Endau-Rompin
Lowland Rainforest On Quartz Ridges In The Far South Of The Peninsula, Home To The Jakun Orang Asli And To A Fan Palm That Grows Nowhere Else · Kluang, Johor
ENDAU-ROMPIN IS THE FOREST EVERYONE MEANS TO VISIT INSTEAD OF TAMAN NEGARA AND ALMOST NOBODY DOES. It straddles the JOHOR-PAHANG BORDER in the far south of the peninsula, and its distinctive feature is geological: QUARTZITE AND VOLCANIC RIDGES rather than the limestone that shapes most Malaysian parks, which has produced a flora of its own. THE LIVISTONA ENDAUENSIS - THE ENDAU FAN PALM - GROWS ON THESE RIDGES AND NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH. THE JAKUN ORANG ASLI LIVE IN AND AROUND THE PARK and guide much of the walking in it. What you actually do is rivers and waterfalls - BUAYA SANGKUT AND UPEH GULING are the ones people walk to - reached by four-wheel-drive and boat and then on foot. IT WAS RHINO COUNTRY. The Sumatran rhino is gone from Malaysia now, and that absence is part of what this forest is. A permit and registered guide are required, the final approach is four-wheel-drive track and river boat, and the monsoon closes the park because the rivers are the way in.
Endau-Rompin National Park, Johor, Kluang, Johor, Malaysia
THERE ARE TWO MAIN ENTRANCES ON THE JOHOR SIDE - PETA and SELAI - and they are NOT CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER BY ROAD, so pick one before you set out. PETA is roughly three to four hours from Johor Bahru or Kuantan; SELAI is reached via BEKOK. A PERMIT AND A REGISTERED GUIDE ARE REQUIRED and are arranged through the Johor National Parks Corporation or an operator - THERE IS NO CASUAL ENTRY. ACCOMMODATION IS BASIC CHALETS AND CAMPING; book ahead. THE FINAL APPROACH INVOLVES FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE TRACK AND RIVER BOAT, both of which are affected by water levels. THE PARK CLOSES OR RESTRICTS ACCESS IN THE MONSOON, roughly November to February, when rivers rise. LEECHES ARE ROUTINE. Carry everything; there is nothing inside.