darwin1601
Well-known member
I was in Taman Negara National Park for nearly two weeks and now just came back from a ten day visit at Fraser Hill. Most about this two places has allready been enumerated by frogfish and Chlidonias in there interesting and entertaining trip reports. But in the meantime some things has changed or are different in this time of the year and i will mainly tell about this.
Because i'll go soon back to Taman Negara for an other week, i will start to write about Fraser Hill fist.
Even if you can still sometimes read in the Internet, there are no bus companies from Kuala Lumpur directly to Fraser Hill anymore. If you are traveling without a car of your own, the easiest way is to take the train from KL Central Railway Station to Kuala Kudu Baruh Station (1 hour, 9 ringgit) and from there you have to take a taxi to Fraser Hill (90 ringgit). There is no public transport to Fraser Hill. I stayed at the Puncak Inn. The cheapest hotel up there with solid rooms with bathroom and for the price perfectly in order (100 ringgit incl tax, 130 ringgit at the weekend), good internet, also the restaurant is o.k. Most other restaurants only opened at the weekend - because it is low season,
The main reason why I came here were on the one hand to see the Black Gibbons/Siamangs, which I had missed in Sumatra so often and otherwise the Long tailed - and Silver breasted Broadbills and at first the Red headed Trogon.
Since it was early in the afternoon when i arrived i made myself straight on the way to the trails and experienced a terrible surprise. All trails were closed with barrier tape. Back in my hotel I asked about this and they told me that all the trails for the next three months are closed during the rainy season - just like last year! - WHAT!?
(A week later I found the following announcement at the entrance to the Mager Trail: "Hereby to inform from 1st November until 31st January 2017 Forest Eco Park and State Park Forest will be closed to all visitors due to rainy season. Therefore, any activities comprises mountain climing are not allowed during this period. If any visitor/individual disobey this announcment, a strict punishment will be charged under National Forestry Act.... a.s.o. - I saw the same message again at the also blocked entrance to the Jeriau Waterfall.)
There was nothing to read about this fact on any of the official tourism sites, such as fraserhil.info. or others. Only on wikitravel there was a note from a traveler about it. I was, to put it mildly...expressed. And because that is not good for my health, so I decided to ignore it...
I walked all the trails, the most twice. (They were all in good condition with the exception of the Maxwell Trial witch was often blocked by fallen trees and partially destroyed by wild boars and full with Leeches) I also walked "The Gap" twice down and up, but without seeing something special there (except three different types of hornbills). However, I had my interesting days on the Bishop Trail, where I spent most of my time:
On my third day, sunny weather, I was back on the Bishop Trail, where I wanted to spend the whole day between to small valleys witch are located between the second and third schelter. Because there a whole series of trees full of fruits hung and that attracts monkeys. And it starts very well right at the entrance to the trail with a few Common green Magpies and a Red beared Bee Eater. At the fruit trees then I could observe a Fire breasted Flowerpecker and Little cockoo Doves. At ten o'clock in the morning a group of White thighted Langurs arrives in the tree directly over my head and stayed there for half an hour while a Three stripes Palm Civet came over to pick also some fruits. Squirrels there were, of course, many. Just after the langurs had leave a five-headed family Black Gibbons/Siamangs enter another huge tree beside me. (I had heard them sing before and hoped they would come closer) I think they discovered me quickly, but they were not to be disturbed by my presence and stayed in this tree for over an hour, picking fruits, grooming each other and began to sing - an unforgettable experience! (I was about six times on the Bishop and Maxwell Trails and had the luck to see every time Siamangs - often the same family - and also Langurs. I also saw Gibbons at The Gap and near the Waterfall)
Later, it was already shortly after noon I surprised in the other valley a sleeping group Dusky Langurs, which lay only two meters above the ground in branches - monkeyday!
But the day of the highlights was not over yet. Just so I returned from one valley to the other i run into a huge birdwave like I've never experienced before. Lead by two/three dozen Gray chinned Minivets and Mountain Vulvettas was suddenly all around me full of birds. Me in the middle and making photos on all sides. So I took pictures of Spectacled Laughingthrush, Lesser racket tailed Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Black browed Barbets, Fire tufted Barbet, White throated Fantail, Blue Nuthatch, Bar winged Flycatcher Shrike, Sultan Tits, Lesser Yellownape and my fist Red headed Trogon (female), and there were certainly also Bulbuls and other smaller birds which I could not however determine - i was quite overstrained!
After the wave roll back maybe ten minutes later came to my mind how amazingly quietly this whole attack went before itself. Thats why it surprised me so much (also it was at 2pm!) - what a day and the best till the end...
Because i'll go soon back to Taman Negara for an other week, i will start to write about Fraser Hill fist.
Even if you can still sometimes read in the Internet, there are no bus companies from Kuala Lumpur directly to Fraser Hill anymore. If you are traveling without a car of your own, the easiest way is to take the train from KL Central Railway Station to Kuala Kudu Baruh Station (1 hour, 9 ringgit) and from there you have to take a taxi to Fraser Hill (90 ringgit). There is no public transport to Fraser Hill. I stayed at the Puncak Inn. The cheapest hotel up there with solid rooms with bathroom and for the price perfectly in order (100 ringgit incl tax, 130 ringgit at the weekend), good internet, also the restaurant is o.k. Most other restaurants only opened at the weekend - because it is low season,
The main reason why I came here were on the one hand to see the Black Gibbons/Siamangs, which I had missed in Sumatra so often and otherwise the Long tailed - and Silver breasted Broadbills and at first the Red headed Trogon.
Since it was early in the afternoon when i arrived i made myself straight on the way to the trails and experienced a terrible surprise. All trails were closed with barrier tape. Back in my hotel I asked about this and they told me that all the trails for the next three months are closed during the rainy season - just like last year! - WHAT!?
(A week later I found the following announcement at the entrance to the Mager Trail: "Hereby to inform from 1st November until 31st January 2017 Forest Eco Park and State Park Forest will be closed to all visitors due to rainy season. Therefore, any activities comprises mountain climing are not allowed during this period. If any visitor/individual disobey this announcment, a strict punishment will be charged under National Forestry Act.... a.s.o. - I saw the same message again at the also blocked entrance to the Jeriau Waterfall.)
There was nothing to read about this fact on any of the official tourism sites, such as fraserhil.info. or others. Only on wikitravel there was a note from a traveler about it. I was, to put it mildly...expressed. And because that is not good for my health, so I decided to ignore it...
I walked all the trails, the most twice. (They were all in good condition with the exception of the Maxwell Trial witch was often blocked by fallen trees and partially destroyed by wild boars and full with Leeches) I also walked "The Gap" twice down and up, but without seeing something special there (except three different types of hornbills). However, I had my interesting days on the Bishop Trail, where I spent most of my time:
On my third day, sunny weather, I was back on the Bishop Trail, where I wanted to spend the whole day between to small valleys witch are located between the second and third schelter. Because there a whole series of trees full of fruits hung and that attracts monkeys. And it starts very well right at the entrance to the trail with a few Common green Magpies and a Red beared Bee Eater. At the fruit trees then I could observe a Fire breasted Flowerpecker and Little cockoo Doves. At ten o'clock in the morning a group of White thighted Langurs arrives in the tree directly over my head and stayed there for half an hour while a Three stripes Palm Civet came over to pick also some fruits. Squirrels there were, of course, many. Just after the langurs had leave a five-headed family Black Gibbons/Siamangs enter another huge tree beside me. (I had heard them sing before and hoped they would come closer) I think they discovered me quickly, but they were not to be disturbed by my presence and stayed in this tree for over an hour, picking fruits, grooming each other and began to sing - an unforgettable experience! (I was about six times on the Bishop and Maxwell Trails and had the luck to see every time Siamangs - often the same family - and also Langurs. I also saw Gibbons at The Gap and near the Waterfall)
Later, it was already shortly after noon I surprised in the other valley a sleeping group Dusky Langurs, which lay only two meters above the ground in branches - monkeyday!
But the day of the highlights was not over yet. Just so I returned from one valley to the other i run into a huge birdwave like I've never experienced before. Lead by two/three dozen Gray chinned Minivets and Mountain Vulvettas was suddenly all around me full of birds. Me in the middle and making photos on all sides. So I took pictures of Spectacled Laughingthrush, Lesser racket tailed Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Black browed Barbets, Fire tufted Barbet, White throated Fantail, Blue Nuthatch, Bar winged Flycatcher Shrike, Sultan Tits, Lesser Yellownape and my fist Red headed Trogon (female), and there were certainly also Bulbuls and other smaller birds which I could not however determine - i was quite overstrained!
After the wave roll back maybe ten minutes later came to my mind how amazingly quietly this whole attack went before itself. Thats why it surprised me so much (also it was at 2pm!) - what a day and the best till the end...
