Batu Bertenggek waterfall on the Kerling river may not be as popular as Chilling falls, on the Chilling river, but it is definitely more mysterious with the "perched" boulder at an 55 degree angle at the base of the chute fall!
Kerling, about 45minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur is more popular for it's hot springs rather than the waterfalls, but the look of the former is less inviting than the mysterious emerald green Batu Bertenggek waterfall.
The Trailblazer hiking group organized this hike on a very auspicious 7th day of the Lunar New Year for a "lou hei" picnic by this UFO rock waterfall. After a series of ill-fated events over the months involving landslides and flooding was enough to spook many hikers away from the jungle. But today all 55 of us, braved the wet drizzle and dragged ourselves out from our warm beds to plunge into this cold mysterious waterfall!
Starting point: Trailhead Batu Bertenggek
Hike Duration: 30 minutes of pleasant walk along the stream
End Hike: Backtrack ( most parts without tree canopy)
Hike Difficulty: EASY but in some parts, water may be knee-deep.
Suitable for children with flat area for picnic by the falls, but
very slippery towards the UFO rock along the stream!
Scenery Rewards: UFO rock of Batu Bertenggek
Permit: At the moment not required
Facilities : Toilet and changing area available but in pathetic condition
Leech: No leech
Distance : around 5km in and out
Parking is available along the road, but if you are coming in a large group, park at the hot spring parking bay, as the roads are narrow!
Trail to the Falls
We backtracked on to the same tarmac road, headed left at the bridge, crossed the Kerling river and continued to trek in. To the right is the Kerling prison, the 8am wake up alarm was echoing in the area as we trekked on the big gravel pathed path.
We passed through some private land, banana fields, farms, and finally at a crossroad there is an obscure sign pointing to the waterfall! We headed straight. When we were there, there was this tree in full bloom with yellow flowers and to the left was a mini waterfall! The big gravel path soon changes to red laterite soil with some muddy and wet puddles from the rain earlier in the morning.
The trail is rather straight forward, with a gradual uphill trek, hillside on the left and cliff on the right with thickets of resam fern. About 200m uphill you will notice a small downhill path on the right to the waterfalls. There is a whimsical sign that points out the way to the waterfall, try not to miss it, otherwise if you go straight on, you will end up at a hill clearing!
Tip: The trek to the waterfall although short (only 30 minutes) but can be hot as there is no tree cover! Come prepared on a hot day with your cap or umbrella!
The moment we headed downhill, the sound of gushing water echoes and soon we arrived at our destination. The main waterfall requires some scrambling on sharp, wet, slippery rocks.
Before the Batu Bertenggek water, there is a series of cascades and a strange boulder that seemed to have rolled down from the hills and is now stuck the middle of the stream!
There is a flat rock in the middle of the pool, perfect for levitating in the water photo shot opportunity, but the water level on that day was high and we were all very cautious not to do anything naughty! #Batubertenggekwaterfall
Upstream Sungai Kerling
After our tossing of "lou hei" and refilling ourselves, we headed backup to the main trail, but instead of heading back, we made a right and head upstream.
We crossed the wooden bridge and took the left trail at the fork and waded through the stream. The trail seems to lead to an abandon resort that didn't even take off.
However the stream had some rocks piled up at the sides and fixtures that might have been part of the abandon project?
The water here is calmer and the cascades are perfect to soothe those aching shoulders!
However even gentle cascades can turn into monsters when there is a storm upstream and we noticed the currents were getting stronger. We cut short the splendid bath, regrouped and back-tracked from where we came!
Warning: Always be aware when you are visiting waterfall as the current and water level can quickly increase!
Reflections
Batu Bertenggek which means "perched" in english is indeed some out of the world rock formation! This half day trip to the waterfalls is well worth the time and effort besides, it was rather deserted as compared to the Chilling falls which is normally packed with day trippers. I can't wait to bring my friend back to the Batu Bertenggek again!
The camaraderie in the group was awesome and there were people and children from all parts of the world generously sharing food and laughs along the way! Although this hike was rather easy but Trailblazer do organize some challenging ones and that would require more physical effort! Big shout out to Jason and Kelvin for leading and organizing this memorable outing on a week I gobbled up way too much!
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