The mysterious falls of Batangsi, Semenyih
Updated: Aug 5
The ugly sister of Semenyih, Batangsi has never been in the spotlight, of course losing to the famous Bukit Broga. However Batangsi trail has so much more to offer, with the mysterious pristine waterfall with soft slivery sand and the rare "umbrella palm" forest puts it in my gems of Selangor list!
Starting point: Burmese Temple of Nian Jue Lin ( the temple gates opens at 7am, possible to park inside the temple premise)
Hike Duration: Allow around 7 hours, depending how long it takes to find the falls
End Hike: Backtrack
Distance : 20km (to the final fall)
Hike Difficulty: 3.3/5
Scenery Rewards: #avatarmoment in the umbrella leaf forest
Toilet and bathing facilities available at the temple. Be charitable and drop a donation!
What to bring
1. Basic first aid stuff such as disinfectant, ankle guard in case you sprain your ankle, band-aid.
2. Walking stick. The ascent here is extremely steep
3. Raincoat and Poncho
4. At least 2l of water, snack! Bring enough water
5. Change of clothes, cool down at the pristine falls
6. Good pair of hiking shoes is absolutely necessary (slippery on wet rocks)
7. Plastic protection for mobile phone in case!
8. Leech Alert! So do bring a Dettol or Listerine spray
9. Check the weather forecast
10. Cap
Note: Trail is long and not suitable for newbies. The initial 6km is easy on 4x4 tracks but after river crossing
Temple to Campsite
We arrived around 7am at the temple parking just as the caretaker was opening the gates. Nian Jue Lin 念觉林 ကျာ်စေတဳ temple is a Burmese temple according to Google maps. The surroundings of the temple is serene and tranquil, and I reckon a perfect place to meditate!
We climbed up a few flight of stairs to arrive at the Reclining Buddha and the praying hall. Veered left to the concrete path towards the hills.
Campsite to first falls
We arrived at the 4x4 campsite after 10minutes, and entered the "Dilarang Masuk" entrance! We crossed many stream along this 6km trail. The terrain is undulating red clay earth, through old logging treks that was left behind when they bulldozed the forest which is at the edge of the Titiwangsa range. (it ends in Jelebu)
We trekked through secondary forest with remnants of gigantic dipterocarp trees, many fallen and a handful still standing tall. Unlike Broga hill, this path is canopied!
We crossed a total of 6 streams before reaching the clearance of the 1st waterfall. This part of the hike is easy peasy, but you will find many suckers trying to latch onto your legs!
Rock Trail
We continued heading upstream along the rocky part of the Batangsi river. The Batangsi river was swollen on the morning we went as there was an early morning pour.
The first fall seemed reduce in height as the river swelled few meters high! We scrambled this part with great caution and care as the rocks were extremely slippery after the morning pour.
The current of the river was strong in morning but thankfully on the return it died down to a gentle flow! I wouldn't want to imagine if one was caught during heavy torrential rain in the afternoons. So don't attempt to hike to the final fall in rainy conditions!
ALICE IN WONDERLAND MOMENT IN UMBRELLA FOREST
As we crossed the river to the other side, it is as if we entered a different realm. The palm leaves were of colossal proportions. Hiking though these gigantic diamond shaped "Johannestrijsmannia" palm trees was mesmerising and mysterious. We were all awe stricken but soon refocused and started searching for a trail that had vanished!
The terrain in "umbrella palm" forest is hilly and littered with dried foliage, and leech! The trail was raw and with many fallen logs on steep slopes. We scrambled, crawled, lunge, balanced over logs, trees and roots to head upstream to the final fall. It took 1 whole hour to cover 2km at this point! The trail ends when it meets at another river confluence. At the Y junction of the river, take the right path to the Big Batangsi fall. #umbreallapalm
THE ELUSIVE BATANGSI FALL
We crossed the river again to the soft sandbank and continued manoeuvring our way to the final fall with great caution over slippery rocks.
Finally the elusive fall revealed itself! It was not a breathtaking moment but rather a MEH! However, I have seen it in pictures on better days when the sun is shinning high and the pools and stream reflects an emerald green! #batangsifall
The waterfall plunges into a narrow channel and in rain can quickly flood the area with great intensity! Only come here during dry season as it can be hazardous!
We had the waterfall all to ourselves! No hiking groups in sight on a Saturday, tells how remote and tight lip this waterfall is! No wonder Batangsi waterfall is so mysterious and elusive among the hikers fraternity group!
RETURN
We frolicked in the pools, re-energised and refreshed ourselves. Remembering not to squander too much time on the return, we packed and scurried back to the trail.
The torrents had reduced by this time, and we crossed the river with relative ease but still cautious when traversing wet rocks!
Time reference Checkpoints
The total hike was 19.5km, appx 7 hours return. We had minimal break or rest time. We struggled to find our way in the "umbrella palm" forest that leads to the final fall. The trail at the umbrella palm forest was raw, with no clear path and many fallen trees and the terrain was hilly, confusing navigation! Although we taped markers on the trees and scattered paper makers on the ground, but we had a hard time locating the path on the return.
0720 - Start hike from temple
0736- Dilarang Masuk
0800- Wooden bridge
0815- 5th strem crossing
0850- reach camp site clearing for waterfall (6km)
0905- rocky trail along river
0920- river crossing to "daun payung" land
1020 - River sandbank (can head on dry trail or cross river on rocks trail)
1040 -Final Waterfall (10km)
1200-Umbrella leave area
1230- Cross river, rest at big rock
2.00 - Arrive at temple
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Reflections
Batangsi waterfall hike is relatively easy, with a lot of leeches and filled with the pleasant gurgling sound from the streams and river. Unlike Broga hill, it does not have vantage points, but the "umbrella palm" forest is worth every bit of your efforts to give this place a go! It is extremely rare and honestly this is my first time seeing these palm trees strive in the wild!
The wildlife is abundant, and as we were exiting the forest we could hear the calls of the "Great Argus" bird.
Somehow Batangsi has escaped the radar and attention from crowds. The fragile environment here is well preserved and pristine!
Date visited: 1st July 2023
