CLOCKWISE
FROM LEF T:
Malaysia's Taman
Negara National
Park protects
some of the oldest
rainforest in the
world; a great
evolutionary shift
has rendered
Kakaban's
jellyfish stingless;
cut off from the
sea and hidden
deep within
lies Kakaban's
jellyfish lake;
encounter truly
wild orangutans
on their terms.TOP 10 ASIAN ADVENTURES
- TREK TAMAN NEGARA
Peninsular Malaysia
On the summit of The Forbidden Mountain, a giant monkey
stands guard over the magic stones of Gunung Tahan (2,187m),
or so the Batek Orange Asli hunter-gatherers say, even though
they don’t dare to venture there and find out. You can though, in
an epic five-day trek that crunches 110 rugged kilometres up
Peninsular Malaysia’s highest peak and back down again through
some of the oldest rainforest in the world (older than both the
Amazon and Congo).
There’s so much forest in fact, that spotting rare Malayan
tigers, elephants and Sumatran rhinoceros is a tricky business,
and only by spending a succession of sleepless nights in a rustic
animal hide might you actually encounter one of the big three. Be
warned though: trekking in Taman Negara is an unbearably
balmy business and the sweat that poured off us on our most
recent visit had us reaching for the rehydration salts, but the
deeper you go, the more you’ll see.
Staying by the breezier riverside, the Rentis Tenor trail is a
favourite, self-guided loop (4 days, 30km). Elsewhere in Taman
Negara you can explore caves, shoot Lata Berkoh’s roaring rapids
in a river sampan, and overnight in national park animal hides
(we like Bumbun Kumbang) to spot tapir, mouse deer and wild
boars too.
The essentials: Fly into Kuala Lumpur and travel 250km on to
Kuala Tahan. Visit from May and August when the dry conditions
deter leeches. For rustic hide stays, pack a sleeping bag, torch,
drinking water and food. Don’t miss a sampan ride up Tembeling
River (wonderfulmalaysia.com). - ENCOUNTER ORANGUTANS
Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra
Across the Bohorok River in a vulnerable bastion of orangutan
habitat, tourists gather to snap off Insta pics at a milk-and-
bananas feeding session for Indonesian rehab orangutans. But
deeper in the jungle where trekkers sweat and guides swing their
machetesat invisible pathways, truly wild orangutans dwell, and
though you have to get lucky and spend a considerable amount of
time walking and waiting, encountering these stellar primates in
their own realm is another world altogether.
From Bukit Lawang, local guides (with cooks and porters in
tow), lead small groups of trekkers into Gunung Leuser National
Park. Self-guided adventures are not allowed, and since
orangutan-spotting demands some skill, guides offer the best
chance of success anyway.
The essentials: The easiest access to Gunung Leuser National
Park is via Bukit Lawang where there are riverside guesthouses
aplenty, 2.5 hours by bus from the Sumatran capital, Medan.
Overnight treks cost around $130/person and local operators
bukitlawang-jungletrekking.com support both ‘Pack for a
Purpose’ and the conservation movement Care Now.78 / Outdoor