December 2016
Mum decided we would fill up our year end school holidays with hiking, yikes! She is totally against doing nothing in your free time- why on earth would some people waste their own time, she likes to say. The weekend after our initiation to hiking at Gunung Pulai, off we went to Kluang, 2 hours drive from JB for Gunung Lambak.
She chose Lambak because she wanted us to actually hike in a jungle. It was supposed to be a gentle jungle trek with the peak only at 510 metres. Hohoho! Understatement, indeed.😊
The beginning of the trek is easily identified using the Waze app. It is exactly beside a waterpark but was no longer in operation when we got there. The cemented path ended quickly at a makeshift garden and continued to a steep climb. I think mum was suprised to see that it was not exactly a walk in the magical forest.
Not only is the climb up steep but you have numerous big roots to manage. Previous hikers had tied up some ropes between trees to help you pull yourself up. We sure had fun! After half hour of steep hiking, we got to a Y junction and the big map signboard as the mountain has two peaks. We chose the right fork and came to a rest area. There is a tea tent managed by a local uncle and water supply.
We were told to hike up the path on the right to the peak. There is a path over the left side that has big boulders apparently too hard for kids like us. Hmmm…. The second part up Gunung Lambak turned out to be less stressful than the first part. After about one hour, we reached the top of the mountain , yay! Not that you get a brilliant view. Still, the high you get from accomplishing a hard task is super sweet!
Also at the peak, is a pole for climbers to monkey around? Feel better about the meh view? Take your pick but we put it to good use. You can see some view of the surrounding towns standing at the top.
As a training ground, Lambak is excellent. It was adequately hard without you feeling meh or ‘ohmygidwhenwillthisend’.
Logistics:
Gunung Lambak is an easy drive from JB. Just key in Hutan Rekreasi Gunung Lambak on Waze app for exact direction to the beginning of the trek. There are drinks and snacks stalls by the roadside. Parking is ample. We started trekking after midday prayers and arrived back well before dark. As usual, bring some water with you. We took two big bottles for the four of us.
The trek is clear. We did not once felt like we did not know where to go. No guide whatsover necessary. Lots of fellow hikers on the way and at the top that Saturday. Clearly a favourite exercise spot for locals. The hike from parking to parking is three hours including the time we mucked around at the top.
Post script:
In reference to other hikes we have been to, Gunung Lambak is an easier hike in technical and distance than Hutan Pelajaran, Gunung Pulai Johor. The Gunung Datuk trek felt similar to Lambak, only much longer. Gunung Angsi felt a lot flatter compared to Lambak except the beginning of Bukit Putus track. Angsi is probably the easiest hike so far because it is mainly walking.
undersixtravelfree 