A plan for the Malaysian jungle

Over the course of about 3 weeks in February 2006, I traveled in Thailand and Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital and business center in Malaysia, is crowded with people from all over the world. Malaysia's official religion is Islam, and there are mosques all around. With the population of approx. 25 million, the country consists of different ethnic groups such as Malay, Chinese, Islamic, Indian, and indigenous.

About 60% of the nation's land is covered with rainforests which are rich in biodiversity. Among the 44 or so national parks in Malaysia, our first destination was Taman Negara National Park.




Time permitting, I prefer to take it easy and travel by bus or train, rather than by air, because overland journey gives me the opportunity to sightsee places that are off the beaten track.

There are several routes to get to Taman Negara National Park from Kuala Lumpur, allowing tourists to choose what best suits their schedules and preferences.

The most popular route is to take a bus (2, 3, or 4) or a train and a bus (1 and 3) from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Tembeling Jetty. Once at Kuala Tembeling Jetty, a boat will take you to the entrance of Taman Negara National Park. (See detailed schedules below; the timetables and prices are subject to change.) There is a way to arrive at Taman Negara by taxi, but the boat trip up the Tembeling river is highly recommended.



Scenic view from the boat. Alligators are sometimes spotted.

1．Rail　（http://www.ktmb.com.my）

Dept:　 Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station
Dest: 　 Jerantut
Dept Time： 7.55pm / 9.00pm
Travel Time： approx. 6.5 hours
Fare：　 　 RM15.00
Operated by： KTMB

2．Long-distance Bus

Dept:　 Pekeliling bus station, Kuala Lumpur
Dest: 　 Jerantut
Dept Time： 10.00am 11.30am 3.00pm 5.00pm / daily
Travel Time： approx. 2.5 hours
Fare：　 　 RM10.85
Operated by：Perwira Ekspres

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Dept:　 Jerantut
Dest: 　 Pekeliling bus station, Kuala Lumpur
Dept Time： 10.00am 11.30am 3.00pm 5.00pm / daily
Travel Time： approx. 2.5 hours
Fare：　 　 RM10.85
Operated by：Perwira Ekspres

３．Shuttle Bus

Dept:　 Jerantut
Dest: 　 Kuala Tembeling Jetty
Dept Time： 08.30am, 1.00pm, 5.30pm / daily
Travel Time： approx. 40 minutes
Fare：　　 RM5.00
Operated by：NKS Travel & Tours

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Dept:　 Kuala Tembeling Jetty
Dest: 　 Jerantut
Dept Time： 08.00am, 7.30pm / Daily
Travel Time: approx. 40 minutes
Fare：　 　RM5.00
Operated by：NKS Travel & Tours

４．Express Bus （http://www.taman-negara-nks.com/bus_shuttle.htm）

Dept: 　 Kuala Lumpur, China Town, Hotel Mandarin Pacific　
Dest: Kuala Tembeling Jetty
Dept Time： 8.00am （Daily / Registration: 7.30am）
Travel Time： 2.5 hours to Jerantut, 2-hour break, 40 minutes to Kuala Tembeling Jetty
Fare：　 　RM35.00
Operated by：NKS Travel & Tours

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Dept: 　 Kuala Tembeling Jetty　
Dest: Kuala Lumpur, China Town, Hotel Mandarin Pacific
Dept Time： 11.30am （Daily / Registration: 11.00am）
Travel Time： 40 minutes to Jerantut, 1-hour break, 2.5 hours to Kuala Lumpur
Fare：　 　RM35.00
Operated by：NKS Travel & Tours

5．Boat

Dept:　 Kuala Tembeling Jetty
Dest:　 Kuala Tahan in Taman Negara National Park
Dept Time： 9.00am / 2.00pm （Daily but Fridays: 9.00am / ２.45ｐｍ）
Travel Time： approx. 3 hours
Fare：　　 　RM25.00
Operated by：NKS Travel & Tours

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Dept:　 Kuala Tahan in Taman Negara National Park
Dest:　 Kuala Tembeling Jetty
Dept Time： 9.00am / 2.00pm （Daily but Fridays: 9.00am / ２.45ｐｍ）
Travel Time： approx. 3 hours
Fare：　　 　RM25.00
Operated by：NKS Travel & Tours



Kuala Tembeling Jetty - the 3-hour boat trip to Taman Negara is enjoyable.


Since I flew into Malaysia from Bangkok in the morning, Jerantut was as far as I could make it within the same day. Therefore, we stayed overnight at a cheap hotel in Jerantut. When our bus arrived there, we found several hotels in no time. Though we had no reservation, check-in went quite easy and we set off to wander about the town.



View from the hotel in Jerantut. A few cheap hotels are situated along this street.

A variety of information about activities in Taman Negara National Park is accessible in Jerantut. It shouldn't be a problem even if you have not done your homework in advance. We planned our jungle trip the night before while enjoying Malaysian dishes at an open-air restaurant in "downtown" Jerantut.


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