Merapoh
Merapoh is a small Malay village in Pahang about 45 minutes north of Kuala Lipis on Federal Route 8 highway and 20 minutes south of Gua Musang on the Kelantan border where the road also links with routes to Cameron Highlands and Terengganu. Merapoh is a station on the famous 'Jungle Railway' which runs from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Krai and on to Tumpat close to Kota Bharu, through the stunning landscapes of rural Malaysia.
Merapoh rainforest adventures can therefore be easily included in any itinerary from KL heading north to Pulau Perhentian, Tasik Kenyir or Cameron Highlands.
A 7 km drive way leads to Taman Negara Pahang Sungai Relau Merapoh, a lesser known entry point to Taman Negara National Park which is the biggest national park in Malaysia comprising of pristine 130 million year old rainforest- the oldest in the world. The village is close to the Sungai Yu Wildlife Corridor which connects the Main Range forests with Taman Negara and so is surrounded by the two largest areas of forest in West Malaysia.
The village may be small but it has some big surprises and a lot of activities for tourists. Merapoh is famous amongst hikers for being the launch point for the shortest route to the summit for climbing Gunung Tahan - the highest peak on Peninsular Malaysia. Tourism here is still developing and so the park currently enjoys a more relaxed and tranquil atmosphere than the more popular tourist centre of Kuala Tahan. For this reason tourist facilities are less established but the village has everything available to make your trip enjoyable
Merapoh is a picturesque and peacefull village home to around 5000 people. Primary local industries are rubber and palm oil as well as other types of farming which, along with the the wild back drop of rainforest covered mountains both to the east and west make the area a beautiful sea of green. The surrounding lowland landscape is littered with tree covered limestone outcrops which have 416 caves hidden inside making this a popular location for Malaysia's developing caver' communities. Of these 129 have been explored with 12 open to visitors and we have chosen the best of these to be part of our packages.
ATM and banking - There is a Malaysian ATM at Caltex petrol station. The closest international ATM is in Gua Musang
Medical facilities - There is a small clinic in Merapoh which can cater for most minor issues and a large hospital in nearby Gua Musang.
Shopping - Merapoh has a night market on Mondays. There are a number of small grocery shops in both the old and new villages either side of the highway where you can buy all basic items as well as a hardwear store, a small outdoors shop, mechanics and petrol station. Stalls that line the highway close to Merapoh offer a variety of fruits collected from the rainforest. Nearby Gua Musang is a relatively large town where you can purchase a wider variety of products.
Restaurants - there are a number of small local restaurants which serve traditional Malay food which are open from mid afternoon