Jelawang Waterfall — Attraction in Kelantan

Went for hiking, camping and waterfall for 2D1N with tour from 9-10/8/2025. Paid RM165 with tent rental (inclusive of RM15), tour guide, one breakfast and one dinner. Gathered at the RnR Kesedar Jelawang by 9am. And then the tour guide will fetch us with their 4 wheels to the stong hill resort entrance to gather before starting the hiking. We were briefed and then divided our tasks to carry part of the necessary kitchen utensils and even the rental tents towards the Baha campsite. I brought 4 bottles of 500mls mineral waters with some snacks, breads kitchen utensils such as spoon, fork, metal mug and a metal plate in my backpack bag. It was indeed a challenge to hike to the campsite with 360m uphill and rough total 2km estimation of the journey. We crossed over the stong hill resort, the rocks that overlooks the huge tall waterfall and then inside the jungle before we were descended to the campsite. It tooks us a total of 2 hours to reach the campsite. Of course we were spending lots of time for taking photos along the hiking. Truly stunning the view. We set up the tent just next to the waterfall. There is a waterslide on the campsite that was very fun. The waterslide was pretty safe with lots of sands at the pool bottom that support your when you slide down. Just few pieces of advice when you take the waterslide. Do not wear your glasses, do hug yourself when you slide down, do not put yours both arms next to your hips as it will cause injury to your elbows when you slide down. At last, be vigilant when the kepala air is coming. As 2 hours playing with the water, suddenly there was a surge of water came from the above and within few minutes the pool because swollen and with strong winds. We immediately got up and went to the higher spot. The kepala air wasn't very bad at that time but still it me might be very dangerous as the current was very strong. There were 3 toilets at the campsite. 1 was clogged and super smelly and dirty. No place for taking shower except showering yourself at the pool but that doesn't seem any problem to us. The guide and the team cooked very good dinner for us with hot tea, or laici etc. At night the temperature drops to 22 Celcius and it wasnt very cold though, but still a jacket or windbreaker is advisable. My old shoes were broken after hiked to the campsite,but luckily i brought an extra pair of hiking shoes as standby. Please also do not forget to bring sleeping bag if you are fussy about sleeping as the ground can be very hard, bring mosquito repellant and headlamp. The next morning, we went to the other side of the campsite to witness the sunrise and the cloud carpet. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and we couldn't see the sunrise. But the guide brought us to hike up the higher side of the waterfall to play water before descend at around 12pm from the campsite. The descend only took us a out 30 mins as we use the detour guided by the tour guide because there are 2 pathways to come down from the campsite. Always follow and trust your tour guide. The hiking requires permit as well. At last we didn't encounter any leeches for the entire hiking...

🌊 A Stunning Waterfall Held Hostage by Private Fees

It’s disappointing that a natural wonder like this is privately controlled instead of being preserved as a national or state treasure, like most public waterfalls, mountains and national parks in Malaysia.

To visit Jelawang waterfall, you must pass through Stong Hill Resort’s gate, where the attendant charges exorbitant fees - high even by the standard of tourists from developed countries 💰. They force you to hire a guide to access different levels of the waterfall, with prices increasing the higher you go.

The cheapest option only gets you to the suspension bridge at the lowest level, while reaching the top (Bahas Camp) is a straightforward two-hour hike. There’s no real reason to require a guide unless their job is simply to enforce paywalls and restrict visitors to paid levels 🚫.

Adding to the frustration, there’s no official website or clear pricing information. Knowing the cost upfront and choosing to visit is one thing, but traveling all the way there only to be blindsided by excessive fees is another.

Visitors arrive expecting a standard entrance fee, like at most public waterfalls in Malaysia, only to be hit with unexpected charges 💸—as if they’re banking on you having invested too much effort to simply walk away.

I refused to pay and did not make the climb in the end, not because I couldn’t afford it, but because it felt like an unfair and unnecessary charge. Until this exploitative pricing changes, I can’t in good conscience recommend this place.

If this truly is Southeast Asia’s highest waterfall, the state authority should consider reclaiming it and make it a fairly priced public star attraction of Dabong’s, to attract visitors from near and far, encourages longer stays and local spending, boosts local tourism, and benefits the wider population rather than a single private operator 🌍.

Fees 💰 Lowest waterfall level: RM10 per person Highest waterfall level: RM100 per person (minimum 2-person charge) + RM50 per person for a permit

Facilities 🏕️ The area at the lowest level of the waterfall is poorly maintained, with no clear signage directing visitors to the water. Nothing special as well compared to many other waterfalls in Malaysia. Many buildings are run-down and abandoned. I didn’t check the toilets, so I can’t comment on their condition.

Accessibility 🚗 The waterfall is easily accessible from the main road via a well-paved route that leads directly to the car park inside Stong Hill Resort’s compound.

Alternative Options 💡 If you’re in Dabong but don’t want to pay exorbitant fees or support such profit-driven practice that takes advantage of mother nature’s creation, consider visiting Lata Kertas or Lata...

We had a guide for our day trip to the top (Kem Baha). Entrance fee to the park is rm5 per head. We did a semi-loop, went up via the waterfall bedrock crossing and came down via the hanging bridge, about 4.5 km out and back. This way you get to take pictures at the waterfall bedrock. Trail is moderately challenging because it's PACAK all the way up. After Kem Baha, you can actually hike another hour to reach the Last Waterfall, supposedly the uppermost top of the waterfall. We didn't bceause it started raining. We went up at 2 pm and came down at 6 pm. It is one the best hikes I've done. Tallest waterfall in Peninsular Malaysia, what else can I say?

To the top of waterfall:

Duration: 1 hr 35 min Distance: 2.75 km Elevation : 357...