16.12.2022 - From Taman Negara to the Highlands

The second stop in Malaysia took me to Taman Negara, which translates to National Park in Malay. The national park is not only the largest in Malaysia, but also one of the oldest rainforests in the world. It is said to have existed for nearly 130 million years. There were many reasons why I couldn't miss a visit here. After a four-hour bus ride, we arrived in Kuala Tahan, a small village on the edge of the rainforest, in the early afternoon. As expected during the rainy season, we were greeted with a lot of rain. And by a lot, I mean it didn't stop until the evening. Since we didn't have any big plans for the first day and the village was somewhat deserted due to the rainy season, we used the time to have dinner at a restaurant and plan our activities for the next day and the rest of the trip. We planned to spend only two nights and one day in the national park. This was mainly due to the fact that it rains a lot during the rainy season, as the name suggests, and also because I had already booked a hostel for the next stop. For the next day, we decided to go for a jungle hike in the morning and a boat tour in the afternoon. By "we," I mean two other backpackers I met at the hostel in Kuala Lumpur.

When you go into the jungle, you always have to be prepared to encounter special creatures that you don't often see in everyday life. And Taman Negara has one thing to offer above all: leeches. We had read a lot about these creepy little worm creatures and their fondness for tourists' legs and feet. It didn't take long for us to get a visual image of them. While we were sitting in the restaurant, two Australians who we had also met at our hostel in Kuala Lumpur passed by. They had just returned from their jungle expedition and they had a few leeches with them - not a pleasant sight. It was clear to us that we would do everything in our power to prevent an attack.

Armed to the teeth - we had read that mosquito repellent, long socks/pants, sturdy shoes, and fire can help prevent (potential) bites - we took a boat ride across the river to the entrance of the national park the next morning. Here, we paid two Ringgit for admission and attention: five Ringgit to be allowed to bring our cameras into the park. By the way, a camera also includes a mobile phone. I won't go into the proportionality at this point. Not everything that happens in Southeast Asia is always logical. Well, after we paid, we finally entered the jungle. My first impression was: Wow. I have seen a few jungles during my time in Southeast Asia, but this one is something special. The dense treetops, the many shades of green, and the sounds make this park a almost magical place. At the beginning, you walk on wooden walkways that are attached just above the ground to protect it. But as soon as you go deeper into the rainforest, you switch to the normal forest floor - and this is where the leeches are waiting.

Our first destination in the national park was the Canopy Walk. The Canopy Walk consists of several suspension bridges that connect trees and platforms. With a length of about 530 meters, it is the longest canopy walk in the world. At its highest point, it is 40 meters above the ground. The view was simply breathtaking.

Back on solid ground, we headed deeper into the jungle to visit two viewpoints. Viewpoints usually have the disadvantage of being located very high up. And Taman Negara National Park is no exception. It felt like we were walking exclusively steep uphill (in reality, it was probably only an hour or so, but at around 30 degrees, rain, and extremely high humidity, it felt much worse). But eventually, we made it and were rewarded with a magnificent view of the jungle. It was definitely worth the effort. Unfortunately, the circular path was closed due to the rainy season, so we had to turn back the same way we came. I would also like to mention that the rainy season also has advantages. Due to the heavy rain, there were hardly any tourists around and we often had the trails all to ourselves.

After a short lunch break, we went on the boat tour in the afternoon. We raced up the river for almost an hour, with our boat guide making small pauses to show and explain things to us. Among other things, we passed by two jungle villages where tribes still live today, with no direct connection to civilization. Almost unimaginable in our digital world. Due to the rainy season, the river had a lot of water at this time and there were dangerous rapids, which is why we had to turn back eventually. These rapids, by the way, also caused us to leave the boat anything but dry in the end. But since we had already been showered from above, it didn't make much of a difference. I have to mention the leeches again. We actually managed to survive the jungle without any bites. So preparation is everything!

The next morning, it was time to pack up again and get on the bus. My destination was the Cameron Highlands. Here, you can experience a completely different side of Malaysia. No tropical temperatures, no tall buildings, and no coconut palm trees. The highlands are more reminiscent of English or Scottish regions with green hills, cooler climate, and English-style houses. After almost eight weeks with temperatures around 30 degrees, it was a relief to get off the bus and breathe in the cool mountain air.

After exploring a lot on my own in the past weeks and only having one day planned for the highlands, I decided to take a guided half-day tour. Since the region is mainly known for tea production, we first visited the BOH Tea Plantation, Malaysia's largest black tea producer, early in the morning. And I'll let the pictures speak for themselves - simply stunning. After that, we went to a tea house where we had a cup of fresh tea and a small second breakfast. After the culinary excursion, we continued to the Mossy Forest. Here, our guide led us through a jungle that was completely different from the one I had seen two days before. No tall trees, no monkeys, and especially no leeches. Instead, you will find an absolute natural spectacle here. Everywhere you look, you see ancient trees covered in moss. This rainforest is actually older than the one in Taman Negara. Thousands of different plant species have thrived here for a whole 200 million years. On the way to the summit, I sometimes felt like I was walking through a magical world. The moss-covered trees created a very special, almost magical atmosphere that is difficult to capture with a camera.

In the late afternoon, it was time to return to the hostel, where I spent the afternoon eating and relaxing. In the evening, there was a small quiz night at the hostel. We competed in groups of three in categories like music and film, food and drinks, and general knowledge. I'll keep the outcome a secret...

I would have liked to stay in the Cameron Highlands for another day, but I had already booked my next accommodation and had to move on the next day. That's just how it is...