Distance: 105km
EG: 5,250m
(9 Days Camping Trip, 29th October 2022 - 6th November 2022)
*This blog only include 4 Step Waterfall trip cause there way too many Trans-Tahan blog out there anyway :P
More info on Tahan (Merapoh only) here:
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| Strava activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/8075199620 GPX Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6kvhzrnnbjmjrle/Lipis_District_Trail_Run20221029121048.gpx?dl=0 |
Prologue:
The initial plan was to do 8 days but the team have to be very consistent and must have the pace even with the heavy bag. Our initial plan as follow:
Day 1: Kubang Camp
Day 2: Gedung Camp
Day 3: Teku Camp
Day 4: Pasir Mengkuang Camp
Day 5: Dayhike
Day 6: Teku Camp
Day 7: Camp Tengah / Melantai
Day 8: Out
To move faster, I also opt to stay in a fly-ground sheet instead of tent which lessen bag weight by a lot. Cold? I did invest in a better sleeping bag and jacket. My starting weight 50L bag + 1.0L waist bag with food ration was 21kg.
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| Our Fly-Ground Set-up (Major thanks to Jack Wong for setting it up everyday) |
We did hire a porter for 15kg to carry most of our food ration. Porter Amy and Guide Abang Long was with us for the trip.
Before entering the forest, we were told that there was only 3 attempts to the four-step waterfall this year, one trip failed due to being lost and rain, second one the group said they make-it but there was no proof of photo or anything like that. Our group would be the last attempt for the year. (Even being the last group of hiker to enter Tahan for the year)
Thing I brought (~11-13kg) < [Last day of the hike with wet bag and only 3 Hutan Ration left, it was at 13kg]
- Power Bank 10,000mAh for GoPro, Watch + Phone for music (not enough though)
- 4 Set of shirt (1 for hiking[with rain-jacket], 1 for sleeping[with jacket], 1 for after Tahan trip, 1 for emergency) ++ extra sock & slipper
- Personal food ration (mostly hutan ration only + 2 Kembara + Wrap + Salt Candy + Vitamin C + Peanuts + Milo + 2 Maggi)
- Sleeping bag + Mat + Inflatable pillow (I don't trust inflatable mat)
- Gas + Mess Tin + Utensil + Stove
- 4 nos. 500ml flask and bottle + 5L water storage
- Chair and Table
- Mosquito burning coil
- Soap + Toothbrush and etc.
- "Wipe leg+groundsheet" towel and body towel
Others: (~7-8kg)
- Food ration for dinner (by Jack and Sammy) and lunch (by Rex Kee)
Egg and Cooking Oil? We shall not talk about that here, what happen in Tahan, stay in Tahan.
Thing I should have brought:
- Umbrella
Breakfast were typically wrap bread and two morning of Maggi
Lunch was either
-chicken rice with baked potato + fried rice seasoning + lady finger
-rice + sardine can
-2 days of Kembara
In-between is typically hutan ration, snicker and salt candy.
Few days before:
As I just came down from Trans-Batu that week Monday, I was busy cleaning most of the equipment and only really start packing on Wednesday. Thank you Rex Kee and Jack Wong for settling all the food issue as I only needed to think of what essential item to bring only.
The menu you said? Yeah, I forgot. All I know everyday dinner was extremely nice (prepared by Sammy and Jack) while lunch was extremely nice prepared by Rex Kee.
(Merapoh - Tahan Peak - Teku Camp) <-- Story that I will write one day I guess...
Day 4:
During our trip, there was a little bit of weather issue, day 4 is the day we were supposed to be at Teku Camp and start our journey into the 4-Step Waterfall trail, but we were stuck at Pangkin Camp unfortunately.
Today since we were coming down from Pangkin Camp, we arrived Teku Camp at 11:30pm. As we were behind schedule for the 8 days schedule, we wanted to continue into 4-Step Waterfall trail since we had a lot of time...
But the weather had other plan for us today. It had been raining continuously since last night, the rain then continue again around 12:00pm. Knowing that the 4-Step Waterfall trail is full of river crossing, our guide needed us to stand down for the fear of river flooding. And rightfully so, later that evening around 6:30pm, the river level rises quite high. (Side note: since we didn't know how far deep the waterfall is, we wanted to just daypack from Teku, to and back, as quick as possible. Mana tau, we were extremely wrong with the distance and time required...)
Day 5:
Day 5 was the day, detour from your typical trail of Trans-Tahan, Previously, we were all hiking at our own pace, some of our friend were hiking faster than both our guide and porter, but since the trail we entering is consider even wilder compare to the normal trail, we were going to have to stick together ad encountering wild animal inside this trail is much higher.
Since daypack is out of the option, we left some of our stuff back here in Teku Campsite to have a lighter bag pack, brought in 3 days worth of foods. Started our journey around 8:00am, and not even that far into the trail, the trail has become quite raw to hike in.
Generally the whole trail is what you truly call a wild jungle trail and make Trans-Titiwangsa V2 trail condition look like a highway. Our guide were very busy chopping tree in front with Jack, while we having the smaller knife clean the trail.
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| Very unclear trail, marking little to none |
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| A lot of chopping |
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| Rock Beach |
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| Sand Beach (Pasir Panjang Campsite) |
But since we have plenty of time, we push on deeper into Pasir Mengkuang Campsite. And to show just how raw the trail is, the whole journey is only 12km with almost no elevation gain, typically we can do it under 4 hours no problem, but this journey alone took us 7hours30mins (does include I think almost 1 hour rest but still...)
We reached our campsite at 3:30pm and decided to stay here. Yeah, there isn't a lot of space here though.
It does look scarily near the river but one way to look at it is the leaf marking, always try to set your campsite higher than this marking.
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| Indication for river flooding (btw, this picture is not Pasir Mengkuang Campsite) |
Since it was early here, we had time to play river and really just relax on the side.
7:00pm, the rain suddenly started and it wasn't light. We did put some of our stuff out near the river but regardless, we collected everything and put it as far away from the river. Because river flooding is really no joke. It was also by this time that we just finished eating our dinner so we went to bed early. Not until the rain started splashing into the fly-ground, since earlier we didn't have enough time to install the extension flysheet, I had to open my emergency blanket just to cover the splashes.
Around 9pm, the river started roaring loudly, but knowing we were above the line, most of us weren't bother by it except for Rex. Since the space here were very limited, his tent was just below the line, but luckily the river rises nowhere near his tent.
Yeah, didn't really slept well tonight due to constant splashing.
Day 6:
The next morning, as expected, the river swelled from the rain but regardless... Breakfast was just wrap bread.
This is the day we shoot for the waterfall and started at 10am. As usual, the whole trail was as raw as always but with only 2 deep river crossing. Since it rained last night, the river had swelled up and crossing it was difficult. Luckily Elsa brought her rope for us to use. (MGP Perak don't play play aa)
After a while, a few mini dragon-back climb, then came the waterfall trail. It was also at this time, it started raining again, this is around mid-day and the rain is the type that will fall for a long time.
I was worry about the whole trip being cancelled due the river swelling but the guide was very experience knowing that since we were actually very high-up of the river-end, the swell wouldn't be as bad, so we moved on.
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| Before rain (We have to climb up this) |
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| Before rain |
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| Waterfall trail |
After the waterfall trail, due to the raw trail plus our guide hasn't actually been here since 2016. We ter-took the wrong turning after this part of the trail and went off-course.
I thought we almost couldn't find the waterfall plus since the trail is not a trail, the whole ground was either very leafy or the ground was very loose. Do note It was already 3pm (5 hours since the start) and we haven't found the fall yet at this time.
But with the exceptionally powerful navigation skill from the guide, we cut through the trail and we found the fall. It wasn't 4-Step Waterfall though at this time, more like a single-step waterfall as you were supposed to see the 4 Step Section of the Waterfall.
Even so, it was still very beautiful and frightening at the same time. Typically you could go onto the rock to take more photo, but with such a strong force of water even being felt from a distance, no one here is dumb enough to go for it.
Just witnessing it from a distance was already very magical.
As much as we would like to stay here, it was very cold here with the wind from the fall and the cold water splashes. So we headed down, this time toward the proper trail. The trail was so proper this time, most of us were "speeding" down. IT WAS VERY STEEP and SLIPPERY. We had one person who fall and accidentally koyak her finger, but thank God it wasn't a "big" issue as she crack back her finger... (it still big but not to the kind where we had to call for help).
After that we reached the waterfall trail and guess what, water swell. At one point, our guide even have to find a long tree trunk to makeshift as a bridge for us to cross.
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| After rain |
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| After rain (we had to climb/abseil down this) |
After the waterfall trail, it was backed to the normal trail. At this time was already almost 6pm, with still quite a distance left to our campsite, we prepare for the night. As the trail was more open this time, we had a better moving time back to our campsite. During the whole trip, since I was kinda saving on food, I was only eating Hutan Ration and Salt Candy the whole day.
At 8pm, after 14km with ~1000m E.G., we had to cross back the two river crossing. They did swell more compare to the morning, but luckily our guide and porter and Jack was very experience with strong water current, all of us make it back to the campsite by 8:30pm and prepared for bed.
Oh yeah, since our fly-ground was quite small and since last night I really couldn't sleep well. With Andreas kindness, he "rent-ed" his tent space to me for the night. Also, since most of our bag were starting to stink, we finally decided to leave it outside. Wet? It was already wet from all the deep river crossing...
Day 7:
We packed, ate our breakfast and left at 9.40am for Teku Campsite. The way back wasn't much difference except for a few detour where we didn't exactly took the same road back. Just to show you how raw and confusing this trail can be.
Due to the rain yesterday, the river crossing was deeper compare than the day 5 river crossing.
Even I mistook something in the river and got hook onto the tree trunk, gulping and blubbing teh tarik in the process.
Of all thing, when we reached somewhere in the middle of the trail, the front group (though only like 30second in front) saw very fresh elephant footprint and poop, a few second later, they saw a wild elephant. While we at the back miss it and thought we wouldn't see it anymore. By for some reason, I would just hold onto my "GoPro" and was just recording along the way.
Mana tau, after a few second, he came out again. And it doesn't look scary on video or photo but the atmosphere on the spot was very difference. We were scared it run out, the porter was prepared to abandon his bag and our guide was also terrified and asking us to prepare to run.
Thanks God, he only came out to say "hi" and didn't chased us. Was actually very grateful it was just him and without any child. Thing could turn out a whole lot difference. Our guide even started to burn some burning incense (luckily Jack brought some) in hope for the smell to "shoo" away the elephant.
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| The similar incense that used to shoo the elephant. |
After 7 hours of hiking back out the 12km trail, we reached back Teku Campsite, 4:30pm. One would thought that this would be the end of journey for the day, but nope, all due to the unfavorable weather condition. In half an hour, we pack everything we left here at Teku Campsite (Thank God everything was in-tact) and left for our targeted campsite.
To give some insight, to go from Teku Campsite to Puteh Campsite, one have to cross Sungai Tahan 7-8 times, this river even without the rain is already very challenging to cross. The reason why our 4-step waterfall was a bit more successful is because the Sg. Tahan there is a smaller version. The version after Teku Campsite was much bigger as it mixed with Sg. Teku (another big river).
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| The most worrying one was due to Teku River. If both river swelled, we would have been stuck at Teku Campsite for another day. |
Since it was raining this afternoon as we were heading out from 4-Step Waterfall trail, the risk of river swelling was increasing by the hour.
As long as we cross this one river after Teku Campsite, our guide will be dam relief as there won't be another river crossing after this even after the river swelled badly (As shown below why)
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| Our Campsite on Day 7 is the exact location where you would cross the river the second time. This is also the reason why we didn't have any river crossing later on, we took the other trail to avoid all the river crossing. |
So after the last and final river crossing (which is typically first one for the Trans-Tahan on normal day), our guide was very relief. At 6:30pm we reached our spot to put up for the night. Luckily this campsite, aka, the Second-River-Crossing-Junction Campsite aka Amy Campsite was a bit more spacious, even more spacious than Pangkin Campsite (our 3rd day campsite) and Pasir Mengkuang Campsite.
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| Second-River-Crossing-Junction Campsite / Amy Campsite |
The most lucky part was all of us finish cleaning and taking bath after 9
:00pm. The only one left was Andreas which he was lucky to be deeper inside the smaller river, as after that, the Tahan River really did swelled
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| This was taken before the river swelled, the red hatched was all river water after the 9pm "air kepala" |
And that was the trip for the 4-Step Waterfall Trail. After this, the only difference is we detour over to the legenda trail and completely avoid all the huge river crossing and manage to came out on Sunday (9th day).
Our final hiking day as follow:
Day 1: Kubang Camp
Day 2: Gedung Tahan Peak Camp
Day 3: Teku Pangkin Camp
Day 4: Pasir Mengkuang Teku Camp
Day 5: Dayhike Pasir Mengkuang Camp
Day 6: Teku Dayhike to Waterfall - Pasir Mengkuang Camp
Day 7: Camp Tengah / Melantai Second-River-Crossing-Junction Camp / Amy Camp
Day 8: Out Tengah Camp
Day 9: Out
Last edited:
10/11/2022
