Refreshing hike up Kanching falls

I have always wanted to do a waterfall hike, so when a fellow hiker shared his trip to the 208m high seven-tier cascading Kanching Falls, it was a simple decision picking it as our destination for the weekend.

All of us in the group were eager to see the much-photographed and much talked-about waterfalls.

Kanching Forest Reserve lies to the north of Kuala Lumpur, in Rawang, and is a short drive from Templer’s Park. It is a popular spot for swimming, picnic, camping and jungle hiking.

The 30km drive from Kuala Lumpur to our rendezvous point in the carpark was smooth and easy. After four months of unhealthy haze, we were all enjoying the fresh air and blue skies during the car ride.

Being a weekend, families and picnickers were out in full force and all the bays in the carpark were taken.

Also out in full force were the resident monkeys – often described as aggressive and quick-fingered. Reviews on various websites, without fail, warn visitors to guard their belongings, especially food, from these creatures.

We got our tickets and followed the sound of trickling water, walking through a large picnic area with drink stalls, ice-cream carts, souvenir shops, gazebos and directional signs pointing to changing rooms, toilets and camp site.

Our plan was to go beyond the seven levels with the upper falls as our end point. A flat paved road led up to cement steps, quickly taking us past the first three levels within 5 minutes.

Not surprisingly, the purpose-built pools at the base of these lower falls were filled with children and families having a splashing good time in the refreshing cold water.

From the third tier, the next flight of steep steps makes a nice, short lung buster that is over before you know it. The cement steps ended midway up and we continued along an earth path.

The next level is marked by a small bridge with the waterfall and natural pool on one side, and an overlook of the water roaring down on the other. We crossed the bridge to the other side of the waterfall, continuing along a clearly marked trail.

A pleasant short stroll on a gentle incline got us to the fifth waterfall. It was blessedly quiet, empty and the temptation to dip in the sizeable pool’s clear spring water and be pummelled by a power shower was very, very strong.

We pushed on, reluctantly, following the narrow dirt path that snaked its way up with the waterfall on our left.

The sixth level presents a rare view of the waterfall from the base, all the way to the top. I could almost feel the force of the water as it tumbled down over the rocky surface. From here on, we hiked along the right side of the waterfall, accompanied by the sound of water roaring down to the bottom.

We picked our way carefully along the tree-root littered path, scrambling on hands and knees on the bare rocky portions for added stability.

After an hour’s uphill climb, the trail ended at a sandy bottomed pool that carried on upstream. To go further, a river trek is the only option.

At the upper falls, the shallow pool of crystal clear water exudes peace and serenity, inviting us to dip in its chilly water. My peaceful contemplation at this lovely spot was rudely cut short by a light drizzle that steadily got heavier. We packed up and headed down.

We made our way down cautiously as trails became muddy in the rainy conditions and soon turned into mini cascades with puddles forming in many places. To avoid slipping on the wet rocks, we walked around it, using the roots as footholds or holding onto tree trunks for balance.

The rain eased up when we reached the cement steps and were back at the carpark 10 minutes later. It was a leisurely but exhilarating climb covering a distance of 2.8km with beautiful waterfall views at regular intervals.

On a sadder note, it was disheartening to see the amount of rubbish left behind along the paved walkway and at the lower falls. Viewing spots at each waterfall were ‘decorated’ by empty bottles, polystyrene packs, food wrappers and plastic bags.

While there are sufficient bins strategically placed at rest stops and gazebos, the bins are not monkey-proof. As it is, the monkeys rummage the bins for food scraps, leaving an even bigger mess.

While corporates and environmental groups organise clean-up efforts here, instilling a culture of caring for the environment among Malaysians, to not litter and be responsible for their trash, is the long-term solution.

One of the most recent clean-ups in Kanching was organised by KampusSarap on Nov 28 last year, in conjunction with the Global Climate March.

Interestingly, the Kanching Falls is also a geocache location and the geocache is hidden at the top of the highest fall, near the roots of a big tree, under a stone and covered by leaves.

In early October, a ‘geocacher’ reported the ‘geocache’ missing and it was replaced with a new geocache container on October 31 by our fellow hiker who had also ‘hid’ the first cache in December 2003.

Photo courtesy of stuif.com

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunt using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. The coordinates for geocaches around the world can be found at www.geocaching.com

Kanching WaterFalls
Kanching has seven tiers of beautiful waterfalls spaced out over a height of 120m. Set in a 500ha forest reserve between Rawang and Selayang, Kanching Falls makes an ideal break from busy Kuala Lumpur, offering activities such as swimming, camping, picnic, photography and jungle hiking. It is approximately 30 km away from Kuala Lumpur and 13 km from Bandar Rawang (Rawang) via Jalan Selayang – Rawang.

Getting there
Waterfall Forest Park Kanching

Entry fee (since 2009)