We had a relaxing, peaceful and really interesting few days staying at Earth Lodge. You are genuinely out there in the jungle far from civilisation. Our guide Hymeir was friendly, easy to get on with and full of fascinating information about the forest and all its animals and birds. Great fun!
My husband and I spent a long weekend at Ulu Muda being educated and entertained by Hymeir, the owner and a well-known Malaysian conservationist and cave expert, and J, the British guide in-training and a conservationist in his own right (when he's not a police officer in London). We hiked (bring leech socks if you have them and borrow from Earth Lodge if you don't!), looked for wildlife, explored small undeveloped caves, bathed in natural hot springs, and went tubing down the cool river -- a welcome relief from the rainforest heat and humidity! Everything is totally customizable to your preferences, including the activities you take part in and how strenuous they are. The accommodations were basic but met our needs, especially considering the remoteness of the location, and the food was abundant and somewhat varied with lots of tea, coffee, and snacks to keep you going through the day. Hymeir and J were a fantastic duo: passionate and knowledgable about their work and great company. Overall a wonderful experience, especially falling asleep to the roars of elephants reverberating through the jungle!
At Earth Lodge you are definitely 'away from it all'. It is quite humbling to find yourself in the middle of about 160,000 acres of jungle, an hour and a half away from the jetty that leads back to civilization and nearer to a host of wildlife than any other people. Whilst basic, the accommodation is clean and maintained. The food is tasty, typical of the area, but could be a little more healthy with some simple changes. Hymeir, Zul & Din took great care of us at all times, important with the wildlife so close. Leech socks are a must if you want to do the jungle trekking as we did. The evening boat rides was enjoyable if a little hard on the bottom! We were a little disappointed not to see more wildlife, but maybe the overcast conditions did not help.
This was a truly memorable and unique experience. Hymer our host and guide made everything run smoothly for us. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the place and conservation in general .Assisted by the solid and very capable boatman/cook Zul. The pair of them looked after us very well.It is hard to get to Ulu Muda without your own transport but don't let that deter you. If you are seeking a true and genuine rain forest experience this is the place.You reach the lodge by boat and you leave the world behind for 4 days. You are immersed in the rain forest. The treks to the caves and to the honey trees and hot springs were great and the evening wild-life watching boat trips were wonderful, so serene as you are paddled along by Zul. After an hour or so you can feel it on your bottom of course! We also went out one morning early too and the feel was quite different. Saw some amazing birds but not so many larger animals.
This is of course not luxury but it is also not basic. There is a shower and loo in your cabin.Cabins perhaps need a bit of TLC but they are quite adequate. It is amazing to wake up to the forest coming alive and go to sleep with the sounds too. You are enveloped by the forest and nature.
There is also time to relax. Mealtimes were full of interesting discussions with Hymer.
I can't praise this enough. Definitely one of my highlights. Do go and support this initiative, it's very worthwhile.
Our trip to Earth Lodge formed part of our tour around Malaysia and looking back it was one of the highlights! As lovers of the outdoors, this trip fitted in perfectly and was an excellent break from the hustle and bustle of city life.
On the four days we had a full itinerary of boat trips, cave visit, tubing, hot springs and salt lick visit. We were very lucky to see a wide range of wildlife and on three occasions managed to spot elephants.
Hymeir, the guide, was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about the area. Zol, chef/boatman, cooked up some delicious food.
Would highly recommend a visit!
