So, you’re thinking a visit to Malaysia’s National Park of Taman Negara is a good idea. You would be right. But if you’re like us, you are not a fan of organized tours. Especially in Asia where a lot of your time is wasted standing around waiting for a guide to begin. If you have started researching Taman Negara, the first thing you notice is information on going without a tour is scarce. The majority of the information is about tours. Most of which are 3 days and 2 nights. They include transportation from Kuala Lumpur. Then you have the option to return to Kuala Lumpur or continue onto Cameron Highlands. You have meals, accommodations, activities, and all transportation included. This is great if you want to do a prepackaged tour. But can it be done on your own?
During our initial research, it seemed like the only way to see Taman Negara was through these tours. On top of this, no matter which tour you choose, the ratings are not great. Most reviews report guests being left disappointed. The accommodation with the tours are in poor condition, dirty, and usually don’t have hot water. Guests report not being informed what the plans for the day are. They end up sitting around with no direction waiting for guides. When the guides do finally show up, they are usually uninformative.
These reviews had us thinking that we should skip Taman Negara completely. Is it possible to improve on the average stay and upgrade your experience by skipping the tours?
Where Do You Start? - Transportation
Finding the information to do Teman Negara on your own is challenging. But when you are determined, you find a way. The first obstacle is getting there. There are a few options for getting there without a tour, but they are not easy.
One option available is a public bus that takes you to Jerantut for 25 MYR ($5.25 USD/7.15 CAD). But you will still need to get a taxi the rest of the way to Taman Negara. Taxi rates are said to start at 80 MYR($17.00 USD/$23 CAD). In a small town with limited availability, you can’t rely on that price or a taxi being available. Realistically for a prearranged taxi to Taman Negara from Jerantut, advertised rates are 532-1021 MYR ($112.00 – $215.00USD/$151.50 – 290.75 CAD) one way. With this being a 1-hour trip, the cost makes this option too much for a budget traveler to consider.
Another option is with the local train. But it is an estimated 7–8-hour journey at 87 MYR ($18.30 USD/$24.75). This option includes multiple transfers that could leave you stranded if one of your connections is missed. Once again not an appealing option.
The most direct route is a private taxi which takes about 4 hours. But it is by far the costliest option ranging from 447 – 1021 MYR ($94.00 – $215.00USD/$127.00 – $291.00CAD) per vehicle.
Are these the only possible options? No, we reached out to a hotel in Teman Negara and asked them if they knew a better way to get there. This hotel had amazing reviews, far above the average of what we were finding in our research. Many reviews referenced how helpful they were so we decided to give it a shot. The hotel pointed us to Easy Book, a transportation booking service in Asia. Here you can book a minibus that picks you up from Kuala Lumpur city center. You still must make a stop in Jerantut with this option costing 95 MYR (20 USD/27CAD here). There are only 2 providers for this route, NKS Hotel Travel Bus Operator and Han Travel Office. We chose NKS Hotel Travel Operator as it was suggested by the hotel. We were not left disappointed.
What Next? Choose a Place to Stay
We reviewed all the local hotels and made our selection based on price, access to hot water, location, condition of the rooms and the helpfulness of staff. In all comparisons TeBing Guest House came out on top. They were very helpful before we confirmed our booking. Helping us get there efficiently and at a reasonable cost. If you are looking to contact them, their WhatsApp number is +60 10-787 5617. We encourage you to review what’s available and to select accommodations based on your own preferences. Check out our Booking link to see what’s available. Make sure to filter by recent reviews for the most up to date information.
Time to Start the Journey – A Minibus Adventure Made Easy
Now its time to go deep in the Malaysian jungle to Taman Negara. The minibus will pick you up behind the Travelodge Hotel Chinatown. Meet them in the back of the building, not the front. You will have 1 pit stop in Jerantut on the way to Teman Negara. This stop is shared with both transportation providers. Everyone will unload their luggage here, regardless of provider and be put into the proper transportation groups. This is because Jerantut is also the pit stop for transfers to Camren Highlands. It’s a bit confusing but makes sense when you realize that some of the people on your bus are going to a different place.
Once everyone has unloaded their belongings and is reorganized into travel groups you will be given a sales pitch to buy tours. If you are on a group tour the procedures of your tour will be explained to you here. The operators will tell you how to get to your hotel once you arrive in Teman Negara. They give you a map of the area and mark out the route for you on the map. This is helpful considering you will most likely not have cell service once in Teman Negara. After this you have a bit of free time before everyone gets back on their newly assigned minibus and heads to their prospective destinations.
You will be dropped off in the center of town. Not directly at your hotel. Once you arrive, everyone unloads and walks to their accommodations. Most are within a 10-minute walk. You can get pointed in the correct direction if you are turned around. You will be following the map given at the pit stop. Rolling luggage may be an issue depending on the remoteness of your hotel.
If you are staying at the one accommodation located in the park, you will need to take an additional boat to get there. They have a luggage lift to assist once you are on the other side of the river.
What Will You Do First?
Once you’ve arrived its time to decide what activities you are going to do on your visit. Most hotels will have a list of activities that you can sign up for that includes prices, and departure times. Below you can see the one for TeBing Guest House for 2024.
If you stay here, they will ask what you are interested in and offer suggestions based on your answers. They will make sure to let you know about the cutoff times for any of the activities as well. We found they were never pushy about any of the options, they only made sure we were informed and left the choice to us.
Our first activity was the Night Walk. We saw 2 types of Stick bugs, Scorpions, and a Huntsman Spider. Timber Ants, a Gecko, Centipede, Crickets, Cockroaches, Termites, Beatles, and a bit more.
We expected to see more animals and bugs that were exclusive to this area. We thought the guides would know about the habitats and behaviour of the local animals. Anticipate where they would be and have a great eye to spot them. This is not what happens.
In Taman Negara, expect the flashlight to be used chaotically when searching for animals. It is used to scan the area quickly, looking for eyes to flash in the light. The animal’s location will then be pointed out to you. Once you see the animals, you get no explanation, description of eating habits or tips on how to find them on your own. For 53 MYR ($11.00USD/$15.00 CND) per person, it is nice to get out and see the jungle at night. But its not exactly the type of experience we were hoping for. But if you go with less expectations, this can be a good experience.
Some groups did report not seeing any wildlife. This is always a possibility. But we were able to see a few things on our walk. Most visitors will see something. But a lot of wildlife is rare unless your group goes deep into the park.
Is It Safe to Hike in the National Park on Your Own?
You might be hesitant about this idea at first. Not being sure of the poisonous or dangerous wildlife that you might see in the jungle. What do you do if you get bit? What about if a large cat or violent animal attacks you? Is a hospital near by?
When we visited Teman Negara we were looking to save some money and avoid doing only tours. We asked the front desk at our Guest House what self guided options we had. The front desk said it was fine and no guide was needed to visit the park. They encouraged self-exploration and seeing the hanging bridges. We were up to give it a try. We wanted to explore the Jungle on our own and do the canopy bridges. So, it was nice to hear it was safe to do so. It was easier than we thought, and all worked out fine. We spotted snakes, mice, monkeys, tropical birds, and various interesting insects all without a guide.
Make sure to visit the park office for your park permit and canopy ticket before heading into the jungle. You can not buy the extra bridge ticket once you arrive at the bridges. For 2 of us with the hanging bridges, it cost 17 MYR ($3.50USD/$5.00CAD) Once you grab a boat across to the park, head to the top and follow the sign to the park ticket office. If you get lost ask one of the hotel staff who are happy to assist.
You will need to keep your eyes pealed looking for animals. If you stop to take pictures and try to spot wildlife, you will need 2+ hours to complete the canopy bridges one way. The animal sounds fill the jungle at times and searching for them is part of the fun. It will require a hike to get to the bridges. So, give yourself the time. There are 2 staff at the bridges to collect your tickets and provide safety instructions. It’s an experience. Shaking the ropes is not allowed and the number of people on the bridges must be limited and spaced out. You can’t take pictures on the bridges, but you can while on the platforms. Be careful not to lean on the trees that are filled with ants. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the dark spots on the trees are shadows. Its ants. A lot of them.
There is also a swim spot that you can hike too. We didn’t have time to complete the full loop to the swimming spot. If you start earlier, you can do it all. We were told you need 3-4 hours for this alone. Make sure to be prepared with towels and swimsuits and watch out for leaches. Get to the park for sunrise if you want to see all the trails on your visit. We will next time.
Rapid Shooting, What Is It and Is It Fun?
If you are anything like us, you have no idea what this is. Does it involve guns or river rapids? The spelling of shooting vs chuting makes me thing guns. But we are located near a river. So that can be debated. We were excited to learn more about something we had never heard of. Turns out it’s an activity that has you go up and down the rapid sections of the river. Rocking back and forth in a covered long boat to get the rapids to splash you. Like a river roller coaster. This is not an activity that can possibly leave you dry. You WILL BE SOAKED. Try to wear quick-drying clothes if you leave the next day. This was our favourite part of the entire trip, and we wished it was much longer. This is a must-do when visiting Taman Negara. So, yes, its fun. Make sure to have a plastic bag if you head out the next day. Your clothes will most likely not have dried.
To be able to do Rapid Shooting, we had to purchase the combination tour which included a visit to the Native Village. When we visited this was the only option as we did it on our last day.
Visit the Native Village, Is it Exploitive?
The idea of paying to go into someone’s living space seems exploitative. As a tourist we offer money to see how indigenous people live. How they make fire, hunt, build shelter, gather water, and govern their tribe. How are they able to do these things without the modern luxuries we use back home? This is intriguing.
Yet this concept feels weird. Have the locals made their village a tourist experience? Are they now reliant on tourist dollars? Have they in turn lost their ability to live traditionally without the need for tourist dollars? Are they exploiting their own situations to get a quick buck? Are their traditions and way of life being lost in this process? Part of their life is exclusion. Are we contributing to their demise by touring these villages? These were all questions we had. We were not excited about visiting a local village. It feels wrong. These are people, not animals in a zoo.
We were pleasantly surprised to learn so much about their way of life. The way they hunt for food, the way arrows are made, how they build a fire, how they build their homes, and family rituals. You will get to try and shoot arrows and start a fire the way they do. A village representative is assigned to each group and your guide translates if you have any questions.
It was interesting to learn that the government has intervened and prioritized education. They made it a requirement for children to go to school. Transportation is provided at no cost to make this easier. It limits barriers for village children. This is not with all villages, because some are located so deep in the jungle that it is difficult to communicate with them. Language barriers and self reliance has made them not willing to talk to outside groups. But we were told that they have been working to get all Malaysian kids in school. Even those located remotely.
The villagers are paid for every group that visits and they receive food like rice for their participation. But the question is, does this exploit the local villagers or is this a method to help them? Well, there is an argument for both in any work-based relationship. With the money they have been able to increase their quality of life while maintaining their traditions.
Our guide informed us that some village members had become reliant on alcohol. They abused the money given to them which was intended for the whole community. The Village Chief had to get involved and put a stop to this for the health of the villagers. So, it was good to hear that once it was noticed that outside “help” had created an issue, locals were quick to work with the Village Chief to rectify the issue.
From what we saw, this experience was not an exploitive one but a collaborative educational effort that was mutually beneficial. The part we still found odd was at the end of the presentation. You walk around the small village to take photos, peak into homes and community buildings. This felt intrusive.
If you were hoping for souvenirs, they have a little local shop where you could buy a blow gun with blow darts and cups made by the locals. So, there were additional ways for the locals to maintain their crafting abilities while profiting form visitors.
Is The Night River Safari a Perfect Animal Spotting Adventure?
You have the option of doing a River Safari or an ATV tour. Keep in mind that spotting animals on these tours is rare. This is because the vehicles are loud, and you need to be quiet to see animals in their natural habitat. When we were here, we choose the River Safari as it is the quieter of the two options.
The boat will pick you up along the riverbank where the guide will be on the lookout for animals as soon as the tour starts. Expect the same chaotic spotlight searching seen on the night walk. The guide will look for glowing eyes with his light and have little information about the animals or their habitats. The boat speeds down the river so spotting anything will be difficult.
When on the water, help those around you spot wildlife if they are having issues. Travelers on our tour said they saw things when they didn’t, to keep the tour moving. Please, if you’re on a tour and you don’t see something spotted by the guide, don’t say you see it. This encourages uninformative tours to continue. Be supportive and inclusive.
When we did the tour we saw sleeping birds, bats, a leopard cat, and a deer. For us, and others on the tour, the best part of the tour was the night sky. With little to no light pollution along the river and no canopy cover from the jungle, the stars are incredible here. I would have been happy with a night sky star gazing tour. Where they point out constellations from the boat.
The River Night Safari is not the greatest animal spotting outing, it’s quite poor. Seeing sleeping birds is neat, this was our favorite animal encounter of the tour. But you will enjoy your tour down the river staring at the incredible stars, even if this is not the purpose of the tour.
Will You Choose an A-La-Cart Taman Negara Experience?
It’s nice having more control over what you want to do and when. This does require a few more bookings, but we feel like you are more likely to have an enjoyable experience. The Hotels are there to help accommodate what you want to do, not to upsell any tours or sell you any extras. This is nice and not typical of Asia. If you choose to visit Taman Negara, this is the best way to experience the park. If you enjoy hiking, opt for one more day to have more time to do the trails.
Yes, there are better places in the world to do jungle trails, but you should spend time in Taman Negara. The locals aren’t increasing the tour prices to make large gains. The tour packages or al-la-cart options are quite similar. Everyone is so pleasant. You don’t have to bargain for reasonable prices, they already are. It’s a wonderful introduction to Asia for first timers. The people are kind and welcoming.
We still recommend skipping the prepackaged tours and doing what you want to do on your own. This flexibility was important to us and took away the rush and pressure from the experience. Both prices are similar, yet we felt that we enjoyed this option more than a pre-packaged tour. We enjoyed our stay at TeBing Guest House with its clean and modern look. The breakfast was memorable and delicious at an affordable cost. Its location gives guests a nice river view for breakfast. Look at reviews and see what suits your needs best.
Planning Where to Go Next – How to Leave Taman Negara?
Most people will either move on to Cameron Highlands, Georgetown, or head back to Kuala Lumpur. There are of course other options, but these are the most common choices as they are the most direct. Other locations become more complicated to reach and most will take you through the main options first.
If you’re headed to Cameron Highlands, there is a minibus that will get you there the same day. There is also a minibus that will take you directly to Kuala Lumpur. This is often preferred if you have a flight to catch.
If you are thinking of heading to Georgetown, you must take a bus to Cameron Highlands first. You arrive around 4 pm and must stay the night to catch a bus to Georgetown at 8 or 9 am the next morning. So, this isn’t a 1-day option.
Now what will you choose? Have you been? Tell us what your experience was like. We would love to hear from you. Are you headed out yourself? Are there any questions you have I have left unanswered? Let us know in the comments. Happy Travels to Taman Negara, Malaysia.
