Hanna Hussein takes a fascinating tour through Gua Tempurung
THERE’S something about Perak that makes me want to go back again and again.
Each visit has never failed to surprise me. Its food, beautiful heritage buildings, glorious mining history and stunning limestone outcrops. There’s always something new that touches my soft spot.
Its limestone outcrops for instance. I’d always been fascinated by the dramatic landscape these outcrops created whenever I drove past Gua Tempurung that flanked the North-South Plus Highway.
But that was just all it was — a scenic view along the highway! I never knew the towering outcrop had something that would hit my guts to the core.
Had I known what’s awaiting at Gua Tempurung, I would have come mentally prepared though I am appropriately attired — a pair of sport shoes, comfortable T-shirt, pants — and carry a torchlight.
I thought it would be a simple walk-through experience like the one I had in Gua Niah in Miri, Sarawak. There was no clue whatsoever as to what Gua Tempurung had in store. Boy, did I misjudge it... big time!
GOLDEN FLOWSTONE
The registration office, located immediately outside the main opening, looks like any other entrance to a park. There is a long queue at the counter, although it is only 10am. And it’s not even a public holiday!
There are four types of tours, ranging from easy to hard. How hard can hard be, right? So my friends and I choose the Grand Tour, the most challenging of all.
However, due to time constraint — it’s Friday — and due to Friday prayers, we have no choice but to settle for the Level 3 tour. Once done with the formalities, we’re each given a coloured sticker that tells the end route of our tour.
At the cave mouth, we’re introduced to our ranger. “Hi, I’m Razali but you can call me Janggut,” says a tough, bearded guy with a red bandana. His nickname clearly suits him.
“You are very lucky because there are only five of you in this group so everyone can listen and ask questions,” says Janggut, adding that a tour usually requires a minimum of eight people.
We enter the cave and I can see a slid walkway that cuts across the cave floor. Dimmed lights are set at strategic spots to enhance the ambience.
Janggut briefly runs us through the history of the 3km long cave, said to be one of the longest in the peninsula. Along the way, he shows us spectacular formations of stalactites and stalagmites on walls, ceilings and floors in various shapes and sizes.
He asks us to think outside the box and look at the formations from a different perspective. Though it is a bit hard at first, we manage to make out a few incredible shapes like elephant, dolphin, seahorse and more formed by the stalactites and stalagmites.
As we climb further into the cave, we are rewarded by a spectacular view of its entire cavity. What amazes me is the golden sparkly flowstones that look like floating jelly fish. Stunning!
TOP OF THE WORLD
“By now you have climbed 640 steps,” says Janggut as he welcomes us to the second part of the adventure.
So far, the journey has been amazing, albeit tiring, as we have to climb the never-ending steps while breathing in the humid air.
At the top we take a 10-minute rest at a spot known as the Wind Tunnel.
“Can you feel the cool breeze?” Janggut asks.
Yes, I can. I feel like I’m standing near an air-conditioner. But, of course, there is none.
Janggut says this is no ordinary cold breeze. It’s natural. How awesome!
“This spot is where the air from both ends circulate and create the gust of cold air,” he says, adding that over time, this phenomenon has created rock formations with obvious wind erosion markings.
We then enter a tin mining area that has a natural drain with sparkling silver dots in it. It seemed that Gua Tempurung contained a generous amount of tin deposit which attracted Chinese miners.
“Besides being a tin mining area, it was used as a hiding place by the Communist,” says Janggut, pointing to some exhibits that prove the incident.
There are some mining equipment and patriotism propaganda messages written in Chinese characters on the wall.
Janggut tells us that after the Japanese invasion, there was a conflict between the capitalists and the communists. One of the high commanders of the communist rebels, Rashid Maidin, turned Gua Tempurung into a temporary hideout.
As we reach the highest point of the cave, the part two of our expedition ends. So too does the lighting!
RIVER ADVENTURE
I see a gate and flight of stairs descending from where we’re standing. It leads to the underground.
At this point my feelings change.
Peering into the darkness, I know that the real adventure is ahead of us and honestly, I don’t really know what to expect.
We walk carefully down the stairs and when we reach the end of the steel walkway, we continue walking along the cave floor, in the dark. I am thankful that I have my torchlight.
After 10 minutes, Janggut tells us to be prepared to get down and dirty. Ahead of us is a 9m slide on a smooth rock face.
“Just imagine that you are gliding down a colourful playground slide,” he says as he slides off. He makes it look so easy.
Well, it does not look like a playground slide at all and I can’t see the end of it. I can’t turn back now. With no other choice, I sit at the edge of the rock face, trying to mimic Janggut and trusting him to catch me.
He is right. Swoosh and I go like a small child gliding down a slide. And he catches my legs like a pro. I survive the first challenge!
We don’t really know where we are heading next and what other challenges await us. We’re leaving everything to Janggut and we follow his instructions closely.
It’s dark, humid and utterly quiet. We can only hear our deep breathing, footsteps and Janggut’s voice.
There are more sliding and gliding, squeezing through a rat hole until finally we encounter an underground river.
The water is surprisingly clear and cold. The sound of flowing water calms us down slightly.
The river flows through a rather narrow opening and, whether we like it or not, we have to crawl through, getting wet in the process. There is no other way out.
I thought this would be the only passage but Gua Tempurung has many more secrets.
We push through more than 10 narrow passages! After first few scary crawls, I finally get the hang of it and even start to enjoy the cold, wet crawls. It’s fun!
The hour-long challenging route finally ends at a small waterfall where we enjoy a natural shower followed by a cold dip in a rim-stoned pool. Ahh... what a cool end to the adventure!
Fast facts
GUA Tempurung was first identified in 1887 in the Map of Perak-Malay Peninsula, which indicated a mountain spelt as Gunong Tempoo Rong.
The Department of Minerals and Geosciences estimated the age of the rock formations in the area of Gua Tempurung to be between 250 and 400 million years.
How to get there
From the North-South Highway, take the Gopeng exit. From there take the left turn going towards Kampung Gunung Mesah. Follow the signs. There will be Gua Tempurung signboards everywhere. It is only 25km to the south of Ipoh,
What to bring
Comfortable clothes, walking shoes and torchlight (a headlamp is a better choice). Bring a set of dry, clean clothes if you take the Wet Package Tour. There are basic comforts like toilets, changing rooms, convenience stores, prayer rooms for Muslims and ample parking area.
Which package to buy
Tour 1: Golden Flowstone (dry)
Duration: 40 minutes
Fees: Adult RM6, Children RM2.50
Tour 2: Top of the World (dry)
Duration: One hour 45 minutes
Fees: Adult RM9, Children RM4.50
Tour 3: Top of the world and Short River Adventure (dry and wet)
Duration: Two and a half hours
Fees: Adult RM11, Children RM6
Tour 4: Grand Tour (dry and wet))
Duration: Three and a half hours
Fees: Adult RM22, Children RM11
Tours start every 30 minutes from 9am.
WHO TO CONTACT
Gua Tempurung Tourist Centre, Gopeng, Perak
Tel: 017-527 1926 (Zuliana), 012-554 9830 (Shahril)
Email: reservation.gtemp@gmail.com
Website: www.guatempurung.com.my