Gunung Belumut

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19 Jun 2010 - Gunung Belumut (1010 m) is situated in Kluang, Johor and is about 2.5 hrs drive from Singapore.  We arrived at about 9am and started the trek assisted by local guides. It is compulsory to hire a local guide from the ranger office when you trek in Belumut. Depending on your group size, you may need more than one guide.
 

At the foot of the mountain, there was a nice river where families played and swam in the water.


In the beginning, the trail was generally flat and easy.  Like all gunungs I have attempted so far, the easy part doesn't last long.  Once we got nearer to the midway point, the trail becomes steep and demanding. 

Gentle beginnings ....

Steep midsection

The midway point !

There were lots of fallen trees and branches along the way.  I knocked my shin twice (double ouch !) onto fallen logs when i tried to get across them.  The fatigue must have impaired my judgment and sense of balance.  Anyway, the only good thing about injuring the same spot twice is that you get only one wound !  *sob*



You have to be really careful at what you grab or where you swing your arms as there are lots of spiny and prickly plants here.  Although these prickly plants were also present in the other gunungs that i have attempted before, there were really a lot more of these b@st*#ds here.  Just imagine this - you are tired and thirsty and you have ran out of water, you are trying to move quickly and you lose your footing and you grab hold of these spiny b@st*#ds for stability... MAJOR OUCH ! Although I didn't get pricked, some of the trekkers did and I did come close a few times !

 
Prickly Plant 1

 
Prickly Plant 2 !

When we got nearer to the summit, the vegetation got denser and the leaves and branches were getting into our faces.  If you walk too close to the person in front of you, you might just get a "branch slap" from a recoiling branch when the first hiker walked past. So sorry to the lady behind me, i caused a branch to slap you ;-)

Can you see where the trail is ?

There were lots of pesky bees and flies.  They were always buzzing around us  Sometimes I couldn't tell if they were bees or flies ! 

Lots of pesky flies and bees !

The summit was a little disappointing. It was a small area with one big boulder.  However, once you climbed onto the boulder, you do get a nice view of the surrounding area.

Summit

Boulder at the summit

View from the boulder
Gunung Belumut is the highest mountain that I have climbed so far.  It took me 4 hrs to get to the top and 3 hrs to get down.  Surprisingly, I didn't feel as tired as I previously did when i climbed the other gunungs, which were much lower.   In fact I actually felt quite good after completing the descend :-) But  I did get sore thighs the day after .. and the day after ... hahaha

Some of the fast trekkers only took 4hrs to complete the climb. Wah so fast !  They must be really fit.

This is my first above 1K mountain and I am really happy to have conquered it !  If I had a flag, I would have planted it at the summit :-) :-)




Comments

  1. ShellNovember 17, 2010 at 12:54 AM

    How would you gauge/rate difficulty level of Belumut as compared to Datuk? (as in all the "rock-climbing", not physical stamina) Are there a lot of leeches?

    I'm going for a trip to Gunung Belumut this coming Jan and just climbed Datuk weeks ago. Hope to get some "mental preparation" before I climb Belumut cause I heard some things about it like "too difficult" and etc. Kinda freak out and came across your site. So I was hoping if you could share some info! and what are the things I should take notice of :)

    Thanks!!

    awexsome@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. AdrianNovember 17, 2010 at 5:08 PM

    Belumut is tougher than Datuk as it is higher. The middle portion is also rather steep (and muddy at parts)

    For Belumut, we prepared for the climb by climbing stairs. There were some who weren't that well prepared and had difficulty getting up. (cramps, exhaustion, etc).

    I went Belumut twice and i did not encounter any leeches. However, there were lots of bees and flies at the summit on my 1st trip up when it was very hot. 1 of us got stung. 2nd time up, it was raining and cool and all the bees and flies disappeared.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Richard (ichay_3@yahoo.com)January 18, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    We are planning to climb Belumut end of this month and made a call to the park office to inform them, then they asked us to send a snail mail to them making a request. Is this really necessary? or we can just go there and register on the same day of the trek?

    We are also planning to camp overnight, I wonder if it is allowed?

    Thanks,
    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 20, 2011 at 1:47 AM

    Hi, I plan to climb Gunung Belumut, is there any campsite open for public? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AdrianApril 11, 2011 at 11:14 PM

    sorry for the very late replies. Permits are required, i have heard of people who got stopped because of no permits. I have also met some groups who are planning to camp there, i suppose camping overnight is allowed ?

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousNovember 9, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    hello!
    would like to ask how did you contact the local guide for gunung belumut?

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownSeptember 29, 2012 at 4:30 PM

    Hi,

    I want to climb Mount Belumut but I cant find any guidance online on the following: -
    - Do I need to book a guide in advance or can I get the guide on the day from the rangers office? If I have to book the guide in advance, how do I do that
    - Do I need to get the climb permit in advance or can I get the permit from the rangers office on the morning of the climb? If I have to get it in advance, how do I do that?

    I will really appreciate your help on this. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousOctober 1, 2012 at 11:37 PM

    Hi Farooq,

    Before your climb, u will need to write in to the State Forest.. (full address and contact number online if you put a search for Gunung Berlumut Permit. Write in and give them details like when u plan to trek and names and contact numbers of persons in your group. Once they approve your application, someone from the office will call you and request for payment for the permit. Its RM150 for one trek up the mountain.. Limitless number of people. Theses also a charge for a local guide which you pay at the mountain site. Depending where you are I suppose will determine how you prepare the payment of RM150. if in Malaysia, you'll get payment thingi done at a post office and then you post it to people in charge. Best of Luck.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownNovember 12, 2012 at 3:30 PM

    Thanks for the reply. But how do I find a guide? I am living in Singapore and I am not able to find any details on the guide online.

    Also, is there a faster way to get the permit? For Mount Ophir we were able to get the permit on the day at the base.

    ReplyDelete

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