Getting There and Around in Taman Negara

Part of the Taman Negara travel guide — see every topic in All Taman Negara Guides.

Taman Negara's main entrance at Kuala Tahan is reached via Jerantut, a small town in Pahang about three hours from Kuala Lumpur. From Jerantut there are two options: a road transfer of around an hour and a half, or the classic route — a longboat up the Tembeling river from Kuala Tembeling jetty, taking two and a half to three hours. The boat is slower, more expensive and much better. There are other entrances at Merapoh and Kuala Koh, used mainly by trekkers.

From Kuala Lumpur

Buses run from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan to Jerantut in three to four hours for RM 25–40. There is also a train on the interior jungle railway line to Jerantut, which is slower and more characterful. Most visitors book a package from Kuala Lumpur that combines a minibus to Jerantut or Kuala Tembeling, the boat, and accommodation — which is simpler and costs little more than doing it independently. From Jerantut, minibuses run to Kuala Tembeling jetty in about thirty minutes.

The boat versus the road

The longboat from Kuala Tembeling takes two and a half to three hours upstream and is the traditional approach: low, slow, shaded, with forest on both banks. It typically departs once or twice a day and requires enough passengers and enough water — in low water it cannot run. The road transfer from Jerantut takes about an hour and a half and costs less. If you have the time, take the boat in and the road out; the journey upstream is a genuine part of the experience.

At Kuala Tahan

The village of Kuala Tahan sits on one bank and park headquarters, the resort and the trailheads on the other, connected by small boats that cross constantly for a ringgit or two. Everything within the park is on foot or by longboat: the canopy walkway and Bukit Teresek are a walk, the hides and the upstream lodges are boat or long trek, and Lata Berkoh is an hour upstream. There are no roads inside the park and no vehicles.

The other entrances

Merapoh, on the western side in Pahang near the Kelantan border, is the shorter and steeper route up Gunung Tahan and has caves and a quieter park experience with fewer facilities. Kuala Koh in Kelantan is the northern entrance, remote and little visited. Both require their own transport arrangements and neither has Kuala Tahan's infrastructure. For a standard visit, Kuala Tahan is the entrance and the others are for trekkers with a specific objective.

Getting There and Around at a glance

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