Bukit Tabur Hike

Warning: long post ahead!

Last Saturday the boyfriend asked me out of the blue, "hey, you wanna go hiking at Bukit Tabur with the buddies tomorrow?" Being an adventurous person (although quite unfit as am also a certified couch potato), I said yes without much thought & preparation even though I didn't even know where Bukit Tabur was much less ever hiked before (turns out it's in Melawati which is where I went to primary school!). I've done some trekking so I thought it couldn't be much different, right? Wrong. Folks, if you've never gone on a proper hike before (I don't consider going up 8 flights of stairs hiking anymore) please for the love of God don't start with Bukit Tabur like I did! I am very proud of myself for having conquered the hike but after doing a bit more research past my first cursory Google search on the night of the hike, I wouldn't have done it without building up my stamina & experience. I mean seriously, would you do it after reading an article titled Ill Fated Hill?

Luckily I went with a few experienced hikers so I was in relatively good hands although the rugged terrain really put a strain on my soft, pampered & grossly unprepared body. Needless to say, I was at the back of the pack & the nails on my two big toes are turning an interesting shade of purple from wearing too-tight shoes on the hike (I wore my scuba booties because I read on one site that rubber shoes like my booties have excellent grip which would be perfect for rock climbing. Dumb move).

Now don't get me wrong. Parts of the hike were highly enjoyable & the views were spectacular but you need to be prepared for the rugged terrain of sharp rock formations, very steep & unforgiving climbs & drops, balancing on thin ridges & some rock climbing with a potential 30m - 100m fall. If you have a fear of heights, you can just forget it altogether.

Here are some pictures from our hike...

We started out quite late at 8:20am so the mist was beginning to clear up over the Klang Gates Dam. This shot was taken at our first proper pit stop.

A spot of relatively easy rock climbing. Cheh wah! Now I can action lah :P

The view of the Klang Gate Dam a little higher up & proof that my boyfriend can actually smile!

Trying to be the Tugu Negara at our last pit stop before reaching the peak. You can see that I'm burning under the sun as my sun block wore off about an hour ago.

Only known as the Second Rope on the trail, this is the steepest climb with no visible place for you to land and if you slip or let go of the rope, the fall is 100m down. Roger here makes it look so easy. Do not be fooled.

I'm laughing at something my boyfriend was saying to me as he took this shot while I climb up this approximately 20m high rock formation although I really should've been concentrating on my footing! Oh, and you see that back pack I'm wearing? I've had it for over 10 years now & it's been all over the world with me. That's EastPak for you folks.

More pictures here over at my Flickr account.

Now one hike up Bukit Tabur does not make me an expert so I highly recommend you read all of these sites that I'm linking below before you attempt it.

The Crystal Ridge is an excellent blog that documents everything you need to know about Bukit Tabur is a must read! They even have a Facebook group that I just joined.

Ill Fated Hill on The Star Online

Hiking at Bukit Tabur on BackPacking Malaysia

Klang Gates Quartz Ridge on Nature Escapes

Bukit Tabur hiking and back alive to blog about it! An entertaining blogpost I wished I read before going on the hike so that I would have had a more realistic picture of the hike.

Google Map

If you're determined to go on the Bukit Tabur hike after reading all the posts above, please say hi to two very special dogs that you'll meet up on the hike for me. I personally spent some time with the brown female dog known to some as Ah Wong (but christened Toughie by Roger) as she followed me up till the First Rope after I gave her some water & she was excellent company when I was separated from my group for awhile. I also gave her my nasi lemak as I waited for my turn on the rope & the next time I go, I'm bringing some proper dog food (although I think she enjoyed the sambal). The other black & white dog I saw at the foot of Bukit Tabur but I'm sure is just as tame & sweet as Toughie.

What's so special about these dogs you ask? Well folks, they can hike, trek, jump rocks & have been known to alert hikers of snakes! Amazing I tell ya. So remember k? Be kind to them as you should be towards all animals. And bring some dog food while you're at it!

All in all, I really enjoyed challenging myself on Bukit Tabur. Would I do it again? Definitely! But first, I'm going to jog more often & try some other tamer hikes before I tempt fate again. Right now, I'm going to book myself a nice massage session & then later see the doctor about my darn purple toenails (read the second paragraph above).

Happy trails folks!


P/S: I wanted to add that the hikers I met on Bukit Tabur were super friendly & extremely helpful. The trail was packed with people on Sunday & from what I've read that is usually the case on weekends. Do give way to those coming down the trail & if you're tired make sure you give way to others to overtake you too. Oh and don't forget to say hi or smile to your fellow adventurer :)