On Malaysia’s toughest trek, through Malayan tiger’s last refuge, the rainforest of Taman Negara national park, a sweaty climb and muddy descent
- It pays to go the long way through the rainforest of Taman Negara national park, one of Southeast Asia’s last wildernesses and home to tigers and other wildlife
- Climbing the park’s highest mountain is a wet, muddy test of endurance, but the journey brings unparalleled natural beauty and a sense of euphoria
I don’t want to believe Piyan when he stops to tell me that I have just missed the proverbial needle in a tropical haystack.
One of my guides and a Batek Orang Asli – the original peoples of Malaysia – he claims he has just glimpsed the orange back of a Malayan tiger, which then shot off into the jungle. It can’t be possible; I was just a few metres behind him.
Piyan walks me back to point at a sizeable footprint with four very fresh claw marks indented into the soil. I gulp, and believe. As we return silently to the trail and catch up with the rest of our group, I obsess over the near miss, an encounter I’ve craved for the 14 years I have spent scouring Malaysia’s remaining jungles.
“Consider yourself extremely lucky nonetheless,” says guide Angie Ng. “The last tally found evidence of only 60 tigers living in the 4,343 square kilometres [1,680 square miles] of Taman Negara.”