Transport Between Taman Negara (Kuala Tahan) & Kuala Lumpur

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Tara

As I mentioned in my other post, you can get private shuttles to get to and from Kuala Tahan from which you take the small shuttle boat across the river. You can also use public transport from Kuala Lumpur via Jerantut. This is how we got back to Kuala Lumpur.

1 ringgit each to cross the river.

Then walk up the road and turn left. Locals will point out the bus station.

The public bus leaves at 10am, 12 noon & 3pm and costs 7 ringgits and takes almost 2 hours to get to Jerantut due to frequent stops along the way. You could also get a shuttle (pictured above) or taxi if you miss the bus or are in a hurry.

Heading out of town, we saw a sign advertising the Taman Negara Bird Count starting the day after we left. Bad timing for us, although on retrospect we may have had trouble getting accommodation if we had been there on those days.

Souvenir shop in Kuala Tahan

Another river a short ways out of town.

Interior of local bus between Kuala Tahan and Jerantut

Arriving in Jerantut. There are some small hotels here if you get stuck for the night.

Bus schedules out of Jerantut.

We were first off the bus and ran to the window and asked for the next bus to Kuala Lumpur. It was leaving around 12:30pm so we didn’t have time to get lunch. There are toilets in the bus station but they are a little far from where you board. The bus to KL is nicer than the local bus and is non stop to KL.

A few shots out the window as we left Jerantut.

And a nice view of the Petronas Towers as we approach KL.

The bus left us outside a bus terminal and most of the passengers got in taxis. We were quoted a high price from the taxi and I was trying to bargain with him when I saw a bus pull up that said “Sentral” on the front which I knew to be close to our hotel so we hopped on. Much to my very pleasant surprise, it was a free bus!

Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis)

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Tara

The Bue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis) is a passerine bird in the family Pittidae. It is found in a variety of habitats to an altitude of 800 m (2500 ft), including broadleaved forests, parks and gardens, and mangroves, though avoids dense rainforest. I was lucky enough to see some in Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia.

Blue-winged Pittas have a large range throughout most of South-east Asia with most sightings occurring in Malaysia and Thailand. Taman Negara (blue dot) is a good place to see them, they frequent the beginning of the footpath leading to the Canopy Walkway nearest to the Mutiara Taman Negara Hotel and can also be seen under the bungalows which are near the rainforest.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Xeno-canto

VIDEOS

This video shows how they forage on the ground for food.

I’m amazed this one can eat with all those cameras going off – it’s like paparazzi at a Monte Carlo cafe!

The Canopy Walkway Of Taman Negara

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Tara

Taman Negara boasts the world’s longest canopy walkway at 530 metres.

Opening Time	Prices
Sat to Thurs 11.00 am to 2.45 pm	Adult at Rm 5.00
Fri 9.00 am to 12 noon	Children at Rm 3.00

Although we didn’t see many birds up there (we went around mid-morning so maybe we should have been there earlier) it was quite an adventure. Just getting there through the rainforest trails is a spectacular walk along a well-marked walkway.

This humongous tree is about halfway along the trail.

Follow the signs up a VERY steep trail which thankfully has places to sit down and rest as I found it exhausting. At the top of the trail, there will be people to take your entry fee of 5 ringgits each.

Then you start the wobbly walk across some really stunning scenery. Since we arrived about an hour before it closed the staff kept hustling us along.

The only bird I was able to see along the walkway.

Towards the end there is a steep descent which was really precarious and I had to take it very slowly!

Just before the exit, one of the staff pointed out a gibbon in the distant trees.

This guy is probably thinking “I wish these tourists would hurry up so I can go home!”

Now we are on the ground looking up at the final platform.

Since photos don’t really let you appreciate how wobbly this thing really is, I found a Youtube video to show you!

Birds & Mammals Around Mutiara Taman Negara

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Tara

The nice thing about staying at Mutiara Taman Negara is that it is located right inside the park so you don’t have far to go to see birds and animals. Let’s start with meal times. Sit outdoors and watch the birds while you eat. The restaurant has a perfect vantage point where you can see both sides of the river. I added the 1st two photos just to show the damage done by the floods of early 2015.

Oriental Magpie-robin

Squirrel

Stork-billed Kingfisher

Greater Coucal

Sparrows

Random birds in flight, photo not good enough for me to identify them but you do see lots of birds flying by the restaurant over the river.

Blue-throated Bee-eater

There are lots of mammals in the grounds as well. Monkeys (Macaques) are always around to try to steal food from unsuspecting tourists. Sadly, they will eat all the fruit off the trees driving some bird species such as parrots away. If they can’t find fruit or rob a tourist, they will apparently eat flowers!

Other mammals seen on the trails and near the Tahan Hide include squirrels, bush pigs & deer. There’s more info about mammals here.

Keep an eye out for Blue-winged Pitta scurrying around the beginning of the walkway which eventually leads to the canopy walkway and under the bungalows on the rainforest side. I saw these birds in the late afternoon.

Black-and-red Broadbill (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos)

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Tara

The Black-and-red Broadbill (Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchos) is a species of bird in the broadbill family. It is monotypic within the genus Cymbirhynchus. I only saw one from a distance in Taman Negara so here’s a close-up from Wikipedia.

And my photos from about 300 metres.

Although they are found throughout South-east Asia, much of the habitat is not easily accessible by eco-tourists. Taman Negara (blue dot) in Malaysia is very easy to get to and reliable for this species, try the Tahan Hide. Xeno-canto has other locations where this bird can be seen.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS BIRD

VIDEO

Beautiful close-up of a beautiful bird!

A lovely pair in the rainforest.

Birding Taman Negara – Tahan Hide

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Tara

Located roughly in the middle of the Mutiara Taman Negara, there is a small footpath leading to the Tahan Hide. The 2nd level has a generous seating area for about 8 birders if there is a group. I was lucky and there was only one other birder there so we could move around and check out various sides all overlooking the rainforest and a large clearing in which birds could be seen flying back and forth. Easy, relaxing birding at its best!

I made 4 visits here – both afternoons and both mornings. I had been hoping for Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots but I later found out that the resident monkeys have eaten all the fruit so the parrots have left the area. We did see lots of Fork-tailed Drongoes, Black-headed Bulbuls, Jungle Mynahs, Asian Fairy Bluebirds, Large Niltavas, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongoes, Jungle Fowl, Blue-throated Bee-eaters, Dusky-crested Hornbill, and what turned out to be my favourite – a Black & Red Broadbill.

Lodge Review: Mutiara Taman Negara

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Tara

The Mutiara Taman Negara is one of the pricier options but in this case I think it’s well worth it as it’s the only lodge actually inside the park. You can get up at the crack of dawn and wander down to the Tahan hide and watch the birds wake up! If you’re in Malaysia for birding, you really need to stay here!

I was impressed even from across the river with the stunning rainforest setting. We took a shuttle boat across (1 ringgit pp) and were greeted by the Mutiara’s staff.

Luggage gets a free ride but unfortunately humans have to walk up the stairs!

We just missed this Bird Count by 2 days which was a bummer. It would have been fun to join in, not to mention there would be some expert birders on hand to help us find the birds. I did ask about hiring a guide but the reception asked for a shockingly high price – 800 ringgits! That is probably what they charge groups and I had been hoping they had birding group tours that anyone could join but that wasn’t the case. You have to already be in a group or pay the full guide fee by yourself. They do have organized night walks that you can join as an individual but we had to get up early for birding so didn’t go out at night.

After checking in, we were given an orientation of the property and escorted to our chalet. They accept all major credit cards and you can charge purchases from the mini-mart and restaurant to your room and pay when you check out.

The chalet is gorgeous! While still having a few mod-cons such as AC and TV (no wifi), it still felt like a rainforest retreat.

We had a nice deck overlooking the rainforest so we could relax and look for birds during the down time.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped with chalets and one building that serves as a backpacker dorm.

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. We always went for the outdoor tables because of the view and possibility to see birds.

The food was pretty good. It was a bit pricy and some people choose to go across the river but after a hard day’s birding we were glad for the convenience of being able to charge the meals to our room and enjoy a spectacular view.

The hiking trails into the park branch off the footpaths throughout the Mutiara’s grounds. I’ll be going into more detail on other posts.

If you get lost, ask the friendly staff for directions.

The last day of our stay, it started to get busy, probably in preparation for the bird count.

The trolley took our bags back down and we took a boat across with a plan to get public transport back to Kuala Lumpur (covered on a separate post).

Bottom line – we loved this place and I think any birder would too! As an added bonus to miles collectors, the Mutiara Taman Negara is on most major booking sites at the same price. We booked on Rocketmiles and got 4000 United miles!

Getting To Taman Negara Is Half The Fun – Part 2

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Tara

Continuing from yesterday’s post, let’s have a look at the 2nd part of the journey to Taman Negara.

PART 2 – BOAT TO KUALA TAHAN

After lunch, around 2pm-ish, they will call everyone down to the boat. Depending on how many people there are, there may be more than one boat. The boats do NOT have toilets so go before boarding.

The boats are shallow and I found it very uncomfortable to sit in so it was lucky that at least they weren’t full so we had room to shift around.

The scenery is beautiful and sometimes you can see birds flying by.

There was a terrible flood earlier in the year that actually saw some of the park closed down. As we travelled down the river, there was evidence of the destruction everywhere – erosion and even houses falling down the cliffs. What a horrible thing for the owners of those houses!

We made good time and after just over 2 hours, the Mutiara Taman Negara where we would be staying came into view.

Our boat dropped us off at one of the floating restaurants opposite and we took a shuttle across to the Mutiara for 1 ringgit each.

Getting To Taman Negara Is Half The Fun – Part 1

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Tara

Most people approach the birder’s paradise of Taman Negara from either Kuala Lumpur or the Cameron Highlands by one of the shuttle services. The Cameron Highlands – Taman Negara shuttle is run through Cameron Secrets and will pick you up at your accommodation early in the morning. Either way, you will have a two-part journey – the road trip to Kuala Tembelling and a boat ride to Kuala Tahan just opposite the park entrance.

PART 1 – MINIBUS TO KUALA TEMBELLING

Heading out of Tanah Rata, there is some beautiful mountain scenery to enjoy.

Sadly there is also a lot of habitat destruction. I’m not sure what they are building here but it sure is ugly!

Once out of the mountains, there are some small villages and markets. The driver will make a comfort stop enroute where you can use the facilities and buy snacks.

Lizards have the right of way!

Just in case anyone is planning to rent a car, here are the signs to look out for.

After ~ 3 hours or so, you will arrive at Kuala Tembelling. This river port is where the boats take you to Kuala Tahan through the Taman Negara National Park.

This was our minibus.

Upon arrival you need to check in with the boat counter and pay for your admission tickets to Taman Negara which is across the street.

The Taman Negara ticket office also has tourist information and some nice photos of birds.

Bring your entry ticket back to the restaurant building and get your boat ticket (which is included in the shuttle fee), then relax, have lunch and look around the area. If you don’t have accommodation already booked (we were pre-booked at Mutiara Taman Negara), then they can book something for you.

The food is cheap. Just a warning, there are no toilets on the 2.5 hour boat ride so consider your drinking accordingly!

Greater & Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus & Dicrurus remifer)

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Tara

Since these two species are so similar and are found in roughly the same area, I am going to combine the profiles of the Greater & Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus & Dicrurus remifer). You can tell them apart by the size of the bird, the crest on the Greater RTD and the shape of the tails. The Greater has a fork shaped tail and the Lesser’s tail is more of a wedge shape.

This is a Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo from Mae Ping NP in Thailand with the smooth head and wedge-shaped tail.

Here is a Greater Racket-tailed Drongo with the forked tail in Taiping.

Both birds have a large, varied range in South-east Asia with the Greater having a larger distribution including India than the Lesser. I saw both birds in northern Thailand, in Doi Inthanon and Mae Ping, also in Taiping and Taman Negara in Malaysia.