What A Day Tour Taman Negara Sg Relau Looks Like

Are you wondering what you could do for a day trip from Kuala Lumpur? Well, I suggest you go on a day tour of Taman Negara from Merapoh.

Taman Negara (a Malay word meaning National Park) is one of the oldest rainforests in the world. With its pristine, untouched jungle, it is highly sought after by foreigners from across the globe as well as local tourists for its natural beauty. 

In 1939, Taman Negara was also known as King George V National Park to commemorate the installation of King George V. It was renamed to Taman Negara after we gained independence in 1957.

Our national park is the largest one on the Peninsular! Imagine it covering more than a million acres across three different states: Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu. 

If you’ve explored Taman Negara, then I am sure that you went through the Kuala Tahan entrance, which is the main entrance equipped with tourist facilities.

Most of the tourists I’ve met loved the Taman Negara trip so much because of its unique experience! 

But, in this article, I will introduce you to the second entry point of Taman Negara, through Sungai Relau (only 25 km away from Gua Musang), and explore the cave paradise of Merapoh. 

Grab your shady hat, and let’s dive into my journey from Kuala Lumpur to Merapoh.

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How To Get To Kuala Lipis & Merapoh

Driving

We drove all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Lipis as transport was not included in the package. It was around a two-hour drive, taking the Karak expressway, until we reached my old boarding school, MRSM Bentong. 

From there, we took the Lingkaran Tengah Utama (LTU), also known as the Central Spine Expressway. It is already open for public use, but at certain points, it is still under construction. 

Ensure that you have sufficient gas, a toll balance on your TnG card, and some snacks or sweets for a smooth ride along Central Spine Road. The road is super straight and can feel very long.

Train

You can also catch a train from Gemas to Kuala Lipis using the KiTS booking platform. The train ride will take between 4 to 5 hours.

However, you’ll need to stay overnight in Kuala Lipis town as there is no train departing after 6 p.m. 

For slow travel, taking the railway path will allow you to explore the train route differently, of course, with a longer transit time.

Sometimes, you’ll need to stay overnight the day before or after the day trip as there are not many direct connections from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Lipis. 

A Day Tour Taman Negara Itinerary

We stopped by the Taman Negara office to register and pay the entrance fees. If you are bringing a camera, you’ll need to pay an extra cost of RM 5 (USD 2). 

Once you are ready to go, drive your car through the Taman Negara gate, and you’ll find parking down the road.

#1 Tree Top Canopy Walk

The first stop on this trip was Sg Relau Tree Top Canopy Walk, which is about one hour away from our assembly point at Kuala Lipis. 

Completed in 2023, it offers travelers the opportunity to walk in the midst of a tropical rainforest.

With 7 observation decks and 13 platforms, this tree-top canopy walk allows you to fully immerse yourself in the feeling of being in the center of the tropical rainforest. 

I was fascinated by the sound of birds chirping.

The echoes crawled through the jungle in a split second, and I could already hear other birds chirping as well, probably communicating with one another.

Insects found their way to the source of food amidst the dense rainforest. 

As we walked down the pathway, we were accompanied by lush evergreen trees abundantly scattered everywhere, finding their way to a good amount of sunlight.

It was mesmerizing to see the depth and the height of the trees from one place to another. 

I also saw many epiphytes, familiarly known as Pokok Pontianak, in the local language. I always thought that the plant was feeding off the primary host.

But I was wrong. It’s not a parasite! The Pokok Pontianak simply sticks through tall trees to peacefully maximize the amount of sunlight.

Occasionally, my eyes would wander, trying to spot a sun bear or something unique. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anything during our trip.

The highlight of the canopy walk for me would be the view of Gunung Tahan (pictured above), which is one of the G7s in Peninsular Malaysia.

I’ve only conquered Mount Kinabalu so far, but I’ve heard from dearest hikers that Gunung Tahan is one of the toughest treks and is also the highest point in Peninsular Malaysia! 

I’m happy to be in the photo with Gunung Tahan, but I’m not sure if I will climb it one day. 

Another highlight for me is that most of the lower levels, with the exception of the observation towers, are wheelchair friendly, making this place accessible for everyone to appreciate nature.

I recommend coming here with a licensed tour guide who is familiar with the area.

It is far more interesting to have someone to take you into the realms of a national park along the way and showcase what our national forests have to offer.

Plus, I’d recommend bringing binoculars here if you have one! 

Some of the highlights you can see here are: 

• Siamang Monkeys
• Malayan Sun Bear
• Honey Bee Tree (Tualang)

On the first bridge after the entrance, you’ll cross over Sungai Relau, which lays another highlight of this river – an oasis to the massive and peculiar Kelah fish, which is frequently spotted swimming against the currents.

This gigantic fish can go up to RM1000 per kilogram. EEKKK!

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#2 Gua Tahi Bintang

After lunch, we headed towards our second stop for the day: Gua Tahi Bintang, more commonly known as The Shooting Stars Cave. 

The first time I heard the time, I unconsciously direct translated it to English word by word, resulting in the term Star Poop Cave. 

Tahi means feces or poop in Malay, and Star is the English term for Bintang. 

I didn’t realize how silly it sounded until I saw the actual name at the entrance of the cave. Silly me! 😅

We met up with Azmi, our geo guide, at a nearby mosque, where we parked our car. After a short exchange, our 4X4 finally arrived! Off we went like contractors on the way to work with our orange helmets and headlamps!

Azmi briefed us before we entered the cave, covering everything from the cave’s origin and safety precautions to its expectations. 

As Merapoh is known as a caving paradise, we learned that only 85 caves have been discovered. Gua Tahi Bintang is one of the few open to caving. 

As my husband and I marched into the caves with our Adidas Kampung shoes (we bought two pairs all the way from Kuching Sarawak), the soil was muddy and sticky.

The good thing about this shoe is that it’s the perfect shoe for caving and jungle trekking!

Our guide showed us eroded soft stone and complex stone formations along the caves. Bats screeched at every frequency level, probably surprised by our presence disrupting their beauty sleep. 

It was dark as hell, but I was so immersed in the cave formation. As I went deeper into the cave, it reminded me of the famous cave of Lascaux, which we visited back in 2018 in Southern Provence.

It is not the same cave type, but given the opportunity to witness such beauty, it is truly humbling.  

Then, out of nowhere, my headlamp died. It left me speechless for a few seconds because it was pitch black where I was walking.

I shared a dim light from my husband’s headlamp for a few minutes before our geo guide gave me an extra torchlight.

Lesson learned: I had a feeling I should bring mine, but I didn’t listen to my instincts. Always bring one spare when doing adventurous activities such as caving. You can search for the best caving headlamps on the market and buy one.

When we reached a specific area, Azmi explained why the cave was called Gua Tahi Bintang. He then flashed the wall behind us – it was as if a million meteor showers were coming down in front of us.

We could also see straw stalactites of mineral deposits slowly dripping from the cave’s ceiling, water bubbles piercing through the limestone rock formations, and tons of rounded-tip stalagmites on the floor!

Our geo guide was terrific. He even made us experience walking like little ducklings into the tight spaces of the cave. He showed us everything that we needed to see from our trip. 

At this rate, you must be thinking about exploring this cave on your own. But let me stop you there. To discover this cave, you need a guide and a permit from the Malaysian Forestry Department PERHILITAN. 

I’d highly advise you to go with any local agents available on the ground. 

#3 Gua Sisik Naga

By the time we emerged from the cave, our guide had told us that time was not on our side. It was getting late! 

Dommage (what a shame), it would have been a good cave discovery, as well. 

I will update this part when I have the opportunity to go back again and explore more Merapoh caves!

Here are some of the tours that you could look into if you’re interested in going to Taman Negara Sg Relau: 

• Taman Negara Pahang,Sungai Relau. – Sgioutdoor
• 3D2N Explore Sg Relau + Elephant Cave (ex-Sg Relau)
• R.a Adventure Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd (Taman Negara Sungai Relau Pahang) 

Final Thoughts

Overall, the canopy walk was all right. I’d recommend going earlier in the morning to avoid the hot sun. It could get really hot moving from one observation tower to another.

We went quite late, and the sun was pretty much at its highest position of the day. Usually, when it is hot like this, the animals will hide away in a cool, shady area, out of sight. 

It was frustrating not to be able to discover Gua Sisik Naga, but oh well. I’ll find some time to go again in the future.

I’d definitely come back to Merapoh for cave discoveries.

I’ve so far gone to Gua Tempurung Cave exploration in Ipoh Perak, taking the highest difficulty level – it turned out to be a tremendous adrenaline-pumping experience! I totally recommend this one!

But when I did my research on Merapoh caves, it was ooooofff! Some look fun and challenging, making my feet very itchy to go.

Among the few that I’d love to try are the Gua Padang Kawad and Gua Jinjang Pelamin. 

You can check out The Lazy Woman Diary. She actually went to do all these caving activities in Merapoh, and thanks to her videos, I’m sold! I will consider staying a few nights for my next trip! 

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