Mount Belumut, standing at 1,010 m, is the second tallest mountain in the state of Johor, after Mount Ophir (1,276 m). It is located about 30 km east of Kluang town. Mount Lambak, standing at 510 m, is a favourite nature hangout among the locals of Kluang. It is located only 5 km from the town centre. We organised a 2D1N “gunung trip” to Kluang, with the plan to climb Mount Belumut on the first day and Mount Lambak on the second day.
Day 1 – Mount Belumut
Sequence of Events
6:45 am – Boarded a chartered minibus for Kluang from the car park beside Lavender MRT Station.
8:30 am – Reached Rail Hotel in Kluang to deposit some of our belongings which we did not want to carry up the mountain. Had breakfast at Rail Hotel Cafe.
9:15 am – Boarded the minibus to the police station to register for the climb. Unfortunately, we went to the wrong police station and were unable to complete the registratio.
10:00 am – Reached the park ranger office at the base of Mount Belumut.
11:00 am – Started the climb after some delay due to administrative formalities.
2:30 pm – Reached the summit. Rested for about 30 minutes.
3:00 pm – Started the descent.
6:00 pm – Reached the base of Mount Belumut and washed up.
7:00 pm – Boarded a minibus back to Rail Hotel.
7:30 pm – Reached Rail Hotel. Had a quick shower.
8:15 pm – Sumptuous dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.
The Climb
The park ranger office is located beside an oil palm plantation. We had to drive along a long stretch of plantation road to reach it. According to online sources, all climbers were required to register at Kg Gajah Police Station before the climb. A nominal roll of climbers, complete with the police stamp, would serve as the climbing permit, which had to be submitted to the park ranger before starting the climb.
En route to Mount Belumut, our driver dropped us at a police station to get the paperwork done. Alas, it turned out to be the wrong police station, and we were unable to obtain the permit. Nonetheless, we decided to carry on towards Mount Belumut and try our luck. We later learned that Kg Gajah Police Station was actually located along the road between Kluang town and Mount Belumut.
It was already 10 am by the time we reached the park ranger office. The office was manned by a lady guide who initially refused to allow us to climb because we did not possess a permit. After some negotiation, she agreed to let us proceed on the conditions that we joined another climbing group and turned back by 2 pm. Our group paid RM150 for the climbing fee and another RM100 for the guide to accompany us. We finally started our climb at 11 am, much later than originally planned.
There were many big, tall trees along the trail, noticeably more than what I had seen on Mount Ophir or Gunung Panti. The forest was quite impressive, with towering trees providing plenty of shade along the way.
In general, the climb was quite steep. There were sections where we had to climb on all fours to get ourselves up. Although the trail was not particularly technical, the continuous uphill climb was quite tiring.
Along the way, we passed Botak Hill, the so-called “False Summit”. It is an open area suitable for camping or taking a rest. Someone had drawn a big arrow on the ground to indicate the correct direction towards the summit. From the False Summit, it was another 15–20 minutes to the actual summit.
On the summit, there is a huge boulder known as Crown Rock. At 1,010 m, the mountain is high enough for us to see clouds at eye level, making the summit a pleasant place to rest after the long climb. Wildlife was difficult to spot along the trail, but there were many beautiful and interesting plants, including orchids and pitcher plants.
Interestingly, there have been reports of tiger sightings in the forests around Mount Belumut. Some hikers have even claimed to have heard tigers roaring in the area. Although we did not encounter any wildlife of this kind during our climb, the thought that tigers might be roaming somewhere in the dense forest certainly added an element of excitement to the hike. We had a quick lunch on the summit and rested for about 30 minutes before starting our descent at 3 pm. After that, we “chiong” all the way down to the base, which took us another three hours. By the time we reached the bottom, it was already 6 pm.
Interestingly, there was a warning sign at the base reminding visitors not to climb Gunung Belumut without a permit. After our earlier experience at the ranger office, the sign certainly caught our attention! We had arranged another chartered van from a different company to bring us back to Rail Hotel. After a quick shower, we headed out for a sumptuous dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant. It had been a long day, but we were glad to have completed the climb despite the initial hiccup with the climbing permit.
Day 2 – Mount Lambak
Sequence of Events
7:15 am – Breakfast at Rail Hotel Cafe.
7:45 am – Hired a taxi to Mount Lambak.
8:00 am – Reached the base of Mount Lambak and started the climb.
9:30 am – Reached the summit.
9:45 am – Started the descent.
11:00 am – Reached the base of Mount Lambak.
12:00 noon – Checked out of Rail Hotel and boarded the chartered minibus back to Singapore.
The Climb
We took a cab from Rail Hotel to the base of Mount Lambak. Unlike Mount Belumut, which is located some distance from Kluang town, Mount Lambak is very accessible and popular among the locals. At the entrance, there were some makeshift stalls selling Chinese kueh. The initial part of the trail was a cement road, crowded with locals taking their morning strolls and exercising.
Along the way, we came across an uncle, probably in his late fifties or sixties, clearing fallen leaves from the pathway using a huge dried leaf. He greeted us and asked where we came from. He did not look like a cleaner, and we gathered that he was simply a civic-minded member of the public who took it upon himself to help maintain the place. It was a simple gesture, but one that left an impression on me. Could you imagine what the world would be like if everyone took care of his or her own immediate community like this uncle?
The cement road ended at a communal tea house where volunteers provided free snacks and olive tea to visitors and hikers. According to the volunteers, there were many olive trees on the mountain. The olives were collected by the volunteers and used to prepare the tea. It was quite interesting to find such a place in the middle of a mountain trail. The tea house was not just a resting point for hikers but also reflected the strong community spirit among the locals.
Beyond the tea house, the cement pathway gave way to a forest trail. The climb became considerably steeper, with ropes installed along some sections to help climbers pull themselves up.
Although Mount Lambak is much lower than Mount Belumut, the forest trail is actually steeper in certain sections. The climb is shorter, but it can still be quite demanding, especially after having climbed Mount Belumut the previous day. We reached the summit at about 9:30 am, after climbing for one and a half hours. There is some flat ground on the summit where campers can pitch their tents for an overnight stay. We rested for about 15 minutes before making our way down. By 11 am, we were back at the base. We returned to Rail Hotel, checked out at noon and boarded our chartered minibus back to Singapore. This marked the end of our 2D1N gunung trip to Kluang.
Accommodation – Rail Hotel, Kluang
Rail Hotel is located near the railway station on the outskirts of Kluang town, about a five-minute drive from the town centre. The rooms were new, clean and comfortable, equipped with wall-mounted flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. There is also a cafe within the hotel which is popular among the locals, especially during breakfast time. The cafe serves local favourites such as nasi lemak, mee siam and toasted buns at reasonable prices. The cafe is also well known among the locals for its coffee. Overall, Rail Hotel was a convenient place to stay for our short gunung trip, with easy access to Kluang town and both mountains.
Final Thoughts
Mount Belumut and Mount Lambak offer two quite different hiking experiences. Mount Belumut is a longer climb through a forest with many towering trees, while Mount Lambak is a shorter but steeper climb and a popular recreational spot among the locals. What impressed me most about Mount Lambak was the community spirit, from the uncle voluntarily clearing fallen leaves along the trail to the volunteers providing free tea and snacks to hikers. Despite the hiccup with the climbing permit on the first day, we managed to complete both mountains as planned. For those looking for a short weekend gunung trip from Singapore, Kluang is certainly worth considering.