I am writing this review of the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort in Taman Negara National Park after visiting this amazing place in Pahang. The first thing you should know is that this is the only resort in the national park. All other hotels or guest houses are opposite the Kuala Tahan park.

Review of Mutiara Taman Negara Resort

To reach Taman Negara National Park, visitors must pass through Kuala Tahan, a small river town by the Tembeling River. Once you reach Kuala Tahan, you head to the jetty area and take a river taxi to Taman Negara National Park. The price is RM1.00 one way per person.

The entrance to the national park is also the main entrance of the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort, where the park headquarters is located. All park activities start here; I hope this provides valuable information.

I visited Taman Negara in April 2017 for my tourism product update and stayed two nights at the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort. The third night I spent in Kuala Tahan at one of the local guest houses was quite decent.

The Mutiara Resort has been around for over two decades and is named the most luxurious resort in the national park. Prices are premium, and you can expect to pay around RM200.00 to RM500.00 per night, depending on the room type, chalet, bungalow, or villa.

One of the chalets at the Taman Negara Resort.

Before you continue reading, you may have seen photos of this resort on other websites. Let me just share with you about photography and its tricks.

Most of the photos are enhanced with HDR or photoshopped by professional photographers. In this article, my pictures are all taken and edited very little to show you the real deal.

For those who plan to stay longer than two days, the resort offers various room promotions with minor discounts. This would work well if you travel as a couple or family and want to have a lovely natural experience.

There is also an air-conditioned dorm available for single travellers, and bungalows with multiple rooms are available for larger families. If you are a company looking for a retreat or team-building trip, Mutiara Taman Negara Resort is one of the recommended places away from the city.

The resort also offers meeting and banquet rooms that can accommodate 250 people. There are three function rooms within the park grounds, and for an additional surprise, an outdoor barbecue can also be arranged.

Chalet Room at Taman Negara

I checked into a chalet suit, a single-storey semi-detached unit with a king-sized bed. The living room has access to a private balcony and a mini kitchen area. The unit has a rustic wood ambience that blends in with the rainforest surroundings and is perfect for any nature lover.

The bedroom in the suite.

The suit chalet also comes with two air conditioners, and the attached bathroom is pretty modern, which I believe was recently upgraded. Overall, it is rusting and Eco-friendly and has a modern, contemporary bathroom, which is a perfect mix.

The chalet units are lined along the main walkway, about five minutes from the reception area. If you have problems walking, I recommend booking a room near the reception area and restaurant.

The common area or living hall in the suite.

The bathrooms are modern and contemporary.

There is only one restaurant called Seri Mutiara. It serves buffet or ala-carte meals that are Halal and cater to all walks of life. Choices include Asian and Continental cuisine.

The menu is quite diverse, as pizzas, pasta, and burgers are also offered. Beer is served in cans, and wine is served by the glass or bottle for non-Muslims. If you plan to stay much longer, take the boat taxi to Kuala Tahan and try some of the local restaurants there. Some eateries are pretty interesting, serving Malaysian-style local and Western food.

Seri Mutiara Restaurant at Taman Negara.

Mutiara Taman Negara Facilities

In the main reception area and park headquarters office, there is a souvenir and mini-mart combined that sells snacks, ice cream, drinks, and even daily necessities. You can also get insect repellents here.

In my free time, I pretty much self-tripped around the very safe resort trails. I recommend doing this in the mornings. One of the trails leads to the canopy walk, too, so if you are not up to sitting on a boat and heading there, you can trek there.

You should know that the park entrance can get a little crowded or even highly crowded one weekend. This is usually because many companies tend to have their retreats here, or even schools having their day trips.

If you dislike crowds, I highly recommend you book your stay for a weekday. It will almost guarantee a peaceful time with you and nature. I have heard many complaints about the noisy kids and crowds in the main entrance area.

As mentioned, anyone entering Taman Negara National Park will have to go through here to get to the park headquarters. This is for the parking permit and other park activities.

The Mutiara Taman Negara Resort Jetty.

Activities at Mutiara Taman Negara Resort

When you stay here, there are quite many outdoor, nature, and adventure activities for guests to choose from. These are suitable for both couples and families, including kids.

While I was here, I did the most common things: walking the longest canopy walk in the world, rapid shooting up the Tembeling River, visiting the local ethnic village, a night walk, and, of course, bird watching.

Some of the deer I spotted while doing the nocturnal walk at Taman Negara National Park.

Overall, Taman Negara National Park can be visited on a day trip. Still, I strongly suggest you spend at least two to three nights fully experiencing Malaysia’s oldest national park.

Many companies sell tour packages for Taman Negara, but I recommend one of the reputable tour agents, Ivy Holidays, based in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur.

They have been selling packages for a while and operate daily shuttle services to and from Taman Negara. The Taman Negara daily shuttle service is for those who only need transport to get to Taman Negara.

Most of these guests have already booked a stay at a resort, hotel, or guesthouse nearby, and there is no actual bus service to the national park.

River cruising on the Tembeling River to Jerantut.

Ivy Holidays also provides attractive and reasonably priced Taman Negara packages to suit the visitor’s budget. So, if you are on a tight budget, they can arrange for a cheaper alternative, while if you want a proper stay at Taman Negara, they can give you the best deal.