If you’re heading to Malaysia and love hiking and nature, then make sure you go to Taman Negara. Taman Negara is believed to be the oldest rainforest in the world. It is home to many species of animals, such as tigers, elephants, leopards, sun bears, bison, tapirs, monkeys, birds and insects. Taman Negara literally translates to National Park in Malay; however, you may also see it written in English as Taman Negara National Park.
How Many Days to Spend in Taman Negara?
How many days you should spend in Taman Negara greatly depends on how much of an avid hiker you are. You can do plenty of day hikes and daily activities in Taman Negara. There is also the famous 2-day hike where you camp overnight in a cave. If you plan on doing the overnight hike, you will need to allow two full days for this, plus I would also allow an extra day to explore Kuala Tahan and the nearby attractions.
If you’re like me and don’t fancy the overnight trek, two days are the perfect amount of time to tick everything else off the bucket list. Remember that it takes the best part of a day to get to Taman Negara from either Kuala Lumpur or Cameron Highlands (and even longer from other places in Malaysia). The above recommendations do not include travel days, so allocate this time to your itinerary.
How to get to Taman Negara?
Direct services to Kuala Tahan (the town where everyone stays in Taman Negara) operate from either Cameron Highlands or Kuala Lumpur. That said, I met people from Penang and Perenthian Islands. However, they had a convoluted route with a few transfers. This means it was a super long and stressful travel day for them.
How to get to Taman Negara from the Cameron Highlands?
It is possible to get to Kuala Tahan via a combination of local bus services and hitchhiking. However, I believe utilising the shuttle service by Han Travel is the easiest. Han Travel has a monopoly over tourist services in Kuala Tahan, running tours and transfers around the region. They offer two ticket types from Cameron Highlands to Kuala Tahan: shuttle only and shuttle with a boat ride. Regardless of which ticket type you book, you must change shuttles in Kuala Tembeling and wait for the second shuttle or boat.
Opting for the bus-only ticket will cost you 95 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($21.50 USD). The journey will take 6 hours, including bathroom breaks and time to change shuttles in Kuala Tembeling. The shuttles depart daily, leaving the Cameron Highlands at 8 am and arriving in Kuala Tahan (Taman Negara) at 2 pm. If you don’t fancy doing the boat ride on the way to Taman Negara, you can opt for the boat ride on the way back. However, it is only a 1-hour boat trip on the way back as you head downstream.
Alternatively, I recommend paying a little extra for the shuttle and boat combined ticket if you want to take the more scenic route. This will set you back 140 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($31.50 USD) and will take 9 hours but with bathroom and lunch breaks. With this ticket, you still depart at 8 am from the Cameron Highlands, but instead of changing to a second shuttle at Kuala Tembeling, you will take a 3-hour scenic boat ride to arrive at Kuala Tahan at 5 pm. The boat ride was one of the highlights of my time, and we spotted so many monkeys and birds on the banks of the river.
How to get to Taman Negara from Kuala Lumpur?
Kuala Lumpur to Taman Negara is a super popular travel route, so there are a few local bus options. However, I recommend Han Travel’s shuttle service for convenience. Han Travel offers two ticket types: shuttle-only and shuttle and boat tickets. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be this: pay the extra few bucks for the boat ticket! If you opt for the scenic boat ride, the journey takes 7.5 hours, departing Kuala Lumpur at 8:30 am and getting to Kuala Tahan (Taman Negara) at 4 pm. This time includes toilet stops, a lunch stop and transferring from the shuttle to the boat at Kuala Tembeling. The combined ticket will cost you 140 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($31.50 USD) and can be booked direct through Han Travel’s website.
Alternatively, if you opt for the bus-only ticket, you will arrive at Taman Negara in 5.5 hours at 2 pm after departing Kuala Lumpur at 8:30 am. Even if you book the shuttle-only option, you must transfer shuttles at Kuala Tembeling and may have to wait a while. The journey by shuttle to Taman Negara is not very scenic and can be a little bumpy. A shuttle-only ticket costs 95 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($21.50 USD). If you don’t want to do the boat ride on the way to Taman Negara, you can also do it on the way back. However, it is only a 1-hour boat trip on the way back as you head downstream.
How to get around Taman Negara?
If you’re heading to Taman Negara, you will likely stay in Kuala Tahan. Kuala Tahan is tiny, like made up of 3 streets, and you can walk the whole town in 8 minutes. Once you arrive, you’ll be getting around everywhere on foot. It is dirt roads, but there’s barely any traffic, so walking is easy. To get into the National Park, you must board a small local boat to the other side of the river. The boats run on a demand basis and cost less than $1 USD. They will pick you up at the jetty if you book any day tours or multi-day hikes. You just need to confirm precisely which floating dock you must wait at.
What to do in Taman Negara?
You can do a few activities in Taman Negara, most based on animals, the outdoors and hiking. You can do a lot of hikes yourself. However, there are certain activities that you will need to book a day tour to do. The day tours can be booked at your hostel, via Han Travel agency (the company that runs the shuttles) or by going to the jetty directly. An important thing to note is that you must pay for the Taman Negara National Park Entrance ticket and Camera Fee to enter the National Park. The ticket generally lasts a few days and costs 6 RM Malaysian Ringgit ($1.30 USD). Ensure you allow extra time before you commence any hike or tour to fill out your forms and get the ticket at Mutiara National Park Reception, as there is often a long line.
Taman Negara Day Tour
There is a standard day tour that ticks off many of Taman Negara’s main attractions. The tour will take you to the canopy walk, and the Bukit Teresek hike to the viewpoint, will include rapid shooting and will take you to visit and learn from the Orang Asli people, who are the indigenous land owners of the region. It’s a really great tour of Taman Negara, and the guides are super knowledgeable about native flora and fauna.
While you do have a bit of hiking, it’s not too difficult, and the guides make everyone take regular breaks and drink water due to the humidity level. Expect to pay around 150 RM Malaysian Ringgit per person ($34 USD) for the tour, which starts at 9:30 am and finishes up around 4 pm. You can complete the hikes in regular sneakers or even Birkenstocks, but make sure you bring plenty of water.
Night Safari Walk
If you love wildlife and want to learn more about the animals of the National Park, you should definitely do the Night Safari Walk. This activity includes walking through the national park with a guide who points out different wildlife such as scorpions, spiders, frogs, monkeys and maybe even some bigger animals if you are extremely likely. The guide also explained medicinal purposes for certain plants and was knowledgeable about the park and natural environment. The Night Safari Walk costs 40 RM Malaysian Ringgit per person ($9 USD). It runs from 8:30-10 pm every night, commencing at Mutiara Resort Jetty.
Lata Berkoh Day tour
A must-do if you’re in Taman Negara! This activity includes a boat ride to Lata Berkoh, where you will stop to see wildlife on the river bank, rapid shooting, complete a small hike and a chance to swim in a beautiful waterfall. The hike is only around 1km distance and fairly easy even if you aren’t very fit or a hiker (just watch out for the leeches!).
Lata Berkoh tours only run on demand when they have enough people to fill a boat tour. Basically, it is a private tour with a maximum of 4 people on 1 boat. So you must find other people to make a tour group with you. The price per boat is 250 RM ($56 USD). However, this is split among however many people you have in your group, with the maximum being 4 people. Staying at Agosto Hostel, I didn’t have an issue finding a group as the owner organised everything for me. The tour runs from 9:30 am to 3 pm departing from the jetty in Kuala Tahan.
Lubok Simpon Swim Spot
It is extremely hot in Taman Negara, and unfortunately, there are no swimming pools to cool down in. However, they do have a nice little swim spot in the National Park. Lubok Simpon is around a 15-minute walk from Mutiara Resort. Most of the way is a flat boardwalk, so it’s not challenging. Be wary of your personal belongings, and don’t bring any food. There are heaps of monkeys along the trail, and they’re not afraid of humans at all. The water at Lubok Simpon isn’t very clear due to the clay and mud riverbed, but it is refreshing. Be mindful of the tide and of any incoming boats coming along the river.
Where to stay in Taman Negara?
If you’re heading to Taman Negara, chances are you are staying in the gateway town, Kuala Tahan. Kuala Tahan is a tiny town with no traditional hostels but a few options for bnbs, guesthouses and resorts. With most of the guesthouses, be warned they are pretty basic given the remote location of Kuala Tahan. You can book all accommodation here.
Agosto Taman Negara Hostel
I cannot recommend this hostel highly enough! The owner was the loveliest human who explained all the different hikes, gave personal recommendations and ensured everyone was cared for. The hostel has basic dormitory-style accommodation, with curtains and plugs on all beds. They have aircon in the room, but it can get quite warm on the top bunk. There’s a small but social common area, and the owner does her best to introduce everyone. She also helps coordinate so everyone has friends to go hiking with.
Mutiara Resort
You cannot go wrong with Mutiara Resort if you feel like treating yourself. Mutiara is the only accommodation in Taman Negara that is physically inside the National Park. They’re a bit pricey, but you wake up to monkeys, birds and other wildlife literally at your doorstep. If you stay here, you have the added benefit of not having to cross the river every time you want to visit the national park. This means you can go for a walk first thing in the morning before everyone from Kuala Tahan makes their way over. Full disclosure, I did not stay here, but I did have a sneaky look through the resort facilities.
Where to eat in Taman Negara?
Given Taman Negara’s size, there is not a great range of places to eat or a variety of food options. For example, there are only three places open for breakfast. Only one of those makes a traditional Western breakfast. The other two serve basic breakfast dishes like Roti Canai and banana pancakes. Looking for more Malay cuisines to try on your trip? Check out my full guide to must-free Malaysian foods here.
Mutiara Restaurant and Bar
This is the only restaurant selling Western food and a full Western breakfast. But be warned; it is very much on the pricey side! The restaurant is in the resort, which is the only accommodation that is actually within the National Park in Taman Negara. They also serve banging cocktails if you fancy treating yourself to a nice dinner and cocktail. Highly recommend doing this one night after a long day of hiking.
Ann’s Restaurant
Probably the busiest restaurant in Taman Negara, and for a good reason! Ann’s Restaurant is in the town centre and serves great Malay food, burgers and BBQ chicken satay. They are also open for breakfast, serving standard breakfast dishes in Malaysia, such as banana pancakes, toast and Roti Canai.
The floating restaurants
In the main jetty area, several floating restaurants are open for lunch and dinner. I’ve lumped them all together as they all have similar menu items, and the food was of good quality. Eating out on the water is also an experience in itself! Especially when a boat docks at the restaurant, causing the whole restaurant to bob up and down while you’re trying to eat!
Nightlife in Taman Negara
Given how small Kuala Tahan is, there are no bars or nightlife. Some of the local restaurants sell local beer, so you can drink with dinner. Alternatively, you can have a couple of drinks at the guesthouse you’re staying at with other backpackers. Unfortunately, that is the extent of the nightlife. Most nights, everyone heads to bed pretty early, as most activities and shuttle transfers depart early.
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