Kota Tinggi Waterfalls is located 15km from Kota Tinggi town and around 60km from Johor Bahru (JB).

Its proximity to JB means that it can get crowded at weekends and school holidays, and it is popular with Singaporeans who don’t have many decent waterfalls at home.

This popularity might explain the expensive admission charge compared to other waterfalls in Malaysia.

The short drive from Kota Tinggi town will take you through scenic countryside before you reach the entrance gate to Kota Tinggi Waterfalls Resort.

Here you will have to pay RM10 (per adult) for admission (RM5 for kids) and RM3 for the car (MyKad rate).

After parking the car, you’ll walk towards the main waterfall past a restaurant, a shop and a Tube rental kiosk.

The tubes (RM5 rental) are for the two water slides and for playing in the “natural” pools which have been created by damming the stream.

Spend some time at the main cascade simply because the view is breathtaking here, then take the cement steps alongside the falls leading to the upper level.

Here there are some shallow pools suitable for splashing around and relaxing.

Nets have been slung across the stream at various points presumably as a safety measure to catch people who might be in danger of being washed over the edge of the falls during flash flood time.

At this level you can see a second waterfall, more impressive than the first but there are barriers and signs up preventing visitors from swimming in the fall’s plunge pool which it probably very dangerous.

How to get to Kota Tinggi Waterfalls

The location is marked on the map on Malaysia Traveller’s Top Johor Attractions page.

Once you are near Kota Tinggi town there are plenty of signposts marked “air terjun” showing the way.

Kota Tinggi Waterfalls

KM 16, Jalan Lombong

81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor.

Open: The waterfalls are open daily during daylight hours.

Tel: (607) 882 9222

Accommodation

There is a hotel at the falls called the Kota Tinggi Waterfalls Resort. Its chalets look in good condition from the outside.

This is a great place for a nature escape but would you want to stay there? Maybe not – once you have seen the waterfalls and had a go on the slides there is little else to do but if you are in a large group you can take part in some of the hotel’s adventure/team-building activities.

There was some significant earth moving going on just opposite the resort. It is hoped they are building something which is compatible with the surroundings.

This article first appeared in malaysia-traveller.com