Highlight:
This is the good place for group activities. Difficulties – “1 over 5?. Fun – “6 over 5?. It is so adventurous, heart beating and of course fun of this place. If you are a diehard nature person and looking for some activities which need to get yourself wet, chilling, excited, cool and definetely not much of tireness hiking … Sungai Chilling Waterfall is the right place for you. These falls are definitely worth a visit.
A trekking expedition to Chilling River, which can last four hours or more, is just the activity to get into the Sungai Chilling Waterfall and get yourself chill in the water. Good news for ladies and gentlemen, “river crossing” (not river stepping) is a must for these trek! Please prepare to get wet and remind and remind again, please bring extra clothes to change and don’t forget your towel too.
Getting There & Away:
Use NKVE and exit Tanjung Malim Toll. Follow the signboard and turn left right toward Kuala Kubu Bharu. All the way straight and you will passing a Kuala Kubu town. Later you will reach a big dam. After passing the Selangor Dam, you cross a bridge on the Chiling river. Just after this bridge you can park you car along the roadside. Look for a gateway with signage indicating “Sanktuari Sg. Chilling” and follow the road for about 400m.
You will passing by a toilet at an open field beside the river. You need to pay RM0.50 for whole day usage. You can wash at the back of the toilet (for guy). There is a recently constructed suspension bridge, make sure you follow the rules strictly and cross the bridge 4 person at each time. Strict rules have been introduced: after the bridge camping, fishing, making fires, is strictly prohibited. Up ahead was small muddy paths which almost leads to anywhere. Logic will tell u to move up stream and walk as close to the river. The hiking wasn’t tough at all as the place was relatively quite flat and clear.
The initial part of the trail was surrounded by a wall of ferns on both sides. “Hand Up” (you will understand once you reach there), this is what we shout everytime when we have to pass through MAZE (ferns wall) .It was flanked with stinging nettles and pointy branches. After fern wall make sure you cross the river instead of keep hiking, if you found yourself hiking instead of treking … then you are at the wrong direction … you are now hiking to Bukit Kutu instead of Sungai Chilling. To make sure you are at the right way, once you reach the “Y” junction, please follow to the left. Then it will lead you to the river. You might be a bit hesitate weather is this the right way?? Yes, the river is waiting for you. Before crossing the river, you are walking along the river.
It would be helpful to bring along a rope for river crossing. But before you make any decision to cross over, please spot the area where you want to stand and which way you want to cross. Always let all the guy go first with the rope and queue up to form a human chain, when all the guy stand steadyly, then pass all the bag to cross over to the opposite (dry bag is advisable for this trek, you can get it in the outdoor shop or Jaya Jusco, Outdoor Section) and then let all the lady one by one crossing the river by holding the rope. Guy have to help the others balance along the way. You have to cross the same river for 5 times in different trail. We really enjoyed the river crossings. In some parts, the river current can be strong. Most of the time the river is about knee-deep, but at the last crossing, it was waist-deep! After rainfall the water level can reach even higest and the current can be very strong. The river crossing was hard as the current was swift and there were plenty of small rocks. stony and slippery river bed add extra challenge … After about one and a half hour’s hike, just before reaching the waterfall, there is a area look like a cave (actually is formed by two huge rocks). Have some bats nesting there between the two huge rock. Thats quite an experience to pass it. We finally reached the waterfall and all of us just “pause” there and look at the 3 storey high waterfall … it was a so joyful sight to behold.
Extract from wikipedia about Kuala Kubu Bharu :
“Previously, there was a town called Kuala Kubu nearby the current. In February 1883 , the Kuala Kubu town was destroyed by a great flood caused by a broken dam near the town. Many civilians drowned or lost their home. The flood victims included a district officer of Kuala Kubu during the British era named Cecil Ranking. The old town was severely flooded and most of the old town’s facilities were damaged beyond repair.Strangely , a Buddhist temple and a mosque survived the flood. The old town has since been known as Ampang Pecah, or Broken Dam in the Malay language. The tragedy was probably known as Tragedi Kuala Kubu by local civilians.
After the tragedy, the British government decided to build a new town near the remains of Kuala Kubu. The new town was named Kuala Kubu Bharu, with Bharu meaning “new” in the Malay language. Residential houses have been developed since the 1980s in the previously abandoned old town, or Ampang Pecah.”
Red Alert :
Some years ago, a few campers in a group got sweeped away from their riverbank campsite by the sudden torrent and drowned in their sleep. Be mindful that sometimes heavy torrent give you very time to run to safety in Sungai Chiling area.
Flash floods rushing down from the upper reaches of the river can be very dangerous. Visitors and picnikers need to be alert to signs of flash floods especially when it rains in the hilly parts. Torrent (flood come of a sudden) did happen before. Some years ago, a few campers in a group got sweeped away from their riverbank campsite by the sudden torrent and drowned in their sleep. Be mindful that sometimes heavy torrent give you very time to run to safety in Sungai Chiling area. Camping near the fall is strictly prohibited.
Be sure to look out for unusual sight on the water like foam and slight muddiness in the water. If you ever see this occurs, please move to higher ground immediately and away from this fall.
