Chenderiang, Draco Nature Park and Durians 2017

Chenderiang - a name that is seen many times in my lifetime but never have - set foot on until almost 5 decades later.

Accessible via Tapah exit off the PLUS Highway (2 hours from Kuala Lumpur), Chenderiang is also not on Route 1 - which means, it has always been a sleepy hollow town even before the advent of PLUS Highway. And it shows - an exceedingly short single street town that serves a 20,000 odd population - there's the customary tuck shop, a few restaurants and not much else. Your best bet for supplies would still be Tapah for your 7 Eleven or KFC fixes.

NOT Lata Kinjang!

WHY (for majority of visitors)
Most folks come to Chenderiang to head to Lata Kinjang - one of the tallest waterfalls in Peninsular Malaysia with its majestic vertical falls and cascades that is visible from PLUS highway as you drive northwards. But it is packed .. and too commercialised .. and on bad days may have cleanliness issues with the less civic-conscious picknickers (but the same can be said to most popular picnic spots in Malaysia unfortunately).

WHY (for the durian tegar crowd)
In July 2017, the local durian kampung (not those expensive musang kings) harvest is dire nationwide.  Due to the unseasonally hot weather, the blooming flowers were not able to last through long periods of rainless days. Except pockets of Perak .. like Chenderiang! With the right friends, you should be able to connect with the local orang asli for durians from their farms from the hills. It is not abundant - but enough to entertain your friends and families over the next few days with durio zibethinus scented flatulence ..

WHY (for the author personally)
It was for the river. Honestly, forget Lata Kinjang with its packed car park, crowded picnic spots and a river source which passes through many many orang asli villages upstream. It's all safe for sure by the time the water reaches the picnickers downstream but there's a little gem of an alternative about 10 minutes away from the turn off to Lata Kinjang : Draco Nature Camp.

And yes - to map the way to Draco Nature Camp :) . Currently Waze and Google Maps are unable to route to the correct location of DNC (July 2017) so you have to ask locals for directions at the point where the routing ends (which ends at Kem PLKN).

Draco Nature Camp
Nestled at the foothills of Sungai Salu Forest Reserve, DNC sits on aboriginal ancestral land. There is zero population upstream (nor any orang asli settlements) hence the river is nothing short of fabulous. In terms of mineral water clarity of its water - it ranks right up there with the rivers found at POS Titom which requires a few hours of traipsing in a 4WD. DNC is accessible without much drama.

The river skirts around the property anti-clockwise through a series of gradual cascades - plenty of places to bathe

Sprawling campsite

Perfect place to consume your secret stash of durians

Activity hall in the background 

DNC is spartan. It has only 1 event cum dining cum open sleeping quarters hall and 4  toilets but my - they are squeaky clean toilets which rivals even those found in city homes. No grimy walls, no icky flooring, no questionably looking stains or toilet bowls which seemed to have been constructed during WWII. You know how some toilets you wanna walk in with your eyes blurred and want to get out of even before you have finished evacuating that last few millilitres of ... you get my drift. Well I can tell you - as of July 2017 - from a guy who habitually checks out toilets of every accommodation before saying yes - DNC toilets get 2 thumbs up. For the weekend warriors, clean toilets go a heck of a longg way to making a stay enjoyable.

DNC is operated by Mr Hisham, a nature guide himself and you can check out their FB page.

As far as a glamping site goes - it gets top marks.

Visiting the top of Lata Kinjang
There have been numerous fatal accidents involving visitors having a look at the edge at the top of Lata Kinjang - so this is not an activity we would recommend so tengok pictures sudah la ye ... there is a visible trail that requires minimal scrambling down to the edge of the waterfall.

PLUS Highway down below

Orang asli hut at the top of Lata Kinjang complete with flushing toilets

Where the cascades begin before forming a giant torrent

Nature's own ropes

They were not kidding when they named it "Mini Hydro station"

Resident cats of Masjid Jamik Rahmaniah, Chenderiang 

The Rough Guide - POS Betau, POS Lenjang, POS Titom. Difficulty Rating : Challenging to Hard

Disclaimer :

This is a guide for those willing to risk try going to these places without the support of an expedition. Before attempting some of the harder tracks, you should have a recovery kit handy and ensure that your vehicle is in good nick. We always support the maxim of "Travel in Numbers" and never take unnecessary risks.

Executive Summary:
Conditions as at 12/2016. At least an SUV with AT tires. You may attempt this using HT tires but only do so during the dry season because the mud can be quite deep at parts.  Challenging offroad course of over 30km going deep into the mountains. Some superlative scenery beckons with pristine clear rivers and creeks. If you take the shortcut, you will need to do a river crossing with your vehicle.

Description
Trailhead begins at Pos Betau. From Gombak tollplaza, it is a 2 hour drive 154km north of Kuala Lumpur.

Two routes to choose from that will take you to Pos Lenjang and Pos Titom.

Option 1 : Pos Betau - Pos Lenjang (32.4km) (Pink route)
The traditional route of choice of 32.4km which will take some 3.5 hours to cover - it is slow going due to the bad condition of the track. Some parts are paved (or what's left of it) It is deeply scarred by ruts, water channels, collapsed sections and a whole lot of mud. You will pass many orang asal villages at the tail end of the route and will be greeted with some breathtaking scenery.

Other main challenges are the mud pools and some exceedingly steep sections which has 2 different levels of grip.

Uneven with track dropping steeply on either side. A good height clearance is essential.

Let's churn that mud!

Option 2 : Route 102 - Pos Lenjang (41.8km) (Orange route + leftover pink)
It's 16.8km tarmac detour on Route 102 (road to Ringlet) plus 25km offroad. So although appearing to be longer, the 16.8km tarmac road can be despatched in 12mins or less. The 25km offroad segment will cost you only 1.5 hours for a grand saving of over 1 hour over Option 1.

The caveat is that it involves a short river crossing that is slightly above waist deep. The use of this route is also totally dependent on the weather. The bridge at Pos Betau along Route 102 will tell you if you are able to attempt this route : look at the water levels of Jelai River. If it is swollen or turbid, take Option 1.

The good news is that it bypasses 18km of bad roads of Option 1 - leaving you with just a further 14.4km to go. At this point - the track is in significantly better condition as you would be greeted with many orang asal villages. This is the route of choice of the locals when weather permits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSRXB2S1NV4

Pos Titom
The road to Pos Titom is concreted all the way. Once you hit the junction to Pos Titom, it's a straightforward fuss free, no unwanted challenges drive.

Road to Pos Titom

Vital Stats :
Option 1 Pos Betau - Pos Lenjang 
Distance : 32.4km
Total ascent : 1294m
*MSM Trail Difficulty Rating : 19 out of 35.

Option 2 : Route 102 - Pos Lenjang
Distance : 41.8km
Offroad segment : 25km
Offroad total ascent : 988m
*MSM Trail Difficulty Rating : 22 out of 35.

Comparison scoring : Pos Senderut (tested in 11/2016) :11 out of 35.

Option 2 quicker and shorter on the offroad segments but harder due to river crossing.

Rating score is based on 7 categories : distance offroad, vehicle requirements, tire requirements, elevation gain over distance, track width, surface conditions and obstacles.

This route has already been coded into the raw map and would appear in the next compiled release of malsingmaps.

This is Pos Lenjang

Bukit Kene Api in the distance

Tree Top Walk @ Sungai Sedim

Vertigo much? The walkway spans 925m for a complete rectangular clock-wise loop which is some 30m above river level. Admission is RM10 per adult (2014).

Located within Gunung Inas Forest Reserve, this attraction is located some 30km from Kulim @ N5° 24.799' E100° 46.972'. For weekenders this place is packed with picknickers as they pitch their mats along the crystal clear and icy cold waters of Sungai Sedim.

This POI is already in our maps since time immemorial.

If this place is packed, there is the other alternative of Lubok Jong - also along the same river further downstream.

Tracking Perlis : Gua Kelam

Sure, I have heard of Gua Kelam the name - but never been here myself until recently.  I ended up wishing I knew of it much much earlier. This is a beautiful park - it has 2 cave systems and the park at the OTHER end of the caves is a park worthy of your time and visit : you will be amazed that this is in Malaysia but not much is publicised about it.

Picnic spot at the Cave entrance

Pack snacks and budget time to spend on the other side of the cave

Cave system 1# is now closed - a tram used to run and enables the visitor to punch out on the other side of the limestone hill. The tram is now broken down and some millions obviously wasted. So we're left with cave system 2# which is an elevated gangway that cuts through the hill whilst being suspended above the underground river. All lighted up with railings so it is safe for little children as well - this facility and the park spaces will cost you a princely sum of RM1.00 (2014) only. It is a short walk through the cave which opens up to this :

One of the many wakafs you can set down for a picnic

Like a little hidden paradise

Pack lunch, a hammock with an afternoon to spare - and you're all set. There are toilets and changing facilities should you decide to swim in one of the creek network. There's a deer farm and the mystical Sintok Tree (Pokok Ajaib Sintok). At last count (we literally lost count), this single tree has it roots creeping up to more than 32 other adjacent trees! You could say it is a spineless tree. Indeed.

Get your kids to count how many trees that this parasitic tree has decided to creep upon.

DISCLAIMER - please DO NOT do the following:

Fully equipped with proper gear, supplies and torches - we sought out the second cave system. It was not difficult to find and the egress was located somewhere higher up against the limestone hill wall. Inside - there is absolutely zero light so reliance is solely on your (hopefully very reliable) torchlights. What's inside is a network of caves - complete with concrete paths, steps, rest areas, railings, multiple junctions and lightings which leads you to the end of the line of the tram. Of course none of the lights work now. As we moved further into the cave, it got warmer and before long we were sweating buckets. The trek ends where the tram rail meets. We were tempted to trek out along the tram rail but decided to backtrack to avoid tangling with the Park Rangers.

now disused pathways

secret stairway to the underground river

If you're in Perlis - don't brush off a visit to Gua Kelam : you must go!!

Is it far? In Perlis, everywhere is just "15 mins away". So wherever you are in Perlis, it will take you no longer than 15 minutes to get to Gua Kelam. Really!

History has it that Gua Kelam was previously used a rice trail or a smuggler's run where supplies made its way to and from across the Siamese border.