Gunung Belumut (Mount Belumut) is the 2nd highest peak in Johor, Malaysia. It sits at 1010MASL and can be easily climbed in a day (~6 hours total). the starting point is about a 30min drive from the town of Kluang, which is about 2hrs drive away from Johor Bahru if you're coming from Singapore. We met up on a Friday night and crossed into Malaysia via the woodlands checkpoint. We then drove for 2 hrs to Kluang where we had an Airbnb to stay the night!
The next morning, we met our guide at the famous local breakfast place Kluang Rail Coffee! When we got there at 8 am there was already a long queue, luckily our guide got us a table there and we did not have to wait. We each ordered some kaya butter toasts which was really good! They had different variations, we got the one with the round buns. They don't really have these in Singapore so it was a new experience for me and it was delicious, the crispy toasted skin of the bead with the moist inside made a good combo, in contrast with the ya kun version which is all fully toasted (which is great as well, but a bit dry after awhile) . In addition, I also ordered a dry mee tai mak as I like to eat something hot and filling in the morning. We also dabao-ed some nasi lemak from here for our lunch at the summit later!
After the quick breakfast, we drove for about 30mins to the trailhead. The trailhead is located deep inside a palm plantation. Sometimes elephants can be seen roaming around there! At the entrance, there is a clean river and a large open area very suitable for camping. Some families were already there setting up camp for the weekend. There is a large car park and also shower facilities here. After a short briefing from our guide, we start trekking!
Along the way, there are 4 Check Points (CP). From the trailhead to CP1, the path is relatively flat and easy to hike(~30min). From CP1, it gets significantly steeper, and the slope ramps up to a consistent 30-degree angle. It's not exactly a very tough section, but it is consistently this steepness with no rest in between (~1hr). When you reach CP 2, you'll see a beautiful boulder that looks like a crown. A perfect photo spot for the group!
After CP 2, you can catch a breather as the road is much flatter (~30 min). I find it very enjoyable at these parts of the trek as I get to engage more in the surroundings and what's going on around me. One of the things I noticed when I first stepped into the forest was how clean and sweet the smell of the forest air was! I feel so energised and refreshed just taking a step into the mountains.
Shortly after, we reached CP 3 which meant climbing steep slopes again (~1h). This time, the gradient was much steeper reaching 45 degrees or more at some points. You'll need to use your hands to climb up the roots and branches at this portion. The fixed ropes placed along this route is very well maintained and helpful for this section.
When nearing CP4, we started to see the vegetation appearing more sparse, some areas are even bare of trees. CP4 is a small campsite for those that want to stay the night. After CP 4, it's a short 30min hike to the summit. At this last portion, the vegetation started to resemble that of the "mossy forest" that is commonly found in Malaysian mountains at altitudes above ~1500m. We also saw some small pitcher plants up there!
Once at the summit, we took off our bags to relax and take in the peaceful mountain vibes. As with most mountains around here, there's not much in terms of scenery, unfortunately (it's the journey that counts!). The summit had a nice sign in the shape of the Johor state and colour of its flag where we took a group photo. There are also 2 large boulders for a good photo opportunity! We had lunch there while our kind guide brewed up some warm coffee for us! Lunch was a simple nasi Lemak from Kluang Rail Coffee. After lunch, we took some group photos and headed back down the same way we came.
On the way down, we were so happy that we finished this trek early that we started running down the mountain, which was a huge mistake! One of our members running down with us suddenly sprained his ankle somewhere between CP 3 and CP4. What was supposed to be a chill 2hr hike down suddenly turned into a gruelling 4hrs hike. We learnt 2 lessons that day, 1 never run down hilly uneven terrain past your control, and 2 tighten your hiking boots for ankle support. We were quite unfortunate that it happened when we were still quite high up the mountain as there was still quite a lot of ground to cover. But eventually, we all made it back to the trailhead together.
All in all, Gunung Belumut was a wonderful hike! Its location and difficulty are perfect for a beginner hiker to start, I would highly recommend this to anyone starting to hike, or even go for Mount Ophir if you're up for a challenge. For more experienced hikers, this would be a nice relaxing hike.
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