Berkelah Waterfalls : Part 1 - Cool Chilly Clear

19012013 - Last week, I went to Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Puchong. One of the guys was going to Berkelah Waterfalls the following week i.e. today. I raised my hand and said - YES! I want to go too! So, the night before, I travelled with 6 strangers (friends of a friend) on a 4-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur to Pahang. We reached about 5am and parked our cars at a parking space next to a mosque.

Berkelah Waterfalls has 7 tiers, and I was keen to see each one of them.

To go to Berkelah Waterfalls, we have to take a ride to the Waterfalls. Well, one can walk too but that is probably going to take an hour plus, since the lorry ride itself was 15 minutes. We took the 4-wheel ride instead of the lorry. It is RM6 per person for the ride, to and fro.

The ride stopped in front of a broken bridge. Then it was a 15 minute walk to the entrance. One can choose to cross the river or climb on the broken bridge. We chose to climb over the broken bridge.

The 15 minutes walk led us to the entrance of the Recreational Forest of Berkelah Waterfalls.

If the bridge did not collapse, cars could have gotten through and parked here. From the entrance, I could see the river. The water was clear. 

The landscape inside.

From this little hut, we started our walk to our campsite. The initial start of the walk was on tarred road. Pretty simple for now.

The first stream we crossed. I walked on the path, soaking my feet in the waters. It is okay, I tell myself, because I was wearing my rubber shoes that dries in less than 5 minutes.

Then, the walk was through a forest. Still simple.

The first tier of the waterfalls which we did not go to.

Then, it became a climb on the rocks, where one has to be extra careful because it was slippery. Plus, it rained the night before.

The 2nd tier of the waterfalls.

After a 2-hour leisure walk, we reached the campsite at the 3rd pool. We have to cross the river to go to the site. The depth at that part of the river varies from ankle length to knee length to mid-thigh length.

Time to set up the place to sleep - ground sheet and fly sheet and lots of strings and ropes.

The provisions that we brought for the weekend.

For lunch, we had rice, egg in chili paste and anchovies. Excellent meal though cooked in the woods!

At 3.30pm, it was time to go to the other waterfalls. It was a trail of crossing the river at the initial part and in the subsequent trail was lots of rock climbing and walking on slippery rocks. The current was so strong that you do not want to risk falling inside.

This is at the 4th tier. The pool where we all jumped in! Yahoo! It is so cold! The current was strong and the guys had to pull the girls' hands to the rocks. It looked so easy when the guys swam. Unfair.

The 6th tier.

There was a campsite at the 7th tier. The people who brought the knapsacks here must have really steady and strong legs to walk on the wet rocks.

The 7th and final tier of the waterfall! Standing there itself was so cold. The current was so strong. There were even droplets of water on my camera lens.

We went back to the 6th tier where it is much safer to swim.

We left the 6th tier at about 6.15pm, and reached back about 7.30pm. It was dark, but the eyes were accustomed to the night. Just had to be extra careful. That night, I slept immediately after dinner. I did not bring my sleeping mat, but I did not feel any discomfort or chill through the night, because my tiredness won over me.