From Kuala Lumpur we were headed to the rainforest in Malaysia, Taman Negara. We We took an early morning bus to Jerantut which took about 2.5 hours. From there we were just in time for the 1 o'clock local bus to Kuala Tahan, the entry point to the rainforest. However, we ended up getting in a tour company van who needed to pick someone up on the other end. We paid the same price and made it to our hostel earlier than expected. When making this trip, I suggest avoiding tour packages to get you to the rainforest. They charge 3-5 times what you will pay if you put the 3 pieces of the trip together yourself. I suggest taking a bus to Jerantut for 18 ringgits and hopping on the local bus there for 7 ringgits. Kuala Tahan is tiny and everything is walkable in 5 minutes.
We arrived at our hostel, Delimah Guest House around 2:30 PM. This is by far the best place to stay in Kuala Tahan. Delimah has AC, ensuite bathrooms, very clean rooms and a great breakfast. It was 90 ringgits a night, which is pricey compared to the surrounding guesthouses, but worth it if you have the cash (i'll come back to that point).
Our dangerously speedy van ride, gave us more time than expected that afternoon so we hopped in little ferry boat that brought us to the park for 1 ringgit each. Upon arrival, I saw a sign stating the wildlife that live in Taman Negara. There are bears, jaguars, cougars and tigers. What!? We decided to check out the swimming hole first. Alex didn't hesitate to hop right in. I was on tiger watch. After we did a loop out to one of the hides where people camp at night and hope to see one of the remarkable animals that reside in the national park.
That night we realized we made a pretty big travel mistake. We didn't bring enough cash. There are no ATMs in Kuala Tahan and nobody takes credit cards. We counted up our money and realized we couldn't afford a second night at Delimah so we sadly had to move to Durian Guest ouse the following morning. This simple room with a fan was less than half the price at 40 ringgits and was fine. There was a giant spider and a couple of frogs visiting us at night, but thats almost expected when staying in a hut in the jungle.
The next day we walked the canopy walk, hiked to a look out point and Alex spotted a family of wild monkeys on our way back. We spent maybe 15 minutes standing quietly and watching them get closer and closer.
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| Baby monkey left by himself to learn how to climb. |
We woke up the following day and hopped the bus back to jerantut and Kuala Lumpur to catch our night bus to northern Malaysia.
Next stop Langkawi island.
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