Main waterfall of Gunung Pulai |
| Location | Johor, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Terrain | Forest trail, river treks |
| Recommended duration | 0.5 day |
| Ease of access | Take a cab to the Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest |
| Special equipment | None |
| Good | Easily accessible |
| Not so good | Litters and rubbish. Crowded on weekends. |
Drive to the foot of Gunung Pulai and take a dip in the pools under the waterfalls from the river that flow down the mountain. Pulai waterfalls are located in the Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest and the main waterfall which is close to the foot of the hill is very popular to the locals especially on weekends. You may choose to walk to the summit of Gunung Pulai on the tarmac road that goes all the way to the summit where there is a communications tower before heading down and relax at the waterfalls.
Smaller waterfall near to the gate |
Gunung Pulai and its waterfalls are easily accessible by car. Although the tarmac road goes to the summit, there is a gate at the foot of the hill which only allows authorized personal to drive through. Visitors may walk through the side gate on the left of the main gate to the waterfall and to trek up the hill. It takes about 90 minutes to cover the distance of 5 km from the foot of the hill to the top. At the bottom of the main waterfall, there are several pools where visitors can take a dip in the cool water. By the left side of the main waterfall, there is a flight of stairs that goes to the top of the waterfall although you may use the tarmac road to reach the top as well. Due to its popularity, the area at the waterfall is littered with rubbish. Further upstream where there are fewer visitors, the place is cleaner. At the top of the waterfall, there is a small dirt path that leads to another waterfall after 20mins of trek. There is also a campsite by the side of that waterfall. For people who want to avoid the crowded main waterfall, this is a good place to rest, relax and to enjoy the peaceful surrounding. However, there are leeches in the forest so be prepared.
Heavy rainfall caused a major landslide in 2002 which killed five people and the area was closed by the State Government for restoration. Although there is no official re-opening of the recreational forest, visitors are coming back to the hill and waterfalls. While the upper slope of Gunung Pulai is still covered by undisturbed forests, active logging is still ongoing at the lower part of the hill. While there used to be functional toilet facilities at the foot of the hill, most of the standing structures are left abandoned.
The proximity of Gunung Pulai to Johor Bahru and Singapore makes it a popular place for locals and Singaporeans. The area at the waterfalls and around the tarmac road is still covered by pristine forest although the surrounding virgin forest land may be shrinking. This is a good place to go as a family outing to check out the waterfalls and to walk to its summit. However, do note that the road may be very steep at some sections and it may get quite strenuous for the very young and old from the constant uphill climb.
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- Johorkaki blog, 08 March 2015.
- Rainforest Journal, 02 July 2013.
Take train to Kulai railway station. You may check out the train services, prices and dates on Malaysia Railway
To Park Entrance
Via taxi:
Cost: Approx. Rm 30 per taxi/way [1]
Duration: 40 min
There are two levels to the Gunung Pulai park. The first level is at the bottom of the waterfall and it can be reached by turning left at a branch along the road. The second level is at the top of the waterfall. There is a car park with unused changing room, an office and the main campsite.
From the second level, after crossing the bridge on the right side, there is a cross junction. The road on the left leads to the waterfalls at the first level.
The road straight ahead will lead to a T-junction which on the left will lead to an obstacle ground and the track on the right seems to terminate at a hill top even though just before the hill top, there is a track leading down to the river.
The road on the right will lead to another bridge. From the track across the bridge, it leads to another waterfall after about 20mins walk. Several campsites can be found along the way.
From the second level, the tar road in front will leads to the top of Gunung Pulai where there is a telecommunication tower, which is out of bounds. The walk up takes about 90mins.
- Outdoors Sandals
- Light weight clothes
- First Aid Kit
- Extra clothing
- Rain gear
- Water for the trek
- Leech repellent (if you are trekking through the forest trail)
- The Mountain Trekker - Pulai waterfalls [20 May 2015]