Taman Negara
A Lowland Rainforest That Has Stood Continuously For Something Like A Hundred And Thirty Million Years, Unglaciated Through Ice Ages That Reshaped Everywhere Else · Kuala Tahan, Pahang
THE CLAIM PEOPLE MAKE ABOUT TAMAN NEGARA IS THAT IT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST RAINFORESTS ON EARTH - SOMETHING LIKE A HUNDRED AND THIRTY MILLION YEARS OF CONTINUOUS FOREST - and unlike most superlatives attached to national parks, this one holds up: peninsular Malaysia sat outside the reach of the ice ages that scoured and reset the forests of higher latitudes, so this one simply kept going. IT WAS PROTECTED IN 1938-39 as King George V National Park. THE CANOPY WALKWAY IS ONE OF THE LONGEST IN THE WORLD, forty metres up and swaying. THE APPROACH BY LONGBOAT UP THE TEMBELING from Kuala Tahan is the classic way in. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT THE WILDLIFE, THOUGH: tigers, elephants and tapir are in here and YOU ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT SEE THEM. What you get is scale, age, leeches and a wall of green - which is enough. A registered guide is required beyond the short marked trails, part of the park closes in the monsoon, and dusk and night walks show far more than anything in daylight.
Taman Negara, Jerantut, Pahang, Kuala Tahan, Pahang, Malaysia
THE MAIN ENTRANCE IS AT KUALA TAHAN, reached by road from JERANTUT or by the LONGBOAT UP THE TEMBELING, which takes a couple of hours and is the better arrival. A PARK PERMIT AND A CAMERA LICENCE are bought at the headquarters and are cheap. THE CANOPY WALKWAY opens daily with a queue in the middle of the day and CLOSES IN HIGH WIND OR STORMS. TRAILS RANGE from a short boardwalk to multi-day treks; ANYTHING BEYOND THE MARKED SHORT TRAILS REQUIRES A REGISTERED GUIDE, and GUNUNG TAHAN is a serious week-long expedition. OVERNIGHT HIDES (bumbun) are booked at headquarters - go with low expectations. ORANG ASLI BATEK COMMUNITIES live in the park; visits happen through guides and should be treated with care. IT RAINS IN EVERY MONTH. Leeches are guaranteed.