After a first visit to the Kemensah Waterfall in Ulu Klang, several questions remained unanswered. Is there a track from Ulu Klang to Congkat in Ulu Langat? And there should be more waterfalls in the region. Where? A good reason to go again, this time accompanied by my Dutch friend Paul.

This time there was no problem passing the security guards. We had taken pictures for them and they offered us tea.

First we visited the Kemensah Fall, because Paul had never seen it.

At the top of the fall, the river flows more quietly. It might be feasible to follow the river upstream

On our way to the fall we had noticed that the trail forked in several places, so we decided to backtrack and follow a few of these trails to see where they might lead.

The first small trail started at the top of the fall and ended a bit further at a small man-made dam. From here it might be possible just to follow the river upstream.

The second trail forked off at the ridge and turned out ot be well maintained with clear signs that the undergrowth had been cut down recently. Might this trail lead straight away to Congkat?

And then, suddenly, after about 2.5 km from the start of this trail, the clearing ended. The trail probably continues, but without a parang it was impossible to go on. So, who cleared the trail and why did they stop here?

Climbing up and down, looking for a waterfall

Where the trail ended, the sound of water could be heard, so we decided to scramble down the steep slope. This was leech country, tiger leeches :-(

When we reached the stream, it became clear that no waterfalls could be expected upstream, as only a trickle of water remained

We had already noticed that halfway along the trail, the sound of water deep below us, was quite strong. On our way back, Paul noticed a hardly discernible trail going down.... So we scrambled down again.

And then, finally, our reward: a beautiful waterfall!

This time we had found the right way! The sound of water became stronger and stronger and then we saw through the trees the waterfall. A tall drop!

Near the fall it was not even possible to take a picture of the whole fall. The amount of water is not large, because the Sg Ampang is only a small river. But because it is almost vertical, the effect is impressive.

At the bottom of the fall there is no pool, but a perfect bath tub. You can just stand in it and get a massage. Sheer pleasure!

The official name for this fall is the Upper Quartz Ridge Fall. But Upper Ampang Fall might be a more appropriate name, as it is a waterfall of the Sungei Ampang. The same holds for the Kemensah Fall, which should be named the Lower Ampang Fall.

Not many people visit this place, so the nature is pristine. A ginger flower with this spectacular background, where can you find more beauty?

After a relaxing bath, we had to climb up again the steep slopes, back to the trail.

There are a few more side-trails, one of which could possibly lead to a new housing Estate and bypass the UMNO institute. We tried one of them, passing a bamboo forest

But this trail ended again at the Sungei Ampang. There was another trail, but we will keep that one for a next trip

The Sungei Ampang is flowing quietly here in a nice forest. Some trees have fallen down and they are a perfect location for fungi.

The blue lines are the trails followed during this trip. The locations of the Lower and Upper Ampang Falls are indicated.

It was a rewarding expedition! One puzzle was solved, where the Upper Quartz Ridge fall was located. But a few others remain: Is it possible to reach Congkat? And where is the Lower Quartz Ridge Fall. Maybe it is located between the Lower and the Upper Ampang Falls. The best way to find this out, would be to start from the dam and then just follow the Sungei Ampang upstream. This should be a distance of about 1 km.
To be continued?

Click here for the last part of this adventure.