Malaysia’s hiking gems: Bukit Bangkong + Bukit Batu Putih

At the foothill of Bukit Bangkong, where the carpark is, you will be greeted by a majestic-looking signage of the hill itself with a green dragon sculpture on top of it! I recommend arriving earlier than 8am as the carpark can get really crowded on the weekends.

Entrance to Bukit Bangkong

The hike started off with a steep uphilll slope on a concrete path in which the trail subsequently alternates between tarred road and sandy/rocky path. The short steep section of the path in the beginning of the trail was definitely good for a cardio workout as it sent our hearts racing, huffing and puffing for air.

The sky was a magnificent azure blue and the air was crisp with cool morning breeze, that’s the advantage for starting early in the morning 😀

After around 20mins into the hike, we then took a detour onto a jungle trail at a fork junction to the right with a signage that says “Gunung Korbu view” or something like that. The jungle trail offered a brief respite from the burgeoning heat of the sun and escapade from the mass crowd who typically take the usual albeit shorter concrete trail.

 

After another 15-20min short hike through the jungle and into a clearing again and some scrambling uphill towards the end of the hike, we were instantly welcomed by a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area of Chemor, Gopeng and Mount Korbu in the far distance.

 

On the hike down, we decided to take the shorter concrete trail which is a little steeper all the way down. This concrete trail also offered a magnificent panoramic view of lowlands and surrounding towns and villages. According to Cath, our co-organiser of this trip, the view resembles the one in Annapurna, and if you show this picture to your friend and tell them it was taken in Annapurna, they would totally believe it xD

Well, I’m not sure if it looks like the view in Annapurna, but to me the biggest reward from hiking is always the gorgeous wide-angled views you get to see from the peak, it gives you a different perspective of the topography and geography of a place in general 🙂

Next up, we drove to the second hiking spot which is Bukit Batu Putih located in Gopeng. The entrance to the hiking trail is right opposite to the Adeline’s Villa’s signboard (never realise I own a villa here xD).

The hike began with a jungle trail that is progressively steeper as you approach the top of the hill. The trail is a mixture of muddy and rocky path with extensive tree roots on the grounds.

I recommend hiking this hill early in the morning as the top of the hill is completely open without much shade or shelter from the fierce sun.

The trail is pretty obvious and straightforward as it was clearly marked and clear from overgrown bushes. On the way to the peak, there are few photo opportunities where one could stand or sit atop of huge boulders overlooking the beautiful panoramic view of Gopeng and the lush greenery down below. The entire hike lasted slightly over an hour with a few pit stops for photos. The return trip downhill follows the same trail going up.

 

 

To infinity and beyond!

 

 

 

There are some durian stall near the carpark at the foothill of Bukit Batu Putih.

 

We are the shortcutters who took the shortcut route on the way down!

 

Group pic!

All in all, both hills were not technically difficult and provide a decent training ground for hiker wannabes like me xD Certain steep sections of the trail offer good cardio workout and practice ground for better sense of coordination and balance for beginners as well. Most importantly, both hills offer unobstructed panoramic views of how beautiful nature can be in Malaysia! 🙂

Technical rating: 3.3 (B)
A being the easiest on a scale from A-D, 1 being the easiest on a scale from 1-10 in each respective A-D category.