We had arrived at Han Rainforest Resort in time for lunch, and then it was off on our adventure for the day. Now I am not a great fan of boats trips as I get seasick, but there is little to do in this park which does not involve the river. So, we all climbed into a very shallow boat and sped off weaving our way around the mounds of stones in the Tahan River. The boatman at the front was on constant lookout for obstacles and had a wooden paddle ready to push us off the rocks.
The late afternoon sun filtered through the canopy, and the rainforest trees were spectacular in their height and variety. So much of Malaysia is currently covered in monotonous swathes of oil palm trees, so it was interesting to see how things used to be.
Our first stop was to visit a big tree (!), and I was very happy to get onto dry land. We had been warned that the honey collectors had been here recently so there might be some angry bees around, but we did not have any problems. I believe this is a Tualang tree which is well known as a favoured home of honey bees. You can tell its size by the number of people around its base.
Then it was back into the boat….
Our next destination was a fish sanctuary. The Tahan River provides a sanctuary for the Kelah fish, a favoured river fish here. We did not get to see any fish as the fish feed used to attract them had run out. Still, one of Team Radiant explained all about the Kelah fish to us and then it was back into the boat….
Putting the life jacket on and off, and climbing into and out of the boat after sitting on the floor, and remembering to take the camera from off your neck first, and not get wet(ter); all these things presented a challenge for me and Lawrence, but everyone else just ran around with the freedom of youth! I think the guide below is describing the one that got away!
Our final destination today was Lata Berkoh which translates as the Berkoh Falls but is really just a cascade of water which restricts further progress up river. We had a bit of a walk to get there and I was glad I’d taken my walking stick. We walked along the riverbank with lush green foliage everywhere.
Here are Team Radiant at Lata Berkoh. On Day 2 you will see we are all sporting our green Team Radiant teeshirts!
The river currents here are considered too dangerous for swimming, so we walked back along the path and stopped later for people to swim and cool off.
And here is Hanis and her guys! Her team are all trained life savers and they love to frollic in the water.
That evening, many of them went off on a night safari while Lawrence and I rested. Since the 4WD vehicle stuck to the road, there wasn’t really anything much to see so I am glad we skipped this activity. In fact I was surprised by the lack of wildlife along the river. I saw plenty of butterflies but only a few birds. I’m told the first boat in the group saw birds, so they must have frightened them away for us. The boats afterall were very noisy. We did sail through a calm area with lots of swifts darting across the water. Look carefully and you will see one in the photo below.
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