birdwatching tours, see below.
Fishing - Hook and line fishing is allowed in certain areas and you will need a permit. There are spots for both experienced and amateur fishers, and it is also possible to book onto a fishing tour that takes you deeper into the jungle and even stay for an overnight fishing trip. Expect to catch Kelah, catfish, Patin, Tenggalan and more.
Guided activities and tours
Night walk - It is possible to do this on your own, but it’s best to go with a guide as they’ll be better at identifying wildlife in the dark. You will mostly spot insects, reptiles and birds on this tour.
Night safari / night cruise - The night walk occurs within very close vicinity of the park entrance, and so doesn’t go very deep into the forest. If you want a chance to spot larger wildlife, compared to the insects and small birds and reptiles you see on the night walk, then booking a night safari or night cruise is the option for you. You can hope to see civet cats, slow loris and flying lemurs.
Rapid shooting (water rapids) - Expect to get wet, you’ll ride through several rapids in a wooden boat.
Visit the Orang Asli native populations - You can take a trip to Kampung Orang Asli and visit the settlement where the local indigenous people will share their lifestyle and skills with you.
Hornbill Valley - A visit to the valley area to observe hornbills finding food.
Lata Berkoh - Often included as part of a tour with a visit to the fish sanctuary, take a boat tour to visit the small cascades of Lata Berkoh. Depending on the water conditions it may be possible to swim in the water further down the river.
Kelah fish sanctuary - Often included as part of a tour to Lata Berkoh, visit the Kelah fish sanctuary for a chance to feed the fish. Depending on the water conditions it may be possible to swim in the water further down the river.
Gunung Tahan - A multi-day hike to the highest peak in peninsular Malaysia. There are two different routes, one from Kuala Tahan which takes 7 days, and one from Kuala Juram which takes 4 days.
Four-step waterfall - A steep waterfall, usually accessed as a detour from Gunung Tahan, this too is a challenging hike to reach.
Fishing tour - both single-day and multi-day tours are available, as mentioned above.
Planked-over ladders, and ladder steps in canopy walkway
Lubok SimponFloorboard trail
Canopy walkway
View from Tahan hideAttractions 1 - 8 can be done without a guide / tourMutiara Resort, Taman Negara
I opted to stay at the Mutiara Resort which is located within Taman Negara. I picked this option as it sounded like a good idea to be located within the national park and meant that I would have quick and easy access to the park, particularly for early morning and night hikes. My hope was to get up early to one of the animal hides and spot a tapir.
However, being located on this side of the river can be a little isolating. There is only the hotel restaurant and shop to eat/buy from, both of which are quite poor quality with few options. Therefore, I was having to cross the river for each meal, which takes time (waiting for a boat, the actual crossing takes about 1 minute) and costs 1RM 1-way.
In hindsight, I would choose to stay in Kuala Tahan and make trips over to the park for unguided hikes. Since many of the activities available in Taman Negara require a tour guide, many activities will leave from Kuala Tahan jetty anyway and be included in the cost.
About Mutiara. Each accommodation is situated in its own chalet (cabin). Each chalet is made up of one large bedroom, an ensuite, a front balcony, and a back porch. They can house up to 4 guests. There are also a couple ‘bungalows’ on offer, which are actually two-story cabins with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and living spaces. Again, they can house up to 4 guests.
The resort area is relatively large and can take 10 minutes to walk end to end. Since the resort is within the national park, visitors will also be walking through the resort area to make their way to trailheads. The grounds are well-maintained and patrolled by local chickens, monkeys and lizards. (It is advised not to carry open food around the grounds in case the moneys try and steal it from you).
The rooms themselves are fine. The resort is old, and given that it’s located in a humid area, there is some wood rot and mold in some of the corners of the rooms. In general, the rooms were tidy, surface-level clean and comfortable, but they would benefit from a good scrub / deep clean. I mention all of this as Mutiara Resort is generally considered the more expensive and somewhat ‘luxury’ option for accommodation in Taman Negara. Whilst it is a good hotel with good staff and service, I personally wouldn’t call it luxury.
The resort offers a sort of concierge service where they help you with your bags and have an activities desk where they can help you book onto different tours or give you information. Many of the tours require a minimum number of people (usually 4) and so will need that number of people, or for you to cover the costs of the minimum number, for the tour to run.
Mutiara activities board
Grounds of Mutiara Resort
Chalet main room. 1 double and 1 single bed.
Detailed pictures of the roomsNeed to knows
Many activities will require you to hire a guide or book a tour. There are few options for general unaccompanied exploring of the rainforest.
Special Recommendations
Food: Best restaurants are located within the town of Kuala Tahan.
Attractions: Boat tours
Accommodation: -
R’s take
Being a tourist area, Kuala Tahan and Taman Negara felt very safe. There are park rangers, local police and members of the navy all around the grounds and by the river, day and night. Everyone was friendly and welcoming.
View of Tembeling River from Mutiara Resort
View from Bukit Terisek
Entrance to Canopy Walkway
View of Tembeling River from Kampung Kuala Tembeling
Natural terrain on some of the hikes
Boat cruise along Tembeling River
Floating restaurants along the Tembeling River
Han Travel transport office in Kampung Kuala Tembeling
Monkeys lined up on a roof in Mutiara Resort
View from Bukit Terisek
Floorboard trail
Canopy walkway 'planked over ladders'
Canopy walkway laddered decline
Floorboard trail steps leading to Bukit Terisek
View from floating restaurant
Lubuk Simpon
Red signs indicate return direction of a trail
Yellow signs indicate the outward direction of a trail
Map of local trails that can be completed unaccompanied
Map of Taman Negara Kuala Tahan
Mutiara Resort activities board
Mutiara Resort activities board
Mutiara Resort activities board
When is the best time to visit?
Taman Negara is located closer to the East Coast, and so it does get affected by the wet season. Between Dec-Mar? there can be significant rainfall each day. This can result in flooding, as well as poor visibility and general wet weather. Whilst the national park will still remain open, unless danger of harm, it is something to bare in mind as some attractions and sites will be closed during this period. This includes the canopy walk (safety reasons due to wet), some of the animal hides as the paths become flooded. I visited just on the edge of wet season and it was totally fine. It would rain every afternoon for a couple hours but nothing major.
How long to stay in Taman Negara
If you are not planning on any substantial overnight hikes or trips, then 2 nights in Taman Negara should be enough. That gives you an afternoon/evening and a full day of activities. In that time you will easily be able to fit in the local shorter walks and a couple of tours. Typical itineraries would include a night tour your first evening, a hike to Bukit Terisek and the Canopy Walkway the following morning, lunch break, a tour activity in the afternoon, and an evening for rest or another night tour. You would then leave the following morning.
How to get to Taman Negara
Taman Negara Kuala Tahan entrance
To get to Taman Negara the most popular route is the Kuala Tahan entrance. Kuala Tahan can be reached easily by road or by boat.
Travelling by transfer/tour: Travelling by transfer you will see many options to reach the town either by road or by boat. The boat option is a hybrid option with a drive to a small jetty in Kampung Kuala Tembling and then a boat ride (2-3 hours long) up the Tembling River to Kuala Tahan. The boat option takes around 2 hours longer than the direct drive.
Travelling by public transport: If travelling by public transport, you want to make your way to Jerantut, the nearest large town. Jerantut has a train station and a bus station, so you should be able to reach the town by either modes of transport. Most routes will involve travelling through Kuala Lumpur. Once in Jerantut, you want to catch a local bus / taxi to Kuala Tahan. You can find a general schedule of buses from Jerantut to Kuala Tahan here.
Travelling by car: Roads to Kuala Tahan are generally in good condition, so your rental car will be fine.
Taman Negara Sungai Realu entrance
You can also come through the west into the Taman Negara Sungai Relau entrance, travelling into and staying around Merapoh (accessible by train, bus, or car). To get into the national park from Merapoh you will either need to drive, hire a taxi, or book tour activities. It is about a 30-minute drive from Merapoh to the park entrance.
Taman Negara Kuala Koh entrance
There are options to come through the north of the park into the Taman Negara Kuala Koh entrance, but roads are not as accessible, and there is not as much tourist infrastructure in the area.
Where should I stay for Taman Negara? / Should I stay in Kuala Tahan or stay in Taman Negara / Mutiara Resort?
Most people will stay in the main town, Kuala Tahan. This is located on the other side of the river t the national park and therefore requires crossing the river by boat to access. Staying in the town provides you with many more options for accommodation, restaurants, and general services. Alternatively, you can stay within the national park at Mutiara Resort. This is where I stayed, but would chjoose to stay in the town should I visit again.
Before you can enter the park you will need to pay for a permit (1RM) and a photography license (5RM). You can do this at the main office during opening hours and will need to carry this on your person whilst in the park.
What to wear in Taman Negara
I would recommend long sleeves, long trousers and a hat for Taman Negara. Yes, it is hot and humid, but there are plenty of creepy crawlies in the area who would love to get at your skin. Most notably mosquitos and leeches. The forest has leeches, many of which seem to “fall from the sky” as they fall off trees. Whilst leeches themselves are not harmful, nor do they transmit anything nasty, they can be difficult to remove, and also are just a little gross. The leeches in Taman Negara a small, and so can go easily unnoticed.
I’ve found domestic household bug spray (not suitable for your skin) sprayed on your shoes and other outerwear to be quite useful - the leeches will crawl up your shoes and clothes in search for skin contact so the bug spray acts as a good repellent. Salt is also a good way to remove leeches if they do latch on to you, just sprinkle it directly on them and they’ll let go. Probably not the most humane way to remove them.
As with any clothes preparations for the outdoors, make sure to check the weather and come prepared with waterproofs and sun protection. Spare clothes are always handy in case they get wet or extra smelly.
What to do in Taman Negara
There are plenty of activities to do in Taman Negara, however there are few that can be done unaccompanied. Many activities will require a guide or for you to book onto a tour. In the section above I list all the activities you can do unaccompanied, and many popular accompanied tour activities. Ask at your local accommodation or have a browse online for particular tours.