Sungai Sendat Waterfall – Car Camping At 35 Weeks Pregnant

What???!  You went camping while 35 weeks pregnant? 

Well, as a matter of fact, YES!

When a few good friends of mine find out that I’m going on a camping trip at 35 weeks pregnant, many shook their head in disbelief. Even my mother-in-law wasn’t so approving but did not stop us as Terry ensures her that I’m in good hands and there’s nothing to worry about. Of course, my mother is the more paranoid one, so obviously I did not tell her that I was going camping. 

Unlike some people who think pregnant women needs to rest more, walk less and stay away from outdoor activities, I belong to the group of mommies who believe in the benefit of working out during pregnancy (as long as it is safe, non-strenuous and your pregnancy is low-risk). I’ve always been into outdoor activities before pregnancy, so I do not see a reason why I should limit myself into staying indoor all the time. Of course, I’m not suggesting that you should be running a marathon, hiking a big mountain, carrying a heavy backpack or participate in water rafting, but milder outdoor activities such as picnicking, brisk walking, easy trekking (flatter terrain and shorter distance) and for my instance here, car camping can be done. 

Note: I’ll be sharing soon in a separate blog post on the tips for camping during pregnancy and what to look out for, but generally the main IMPORTANT things to take note is to make sure that you are not too far away from the hospital (in case of emergency), the campsite has clean water source, and you are well prepared to make yourself feel comfortable. 

Ps: While it is perfectly fine for me to be camping in my third trimester (and at 35 weeks pregnant, quite late in pregnancy and due to deliver soon), every pregnant woman’s body works differently. What is comfortable for me may not be comfortable for other mommies out there. After all, I have always been an outdoor person pre-pregnancy and my level of tolerance towards the wild can be quite high as compared to other mommies. Besides, there need to be some extra effort taken for camping during pregnancy. So don’t follow me blindly and do it just because I did and nothing happened to me. Always know your condition and remember that yours and your baby’s health and safety is at utmost priority! If you are unsure, do make sure to consult your gynae on what outdoor activities you can do. 

The Concept of Car Camping

So, what exactly is car camping? 

There are basically two ways to define car camping:

❶ Sleeping in the car

This is the same concept with campervan, where you either have a campervan or converted your car into your bed at night. In this case, no tent is required, and you basically sleep in your car. Terry and I do have plan to change car in the future, so when that happens we shall be trying this someday. 

❷ Driving to the campsite and pitch a tent to sleep in 

Another type of car camping is camping in a place where you can drive your car right up to the site and park next to your tent. I would also count it as a car camping if the distance from your vehicle to your tent is a short trek of less than 200m. 

And that was exactly what we did here - drive to the campsite, unload our stuffs, pitch our tents, and voila! There is no need to be trekking for hours with a big and heavy backpack. 

Our boot full of camping gears

When it comes to car camping, the campsite can either be a rustic and remote place with bumpy roads or a well-facilitated campsite with easy access. The former would probably need a 4wd or a SUV whereas the latter is more convenient for any types of vehicle you own. 

How To Get There

Sungai Sendat Waterfall is a popular recreational forest in the Ulu Yam Baharu district of Selangor state. It is also known as Hutan Lipur Sungai Sendat and is managed by the Selangor State Forestry Department. Distance wise, it is only about 40 minutes from Selayang or Batu Caves and over an hour from other parts of KL or Selangor. 

The official campsite can be easily found in Google Map or Waze. Do note thought that the road leading to the place is very narrow, allowing only one car to pass, so do drive carefully and look out for incoming cars in case you need to give way. 

Official Campsite

Address: Hutan Lipur Sungai Sendat Waterfall, Jln Kampung Gurney, 44300, Selangor
Coordinates: N3.403304 E101.684323
Opening hours: 8am – 5pm (unless camping)
Entrance Fee: RM2 per adult (RM1 per children)
Camping Fee: RM10 per tent (RM5 for student)
Facilities Available: toilet (with water supply but no electricity), changing cubicle, event hall, pavilion, picnic table, barbeque pit
Parking: Campers are only allowed to parked in from 5pm onwards

Sg Sendat Waterfall entrance

Operating hours

Receipt for the payment made

Alternative Campsite

Our camping trip was actually an invitation from Uncle Mak, and the campsite that he is heading to, is actually not the official campsite (but nearby). Due to miscommunication, we drove to the official campsite, paid our entrance fee and had already set up our tent by the time we found out about the correct location. In the end, the four of us (Seung Fei, MJ, Terry and myself) decided to stay in the official campsite since we had paid and we ended up camping separately from Uncle Mak and his family (Besides, 4wd is recommended to drive along the road leading to their side of campsite). 

The campsite Uncle Mak went

The campsite he went is rawer, as it is ungated and doesn’t have the above mentioned facilities. There is no officer on site to collect entrance fee but I heard that someone (presumably orang asli) does went to collect a small fee from them. Technically, our campsite site is only separated by a small river, but being pregnant at 35 weeks, I enjoyed being the queen and chilled at our side instead of heading over to greet Uncle Mak and his family. After all, it’s not safe for me to be crossing river as it may be slippery. 

Choosing our camping ground

The whole compound is large enough to accommodate a huge number of campers. One can choose to camp near the waterfall or by the river. As we wished to have more privacy, we chose to camp downstream, away from other campers and picnickers. While being upstream is more ideal to guarantee cleaner water source, that was least of our concern since there is toilet facilities. We could shower comfortably (there is proper shower room) and even wash our vegetables (for our steamboat dinner) with the pipe water. 

Sg Sendat Waterfall

Closer look at the waterfall

Toilet

Not bad inside

The guys were also remarkably delighted to found a pavilion big enough to fit our two tents, as that means we are sheltered from rain (if the weather goes bad) and they don’t need to lay out their ground sheet. This also means no washing after this as we are not setting up our tents on grass or mud. 

We chose this pavilion to pitch our tents

Voila, our campsite

Our tents and hammock

Our tents side by side

Tea time by the river 

By the time the guys finished setting up our tent, it’s time for tea. As there is a picnic table by the river where we camped, we fully utilised it and took our sweet time to decorate the place. The end result is an insta-worthy set up and we had fun taking photos while enjoying our tea time. 

Tea time by the river

Let's dig in

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Romantic steamboat dinner under the “stars”

We took advantage of the same picnic table for our steamboat dinner and since Terry brought his LED camping lights which he originally intended to decorate over our tent, we used it to decorate the picnic table instead, as we would be dining there instead of in front of our tents. The lights doesn’t only light up our dining area but also make the set up romantic. The smoke from the mosquito coils we burnt also create special effect which made our photos that night even more beautiful.  

Steamboat dinner

Pregnant lady look tired

Mr & Mrs Kong

My grey hair showing up as I have not dyed them for 9 months

I look better hair down

Romantic dinner

Awkward posing

Running out of idea for poses

Let's dig in

Simple breakfast to end our camping trip

The weather was chilly that night and although I’m 35 weeks pregnant, I slept well with sleeping mat and air mattress (double the layer for double comfort!). After all, the ground was flat, hard and even to begin with, which makes it much comfortable for a pregnant lady in third trimester. 

Breakfast

Sandwich for breakfast

We woke up at 7 the next morning and Seung Fei offered to make us egg and spam toast for breakfast, again, at the picnic table, with the beautiful river view. I was tempted to soak my legs into the chilling river water but my mother instinct is telling me to stay far away from the riverbank in case I slip and fall. Better be safe than sorry. 

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Lunch at WK Restaurant to end the day

The place gets incredible hot and sunny by 11am and we decided to pack and leave. On our way out we saw WK Restaurant in the neighbourhood and decided to have our lunch here. This Chinese restaurant operating in front of the house only serves 5 dishes which are curry fish head, Bak Kut Teh, braised pork trotter, spicy coconut prawns and stir-fry vegetables. There were only four of us so we had their signature curry fish head, spicy coconut prawans and a stir-fry romaine lettuce. The curry fish head is delicious but our favourite is their spicy coconut prawns. The gravy was so flavourful to have with rice and we get extra serving of rice to finish up the gravy. If we hadn’t finished our bread, we could even dip them into the gravy. 

Lunch for the day

The prices are also reasonable. In total we spent RM91.50 for the three dishes mentioned above, rice and drinks. Just make sure to come slightly earlier as the place is popular among locals and the queue can get insanely long. We were there before noon so we didn’t have to wait for long. 

Address: 942, Kampung Sungai Chik Tambahan, Kampung Gurney, 44300 Batang Kali, Selangor
Opening hours: 11.30am- 3pm (Close on Wednesday)
Phone Number: 03-6075 1881
Coordinates: N3.425819 E101.661615

Final Thoughts

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at all nervous about going camping in third trimester, especially at 35 weeks (5 weeks before my EDD). Even Terry had cold feet two days before the trip and almost wanted to cancel the trip. Thankfully, we made thorough preparation and he really went all out to make sure I have all the things I need to sleep comfortably at night. Love you darling!

Thank you darling

Love you

While in the past, I enjoyed hiking and camping in a mountain, where I hiked for hours with a big, heavy (13-16kg) backpack and take pride in being tough in the wild with only basic necessities, car camping is something I have grown to like, thanks to Terry’s influence. Sure, hike and camp is an adventure not to be missed, but sometimes all we want is just to chill and relax, focus on enjoying the site, bring more equipment, cook a good meal and just spend time with loved ones. Besides, it is also an ideal family activity as anyone ranging from elderly to adults and kids can do regardless of their fitness level. 

Our little one first camping trip while still in my womb

Hopefully we can embark on another car camping adventure soon, with our baby (have to wait till she’s a little older). I will definitely share our experience when the time comes. *wink*

And here's a timelapse video of our camping trip, created by Seung Fei. Thanks mate!