At the other side of the Tekek-Juara trail is the Juara Village. This is possibly the only village on the east coast of Tioman (as shown on the map). Upon entering the village, the first impression is that life here seems to be incredibly slow and quiet. Nothing seem to faze the villagers as they slowly go about their activities, be it chit-chatting with friends, watching the TV or taking a nap. There are a few resorts here but we hardly see any tourist around save for the occasional trekker(s) that came over from Tekek. Accommodation is much cheaper here (RM30-80) than other places in Tioman, but expect minimal facilities. Most rooms here are only fan-ventilated. This place is ideal for people see
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At the other side of the Tekek-Juara trail is the Juara Village. This is possibly the only village on the east coast of Tioman (as shown on the map). Upon entering the village, the first impression is that life here seems to be incredibly slow and quiet. Nothing seem to faze the villagers as they slowly go about their activities, be it chit-chatting with friends, watching the TV or taking a nap. There are a few resorts here but we hardly see any tourist around save for the occasional trekker(s) that came over from Tekek. Accommodation is much cheaper here (RM30-80) than other places in Tioman, but expect minimal facilities. Most rooms here are only fan-ventilated. This place is ideal for people seeking peace and quiet as well as for divers (because of the cheap accommodation).
Juara has a long stretch of nice white sandy beach, but owing to the fact that it faces the South China Sea, the waves here can be quite strong at times. Swimming in the sea is a bit of a challenge here and it can become rather irritating when the sand particles churned up by the waves get into your hair, ears and pockets. Ridding yourself of these fine sand particles is going to take quite a bit of washing.
Juara beach is sandwiched by two rivers, one in the north and one in the south. During high tide, it is possible to swim in these rivers. Being much calmer, they are good alternatives to the sea when it comes to swimming. During low tides, it is possible to trek upstream where the water is cooler and cleaner. There are a few ways of exiting Juara Village. The cheapest way is to walk back along the Tekek-Juara trail. However, it’s going to take quite a bit of effort moving yourself up the sloping concertized part of the trail. Reaching the top may easily take 1.5-2 hours. Throw in another hour of walking along the mud trail and it will easily take 3 hours of trekking to reach Tekek. A slightly more expensive way is to take a 4WD to the top of the concertized trail and continue from foot there. This will cost RM15 per person. Taking the 4WD directly to Tekek will set you back by RM35 per person. One important thing to take note is that the rainforest that the trail went through will get dark at around 16:30pm. This is because when the sun is low, sunlight is prevented from reaching the forest floor by the thick forest canopy and the tall trees there. Although we made our way through the forest at around 15pm, it had already looked as if it’s around late evening. It would really not be a nice experience to be trapped in a dark rainforest.
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