Gunung Semanggol is a mountain that hides in plain sight. It barely registers on the drive up north to Penang. Yet the views from the top befits its “mountain” status.
I never thought I’d be tired before a hike but after an extremely early wake up call (1.15am) and a 3 hour drive to Kerian Perak I was struggling. Best get this hike started….
It had been a while since I last bagged a mountain, if you can call Gunung Semanggol that. Topping out at 390 metres, Trailblazer founder, Kelvin classifies Gunnung Semanggol as an easy to moderate hike. Even the location of the trailhead, in Kampung Bukit Semanggol suggest a certain downsizing (“bukit” means hill in Malay) by locals. But underestimate Semanggol at your peril.
The hike to Semanggol’s peak traverses a variety of terrain: oil palm plantation, exposed laterite, chalky limestone and forest reserve. The latter is why a permit from the local forestry office is required to enter. It also gets steeper the higher you go, but it’s worth toughing out.
Just after 6am, as the Masjid An-Nur muezzin prepared to call azan, 28 Trailblazers, yours truly included, trod into the darkness of the oil palm plantation right of the mosque to the disapproving rumble of a herd of cows.
Within 5 minutes we were in what sounded like a forest. In reality it was scrub and secondary growth. In the limited light cast by our headlamps it was difficult to discern our surroundings beyond our immediate radius.
Following a short climb up a slope and a sidestep across a shallow stream we emerged in the open, the sky still dark, but for a few persistent stars.
Soft earth had been replaced with cool hard rock under foot. Invigorated by the cool morning air, we brushed past ferns to either side of us and at a 90 degrees turn left scaled a bare rock slope slicked with running water.
Emerging from another fern lined path, we arrived at a plateau where we waited for the group to reassemble. The outline of the Gunung Semanggol towered directly ahead of us; if we hadn’t known any better we would have chosen the most obvious path headed straight towards it. Instead Kabir led us up a rock verge to our left through another copse of ferns.
5 minutes later we arrived at another clearing. This one is surrounded by trees and has a “Di Larang Masuk” (No Entry) sign. That meant we were entering Gunung Semanggol’s permanent forest reserve.
From here the slog up towards Semanggol’s apex is immediate. It’s 45° in places and I began to feel that familiar sear in my calves.
After a quick breather at an area encircled by bertam trees, the trail veers right orientating us so that we approached the peak from its north western side.
It was going 7am and the light had begun to seep through the canopy of tall thin trees. Attracted by the glow of my headlamp, the insects that had been buzzing around my face had vanished and a lone gibbon called out from Semanggol’s isolated forest island.
Unlike many popular Malaysian mountain trails where the boulders are smooth and round, here they are jagged and the lumpen shape and colour of cement. Some are loose and we’re mindful of sending it hurtling towards hikers below.
I have no idea what local hikers think of their backyard trail. Maybe it’s just a morning walk before a hearty breakfast to them. To me it felt like punishment for underestimating it, because the severity of its inclines only got worse the closer we got to its peak.
Fortunately, Semanggol is forgiving. After accepting a humbling lesson in altitude gain to distance ratio (it’s 400 metres to 1 kilometre) we summited at the north end of Semanggol’s flat fern-covered apex to be assailed by a vision of Tasik Merah.
There’s space to drop bags and our tired butts at the south end. Apart from the forest we just exited, there are unfettered views of our surroundings: the Titiwangsa or Main Range stretching out to the east and the ripening patchwork of Simpang Empat’s rice fields to the west.
Beneath us, the E1/North-South highway fades into the distance, its traffic oblivious to our presence. On a recent trip to Alor Setar, I tried to pinpoint where we stood, but Semanggol hides her charms and challenges well; I barely register a hill. And that’s what the mountain wants us to believe….
I’ve included lots of photos of our descent of Gunung Semanggol as it was too dark to take useful pictures on the way up.
6.10am Start
6.25am Rock climb
6.40am Plateau
6.45am Entrance into forest reserve
7.30am Summit
Altitude 390 metres.
Type of trail Out and back.
Distance and time 1.4 kilometres one-way. It took the group approximately 1 hour 20 minutes to summit but it can be done in an hour.
Rating Moderate. The trail in the oil palm plantation can be difficult to follow. It also grows steeper as you get closer towards the top.
Pros A relatively short hike. Easily accessible from the North-South Expressway. Fantastic views.
Cons Because a permit is required, pulling off the North-South Expressway for a spontaneous hike is not possible. Downer….
Leech count Nil.
Permits Required from Pejabat Hutan Daerah Larut & Matang (Taiping). Drop a copy off at the police station at Simpang Empat Semanggol.
GPS coordinates 4.95015, 100.62873
Cost RM10/person with an additional RM20 processing fee surcharge per group of hikers, regardless of whether your group consists of 1 hiker or 50. Apply and pay through the ePermit system on the Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Perak website. You will need to register an account for access.
Facilities None.
Parking None. It’s roadside so park courteously. People live here.
Tip Heading north? Plan ahead and factor it into your next trip north.
Trailhead Masjid An-Nur Kampung Bukit Semanggol, Jalan Kampung Tengah, Simpang Empat, Semanggol, 34400, Perak.
GPS coordinates (trailhead) 4.95189, 100.65031
You can review my AllTrails map up Gunung Semanggol here.
Wanna hike Gunung Semanggol?Join Trailblazer Hiking Club Malaysia here. Kelvin also organises private trips. You can get in touch with him for details.
POKOK KELAPA 