Sungai Gabai Waterfall

Gabai is a broad, rocky river fall in the hills east of Kajang, reached by a winding road through kampung and rubber smallholdings, and it is the default weekend water for a good part of the Klang Valley: on a Sunday the lower pools are shoulder to shoulder, with cars parked a long way back down the road and stalls selling grilled corn and instant noodles. The fall comes down in stages over a wide granite slab, with a large shallow pool at the bottom that suits children and a series of smaller, deeper pools reached by scrambling up the left-hand side, which is where anyone wanting space goes. Midweek it is a different place entirely and can be almost empty. The catchment is upstream and out of sight, so the river can rise fast and without warning after rain in the hills, which has killed people here.

What you actually see

• A wide granite fall - the river coming down in stages over an open rock slab.
• A shallow bottom pool - the family pool, packed at weekends.
• Upper pools - smaller and deeper, reached by scrambling up the side.
• Stalls and picnic ground - grilled corn, noodles and parked cars down the road.

When to go

All year; avoid rain upstream. Midweek for space. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Flash flooding from rain in the hills upstream is the real danger and gives almost no warning - leave the water if it rises or browns. Weekends are extremely crowded and litter is a problem. Rocks are slippery.

Nearby

Kuala Lumpur is west; the Hulu Langat hill roads run on east.