waterfalls at Terengganu

Terengganu is always thought of as a State with sandy beaches.
In fact it is a mountainous land with only a narrow strip of beach. Most areas inland are sparsely populated. Many waterfalls are yet to be identified.
Traditional waterfalls and their parks are now being spruced up and very well maintained. They are worth visiting.

Lata Tembakah

State	Terengganu
Location	25 km south of Jertih
Coordinates and map	N05° 35.17' E102° 26.83'
Water Source	Stream
Waterfall Profile	Vertical Falls & Cascades
Accessibility	Nature park

The Tembakah Waterfalls are probably the most impressive falls of Terengganu. The Hutan Lipur Lata Tembakah is clearly signposted and can be reached from Jertih. Coming from K. Terengganu a shortcut is possible by taking the T142 near Kg Jabi.

This is the sign you will see, when you come from K. Terengganu

The park is well maintained with many facilities

The first waterfalls are actually more like cascades. They have nice, large pools, which make them perfect for family outings. Not surprisingly, this park can be crowded!

The first cascade

Some of the cascades can be used as (bumpy) slides.

When you follow the trail along the river, you reach the main fall of the park. It is number 4 of the list.

The nr 4 waterfall is very impressive

It is a tall fall with an estimated altitude of 80 meters

From this fall you can continue to the upper falls.

To reach the upper falls, there are two possibities. First, you can choose the jungle trail, which is clearly signposted. The other way is to scramble upwards at the right side of the main fall. Interesting but not easy.

View of the mail fall, seen when scrambling uphill


At the top of the main fall. Deep down the crowd of visitors is visible.

After the main fall there are some quiet stretches

The upper falls are also very impressive and as it takes some effort to reach them, they will be quiet even when there is a crowd.

A slightly smaller brother of the main fall

Also here a beautiful pool

One of the quiet stretches

quiet....

and wild....

The last waterfall

waterfalls at Selangor

The State of Selangor has a state boundary at the western slopes of the Main Range. The annual Monsoon rains and tropical storms results in major rivers with many tributaries and waterfalls. Rainfall level is fairly consistent on this windward side of the Main Range.
Hence, the size of waterfalls found in Selangor varies not much in size the whole year round.

The Kanching Falls

State	Selangor
Location	Between Selayang and Rawang
Coordinates and map	E101° 37.19' N 3° 18.13'
Water Source	Stream
Waterfall Profile	7 Falls, most vertical ones
Accessibility	Public Transport, Trekking

Pleasure park of Kuala Lumpur

It may come as a surprise for some, but quite near to the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, there are many beautyful nature spots.

One of them is the Hutan Lipur Kanching. This well maintained recreation park is located off the trunk road nr 1 to Ipoh, between Selayang and Rawang.
Bus nr 43 will bring you there from Central Market in less than one hour.
The first part is perfectly suited for family trips and can be crowded during weekends.
There are many nice picknick spots along the small stream which is meandering quietly between meadows and does not indicate that there are waterfalls nearby.
Just follow the cemented path...!

Seven waterfalls...!!

Where does one waterfall end and the next one start?
This can be a bit confusing here, because there are many falls, covering a total height difference of about 200 meters.
The first fall is a romantic and secluded one.
But not very suitable for bathing.
Near the second fall an attempt has been made to construct a kind of swimming pool.


The Kapor Fall

The next fall, the Kapor Fall, could be appropriately called THE Kanching Fall. There are dressing rooms here, toilets and shelters.
Take care when you leave your belongings here and go for a relaxing swim, because there are many curious monkeys around!

The call of advenure...

At the top there is waterfall nr 4 and here is the end of the concrete steps. But there is more to see, although it will require more effort and some scrambling.

You have to climb up steep slopes, there are trails on both sides of the stream, the left trail is easier but not as interesting as the one on the right side.

The next fall has no swimming pool, but a perfect shower!

The next fall is a big one. Can you still call this a fall or is it just the stream going down steeply for about 60 meters?
Take care, this place is not suitable for swimming anymore, although some trees manage to survive in these adverse conditions.

At the top of waterfall nr 6, the landscape changes suddenly. Climbing out of the valley, for the first time you have a clear view of the opposite site, far away. There is one last waterfall, a jewel, watch the colours of the rocks here!
Rest, enjoy and relax.
If you keep going on(no trail, just follow the river bed) you will find no more falls, but quiet, pristine jungle. Where does it end? Try to find out for yourself!

waterfalls at Sarawak

By far the largest state of Malaysia, Sarawak has numerous waterfalls, many of which still have to be explored

Ranchan Falls

State	Sarawak
Location	Near Serian
Coordinates and map	N 01 08.59' E 110 35.02'
Water Source	Stream
Waterfall Profile	Cascades and falls
Accessibility	From carpark

The Recreational park of Ranchan is located just south of Serian, about 60 km from Kuching. Easy access from the main nr 1 highway. The park is well maintained, as is generally the case in Sarawak.

Ranchan park, the rules and regulations

A colorful bridge crosses the stream

A good footpath leads to the falls and to a suspension bridge where you can cross to the other side of the river.

One of the Ranchan falls

Falls and cascades

The suspension bridge

Not surprisingly the park is popular with the locals. A perfect destination for a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

waterfalls at Sabah

This state in the Northern part of Borneo, is largely covered with tropical rainforest. Many of its numerous waterfalls still have to be explored

Mahua Waterfall

State	Sabah
Location	15 minutes from Tambunan
Coordinates	N 5°40' E 116°22' (Tambunan)
Water Source	River
Waterfall Profile	Vertical Fall
Accessibility	6 km along a dirt road followed by an easy 15 minute walk

Leaving Tambunan in the direction of Ranau, you will reach Kg Patau after 10 or 15 minutes and see a sign post indicating a left turn to the Mahua Waterfall. (If you come from Kota Kinabalu, it would be about a 1 ½ hour ride).

After making that turn, you trundle along a dirt road for 6 km. The first stretch of the road is in relatively good condition, but it gets trickier the farther in you go. My guess is that an ordinary car would encounter difficulties in wet weather. We were in a 4WD, but because it was not one of those rugged 4 x 4 work horses, we did experience some sticky moments.

Eventually, we came to a large clearing along which a river rushed. This marked the end of the road. The track was rather muddy and to avoid getting our vehicle stuck, we walked the rest of the way in to the Mahua Sub-station which had been financed by the Japan International Co-operational Agency (JICA). A friendly caretaker there maintains an office and collects an entrance fee of RM3 per person. For that fee, you also get to use the extremely clean toilets.

Passing by a village on the dirt road to the Mahua Fall. Notice the pine tree.

The road ends here. Because it was muddy, we parked and walked in to the Mahua Sub-station which you can see in the far distance.

The trail to the waterfall. This is so well-marked and well-kept that it will be impossible to get lost.

The 500 metre walk along a distinct and well-maintained trail to the waterfall is an extremely pleasant stroll through a secondary forest of dipterocarp trees, undergrowth, ferns, shrubs and bamboo dense enough to shut out most of the sun’s heat. Butterflies, mainly the Tufted Jungle King, fluttering along the trail added flashes of colour to the otherwise intense green of the forest.

The river which runs by the trail.

Another view of the river.

Sungai Lobou

Two tributaries, the Sg Lobou and the Sg Kulanggi gush down as little waterfalls of their own to join the main river which is never out of sight or earshot.

Sungai Kulanggi

Some parts of the trail are cemented for easy access.

The dense dipterocarp forest through which the trail passes.

At the end of the trail, the Mahua Waterfall tumbles down in an agitated vertical column of water, sending up a continuous misty spray as it crashes into the pool below. The height of the Fall is uncertain. One source puts it as 9 metres, another 15 metres and yet another 17 metres. I’m not sure, too, whether the small pool is safe for swimming but I can imagine that the strong currents stirred up by the Fall would put paid to all such intentions.

The fall becomes visible

The Mahua Fall

The fall in all its glory

Shelters and benches are provided for picnickers. There were, however, only four other people besides us that day we went. Difficulty of access has probably discouraged many people from visiting the Fall which is not a bad thing considering the difficulty of maintaining cleanliness in the face of large crowds.

Around the Fall area are shelters, benches and picnic tables for picnickers

waterfalls at Perak

Perak is another large state with its eastern state boundary in mountainous area. There is an uncounted number of waterfalls yet to be discovered! But there are also numerous waterfall areas opened up for public usage.
Among the waterfalls with easy access, there are a couple of spectacular falls.

Batu Berangkai Fall

State	Perak
Location	Near Kampar
Coordinates and map	N04 18.47' E101 10.12'
Water Source	Small River
Waterfall Profile	Cascades & Fall
Accessibility	From Carpark

Waterfall near Kampar

It does not happen often that you can walk from the town center to a waterfall, but in Kampar it is possible. A 45 minute walk from the Yau Kee restaurant in Kampar (famous for its Roti Ayam) will bring you there. If you come by car from KL, you turn right to Kg Batu Berangkai, just before the Bomba. From this junction it is less than 2 km to the fall. You will pass an Orang Asli village on your way.

This road leads to Kg Batu Berangkai and the fall

Orang Asli house

Some shelters have been built along the stream

The Batu Berangkai Fall is not spectacular, but it has a nice pool with very clear water. You can continue your walk upstream for a few more cascades.

The fall has a nice, large pool