Greetings everyone,
This is the start of what will be a very large post with lots of photos. I will be adding to it every day or two for quite awhile so that the photos will span multiple pages.
I spent six nights last week at Taman Negara, a huge national park that is located in the centre of peninsular Malaysia. This is one of my favourite places and I have visited it a number of times. Taman Negara protects the largest extent of untouched rainforest that remains on the peninsula.
This region of Southeast Asia is thought to have someone of the oldest of all rainforests so it is not surprising that diversity of about everything is high. I photographed nearly 80 species of butterflies in those few days all within 9km of Kuala Tahan, the park headquarters. I saw another 30+ species that were not cooperative for photos. At night, I found many strange and beautiful moths at lights around the accommodation area. Invertebrates were abundant within the forest and I found many during both day and night walks.
June is a month that is about midway between the dry months of the start of the year and the monsoon of Oct-Dec. I experienced some rain each day and on a couple of days, there were heavy afternoon downpours. Trails were wet and slippery but I saw few frogs at night and also very few mosquitos. Leeches, though, were numerous and a nuisance. My socks were often dripping with blood after an all-day forest trek.
Taman Negara has an excellent infrastructure. Tracks were well marked so there was no need for a guide. I loved to walk many kms into the forest. Once I walked beyond 2-3 kms from the headquarters, I rarely saw any other humans on the track. If I remained quiet and listened, I could hear the special animals of the park. I loved to hear the beautiful melodic songs of the White-handed Gibbons that sang each morning. Sometimes, I heard the loud “whooping” of Siamang, the largest member of the Gibbons. Other sights and sounds included the calls of Great Argus, Banded/Garnet Pittas, Rhinoceros/Helmeted Hornbills and various mammals. Taman Negara has a healthy population of Tiger, Leopard, Asian Elephants, and a large forest buffalo, Malay Tapir, Sun Bear and others. Unfortunately, most of these are shy. Footprints or piles of dung (elephant) were usually the only indication that the large animals were in the area. I sometimes heard growls of unseen mammals and then heard them run deeper into the forest but rarely saw the source of the racket. Once I had a fright when I heard a loud grunt followed by the sight of a Bearded Pig that bolted across the trail a few meters in front of me.
My trip to Taman Negara began with a 3-hour bus trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Tahan. At Kuala Tahan, there was a break for an hour followed by a 3-hour boat trip up the Tembeling River to the park headquarters at Kuala Tahan. I stayed in a hostel at the Mutiara Resort that is situated on the border of the national park. This was excellent value and it included a buffet breakfast at the resort's restaurant. The hostel was air-conditioned so was comfortable for sleeping at night. Temperatures at Taman Negara ranged from a high in the mid-30s C to a low of mid-20s C at night. Humidity was always high so a walk in the park felt like a walk in a green house.
... now, the photos.
The best way to reach Taman Negara was by boat from the jetty at Kuala Tembeling.
The journey upriver initially passed through cleared pastures or areas with secondary growth:
After about an hour, hills with primary forest came into view. I sometimes saw Oriental Pied and Black Hornbills in these areas as they flew across the river.
After three hours, the boat arrived at Taman Negara:
These are views of the village that was situated on the opposite bank from the national park. A road has been built to this village but the trip by road is not nearly as scenic as the trip up the river. This village has grown massively since my last visit in 1998. Now, there are a number of floating restaurants and shops on the opposite bank. Water taxis ferried the tourists back and forth between the park and the village.
One morning, I climbed Bukit Teresik, a hill located not far from Kuala Tahan. The hill was only 400m in height but the climb was a steep and sweaty one. The view from the summit was superb and well worth the effort. This is a photo into the centre of the park and of Gunning Tahan, the tallest mountain in peninsular Malaysia. The adventurous can trek to the summit of the mountain but it is a hard 6-7 day trek through the rainforest. Gunung Tahan is the distant peak on the left of this photo:
I often walked on a track along the Tahan River. This year, the river was muddy for a few days near the park headquarters. There had been heavy rain in the mountains that feed this river and there was obviously some soil erosion underway.
After a few nice days at the end of the week, the water cleared and looked like tea due to tannins from the leaves. The river was full of fish of the Cyprinid family. Fish like Tiger Barbs and relatives were abundant. This area near Lata Berkoh (a small waterfall 9km from the headquarters) was particular nice.
Taman Negara is home to the tallest species of tree in Southeast Asia. These trees are called Tualangs (Koompassia excelsa) and they remind me a little of the giant redwoods of California.
This is the start of what will be a very large post with lots of photos. I will be adding to it every day or two for quite awhile so that the photos will span multiple pages.
I spent six nights last week at Taman Negara, a huge national park that is located in the centre of peninsular Malaysia. This is one of my favourite places and I have visited it a number of times. Taman Negara protects the largest extent of untouched rainforest that remains on the peninsula.
This region of Southeast Asia is thought to have someone of the oldest of all rainforests so it is not surprising that diversity of about everything is high. I photographed nearly 80 species of butterflies in those few days all within 9km of Kuala Tahan, the park headquarters. I saw another 30+ species that were not cooperative for photos. At night, I found many strange and beautiful moths at lights around the accommodation area. Invertebrates were abundant within the forest and I found many during both day and night walks.
June is a month that is about midway between the dry months of the start of the year and the monsoon of Oct-Dec. I experienced some rain each day and on a couple of days, there were heavy afternoon downpours. Trails were wet and slippery but I saw few frogs at night and also very few mosquitos. Leeches, though, were numerous and a nuisance. My socks were often dripping with blood after an all-day forest trek.
Taman Negara has an excellent infrastructure. Tracks were well marked so there was no need for a guide. I loved to walk many kms into the forest. Once I walked beyond 2-3 kms from the headquarters, I rarely saw any other humans on the track. If I remained quiet and listened, I could hear the special animals of the park. I loved to hear the beautiful melodic songs of the White-handed Gibbons that sang each morning. Sometimes, I heard the loud “whooping” of Siamang, the largest member of the Gibbons. Other sights and sounds included the calls of Great Argus, Banded/Garnet Pittas, Rhinoceros/Helmeted Hornbills and various mammals. Taman Negara has a healthy population of Tiger, Leopard, Asian Elephants, and a large forest buffalo, Malay Tapir, Sun Bear and others. Unfortunately, most of these are shy. Footprints or piles of dung (elephant) were usually the only indication that the large animals were in the area. I sometimes heard growls of unseen mammals and then heard them run deeper into the forest but rarely saw the source of the racket. Once I had a fright when I heard a loud grunt followed by the sight of a Bearded Pig that bolted across the trail a few meters in front of me.
My trip to Taman Negara began with a 3-hour bus trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Tahan. At Kuala Tahan, there was a break for an hour followed by a 3-hour boat trip up the Tembeling River to the park headquarters at Kuala Tahan. I stayed in a hostel at the Mutiara Resort that is situated on the border of the national park. This was excellent value and it included a buffet breakfast at the resort's restaurant. The hostel was air-conditioned so was comfortable for sleeping at night. Temperatures at Taman Negara ranged from a high in the mid-30s C to a low of mid-20s C at night. Humidity was always high so a walk in the park felt like a walk in a green house.
... now, the photos.
The best way to reach Taman Negara was by boat from the jetty at Kuala Tembeling.
The journey upriver initially passed through cleared pastures or areas with secondary growth:
After about an hour, hills with primary forest came into view. I sometimes saw Oriental Pied and Black Hornbills in these areas as they flew across the river.
After three hours, the boat arrived at Taman Negara:
These are views of the village that was situated on the opposite bank from the national park. A road has been built to this village but the trip by road is not nearly as scenic as the trip up the river. This village has grown massively since my last visit in 1998. Now, there are a number of floating restaurants and shops on the opposite bank. Water taxis ferried the tourists back and forth between the park and the village.
One morning, I climbed Bukit Teresik, a hill located not far from Kuala Tahan. The hill was only 400m in height but the climb was a steep and sweaty one. The view from the summit was superb and well worth the effort. This is a photo into the centre of the park and of Gunning Tahan, the tallest mountain in peninsular Malaysia. The adventurous can trek to the summit of the mountain but it is a hard 6-7 day trek through the rainforest. Gunung Tahan is the distant peak on the left of this photo:
I often walked on a track along the Tahan River. This year, the river was muddy for a few days near the park headquarters. There had been heavy rain in the mountains that feed this river and there was obviously some soil erosion underway.
After a few nice days at the end of the week, the water cleared and looked like tea due to tannins from the leaves. The river was full of fish of the Cyprinid family. Fish like Tiger Barbs and relatives were abundant. This area near Lata Berkoh (a small waterfall 9km from the headquarters) was particular nice.
Taman Negara is home to the tallest species of tree in Southeast Asia. These trees are called Tualangs (Koompassia excelsa) and they remind me a little of the giant redwoods of California.
