Valentine's Day at Kanching Falls

Dong Dong Dong Chiang! Happy Chinese New Year. It is the season of celebration, with the week before Chinese New Year being Valentine's. I heard from some of my friends that during Valentine's everywhere was packed, even on the road! Thankfully our friend suggested to double date at Kanching Falls. It was something new to us as a couple and we have had the thought of going picnic but it didn't happen thus far until last Saturday.

We did some research online and found out some negative reviews about the place mostly saying that the place had too many monkeys & was too crowded. Some said that it was dirty. After reading that, we were pretty sceptical about the place but then there were also reviews that if we hiked up to the higher levels, it was cleaner and had lesser people. So it was on!

We left Petaling Jaya about 7.15am and arrive at Kanching Falls around 8.15am. It takes approximately 30 mins to one hour to arrive at Kanching falls from Petaling Jaya. There is an entry fee. It was RM2 per pax; RM2 per car. I would advice that you park in the middle or away from the forest because when we got back to our car, the monkeys nibbled off the rubber piece that was protecting the car antenna. 

At the entrance there is a stall that sells food and also another that sells snacks & picnic stuff alike. There is also a photography area with parrots. The parrots were so beautiful! Of course you will have to pay for taking photos with the parrots.

The first thing you will see after the parrot photo booth area is a wide landscape where kids can run wild and free! It has minimal trees around there so it can be hot. Whether you believe/follow or not, before entering the forest, always make sure that you follow some basic (superstitious) rules. Different people may have different set of rules. Feel free to follow your personal one if you have.

1. Ask for permission/say a prayer (in your heart) before you enter.
2. Don't disturb anything. Avoid tampering with the plants or trees. More importantly, do not take back things from the forest.
3. If you see, hear or smell something odd or unknown in the forest, just keep quiet and move on. Do not mention or ask anything.
4. Don't dirty the place which includes peeing in the forest. If you must, it is best to seek for permission first.
5. Don't joke around or swear.

An official photo before we embark on our journey!

Oh boy, stairs. This was just right after the arc. These were still manageable. It goes all the way to the first level of the waterfall. Actually it only took 5 mins from ground level to the first level and it is nicely paved pathways.

Almost there! You can see a little of the waterfalls. As you can see in the picture above, these concrete huts are located vastly at several locations. These are nice spots for big families as each one has a table and seats. It overlooks the landscape of the waterfall.

The below picture shows level 1 of the waterfall. It is the only level that has a toilet and also a shower area. The water flows down to form a pool for people to swim. Thankfully we were early because there were only a few people during that hour.

Level 1 waterfall

Online reviews saying that there were alot of monkeys were true. They were everywhere. On the stairs, railings, pathways, rocks and we had 2 of them which followed us while we were going upwards.

Okay, we walked up a little more and came up to this flight of stairs. Yeah.. steep indeed. We guessed that this is the point where people decided to give up and stay at level 1. If you are unfit, it will be tiring and your legs will feel like you just did couple sets of lunges. We climbed and reached to a point that has a stream. There was a long sturdy log which the boys took advantage to take pictures on it.

Generally I find that the hike was not very tough. It was quite easy, if compared to Bukit Gasing, yeah it was easier. It's not steep all the way. Just the flight of stairs that was intimidating but after that, it was quite straight forward.

We walked for abit and then we arrived at this area where it was quiet and the only you could hear was the mild sound of the waterfall. Doesn't the picture below look like a paradise? If there was a flat ground where we could sit, I think that it would be a perfect spot.

After a while, we continued our hike upwards. There are some routes that are slippery and requires a little brain work and footwork to go through the area without hurting yourself. Of course if you had a helping hand(s) it would make it more easier.

The next stop was also breathtaking! It captures the waterfall right from the top. So we stayed there for almost 30 minutes just taking pictures.

"Look, the waterfall is there but imma just squat beside it because that's the furthest I can go."

The boys doing the "Agony" pose from Into the Woods. haha..

Realizing we stopped for quite a while and having stayed at that spot for quite a long time, we were hungry! But we know that should be a nicer spot higher up. so we hiked up until we almost reached the peak. It was a nicely flat spot where we can sit and lay our food out.

Isn't the backdrop beautiful! 

If I was geng enough I would've done a split jump or a russian jump. But nope.. I'm sticking to the ground!

Our friend's picnic box which they bought from Aussie. I would love one myself.

Make sure that you bring lots of water to drink too and also prepare some carbs to fuel the body because you need energy to go hike down. By the time we were done, it was close to 11am. We decided to head down because it started to get hot and as we arrived to the lower levels, the crowd started coming in. So ideally, arrive there early for a more peaceful and uninterrupted hike.

Om nom nom!

I loved my 2015 Valentine's! It was a calming hike throughout. Makes me want to explore more mountains. If you plan to go to Kanching Falls, I would say regardless of the reviews, it is a pleasant experience.