Being a Doer and not a Talker, I gathered 10 friends and family for a 5D 4N hiking trip to 3 different hills and 1 mountain in Perak, Perlis and Kedah. Do you still remember my ranting about my trip last year (in 2023) to Mong Gajah in Tasik Pedu, Kedah?
Click >> here to read about my first time in >> Mong Gajah.
While I was enjoying my morning light at Mong Gajah, I saw a glimpse of the highest peak of Gunung Fakir Terbang (574 m) located in Tasik Pedu Kedah, hiding behind the thick morning mist. It is a part of the Trans Singgora (Banjaran Kedah Singgora), located at the border of Malaysia and Thailand. Amir, the owner of Tasik Pedu SeriMahawangsa boathouse used to share old folk stories about Tasik Pedu and its surroundings including Gunung Fakir Terbang, relating to the history of the Singgora Sultanate era.
Sharing the detailed itinerary of our 5D 4N hiking adventure to Northern Malaysia below for your reference.
- 24.01.2024, Wednesday. 08:30 pm – Drive from Kuala Lumpur to R&R Tapah
- 12:30 am – Drive from R&R Tapah to Bawong Sentral, Sungai Siput, Perak and reach Bawong Sentral at around 3 am
- 25.01.2024, Thursday. 04:00 am – Started our hike to Bukit Berekeh, Perak for sunrise
- 10:30 am – Drive from Bawong Sentral to Taiping for our lunch/ quick nap, and continue our drive to Bukit Kodiang, Kedah
- 06:00 pm – Arrived at Bukit Kodiang. Spent our time around the paddy fields, walking around the villages, and having food before heading to our homestay in Jitra.
- 26.01. 2024, Friday. 06:00 am – Hike to Bukit Kodiang aka Bukit Mok Cun for sunrise.
- 12:30 pm – drive to Timah Tasoh Campsite
- 04:00 pm – Start hiking to Bukit Chabang, Perlis for sunset.
- 08:30 pm – Resting at Timah Tasoh Campsite
- 27.01.2024, Saturday: Sunrise and breakfast at Timah Tasoh, Campsite
- 10:00 am – drive to Tasik Pedu Boathouse.
- 03:30 pm – Start our hike to Gunung Fakir Terbang for sunset
- 11:00 pm – Resting at Tasik Pedu Boathouse
- 28.01.2024. Sunday. 10:00 am – Drive back to Kuala Lumpur
The more I listened to the old folk stories about Gunung Fakir Terbang the more curious I became. The height is only 574 meters, tbh I am not sure if it is a hill or a mountain. You must engage with a local guide and require a hiking permit. I calculated the estimated cost and I needed at least 10 more avid hikers to join me and split the overall hiking expenses.
Our initial plan was only to hike Gunung Fakir Terbang. For a 5-days trip, we agreed to add more easy hikes along our journey to the North. We started with Bukit Berekeh (454 m) in Sungai Siput, Perak then off to Bukit Kodiang (140 m) in Kedah, continued our hike to Bukit Chabang (390 m) in Perlis and Gunung Fakir Terbang for the finale. Ambitious right?
Well, why not.
We shared the cost of food, accommodation, permits, and local guides. For your safety while on the trails, I strongly advise hikers to hire experienced local guides for several reasons:
- PEACE OF MIND – Local guides will prepare permits and paperwork needed by the local authorities for you. Different states have different requirements. Having a well-experienced local guide could help smoothen the paperwork process. The local guides know their jurisdiction better than the outsiders.
- SAFETY – A well-experienced guide could be resourceful when you are on the trail especially when the guides are locals. Our tropical forests are different from other overseas forests. Ours are more challenging. The tropical forest tracks are mostly not properly marked, the bushes/ trees are thick, the rivers are unpredictable (kepala air cases), some said that most of our forests are haunted, the leeches are starving 24×7, and 1001 more challenges.
- LOCAL ECONOMY – Helping to support the economy of our local people. Paying the locals for their services would help to boost the local economy.
Our incurred costs for this trip were transportation, accommodation, food, permits, and local guides. The transportation arrangement was on our own. 10 of us in 4 different cars filled with our camping and hiking gears. Our total cost (minus transportation) was RM1800 for 10 people, RM180 for each person.
There are 1001 reasons why people love wandering around the hills and the mountains.
As I have previously declared, I adore witnessing the view of a grand landscape from the highest peak. We conquered four (not that high) peaks during the trip and alhamdullilah the view was awesome.
- Some hikers love to hike Gunung Fakir Terbang for the sunrise view of the surrounding forestry area across the Thailand border. But personally, I prefer the view of Tasik Pedu during the sunset.
- The view of Bukit Berekeh and its surroundings is at its best during sunrise and if you are lucky, you get to see the thick morning mist surrounding the area.
- Bukit Kodiang has the best view during sunset and sunrise, especially when the paddy fields turn yellow a week before the harvesting season.
- Bukit Chabang has the best view of the Timah Tasoh Lake during sunset
10 of us had our personal ups and downs along the trip due to our different fitness levels but we managed to conclude our hiking mission. Completing 3 hills and 1 mountain in 5 days was ‘super’ tiring as we needed to travel from one destination to the other while not fully recovered from each hike.
Our teamwork was ‘AAA’ as we coped well with each other despite some hurdles encountered along the journey.
Feel free to comment or share your thoughts/ experiences on hiking in Malaysia below ya. Sharing is always caring. Click on below to read the stories of our 5D 4N adventure:
Thank you for reading,
MM
MATSUDA MASHIMARU 