Okay, let’s be real — this time, we weren’t hiking, but we were rock climbing. There, I said it out loud. Gunung Pulai may look small from afar, but trust me, this mountain is about 95% rock, basically a giant chunk of stone sitting proudly next to another chunk of stone called Gunung Baling in the middle of Baling town. And yeah, climbing it? Way tougher than it looks.
If you’re like me, the kind who’s always craving a panoramic view of the town framed by the sea of Butterworth and the Penang Strait, then you have to do Gunung Pulai for the sunset view. I know, I know, it sounds a bit odd to climb in the afternoon, but curiosity got the best of me. I just had to see the sunset from the Butterworth-Penang side.
- Location: Gunung Pulai, Baling, Kedah (620m)
- How to go: Drive to Pengkalan Hulu, Baling, Kedah. Waze ‘Tempat Pendakian Gunung Pulai’. Park your car beside Sungai Ketil and walk for 10 minutes to the Gunung Pulai Trailhead
- Attraction: A panoramic view of the small town of Baling. Gorgeous landscape view during sunrise and sunset.
- Difficulty: Difficult (Kedah’s toughest peak)
- Distance out and back: 4km round trip
- Tips: Bring your hiking gloves, at least 2 litres of water (Hide 1 litre water bottle at checkpoint 2 and retrieve it on your way down) and leave your hiking stick in the car as we are not doing hiking but rock climbing, instead.
- Time spent: If you are fit enough, a half-day hike would do
- Caution: Big, sharp edges, steep rocks
- Leech level: None
- Entrance Fee: No
- Require Permit: Yes
- Local Guide: Anep (014 2483590)
- Hiking date: 09.02.2025
After conquering Gunung Bubu and Gunung Alai, my team was feeling extra confident. Gunung Pulai’s out-and-back trail was less than 4 km — a piece of cake, right? After two mornings of 2:30 a.m. wake-up calls for the 4:00 am hike, I decided we deserved a break. So, why not go for a relaxing afternoon hike to catch that golden sunset?
Anep, our guide, raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Afternoon will be scorching hot,” he said.
I didn’t really get what he meant … I mean, how bad could it be? So, as usual, I decided to go ahead anyway.
Our legs were still wobbly from the previous climbs, but our confidence level was a solid 100%. That is… until we saw the trailhead. In front of us stood a massive rock wall. Our “trail” started with a full-on climb over this vertical beast. My first thought was, Oh no. Fid, Deris, and Icha are going to have a hard time with this one.
And true enough, after a few hilarious (and slightly dramatic) attempts to scramble up like spiders, the three of them threw in the backpack and called it quits. That left the four of us — Zura, Sarah, Qisha, and me — still fired up and ready to take on the challenge.
To be honest, whenever I decide to climb a mountain, I usually just read through the background information and the mountain’s character — but I never really digest any of it. My brain only keeps one thing: the picture of the landscape I want to see.
How am I actually going to survive the trail?
That part somehow doesn’t make it into the plan. 😅 It’s like my curiosity is always louder than my fear. Some might call it tunnel vision — I only see what I want to see. I’m still not sure whether that’s a gift or a disaster waiting to happen. Some asked why on earth I decided to hike in the afternoon without doing proper research first. Well, gais… I’m that odd one who just had to see what Baling looks like during sunset.
Maybe I looked a little ignorant, but trust me, I had my reasons. I just wanted to experience it my own way. And hey, at least I survived the ordeal and lived to tell the tale to all of you. Ha ha ha!
So there we were, the four of us, plus our guide Anep, pushing on from checkpoint one to checkpoint four, relying purely on our leftover survival skills under the blazing afternoon sun.
The air between those checkpoints was dead still. No wind, just thick, humid air pressing down on us. Even the rocks we stepped on felt like they were baking in an oven. It was the kind of heat that makes you question your life choices. It was so hot, my tongue went numb! 🥵
And of course, we weren’t exactly prepared for this. We only brought a limited water supply, thinking the trail would be short and sweet. Big mistake. There was no river, no stream, nothing to refill from. Just dry, rocky terrain and a lot of sweating.
We started our hike around 5 p.m. and reached the top at 7:10 p.m
We made it in 2 hours and 10 minutes, not bad, right? Just before Maghrib time. As I sat on the rock, soaking in the view, the sound of the adzan began to echo across the valley, one mosque after another. It was such an enchanting moment to be in, the kind that makes you pause and just breathe it all in.
But… nature had its own plans. When we started our climb, the sky was clear with just a few fluffy clouds. As evening approached, those clouds decided to gather and thicken, completely blocking our view of the sunset I’d been chasing all day.
I couldn’t help sharing my disappointment with Anep. As a nature photographer, I depend 100% on nature’s mood to capture the perfect shot. Sometimes it takes returning to the same spot multiple times just to get that one magical frame. But with Gunung Pulai? I don’t think I could hike this one again just to chase another sunset.
Once was enough.
We spent another hour wandering from one side of the summit to the other, soaking in what little sunset we could see and enjoying a quick snack before facing the next challenge — the descent. After all these years of hiking, one thing I’ve learned: going down is always harder than going up. And descending the rocky Gunung Pulai? Even worse. Haih… you can’t stay on the summit forever, dear Sally. Eventually, you’ve got to come down again, I reminded myself.
Anep estimated that with our pace, we’d reach the trailhead around 1 or 2 a.m. The four of us exchanged looks and silently made a pact, let’s try to reach the bottom as fast as we can.
Then came another problem: our water supply. Sarah and I had only about five gulps left in our bottles, while Qisha and Zura had already finished theirs. Even Anep had just half a bottle left. At one point before we descended, Zura found a stray mineral water bottle wedged between rocks, half full. She decided to keep it, just in case things got desperate. “EEuw … I am not drinking leftover water from whoever it is,” said random Sally 😂 (I don’t know who she is), but at checkpoint 3 … that same random Sally said “Zura, pass me the leftover water … am dying here” ha ha ha.
We started descending at 9 p.m., and after what felt like an endless night of stumbling, sliding, and aching knees, we finally reached the trailhead at 12:15 a.m. Barely surviving on what little water we had left, every joint in our bodies screaming for mercy … but hey, we made it down in 3 hours 15 minutes.
The next morning, though… oh boy. It wasn’t just my legs; my whole body was aching! Every muscle from my shoulders to my fingertips felt like they’d been swapped out for solid rock. That’s the thing about Gunung Pulai. It’s not your usual hike; it’s rock climbing, and that means your upper body has to work extra hard. Even lifting my arm to brush my teeth felt like another endurance challenge. 😅
Our muscles need to recover fast. So here’s what I learned: recovery is part of the adventure too.
Tip 1: Loosen Up, Don’t Lock Up
When your muscles are sore, don’t just lie flat and do nothing. Do some light stretching or take a slow walk to get your blood moving again. It helps flush out lactic acid and reduces stiffness. If you can, soak your legs in warm water mixed with Epsom salt … it feels heavenly after a tough climb. And don’t forget to hydrate; your muscles need that water to heal. Rehydrate with something rich in electrolytes, like coconut water or isotonic drinks.
Tip 2: Feed Your Muscles Right
After any heavy workout, whether it’s a marathon or a mountain, your muscles are basically begging for fuel. Go for a protein + carbs combo within an hour after your hike. I usually would guzzle 1 litre of fresh milk to aid in muscle repair, rehydration, and glycogen replenishment. It helps rebuild muscle and restore energy fast.
In the end, I didn’t get the perfect sunset shot, but I did get the perfect story: four tired humans, one guide, and a whole lot of regret halfway up and down the toughest peak in Kedah. Alhamdullah, we were safe too … without any “ghost” encountered 🙏🏻 (friends said this place ‘keras’).
Would I do Gunung Pulai again? Nope.
Once is enough.
Until today, my body still remembers every rock I hugged that day. But would I trade the experience for anything else? Also nope. Because these are the kind of adventures that keep life fun … slightly painful, totally unpredictable, and always worth the laugh later.
Cheers
Sallymatsuda
MATSUDA MASHIMARU 