A kayak expedition into Ulu Muda dam in Kedah; Part 1

A trip that took months to plan, the two of us finally paddled the Ulu Muda dam

We have been planning for a kayaking trip to Ulu Muda dam in Kedah for months. There were endless correspondence of email between myself and Nadir about logistics, equipment and other planning works. Well, it finally happened. 2 friends paddling kayaks on a 5 days exploration trip into the Ulu Muda dam.  Nadir by the way is the guy behind what I consider Malaysia’s best outdoor gear retailer. Check out his online shop at Outdoor Dynamics!

What made our trip ‘extra’ special is the fact that this is a rather major expedition for only two persons. Our friends were apprehensive with our plan to paddle the dam as it was the raining season and the area is known for wild animals like elephants, tigers etc. We understood all the risks involved and it is part of the reason why we took our time to plan and ensure that we are geared up (mentally and physically) for the trip.

Well, the two of us paddled Ulu Muda and we came back safely. The place is beautiful and according to Nadir is even more picturesque when the water levels are low. We arrived at the jetty late at night. The drive from Sungai Petani through towns like Baling and Kupang was painstakingly slow. The rain made it even more difficult for us to spot them cows that tend to occupy the roads at night (the paved roads offer warmth). Certain parts of the road after Baling was under repair and that did not help either. We spent the night in one of the huts at the jetty. Only to realize the next morning that we were not the only ones using the hut as shelter that night.

This scorpion obviously found a liking among Nadir’s stuff

With gears packed up and ready to roll, we headed to the jetty. It was only then we realize how much the water have risen due to the recent days of rain. Nadir who visited the dam a few months before with another group was rather shocked to see the water levels.

The dam’s water level has risen to a point where even the trees which used to be on dry land is submerged

We both have hundred of sea kayaking hours and we know the dangers of kayaking. We both agreed way in advance that there will be no compromise in safety what so ever. With our gears all unloaded from Nadir’s monster truck, we started to pack our ladies and ready to start paddling.

What a perfect day to be paddling!

Our target was to try to get up the a river called Labua. Nadir has it marked on his GPS, so I was mostly following him. My GPS was used to track mostly. Some of our gears are redundant, following the principals of ‘what if…’. Nadir reckons the two of us would be able to paddle to our destination in a couple of hours. I left the planning to him so I trusted him enough to follow him.

Yes! Finally I got to test my Lifestraw in Ulu Muda. Thanks for the pic Nadir!

After 4 hours of paddling with stops in between, we finally made it to our campsite. A check on the GPS tells us that we covered a distance close to 15km. Surprisingly it was not as tiring as I have anticipated, probably because it was flat water all the way. But my bum and back definitely felt the ‘stresses’ as soon as I got off the kayak. Age is catching up I guess.

Our kayaking route snapshot on google-earth

Not wanting to waste time, we unpacked our kayaks and carried them a few meters away from the edge of the river (Labua). We used the towing lines to then tie them securely to a big tree. Next on the agenda…campsite.

Our kayaks securely stashed away from the river

It was awesome being able to kayak on a trip like this. Ulu Muda is definitelly suitable for a kayak expedition. We both took loads of pics. Some pics are from Nadir and are watermarked as ‘www.outdoordynamics.com.my’.  Will feature some of the pics later. Below is one of my favorites from Nadir.

One of the many standing dead tree around lake Ulu Muda

Click here to read Part II

See also our maiden paddling trip with the new kayaks at Batu Dam.