Waterfalls and Rivers of The Titiwangsa Mountains

Over the last two years I have spent a lot of time following rivers and visiting waterfalls in search of wildlife in the jungles of the main Titiwangsa mountain range in Malaysia.  These mountains are still clothed in rainforest in many places and are easily reached from the capital Kuala Lumpur where I have been living.

A view across the rainforest from the mountains above Hulu Langat

These mountains are home to many endemic and rare species such as this Titiwangsa Horned Tree Lizard.  I found this one on the ground, cold and slow after a heavy thunderstorm.

Acanthosaura titiwangsaensis (Titiwangsa Horned Tree Lizard) Fraser's Hill Malaysia

Chilled and slow after a sudden shower.

The high rainfall in the Titiwangsa mountains gives rise to many streams and rivers which in places form spectacular waterfalls.  Some of these are easily reached and have been turned into recreational parks whilst others require more effort to reach.  They all provide opportunities for photographing wildlife but some of the more popular sites tend to have a problem with litter. Sadly many visitors to these sites leave food waste and packaging and I have been surprised by how often I have seen disposable nappies left behind.  The waste left behind sometimes attracts butterflies looking for mineral salts and I have often taken shots of this behaviour.

Graphium agetes (Fourbar Swordtail) on rubbish near Lata Jeriau

Cyrestis cocles  (Marbled Map) Group feeding on discarded clothing near Bukit Kutu Malaysia

Graphium antiphates itamputi (Fivebar Swordtail) on an old sock near Lata Kajang Malaysia 

It is possible at some of the popular waterfall sites to trace the rivers further upstream to avoid the crowds and to get into less disturbed forest.  I did this a couple of days ago at the Sungai Tekala Recreational Forest and found a few nice falls well upstream of the main falls in the park.  These were relatively litter free.  The waste around popular falls attracts rats that can spread leptospirosis in their urine so it is best to avoid bathing where litter is present.

Sungai Tekala

Bathing upstream in a small canyon

Pandans on the Tekala river bank

Uropetala chiltoni (Giant mountain dragonfly) often seen near rivers in the region.

There are a large number of other easily visited waterfalls within a few hours of KL. (Lata means waterfall and Sungai means river.)

Lata Jeram Toi near Seremban

Lentang Recreational Forest east of KL

Lata Gabai in Hulu Langat

Lata Jeriau at Fraser's Hill

Lentang Forest Reserve

Trachypithecus obscura (Dusky Langur) with baby.  Lata Jarum Malaysia

Other waterfalls require a little walking to reach.

Popular Lata Lepoh in Hulu Langat. A refreshing bath at the end of an hour or so walking uphill.

Lata Jebus near Bukit Kutu

Lata Jebus is a perfect bathing spot and a great area for photography

Lata Lolo  on a side trail off the track to Gunung Nuang
Complete with rope swing. 

Lata Lawing is hard to reach and rarely visited and as a consequence is pristine.

Flowers sprouting from tree trunks Lata Lepoh 

Flowers on a tree trunk near Lata Lolo

Idea hypermnestra (Malayan Tree Nymph) by the river on the Bukit Kutu trail. 

Graphium agamemnon (Tailed Jay) feeding on the decapitated head of a monitor lizard washed up on a sand bank.
Near Bukit Kutu Malaysia

Calotes versicolor (Changeable lizard) Shedding skin on the river bank on the Bukit Kutu trail.

Bronchocela cristatella (GreenCrested Lizard) Trail to Bukit Kutu Malaysia

The powerful and roaring Lata Seminyang

Some waterfalls take a little extra effort. Lata Seminyang requires a 4WD vehicle and a good parang to hack a trail along the river bank to reach it. The reward is a beautiful pristine waterfall, however I saw a lot of deforestation happening in the immediate area that will ruin this place eventually.  There were plenty of gibbons hooting in the trees in the area and I managed to get this shot of a rare species of hornbill when I visited last year.

Anorrhinus galeritus (Bushy Crested Hornbill) Lata Seminyang Malaysia

Lata Seminyang

Further information about the waterfalls that can be visited around KL can be found at waterfallsofmalaysia.com. .

A small waterfall toad, common in the rivers of the Titiwangsa mountains. This one was found at Lata Kajang.

Endau Rompin National Park Malaysia

Last week I travelled down to the Endau Rompin National Park in the southern half of peninsular Malaysia to spend the weekend by the Selai river.  This is a beautiful area of rain forest rich in wildlife.  There is the option to camp or stay in chalets here and the site can only be reached by 4WD vehicles.

The Selai River upstream from the chalets.

After dropping our bags on arrival we hired a local guide to take us on a short trek to a lovely waterfall called Taka Pandan.  This was a great place to cool off and splash about in the pool under the fall.

Taka Pandan

Begonia rajah. A rare flower that grows at Taka Pandan

After about an hour at the fall we headed back. The trail to Taka Pandan has a few steep parts that are roped to make it easier as you have to travel in and out of the gorge formed by the river.  A number of interesting and unusual plants can be found growing around the waterfall.  The forest near the river appears to be in good condition and seemed alive with insects, including numerous butterflies, and plenty of bird life.

Drupadia ravindra moorei (Common Posy) 

Euploea radamanthus (Magpie Crow)

The River Selai near the chalets and camp site had plenty of fish and great places to swim or to go tubing.  I couldn't resist tracing the boulder strewn rapids up river up into the jungle where I found numerous large animal tracks in the sand on the river bank.

The Selai River

Wild boar and possibly Tapir prints

Back at the chalet I found lots of different moths that had been attracted out of the jungle by the artificial light including an atlas moth and these beautiful large moths from the same silk moth family (Saturniidae).

Antheraea larrisa

Antheraea helferi 

Waking up early on Sunday morning I took a stroll at first light to see what I could find.  The mist that collected at this time around the trees was beautifully atmospheric and as the sun started to burn it off I was surrounded by the plaintive hooting of white handed gibbons.

I was sad to have to leave this beautiful place and could have happily stayed a few more days.

Danaus melanippus (White Tiger) 

Arundina graminifolia found on the river bank by the campsite.

Gopeng and Ulu Geroh, Rafflesia, Birdwings and Lizards

Last week my family and I took a trip to Kampung Ulu Geroh near Gopeng in search of Raffelesia, the genus with the largest flowers in the world. We stayed at the Rainforest resort where the owners organised a trek for us with a local Semai Orang Asli guide from the village.  The trail through the jungle to the site I was told is called Leech Trail and it certainly lived up to its name.  My leech socks certainly proved useful and I knocked about six leeches out of each boot when I finally took them off. I was assured that a Raffelesia flower was out and looked forward to seeing an open bloom for the first time.  The species I was told was Raffelesia cantleyi. Unfortunately when we arrived at the site the flower had been ripped apart by monkeys!

This photo was taken by our guides the day before.

Holding the flower back together.

Flower bud

The trek through the jungle to the Raffelesia was ok despite the leeches and yielded a few interesting photo opportunities.  A highlight was finding a beautiful Great Angel Head Lizard on a rock in a stream.

Gonocephalus grandis (Great Angel Head Lizard)

Gonocephalus grandis (Great Angel Head Lizard)

A number of interesting gingers were in flower along the way.  The water that settles in the flowers picks up the ginger scent and can be used as a refreshing insect repellent when splashed on the skin.

Zingiber spectabilis (Wild Ginger)

 Etlingera megalocheilos (Ground-Ginger Flower)

A few wild bananas grew along the trail, with purple rather than yellow upward pointing fruit.

Wild Banana

Possibly Sphenomorphus scotophilus (Spotted Forest Skink)

Bronchocela cristatella (GreenCrested Lizard)

The area seems to be particularly rich in lizard species.

Calotes emma emma (Forest Crested Lizard)

Calotes versicolor (Garden Fence Lizard) 

Draco sumatranus (Common Gliding Lizard) Male

After the rafflesia trek we were taken by our hosts from the resort to a local hot spring, rising from the ground in the edge of an old oil palm plantation on the edge of the forest.  The spring was too hot to dip feet in for any length of time and ran out into a small stream. This site was host to well over a hundred male Rajah Brookes Birdwings. These were a spectacular sight as they gathered around the spring to suck up the salts from the water.

Trogonoptera brookiana males (Brookes Rajahs Birdwing) 

Trogonoptera brookiana males (Brookes Rajahs Birdwing) 

Trogonoptera brookiana males (Brookes Rajahs Birdwing) 

Trogonoptera brookiana males (Brookes Rajahs Birdwing) 

After Gopeng we stopped for a night in the Cameron Highlands. There I managed to photograph this beautiful dinosaur looking lizard, endemic to the region.

Gonocephalus robinsonii (Robinson's Angle-head Lizard)

On the way down from the highlands we stopped at another hot spring in a recreational park called Kuala Woh where the hot spring runs into a river. Here again many Rajah Brookes Birdwings could be found puddling on the minerals.  The river and forest park provided a nice place for stroll before heading back to KL. Not a place for the romantically inclined though as this sign in the park made clear!

Kissing banned!