The mysterious falls of Batangsi, Semenyih

The ugly sister of Semenyih, Batangsi has never been in the spotlight, 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!

Undulating-hilly terrain, on other side of stream is lies the Umbrella Plam forest!

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.

The gates to the temple opens at 7am

The concrete path meets grassy area, continue way up and make right!

Turn right towards the campsite

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!

Permit is required for this hike from Selangor Forestry Department

During dry season, these small stream may dry up

Wood bridge crossing

Picking out leeches that was latched on Hugo's legs

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! (LEECH)

Rock Trail

We continued heading upstream along the rocky part of the Batangsi river. The Batangsi river was swollen in the morning due to the morning pour.

The first fall seemed reduced in height compared with the photos I have seen on normal days. The river can swelled up few meters high in a short time! Please take caution!

We scrambled this part with great caution and care as the rocks were extremely slippery.

This rocky part was extremely slippery! Pertinent to have good traction shoes!

We crossed before the river confluence, at this gigantic buttress root tree!

The current of the river was strong in morning but thankfully on the return it reduced to a gentle flow! It would be hard to imagine crossing the river 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!

It is rare to find mature "UMBRELLA PALM" striving in the wild!

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 during rainy conditions can quickly flood the area with great intensity! Only come here during dry season, as it can be hazardous!

The rock cascades so surreal!

The water vigorously plunging down after the morning shower!

We had the waterfall all to ourselves! No hiking groups in sight on a Saturday! It shows how remote and tight lip this waterfall is! No wonder Batangsi waterfall is so mysterious and elusive among the hikers fraternity group!

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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!

Hungry leeches lurking

Time reference Checkpoints

The total hike was a whopping 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, 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 effort to give this place a go! It is extremely rare and my first time seeing these enchanting 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. It is always a great treat to hear the mysterious call of this bird! So distinct and unique, it call will stay in your head and haunt you! (hehehe)

Fun fact: the feathers of the Great Argus or Burung Raja Kuah is an iconic accessory on the head gears of the Dayak tribe in Sarawak. This bird is extremely sought after and has been hunted close to extinction and also due to habitat loss!

Somehow Batangsi has escaped the radar and attention from crowds. The fragile environment here is well preserved and pristine!

Date visited: 1st July 2023