Adventures at new hike site

It was my first trip to Bukit Besi, accessed by way of Alam Damai, Cheras. Getting there via a drop pin locator was relatively simple. After parking, we started our exploration of this new hike site from a tarred road at the junction of Persiaran Alam Damai and Jalan Alam Damai.

The short tarred road ended at the second water tank. From there we took a right, walking on bare red soil flanked by low bushes and scattered grass. Out in the open, the winding path led upwards via a series of steps cut into the hillside for easy climbing, bringing us to a plateau with a fantastic view of Kuala Lumpur to the north. Looming ahead was a steep forest hillside that would take us to the summit of Bukit Besi.

Under the blazing hot sun at 3pm with no tree cover, we only stopped long enough for some scenic shots before moving on. We pushed on up more steep steps, gaining elevation rapidly, in search of shaded trails. The last stretch had ropes strung along steel rods bolted into the ground as additional handholds.

Facing more north east at 250m, the next barren plateau is even bigger, offering an overlook with wide views. At the northern tip, a makeshift living room furnished with tables and armchairs (wooden frame only), allows tired hikers to view the even more spectacular KL skyline in comfort.

Beyond the plateau, we finally entered the forest when the path disappeared into an overgrown bush. Regular hikers likened it to the large rabbit-hole in Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. It was magically cool.

Coming into the shade after 20 minutes under the sun, we could feel the change in temperature immediately. It was like stepping from an oven into a bathtub filled with ice cubes.

Here, the path spilt into two. We chanced upon a regular hiker coming up from the right fork, who confirmed that both trails will get us to the summit. The right trail is more challenging as it goes down, before making its way up again. We went right, of course!

In the forest, the red soil gave way to fertile black ground, which can get slippery and muddy when it rains. Going down, we held onto tree trunks that line the narrow trail as the incline was fairly steep.

The trail took us deeper into the forest, dropping to 130m before changing direction. The even more vertical ascent was a challenging 150m uphill that took all of 30 minutes. Midway, we came across a bouquet-like cluster of giant gypsy mushrooms. The mushroom cap was the size of dinner plates!

At the summit, we ended our hike at the communications tower. Making my way on the sloping, narrow ledge, I was torn between keeping my eyes on the ground and the very distracting panoramic view from 291m.

After a short rest, we started making our way down, passing a mini-gym. This rest stop is fitted with table, benches and weights sheltered under a tarpaulin while three hammocks sway lazily under the trees.

Moving at a leisurely pace, the return trip was straight forward and without incident. Once we emerged from the cover of trees, the beautiful vista unfolded again, all the way down to the lower plateau. With the sun less intense, we lingered at the middle plateau to capture these breath taking views. Visibility was good, after two days of rain earlier in the week.