Tag: gunung angsi

Gunung Nuang vs. Datuk vs. Angsi

Three of the most popular peaks to climb in the KL area are Gunung Nuang, Gunung Datuk and Gunung Angsi.  How do they compare?

  • Height. Gunung Nuang is easily the highest at 1439 metres (ranked 86th highest mountain in Malaysia) compared to Gunung Datuk at 884m (ranked 220th highest) and Gunung Datuk at 824m (241st highest).
  • Actual Metres Climbed.  The Nuang trail (via Hulu Langat) starts at about 200m so the net distance climbed is 1239m but there is a nasty false peak and a series of undulations on the ‘never ending road’ which probably take the actual metres climbed back up to around 1400m. The Datuk trail starts at around 80m and is more or less straight up all the way so the actual distance climbed is about 800m. I expect the Angsi trail (via Ulu Bendol) starts at around the same altitude so the actual distance climbed would be in the region of 740m.
  • Distance Walked (Up and Down).  Again Nuang is easily the longest distance, more than the other two put together. For Nuang the distance is 19.2km, which incidentally is even longer than the distance walked to climb Mount Kinabalu (17.4km). The distance walked for Datuk is 9.2km and Angsi is 9.8km. (These heights and distances are my estimates but if any reader has more accurate GPS measurements I would be pleased to revise my figures).
  • Time Taken to Climb. My hiking speed is probably that of someone of average fitness. My timings (for climbing up only) were: Nuang 5 1/2 hours, Datuk 2 hours, Angsi 2 1/2 hours. Coming down should be quicker for most people.

NuangDatukAngsi

  • Difficulty. None of the climbs are particularly difficult but Nuang, due to the long distance and greater height, requires the more dogged endurance. Datuk has some metal ladders near the summit that have to be scaled but they are not as scary as they look.  Angsi has some large sandy boulders that can only be climbed with the help of ropes which the park authorities have left in place.
  • Views/Scenery. All three hills have similar terrain and vegetation, i.e. thick jungle. At the summit, I think Datuk has the best views because they are unobstructed by trees. The view from Nuang’s peak is partially obscured by trees but great views can be seen from a couple of clearings. Being the highest mountain Nuang has the most far reaching views if the visibility is good but because it takes so long to climb you are unlikely to reach the summit before midday by which time it might be starting to cloud over. Of course you could camp half way up and complete the climb at dawn if you wish. Angsi’s peak is also partly obscured by vegetation but good views can be seen through gaps in the trees.

nuangDatukAngsi2

  • Fees. You are supposed to register and pay a fee before commencing your climb. Nuang RM1, Datuk RM5, Angsi RM5.
  • Leeches. These are likely at all three mountains, depending on the weather/season. I encountered leeches at Angsi but not at the other two.
  • Drinking Water. Trekking in Malaysia’s humid conditions is thirsty work. I took 3.5 litres along to Nuang, 1.5l to Datuk and 2l to Angsi and in each case it was just enough.
  • Access. All three mountains are easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur and can be climbed in one day (Nuang) or a half-day (Datuk & Angsi). Nuang is in Hulu Langat, Selangor and is less than an hour’s drive from most parts of the Klang Valley. Datuk and Angsi are in Negeri Sembilan and can be reached in 1 or 2 hours drive from KL  depending on your location.

Recommendation?

I would recommend you climb all three but if I have to chose between them my order of preference would be:

  1. Datuk
  2. Nuang
  3. Angsi

More Information

Please read my reviews of each mountain on my Malaysia Traveller website:

http://www.malaysia-traveller.com/gunung-nuang.html 

http://www.malaysia-traveller.com/gunung-datuk.html

http://www.malaysia-traveller.com/gunung-angsi.html

Gunung Angsi

Yesterday I read my friend The Weary Traveller’s fascinating post about the highest mountains in South-East Asia. See http://pathannay.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/highest-mountain-in-se-asia  . I must admit I couldn’t get my head around the fact that the summit of Mt. Chimborazo is further from the earth’s centre than the summit of Mt. Everest despite it being 9,000 feet shorter. I shall ask him to explain it to me slowly one day.

Apart from that , I was somewhat deflated by his final list of the top 10 mountains in SE Asia. Having spent considerable effort in climbing what I thought were among the highest peaks in this part of the world (Fanxipan, Kinabalu and Rinjani – see my earlier blogs on these exploits) it now turns out that only one of them, Kinabalu, even appears in the top ten!

Spurred on by this fact, I felt I must immediately get in some hiking training and today I thought I would tick off an easy Malaysian peak, Mt. Angsi, the second highest peak in Negeri Sembilan state. Modest in size, at 2707 feet (825 meters) I thought this would be a walk in the park, literally since it lies in Ulu Bendul Recreational Forest, not far from Seremban. Some say that it should not even be classified as a mountain since it is less than 1,000 meters but the Malaysians call it a ‘gunung’ rather than a ‘bukit’ so mountain it is.

Scary looking spider along the path.

My research told me that it should take 2 1/2 hours on the way up and another hour and a half down. I thought I might be able to do it faster but it took me 2 hours 32 minutes going up and 3 hours coming down (due to a reoccurrence of a knee problem which first started while descending Mount Kinabalu, making every step down painful).

A number of websites have described Gunung Angsi as the dirtiest mountain in Malaysia but today it was pretty clean and litter from inconsiderate climbers had largely been collected up.

This tree could have picked an easier place to take root. giant fungus

The path follows alongside a river for the first hour.

clean looking river The path crosses the river twice.

I underestimated this little mountain. It was one of the sweatier pieces of jungle that I have experienced and as usual I had a problem with my specs steaming up. Thankfully I had brought sufficient water because it could have been very dehydrating. The final hour of ascent was steep and in one place I had to pull myself up on the ropes which the park authority had fixed in place. Luckily I had my strong 19 year old son with me to give me a hand over the tricky bits.

ropes needed gunung angsi 009

We appeared to be the only hikers on the mountain today, it being a working and school day. I prefer it when somebody has been on the path earlier in the day to clear all the spiders’ webs which have been spun overnight. Needless to say I got coated in spider silk several times. My son found leeches sucking blood from his ankles before too long, despite him wearing thick socks and proper boots. That’s nature for you.

The view from the top was unspectacular but satisfying all the same. When my knee has recovered I shall take on another of Malaysia’s mini-mountains.

It seems a lot higher.view from the summit of gunung angsi