Kanching Waterfall, Rawang, Selangor

Hugely underrated and with the potential to be one of KL’s must visit natural attractions, Taman Eko Rimba Kanching is located next to Templer Park, another forest reserve at Rawang, a small town about forty minutes’ drive from Kuala Lumpur city centre, and boasts an impressive multi-tiered waterfall and forest trees found nowhere else in the world. Part of a triumvirate of parks, or Taman Eko, in Rawang that border on each other, and include Taman Eko Rimba Templer and Taman Eko Rimba Komenwel, Taman Eko Rimba Kanching is nestled at the foot of the Rawang Bypass along Jalan Rawang.

Its proximity to the city makes it easily accessible nature’s haven popular among hikers and picnickers. Its star attraction is its multi-tiered waterfall, which reveals itself layer-by-impressive-layer, and tumbles down 7 near vertical drops from a height of 208 metres.

Since Kanching Waterfalls is located at the forest reserve, there is no public transport you can take to reach here. The best option is to drive (foreign visitors can rent a car, right-hand drive in Malaysia). The GPS (3.2988182, 101.6193392) will lead you to the parking area. The parking fee is RM4 per entry. There is no entrance fee applied. There are cafes and toilets facilities. The walkways to the waterfalls are on the left of the shops and the cafe.

Kanching Waterfalls has a remarkable height of 120m divided into seven cascades. The first three levels are easily accessible by the cement walkway. This walkway leads to the second level, which is the most popular destination.

Level 1 - Lata Bemban

Hidden in a rocky crevasse, Lata Bemban’s curtain waterfall comes quickly, less than 10 minutes after entering the park, and can be arrived at by deviating from the concrete path down a stairway or along a dirt trail that runs parallel to it.

The first waterfall is rather small, sheltered by the trees at the surrounding. It is not too crowded as visitors will usually not settle here, but prefer to walk deeper into the forest to explore various spots. 

Level 2 - Lata Terentang

A twin cascade, Lata Terentang gushes down gold and rust coloured rock into a shallow basin, part of which has been cemented and turned into a wading pool. There are some basic facilities here, but the changing rooms and toilets are poorly maintained.

You can make use of the picnic gazebos if you come early, as it can become quite congested when approaching noon, particularly during weekends.

Level 3 - Lata Kapur

Lata Kapur is Kanching waterfall’s deepest pool and its most popular. Located at the bottom of an attractive drop surrounded by greenery, it has an elevated concrete seating area and several gazebos, while a submerged wall on its far side acts as a dam and prevents swimmers from getting swept away.

Level 4

There is where the physical challenge begins for visitors who live a sedentary lifestyle. There are only woods seclude you from the rest of the world. No house, no buildings, no roads, only the endless winding trail with plenty of natural obstacles.

Getting to Level 4 requires a spirited climb up a long flight of stairs, which may explain why Level 3 is where most bathers congregate;  few will bother making the trek especially while lugging picnic supplies or with children in tow. For those that do, your efforts will be rewarded. A short detour right along a footpath ends at a puddle of a pool where photo subjects can avoid getting their feet wet while capturing a dramatic backdrop of rock and tumbling water that stretches as far as the eye can see. A pair of hiking shoes is recommended, or at least wear your best walking shoes.

Level 5 - Lata Tembusu

Where the stairs to Level 4 ends, a well intentioned set of concrete steps to Level 5 begins then inexplicably peters out seconds later. Forced onto a well trodden trail, once across the bridge and on the opposite side of the river, a short stroll along a flat trail will lead you to Lata Bemban. Pouring over a wall of crenelated rock, this secluded spot which is hidden by trees has a lovely but small, shallow sandy-bottomed pool.

Level 6 - Lata Gapis

Though the way to Lata Gapis isn’t obvious at first, it is once you backtrack to the trail, which takes you uphill along a narrow verge. Like Level 4, Lata Gapis has a view of ceaseless torrent of water rushing down seemingly endless waves of rock, and would be an amazing spot to cool off at were it not for the debris of fallen trees and boulders.

Level 7 - Lata Bayas

Located at the top of Kanching’s chain of cascades, Lata Bayas is a small slice of tropical heaven, with a small fall and a view of the hills opposite. If you want to explore further upstream, the trail becomes increasingly slippery and uneven rocky steps. As the hike up is technical and increasingly steep and rocky the further up you get, the average visitor will be deterred; but not the experienced outdoor enthusiasts. Having the right shoes will help you navigate the tricky terrain. One particularly memorable section involves ascending up  a root covered incline using rope as the full force of thousands of litres of water and gravity thunders past you meters away. Thrilling!