Jerantut is a city of about 87,000 and district in Pahang, on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. It is a popular starting point for excursions into Taman Negara.

Jerantut in 2009

Get in

Jerantut is the Gateway of Taman Negara.

From Kuala Lumpur:

1. Pekeliling Bus Station (near Titiwangsa station- take the Star LRT or Monorail to get there)

SE Bus Express Departure Time: 10:30AM, noon, 5:30PM

1. Hotel Mandarin Pacific in Chinatown, Petaling Jaya (near Mcdonald's or Pasar Seni Putra Station)

Shuttle bus of NKS travel agency. Book through them. Departure time: 8:30AM

1. KL Sentral Train Station: Departure: 8:30PM (check www.ktmb.com.my for the latest schedules. Online ticket booking is available)

Get around

Public transport is not difficult even though this is a small town. From Bus Station they have buses to Mela, Kerambit and Kuala Lipis at 6:15AM, 10:30AM and 3:30PM

There are many public cabs available to any location from local district to other district and inclusive to Kuala Lumpur or Kuantan (capital city of Pahang).

Public buses available to nearby Temerloh, Benta, Kuala Tembeling (Jetty to National Park), Bandar Pusat Jengka. Direct service of express bus available to Kuantan and Kuala Lumpur.

Public buses to Kuala Tahan (for Taman Negara) leave from bus station at 5:30AM, 8AM, 1PM and 5PM returning at 7:30AM, 10AM, 3PM and 7PM. Price is RM7 each way and trip takes about 1 hr 45 min.

E-Hailing service at Jerantut Town - MyCar Jerantut. Mycar allows the passengers to find drivers in minutes and quickly gets you where you want to go. It’s fantastic way to get a ride on demand or in advance with just a tap on your phone, track your drivers and keep them in touch then pay seamlessly with cash and card. Download MyCar Apps on Google Play and App Store.

NKS also have two express buses a day on same route for RM25 along with direct onward travel to most tourist destinations. (Cameron Highlands – RM65, Jetty for Perhetians – RM65 etc)

NKS buses are more expensive than public transport though if you are on a tight schedule, they can take all of the organising out of the equation for you. The NKS websites may not be working but you can contact the Jerantut office at Hotel Sri Emas or phone 09-2601777, 2601773, 2664488, or 2664499. There's also an office in KL at the Hotel Mandarin Pacific (Petaling Street, Chinatown), tel. 03-20720336.

Jerantut is dead town at night. Except for Saturday night where local night market (Pasar Malam) is held, city goes to sleep at 11PM or midnight. On Sunday, the flea market is quite interesting to look into.

See

Masjid Tengku Ahmad

Jerantut is the main town nearest the gateway to Taman Negara. Other interesting places in the area are

• Kota Gelangi - Caving and abseiling
• Tekam Plantation - Palm oil plantation, fruit plantation and rubber estate
• Gunung Senyum - Caving, abseiling and flying fox
• Jeram Besu - Rafting, flying fox

Do

• . Lata Meraung Waterfall is a very nice place to go. But you have to charter a taxi for that purpose since no public transport is available. 

Buy

• . Local handicrafts are available at reasonable price. 

Eat

Local famous food that can be taken during lunch or dinner will be plain rice with silver catfish in durian paste or locally known as "Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak". It is a popular and very savory dish and is in fact a traditional dish in the state of Pahang. Its popular in the inland riverine areas as the Patin fish is found in abundance in the rivers of Pahang, especially in the Sungai Pahang.

It will cost you in a region of RM5-15 per dish for a reared wild silver catfish, but don't get yourself caught by surprise as a single slice from the wild silver catfish dish quite can cost you around RM40-50 per slice.

Few eateries and stall available at evening/ night in Benteng where you can savour mostly with Thai like food, western and local food. Chinese food are also available at Sungai Jan and other parts of the town. Indian foods are available and scattered in various part of this small town.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is available in front of Jerantut's bus station.

Local fruits like durians, duku, langsat are relatively cheap but only available in seasonal.

Drink

As an Islamic town, alcohol is not permitted in many of the restaurants in Jerantut. There are several Chinese outlets selling bottles of local and imported spirits around the town to take away and many of the supermarkets and minimarkets have cans of beer. Of an evening, Chinese restaurants are the most similar thing you will find to a regular bar and many people go there just to drink without ordering food.

There is one in the Tom Yam food court area at Jalan Bandar Baru and many more in the 'China Town' area of Jerantut just in the outskirts of town along the C9 road.

For an afternoon or early evening beer, Chong Heng Hotel which is two doors up from NKS Cafe / guesthouse has cans of Tiger for RM6.50 and the owner is also very friendly and informative about the area.

Sleep

Jerantut has varied accommodation options that cater to all types of guests, from foreign backpackers to local tourists.

• Felda Residence Tekam is a tranquil resort nestled on hectares of lush greenery. Accommodation options include rustic chalets, dormitories and cosy rooms suitable for individual guests, couples, and families. The resort also offers a wealth of activities to engage in including camping trips, plantation tours, canoeing, boating and fishing. Leisure facilities include a 9-hole golf course and a huge swimming pool. Restaurant and conference venues also available.
• Hotel Sri Emas tel: +(6) 0166255553 / 2601770 / 2601779 - good choice for backpackers, free pickup service from bus / train station.
• 1 Jerantut Homestay, 37, Taman Wawasan, ☏ +6013 655 1388, jerantuthomestay@gmail.com. Check-in: flexible, check-out: flexible. Offers clean and comfortable accommodations. Free private parking is available on site. Free use of a bicycle, washing machine, kitchen and TV. There is a selection of rooms to choose from depending on your needs. Rooms come with ceiling fan, air-conditioning and private bathrooms. There is also complimentary pickup service from the bus or train station. 
• 2 Wau Hotel & Café, K1, Pusat Perniagaan Sungai Jan, Jalan Sungai Jan, ☏ +60 9 260 2255, info@wauhotels.com. In Jerantut town, with many amenities. They offer extra size bed and comfortable environment, Jerantut city map and local tourist attractions information. 

Go next

• Kuala Tembling