Setinggi Waterfall: A Step-by-Step Guide

Setinggi Waterfall, Serendah, Selangor

Date visited: 31 December 2017 (Sunday)
Vehicle: Preferably 4WD
Duration of hike: 1 hour with 4WD, about 2 hours if solely on foot

Getting There

GPS: Klinik Kesihatan Serendah on Google Map (https://goo.gl/maps/zbh8VEn9UqH2)

Once you turn in to the road that leads you to the clinic, go straight ahead. You’ll pass by a lake on your left, and reach a vague road fork. Slide left and follow the road on your left that doesn’t seem like a proper road.

Follow the road, you’ll pass by the first factory on your left. The road will turn muddy and bumpy. If you do not have a 4WD, you can park your car at any open space available near the first factory because a part of the road ahead can be very muddy and impassable for normal cars. If you start your journey from the first factory, it would take you about 2 hours to reach the waterfall.

For those with 4WD, drive straight ahead. You’ll reach a wide open space that’s awaiting further development. Drive diagonally across the space and you’ll see a steep path up. Drive up the slope and you’ll see a rubber plantation. Go straight from there until there’s no room forward (probably a 10 - 15 minutes' drive). That’s where you park your car and start hiking. From here, it will take you 1 hour to reach the waterfall with no stopping in between.

Hike

Landmarks to look out for:

1. Concrete bridge 1

2. Concrete bridge 2

Walk for about half an hour you’ll reach the first concrete bridge. And of course, time would vary if you start hiking from the first factory. Do take note that it’s a concrete bridge, not a metal pipe, not a wooden bridge. It is at this first concrete bridge you can stop for a rest at a small waterfall on your right.

The first concrete bridge, where you can see a small waterfall after you cross it.

The small waterfall.

Continue walking for another hour and you’ll see the second concrete bridge. Don’t cross the bridge. Follow a trail that’s on your right. You’ll reach the waterfall in another 10 minutes forward.

Don't cross the second concrete bridge. Follow the trail on the right. 

You can choose to go further up after the waterfall. And there’s a unique man-made ‘structure’ that’s worth a look. Photo as below.

Overview

Trail: Clear. Mostly flat with some ups and down. Fairly relaxing, suitable for beginners.

Precaution: 

1. Many leeches. Amount depending on time and weather.

2. Small amount of bees.

3. Tons of mosquitoes, if you’re passing the rubber plantation by foot.

Waterfall: Tiered. Slippery at parts. Clean. 

Good Photo-taking Spots:

1. Man-made archway upstream

2. First tier of waterfall

Nearby waterfall you can visit:

1. Serendah waterfall (https://goo.gl/maps/URRHm4zzNRp)

Video
For a clearer view, you can watch our video too!

Personal Experience

The first time we went finding for Setinggi waterfall, we couldn’t figure out which road to turn in to after passing the clinic. We did not see any farm, nor did we see any obvious construction site. The fishing pond mentioned in Waterfalls of Malaysia is more like a lake, and unless you looked carefully, you’ll miss it.

We followed the seemingly normal road and it led us to a housing area. We did scramble on to the smaller road later on after a few turnings, and a worker at the first factory told us we are on the right track. So we went down the road further in our Axia, only to find ourselves unable to proceed at the extra muddy part.   

So we decided to park our car at the housing area, and stumble back up to the trail. Not passing the mud part in our car was a wise decision. We had a hard time passing that stretch of mud even on feet. You’ll sink a little with every step, not to mention it was slippery too!

After scrambling up a slope to the wide open area of construction site, we were lost again. Directly ahead of us is a trail and we almost went that way. The correct way was going to the far end on your right hand side, go up that slope and it will bring you face to face with a rubber plantation. Not sure if everyone knows this, but where there’s a rubber plantation, there will be tons and tons of hungry mosquitoes.

And voila, mosquitoes started swarming all over us. No repellents are strong enough to save us, and we tried walking faster to escape those bloodsuckers. After much consideration, we thought it wasn’t a good idea to proceed if we have to trek another 2 hours tailed by mosquitoes and leeches. Thus, ending our first outing.   

The second time we went, didn’t find the waterfall as well. This time, we drove a 4WD and an Innova. Our Innova had no problem driving pass the mud, but it had problem going up the slopes ahead. At the end of the day, we parked our car at the housing area again and everyone hopped on the 4WD.

Our 4WD went on until the beginning of a narrower trail, where we started walking. On our way, each of us managed to collect a feet full of leeches. This time, we made it to the first concrete bridge. But because we were confused, we thought that was the second bridge as we’ve already hiked about 45 minutes. We tried finding other trails next to the small waterfall, as some blogs mentioned the trail was overgrown, and we might have overlooked it. After much effort to no avail, we went home disappointed the second time.

On our third visit on New Year’s Eve, we met a bunch of hikers who had just arrived and were getting ready at the first factory. We offered a ride and this time, it took us 30 minutes trek to the first concrete bridge, and another 20 minutes to the second one. Our pace was fairly quick, and we arrived at the waterfall in exactly one hour.

At the waterfall, another bunch of people were there first. They went in via mountain bikes. Awesome much. According to them, further up has a better picnic spot. So we went a further 5 minutes and found a quiet place all to ourselves.

You can carefully climb up onto the first tier of the waterfall. The water is chilly, and the pool is not deep. The distribution of sand in the water was uneven, if you have a child with you, be careful when they are near the base of the waterfall. 

The first two times we visited this place, we did not meet any other hikers even though we went during weekends. So be careful and be well prepared before going. Good luck!