Taman Negara is a protected area that has the oldest rainforests in the world. Whatever expectation you set for Taman Negara you wont be disappointed.

Mito, H, Deepak and me went with mixed expectations. I had been warned that vegetarian food will be difficult to get and the advice on curing leech bites rather than preventing them still rung in my ears.

Anyways, instead of doing pages and pages of reporting on our stay in taman negara, here is a bullet point take away:

• Get a free and easy package trip from NKS Travels.
• If you are going from Singapore, better take the train to Jerantut - it is faster and more comfortable
• If you do not like to return sweating buckets of sweat to a room which resembles a bat cave when there is no electricity, I suggest you book the room at the more expensive Mutiara Resort. The rooms are beautiful and is at the entrance of the jungle. Any other “resort” or “village” is on the other side of the river, and to get to the otherside you need to pay 25 singapore cents each time.
• If you are the adventurous or the unfortunate kind that takes a bus from KL followed by a three hour boat ride to Taman Negara, do prepare to get wet during the boat ride or to flex your muscles like jackie chan in the middle of the river. You will be asked to jump from one boat to the other or move seats within your boat.
• Did I say it rains? I was saved by my expensive Esprit dry fit pants that dried instantly (though I didnt have this foresight before the three hour boat ride though).
• There is no “path” in the jungle. The trails look trodden upon, but nothing more. If you have never trekked before, you might not know which trail to take, so go with a guide.
• Dont expect to see animals or birds. The periphery of the forest is as bare as the Singapore’s fake ones. But if you plan to trek for more than two days, you might come across a few wild boars, though the forest even harbours elephants which are in the interiors.
• Umbrella is still the best shelter from rain, always carry one.
• Never forget mosquito repellent. Spray it as liberally as you can on your shoes, hands and every other exposed part of your body
• The views from the hill tops are breathtaking. It is worth the breathless effort you have to put in, including jumping over fallen trees, prickly shrubs, weird shoots that seem to be made just to trip you
• Best to go during summer, when it rains lesser and the paths are less slippery.
• Dont miss Lata Berkoh. It is a set of cascades with strong currents. My cap sank without a trace there. I shudder to think about human beings drowning. But the way to Lata Berkoh is beautiful in its stillness and jurassic park like look (perhaps this is where the JP people got the idea from!).
• Likewise, dont miss the Canopy walkway. It is really long and highly thrilling!
• Orang Aslis look amazing. It is so amazing to see someone who has not adopted our “modern” ways of living. The malaysians are mighty proud of them!
• The river around Taman Negara has drastic changes in currents, one second you are “shooting” rapids and the next you see the water as still as in Lake Placid.
• The food is incredibly cheap across the river, and yes, you get tasty vegetarian food too.
• If you apply enough mosquito repellents, leeches or any other living thing will not come anywhere near you. I never saw a leech, much to my regret.
The flickr has the photos of the Taman Negara trip