TAPAH HILLS FOREST RESERVE

Tapah Hills situated at the foothill enroute to Cameron Highlands is reputed to be the best insect collecting ground in Malaysia. Hundreds of aboriginal catchers, known as Orang Asli engage in this trade.Middlemen insect dealers ply this route daily to purchase specimens to be sold to dealers for export. Misconception occurs when dealers list all specimens from this area as obtained from Cameron Highlands. Among favorite collecting spots are: Kuala Woh Forest Recreation Park at mile 7th, mile 12th, ,mile 14th and mile 17th. At mile 19th, where a single sundry shop is situated, this is the place where anyone with cash can purchase specimens from the catchers. Bargaining is essential as they tend to over-charge foreigners.

Best season: April to August. After mile 24th, the catching is not that good. The Aborigines are friendly. If you intend to collect in Tapah Hills, it is better to stay in the small town of Tapah. The goverment Rest House is both clean and comfortable and also affordable. Buses ply the route hourly to Cameron Highlands.You can press the bell to stop the bus at the place you want. Self-drive hired car is the best option to explore this hill (usually arranged at airport). The rate is affordable. Night collecting for phasmids at mile 19th is good. Day time is good for butterflies, sticks and mantids.

Collecting beetles is difficult unless you are an expert. Most phasmids,beetles and mantids are unseen in the jungle. It needs skill and experience to detect them. The road is narrow and one needs to look for open ground to park the vehicles. Light traps can be put up on some stretch of the route, particularly at a small house at mile 24th. Tapah Hills cover a large area. The easiest access is the road to Cameron Highlands from Tapah. Other accessable route is at the Lata Kincang waterfall near the town of Chenderian via Tapah. Middlemen dealers are stationed in Tapah.

Click here for more pictures of Tapah Hills

PHOTO CREDIT
Photo: Middleman dealer buying specimens from aboriginal catchers
Photo: Waterfall at mile 14th,Tapah Hills
Photo: Local catchers lining up to sell their catches

The photos listed above were taken by unknown photographers whose names I have forgotten.