resT n reLax - banding Lake isLand...

Islands, are normally found off the mainland. But Banding (meaning 'compare' in the Malay language) is no ordinary island. As hard as it is to believe, Banding island is actually located in the middle of a man-made lake, surrounded by oldest rainforests in the world.

More than two decades ago before Banding or even Temenggor Lake ever existed, a number of rivers from the mountain ranges flowed into the Temenggor lowlands and gorges, creating a huge catchment area.



While serving as a source of water supply to the neighbouring villages and "Orang Asli" (indigenous people) settlements, this rich source of food and water supply attracted the communist terrorists to the area.

In 1974, then Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak, had an ingenious plan to flush out the communists by building a dam and filling up the Temenggor catchment area with water from the mountain rivers. And thus the Temenggor lake was formed.

As a consequence, Banding (the highest peak in the Temenggor basin) was transformed into an island. With the East-West highway running through the island, Banding is the only island in Malaysia that is serviced by two bridges linking it to the mainland. As for the communist terrorists, they were summarily flushed out of the catchment area and were forced to flee to southern Thailand.