Lata Puteh Waterfall, Perak - Star

This article was first published in The Star newspaper.
© Liz Price

THE STAR L I F E S T Y L E

Travel & Adventure Saturday March 1, 2008 White water rapids By LIZ PRICE Getting to Lata Puteh takes a bit of huff and puff, but the view at the top makes up for the effort. THE signboard claimed it was the third highest waterfall in South-East Asia. We were dubious, and decided to check for ourselves. The falls certainly looked high, but we couldn’t see it in its entirety. My friend Jan had actually seen the falls some weeks earlier, but couldn’t see any obvious trail leading up. The cascades: You don’t have to go right to the top to admire the majestic Lata Puteh located between Lenggong and Batu Kurau in Ulu Perak. Curious, he decided to return and scale its rocky heights. So he called for some companions to join him, and that was how Aric and I found ourselves looking up from the base of the falls, determined to discover its secret. We were at Lata Puteh, which is on the Bintang Range between Lenggong and Batu Kurau in Ulu Perak. A few hundred metres up the road is the Lata Tebing Tinggi. This waterfall is bisected by the road and is popular with locals because there is easy access to the base of the falls. However, Lata Puteh is an entirely different matter. Having parked the car near the waterworks building, we looked for a path up. Jan had already tried on his previous visit, but was unable to find any suitable route. We decided to try by just following the hill up and seeing how far we could progress. This worked initially but then the vague track we were following started leading away from the water. Since it looked even less promising, we decided to backtrack and return to square one. We did see several clusters of wild gingers, some of which were flowering, and clusters of figs adorning the trunks of several trees. It was obvious that wild boars frequented the place, as there were several areas disturbed by their digging. Back at the car, we found the only option was to cross the river and try the other side. We set off following the water pipes, but then they disappeared at the pump house. We continued up on a small trail, ascending quite steeply, but again, away from the water. Luckily, I spotted another pipe nearer the river so we battled through the undergrowth to reach it. We were actually quite close to the water by now and after a short steep section we found ourselves at the base of one of the major falls. Initially, we thought we were at the base of the main falls, but as we gazed up, we realised that this was only the lower section. The main drop was farther and was actually split into different tiers. We were able to cross this side of the river, which brought us to the main volume of the falls. We were now effectively on an island in the middle of the river. Up above us, the water cascaded down and there were huge house-sized boulders sitting in the river. I was amazed at their sheer size. They had been there for millions of years, and I wondered how many million litres of water had cascaded past. Mesmerised by the water, my imagination began to wander and I wondered if these rocks were marbles left behind by a race of giants playing in the river. Jan brought me back to the real world by suggesting it was time to continue on up. So we left our rocky island and went back to our original path and continued up. There was no actual path, so we just chose the easiest and clearest route, keeping quite close to the river. It was a steep but fairly easy ascent, and it was only at the top that we had to climb between two huge boulders in order to reach the open flat area above. Success. We were at the base of the main falls. Natural beauty: Time to chill after the slog and enjoy the spray from a thundering waterfall. — LIZ PRICE It was an amazing site and within seconds we got soaked as the wind and force of the water threw droplets everywhere. It was like being in a cloud, and was actually chilly. It was also difficult to see with water droplets battering my eyes. We were all quiet initially, just absorbing the splendour of the place. The falls was not only very wide; it is also very high. We realised that the total falls could compete for one of the highest in South-East Asia. It was impossible to determine its height, as nowhere could we get a complete view of its entire length. The place was so beautiful with the greenery of the trees and shrubs, and large birds flying around. One of the best things was the total absence of litter. This suggests that very few people come up here. There were good views down into the valley, and we could even see the road far below. We would have liked to have stayed and enjoyed the beauty of the place, but the coldness of the water spray from the thundering falls made us beat a hasty retreat. We began the descent and were soon back on the road. We then drove back to Lata Tebing Tinggi and followed the concrete steps down to the river, where we were able to wash and enjoy some snacks. Sitting directly under the high road bridge, we were accompanied by hundreds of swiftlets and swallows that nest in the crevices on the bridge. Satisfied with our day’s efforts, we headed for Batu Kurau, and then back to Kuala Lumpur. Jan’s waterfall website is at www.waterfallsofmalaysia.com.