A trip to Sungai Lembing from Kuala Lumpur (KL) using the East Coast Expressway (ECE) will make you feel tense to relax during a 4-hour trip. Before the first phase of the East Coast (ECE1) was opened in April 2004, it was necessary to finish a 5-7 hour drive from KL to get there.
If you are from the northern or southern region, if you go there, drive on the Northern Highway (NSE) to KL. However, if you are traveling from the eastern states (Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the eastern part of Johor), go to Kuantan and follow the sign of Sungai Lembing.
From KL, find the Kuantan sign that will lead you to the Karak Highway. You will pass by Gombak and Bentung and will reach the paid area of Karak. Between Karak and Kuantan, there are two petrol stations: Shell in the Temerlo recreation area (129 km) and Petronas in the Gambang recreation area (194 km). At 128 km you cross the Semantan Bridge over the Pahang River (440 km). You must exit Kuantan (EXIT 833), which is about 238 km from KL. Immediately after Kuantan exits, you will reach a traffic light with a T-shaped junction, turn right on Sungai-Lembing.
From there, a two-lane trunk line passes through the scatter of villages, palm trees and rubber trees, where it ends at Sungai Lembing. You may encounter some local drivers with spontaneous driving, trucks carrying palm fruit or woods, village children playing on the side of the road, crossing animals (chickens, goats, cattle, monkeys, mongooses, snakes, monitor lizards and a very rare occasion wild boars and even a rainforest overshadowed leopards), the unmistakable limestone of Gua Charas (Haras Cave), and if the weather is beautiful, you can see Mount Tapis (1512 m) on the horizon. When you approach a city, there is a sharp bend that you can take by surprise! An outsider once lost control and crashed his car into one of the houses of a villager in 1960. Locals christened him Death Curve.
You must drive with extreme caution, especially at night. Most of the road is dark and with many slopes, it is difficult to understand what lies ahead. When the headlight of a car is the only source of light, you may suddenly see a flicker of light in the middle of the road. By the time you understood what it was, you might just have fallen into battle !! Several fatal accidents occurred in the areas of Kolek and Panching Selatan (south of Panching), which resulted in the death of both people and cattle.
The cattle belong to the locals nearby, and they usually remain wandering at night. Their eyes reflect light. The gum road heat after absorbing heat during the day and serves as a warm and comfortable bed for cattle at night. You must slow down and agree on your path so as not to strike them.
In addition, you can exit Gambang (EXIT 830), but this makes the journey longer. After Malaysia, the Electric Corporation City (MEC City) and the University of Malaysia Pahang (UMP) will take you to the intersection of a traffic light, turn left into Kuantan. After the Caltex gas station, you will reach the Jalan Panching (Panching Road) traffic lights, which is located next to TUDM Kuantan (turn the royal Malaysian forces at Kuantan), turn left to Sungai Lembing. After 24 km from TUDM Kuantan, you will reach another T-junction, turn left again towards Sungai Lembing. Panching Road serves as an alternative road during floods. A winding road can lead you to the plantations of palm trees of the Federal Land Administration (FELDA). You can make a detour to the Sangay Pandan waterfall, which is about 11 km from TUDM Kuantan.
