Belum Temenggor Forest Reserve, Forest reserve in Perak, Malaysia

The Belum Temenggor Forest Reserve is the largest continuous forest complex in Peninsular Malaysia, spanning northern Perak and crossing into southern Thailand. It is divided into Belum in the north, along the Malaysia-Thailand border, and Temenggor to the south. Within the complex lies the man-made Tasik Temenggor, covering 15,200 hectares and dotted with hundreds of islands. The forested hills rise from the waterline on both sides, forming an unbroken canopy of deep green.

The forest complex has existed for over 130 million years, older than the Amazon and Congo rainforests. In 1952 the British moved the Malay village of Kampung Lama Belum out of the forest to Bendang Puru near Grik during operations against communists. On 3 May 2007 Perak gazetted 1,175 km2 of the Belum forest reserve as Royal Belum State Park, while Temenggor remained production forest.

The name Belum comes from Kampung Belum Lama, a Malay village once at the forest's centre; "Belum" imitates the call of a wood-boring insect. Jahai Negrito communities lived around the lake before 1952, when British forces moved them to Bendang Puru near Grik during the campaign against communists.

Access is by boat across Tasik Temenggor, the 15,200-hectare manmade lake dotted with hundreds of islands; the East-West Highway skirts the southern edge. Permits are required and best arranged in advance through licensed operators, who run hiking, bird watching and boat trips. Only part of the Belum reserve is gazetted as state park, so ask which zones are open.

Scientists regularly discover previously unknown plant and animal species within the forest, revealing how much remains unexplored. These ongoing discoveries show that the woodland still holds many secrets waiting to be documented.