Philippe Estiot, Martine Lunder and Marije Mellegees are three exchange students from France, Holland and Norway. They are working with a UNHCR programme in Kuala Lumpur and expect to be in the country for six months.

When so much in the modern world has an appearance of the impermanent and transient, there is certain uniqueness about the prospect of travelling to a 130 million-year-old-rainforest. After a short period in Malaysia - with most of that time spent in the capital Kuala Lumpur - Maria, Philippe and I were determined that we should immerse ourselves in what is generally regarded as 'the oldest rainforest in the world.'

Short break arranged, we met in the inauspicious downstairs surroundings of a central Kuala Lumpur hotel, early on a Saturday morning, to begin our journey to Taman Negara.

The sky looked rather ominous as we travelled out of the city. Heading east, we climbed the escarpment that leads to Genting, Kuantan and the east coast and…relaxed. Views of the capital and the Twin Towers faded into the distance.

Two hours later, we arrived at the embarkation point for the first part of our adventure. Tembeling jetty is a busy transit point for the journey up river to Taman Negara. Formalities with the Park Office and Mutiara Resort soon completed, we enjoyed a straightforward lunch of fried rice and lime-juice The active river continues in the background. Boats arrive and depart, struggling with the current in a wide river, swollen by seasonal rains and churning a deep, coffee colour.

Soon we were called to our waiting boat. Sitting low in the water, the crafts feel surprisingly stable and comfortable, but it was the darkening sky that drew concerned glances from crew and passengers alike.

Sure enough, as we departed, the first drops of rain began to fall; a pattern that was to repeat itself time and time again over our four days in the forest.

But this was the rainforest, right? What should we expect?

The three hour river journey against the current is one of the highlights of the trip. From embarkation at Tembeling, the river slowly narrows. Trees crowd the banks, fishermen half-immersed in water relay nets. Brilliantine blue kingfishers conduct their own darting fishing exercise, before returning to boughs high above the water.

The rain falls and we continue, silent in contemplation of the unfolding splendour. The boatman skilfully navigated his way forward, avoiding sandier shallows and the many boughs and branches that appear on the surface. Seemingly, as anxious to move downstream, as we are to move up.

Wet and a little bit overawed by sights and sounds, we quickly located our comfortable chalets nestling amongst the trees and after shower and change of clothing, headed to the restaurant for some reviving food.

It was all so different from our experiences in Kuala Lumpur. A cacophony of sounds lulled us into a restful sleep that had us waking early the next morning ready for some exploration, barely concerned that it was (you’ve guessed it) still raining! After a substantive buffet breakfast, we donned wet weather clothing and decided to acclimatise with a visit to a well known vantage point, only 4km away.

A clearly signed path from the resort led us into a strange, ethereal world of mist, huge trees and slippery roots. Many of the trees were labelled and we were overwhelmed by the variety of foliage dripping with moisture but so luxuriant and ‘alive’ that you could not fail to be impressed and invigorated.