The canopy walkway in the jungle, of course I wanted to do that too! And so when I was in Taman Negara in Malaysia, I walked across the longest suspension bridge in Malaysia’s rainforest. You can certainly add a bit of excitement to a trip, and for quite a few people, this is definitely a thing. Well, I think stepping a bit outside your comfort zone is a must, and so I went to experience the canopy walkway in the jungle.
The Canopy Walkway in the Jungle of Taman Negara
Taman Negara National Park
Taman Negara is the largest national park on the peninsula of Malaysia. It is said to be the oldest rainforest in the world, even older than the Amazon rainforest. Taman Negara park is located in three states/provinces: Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu. The suspension bridge I walked across in Taman Negara is no less than 530 meters long and about 25 to 40 meters high.
During my first trip through Malaysia, I also visited this amazing park. My visit to Taman Negara started wonderfully relaxed in a boat, just enjoying the view. After departing from Kuala Lumpur, after several hours in a minivan, we transferred to a boat to cruise over the water for a few more hours. How wonderful it was! I must say I dozed off a few times while watching all shades of green pass by and occasionally thinking I saw a monkey sitting in the trees.
How nice and relaxed can a weekend getaway from the city begin?
The Journey to Taman Negara and My Stay
I had booked a three-day trip, which meant I would stay 2 nights in the park. I stayed in the village of Kuala Tahan. Almost every trip going into Taman Negara will have accommodations here. It’s a village where you can find several restaurants and where many hotels and hostels are located.
My guesthouse was on one side of the water, which would be just outside the park but also much cheaper. I slept in a guesthouse and not a resort… I actually really liked it! Something more local, you know. It was also the first time I had my own squat toilet in a room.
You have to experience everything once, right?
See where Kuala Tahan is in Taman Negara park – GPS Kuala Tahan.
My guesthouse was Fatehah Inn.
Night Walk in Taman Negara
That same evening I booked an evening walk, they call it a night walk. It gets dark early, so soon after dinner you head out to admire the world of the Taman Negara rainforest in the dark.
Of course, I wanted to get into Taman Negara as quickly as possible after arrival, and I was also curious what there was to see in the dark! We had a nice small group, and when we started walking, the cicadas were screaming. It always gives Asia and the jungle such a unique atmosphere. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard them, but those little creatures can make quite a bit of noise.
When we started walking, the guide spotted some small insects very quickly. But also moths and reptiles. And what about the bird we saw sitting in the nest. (Photo where some green is still visible in the tree.) These kinds of moments and excursions always make me very happy! And this was only the first evening.
Canopy Walkway in Taman Negara
The next day we went into the jungle to walk the canopy walkway. We started walking in the morning, the weather was perfect for it. Especially in the morning you have superb light in the jungle coming through the immensely tall trees. The canopy walkway goes from tree trunk to tree trunk, so you bridge the sections in between with suspension bridges at considerable height. The sections of suspension bridge you walk are about 40 to 50 meters each time.
Around the tree trunk is a covered platform, the canopy, and there you can rest or recover from the height you’ve walked across. You can look around, enjoy the moment and take beautiful photos.
When you stand still at that height and look around, it’s overwhelming. All the sounds of the Taman Negara jungle come rushing in. The birds you hear… but don’t see… The many other animals you know are there and might see you, but you don’t see them… To walk at such height in the oldest rainforest in the world, I found it a truly awesome experience!
I looked carefully around me. I saw a man sitting who was apparently taking photos of animals, and I asked him what he had seen. He indicated he had spotted a few beautiful colorful birds. He gave me his binoculars for a moment and let me look. Far in the distance I saw a beautiful bird on a branch. This did encourage me to pay even more attention to the surroundings. Yet I must unfortunately admit that I didn’t see any animals or birds while I was standing on the canopy walkway in the jungle of Taman Negara.
High Through the Treetops of the World’s Oldest Rainforest
It was really great fun to do. You have incredibly beautiful vistas through the treetops. They don’t want you to stand still for long on a section of bridge, so while walking I naturally took some photos. And I asked the person in front of me to take a photo of me 🙂
The section of the walkway, the suspension bridge, that you walk on is about 30 cm wide. So you could just put your feet next to each other. But if you walk in a straight line, so keep placing your feet one in front of the other, it’s better because you distribute the weight well. This makes the suspension bridge sway less. And that’s very nice for people with a bit of fear of heights!
It’s a strange sensation to walk through treetops. When you look down, you realize every time how high up you are. This while the trees still tower so far above you, and sometimes it’s almost as if you’re just standing on the ground.
The view over Taman Negara sometimes takes your breath away.
Canopy Walkway in the Jungle: Taman Negara, Malaysia
When you stand so high in that canopy walkway in the jungle, and walk high in the treetops of the jungle, you also occasionally look down. Then you realize again that you’re walking really high. This while when you look around, the trees tower so high above you. A few glances down is enough… I enjoyed my surroundings more than looking into the depths.
And I don’t even have a fear of heights… it is quite high though 🙂
The young man walking behind me did have a fear of heights. He had a very difficult time along the way and kept getting hotter. The guy behind him, his own travel companion, didn’t walk with his feet one in front of the other but made the suspension bridge wobble quite a bit. He himself couldn’t quite manage to walk calmly either. After I explained to him how I walked, it went a bit better for him. He thanked me later for my explanation 🙂
Now that I’m writing this blog and looking for photos of what I’m writing about, I realize I didn’t take any photos of the canopy itself where we stand by the trees. I only have 1 photo showing a small piece of the canopy’s border.
At one point the suspension bridge rose several meters. You see the bridge make quite a climb, I thought for a moment it would be very difficult to walk up that. Great to see how they had solved that. They had simply made stairs in the bridge.
What Can You Expect When Walking Over the Canopy Walkway in the Jungle?
It’s not a very long walk, even though it’s the longest canopy walkway in Malaysia.
During the time I walked there, I fully enjoyed the views and sounds. I didn’t spot any birds or animals myself, though I did see a bird through the binoculars of a ranger who sat halfway along the canopy walkway to keep an eye on everything. His hobby was spotting the many birds. I did hear the many different bird sounds but I hadn’t spotted one myself.
So you don’t need to do this walk for spotting wildlife, but for enjoying being in the jungle and the wonderful views that this high canopy walkway brings!
Check on the map where the canopy walkway is exactly located in Taman Negara NP – GPS Walkway
Visiting the Orang Asli – Taman Negara
After this walk, we went to visit the Orang Asli. The indigenous people who still partly live as they have for centuries. Of course, the modern world has seeped through, but they showed us how they hunt for game. We were also allowed to blow the dart through the long tube ourselves. For the occasion, they had hung up a stuffed animal that we could try to pierce 🙂
That evening I ate again on the restaurant boat on the water in Taman Negara. Looking back on a very pleasant day, I enjoyed the views and the conversation with the Orang Asli. I enjoyed the evening sounds of the centuries-old jungle around me. What a fun trip I found it.
I booked this trip during my 3-month solo trip in 2014. Still findable on social media under #SEASIA14 In the spring of 2023 I went again, and then I walked a different trail.
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