Bukit Gasing Guide
Let’s start up our first blog with one of the most popular casual hiking spots in Malaysia, Bukit Gasing.
In general, Bukit Gasing is an easygoing hiking place, where you can find flat tarmac road leading to a wide park with a small stream for a relaxing day, but you can also walk through many of the different hiking trails, ranging from easy to moderate or slightly challenging.
On this day, I will guide you through a loop of trail that will reach all the highlights people usually want to see in Bukit Gasing, including the wooden platform, suspension bridge, killer stairs, abandoned houses, park area, steel bridge, and the telecommunication tower. This will be a fairly easy trail at the start, a little tiring at the Killer Stairs, and slightly more challenging hiking up to the tower/temple.
Before I start, I would like to thank and credit Ijam, for creating this very helpful trail map of Bukit Gasing, which you can find in his blog. He also contributed greatly by placing useful signage panels along the trails.
Bukit Gasing has so many different trails and splits that many find themselves getting lost and don’t know which way to go to the place they intended to go. If you find yourself getting lost, don’t worry, the paths are connected and eventually you will find a way out or someone to ask for direction, just that you would walk more than what you intended when you are lost, so make sure you bring enough water for this.
Below is my path that I am going to talk about, marked with directional arrows using the map created by Ijam.
*Please note that the time I used to complete the loop is by using a slow casual walking speed, including the time to take photos and some short breaks.
Bukit Gasing Quick Walkthrough
7.35am – Entering the arch
7.45am – Wooden platform
8.17am – Suspension bridge
8.24am – The Killer Stairs
8.28am – The “Peak”
8.54am – Abandoned houses
9.00am – Main park area
9.10am – Steel bridge
9.32am – Muslim cemetery
10.13am – Indian Temple & Telecommunication Tower
10.41am – Exit from the arch
Bukit Gasing Detailed Walkthrough
Entrance
7.35am: We entered through the main arch entrance. The parking around here would be problematic because it would get full of cars and there isn’t actually any legal parking spot around here. I like to park near Raju Restaurant to have a breakfast first, and then walk about 10 minutes to the Bukit Gasing entrance. You can also park and enter through other entrances which have proper parking space, such as the main tarmac entrance to the park at Bukit Kerinchi Forest Park (Lembah Pantai Community Centre entrance).
(+1)7.36am: Within a minute, you’ll reach the brick road with a stretch of “reflexology foot path” at the left side. A minute later, you’ll get back to the dirt road. At a point you’ll see a mini damaged bridge to the left, it is not advisable to use it until it is repaired. Continue straight ahead without crossing the bridge.
(+4)7.40am: You’ll reach the spilt road with a wooden gazebo on the right. Take the left path.
(+0)7.40am: Here is where you’ll see some signboards. Follow the direction to the left.
(+0)7.40am: It will start with a series of stairs. And then some flat dirt path.
Wooden Platform
(+5)7.45am: Very soon you’ll find the wooden platform on your left. There was once a watch tower here too but now it is only a base.
(+1)7.46am: Take light steps when you walk up the wooden platform because some of the wooden planks looked soft. From here you could have some good view.
This is the spot where it used to be the base of the watchtower.
After snapping a few photos, we continue our path and enter the trail right behind the wooden platform.
7.49am: A flat path.
(+3)7.52am: Soon you’ll reach a split. On the right, you’ll see a signage, “吊桥”, which means suspension bridge.
Follow this sign to the right.
(+1)7.53am: Very soon you’ll reach another split with this blue signboard on your left. Move over to the left side of this signboard and follow the direction of “JAMBATAN GANTUNG”, which again, means suspension bridge.
(+3)7.56am: After walking up some stairs, the path will be mostly flat and straightforward all the way to the suspension bridge, with a few parts of steeper ups and downs.
First, you will reach this map and welcome signboard. Just continue straight ahead to the left of these signboards.
(+5)8.01am: You’ll find the “Haiwan-Haiwan Di Bukit Gasing”(Animals in Bukit Gasing) signboard and a wooden gazebo on the way.
(+1)8.02am: Monkeys encountered along the way.
(+1)8.03am: You’ll find the next signboard on your left, “Labah-Labah”, showing some facts about bees. Continue straight ahead.
(+4)8.07am: You’ll reach the first rest stop with some benches here. Keep going straight (follow the blue arrow sign on the tree).
(+3)8.10am: You’ll then reach the second rest stop with benches. Again, continue straight ahead (keep left).
When you keep left, you will also see the path splitting here. Take the left path (follow the blue arrow sign to the suspension bridge). The right stairs is where you will return from taking a circle after crossing the suspension bridge, killer stairs and the peak.
(+4)8.14am: The last split path with a bench before the suspension bridge. Follow the blue arrow sign and keep to the right.
Bukit Gasing Suspension Bridge
(+3)8.17am: And here you are! The suspension bridge. Note: Following the signboard’s instruction, please make sure there is a 5 meter gap between you and the person in front when crossing the bridge.
Looking back to the suspension bridge after the crossing.
(+6)8.23am: After a few sections of stairs and flat paths. You’ll come across a long path of stairs going down. Once you’re at the bottom, it is the beginning of the infamous stretch of the Killer Stairs.
Bukit Gasing Killer Stairs
(+1)8.24am: The Killer Stairs – Look at all the exhausted hikers, you’ll know how it got its name…
Bukit Gasing Peak
(+4)8.28am: The end of killer stairs takes you to the “peak”, it’s not really considered a peak and there isn’t a peak view here. Most people will take a longer stop here after enduring the killer stairs.
The canopy opens up to the sky.
(+7)8.35am: When you done resting, continue the path down by following the blue arrow signage found at the peak.
(+6)8.41am: Eventually, you will reach back to the previous rest area with a bench and the split paths but this time you are coming down from the stairs from the other side. Here, take the path to the left (follow the red arrow signage).
(+4)8.45am: When you reach a split road with an open clearing with a tree in the middle, take the path to the right.
(+6)8.51am: It is mostly going downhill, from dirt road to a mini staircase.
Abandoned Houses in Bukit Gasing
(+3)8.54am: At the end of the downhill road, there is an abandoned house on your right. I actually walked past it without noticing the house being there until my friend told me about it because I was looking at the other abandoned house at the front.
(+1)8.55am: Here starts the split road with cement walkways. On the left it’s another abandoned house. A good place to make a horror movie in the dark haha.
(+1)8.56am: Take the left path where the abandoned house is.
(+3)8.59am: Continue straight when you see a path going right.
Main Park Area (Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi)
(+1)9.00am: You will then reach the main park area where families hang out together.
There are platforms for camping, BBQ, pitfire and roofed area.
A couple of smaller streams combined into a larger one here.
(+6)9.06am: Head over here after passing by the stream, up the stair toward the steel bridge.
Bukit Gasing Steel Bridge
(+4)9.10am: The Steel Bridge
(+4)9.14am: Walk across the steel bridge, and you’ll be at the main entrance to the park with parking spots.
(+4)9.18am: Walk to the parking area, you’ll see a metal staircase down to the other part of the park.
(+8)9.26am(we spent few minutes going to the other side to check out the road before coming back to our original path): Walk down the metal staircase, cross the field up to the tarmac road and head to the entrance/exit with the guard house.
(+2)9.28am: You’ll find a trail up from the back/side of the guardhouse. Head up there to reach the temple/telecommunication tower.
(+4)9.32am: Walking up you’ll notice that there is a Muslim cemetery on your left. One of the entrance/exit to the hiking trails is here.
(+3)9.35am: There is a path heading left at a point, just go straight/keep right.
+3)9.38am: After some point, you’ll have a stream on your left along the path. When you see a signage, follow the “Exit PJ/Temple” direction.
(+1)9.39am: You’ll then come upon a stream with three paths ahead after crossing it.
This bridge on the left brings you to an exit. Don’t cross this.
Face right and you’ll see two paths, take the left one (the middle one of the three paths).
(+3)9.42am: At the next split, take the left side heading slightly upward.
(+6)9.48am: At the junction or end of the road, turn right (I guess you could also turn left, which is the less common path heading up to the temple/tower).
(+1)9.49am: Follow the signage “Exit PJ/Temple”.
(+12)10.01am: The path will keep going uphill from here. Keep left all the way to the top.
Telecommunication Tower & Indian Temple
(+1)10.02am: Here is the base of the temple and tower. The left leads to a dead end. Go right and head toward the tower.
(+10) 10.12am: Some city view here. We took 10 minutes to rest and take pictures here.
(+1)10.13am: Walk all the way to the end and there will be a staircase. Head up to the temple area. Heading down will bring you to the tower but we will go around and use another way there.
(+1)10.14am: Once you’re up, you’ll have a wide angle view of the city. The left is the way to the Indian temple.
(+0)10.14am: Here you can also view the telecommunication tower.
(+3)10.17am: We didn’t manage to visit the Indian temple because someone was locking the gate out to the road so we rushed out before we are trapped there. Actually there is another way down which is the previous staircase down to the tower but we didn’t know about that.
(+3)10.20am: Walk down the wide tarmac road, there is a junction to the right with the TM signboard that takes you to the tower building.
(+2)10.22am: You get the building and tower view here.
Left side of the building. This is the staircase I mentioned just now (the path down if the gate at the temple is locked).
There were quite a few cats here around the building. Being Meowtain People we spent some time playing with the cats here 😛
(+10)10.32am: Head back to the junction and continue down the tarmac road. Pay attention to the right, very quickly you’ll see a small opening to the trail. Head back into the trail.
(+8)10.40am: From there, just take all the left path whenever there is a split, all the way to the wooden gazebo that you first encounter earlier.
(+1)10.41am: Continue straight anddd you’re at the arch, back to where you first enter Bukit Gasing.
Have this guide helped you? Tag @meowtainpeople in your hiking stories & posts!
(+11)11.02am: We walked to Raju Restaurant and celebrate our hike with Banana Leaf Rice and Teh Tarik. YUM!
Epilogue
I can see why people love to hike in Bukit Gasing because there are so many different trails to explore and to get lost. There are simple flat paths and challenging slopes. I often see runners speeding through the flat paths in Bukit Gasing and that should be fun. Another thing I like is you don’t really see any trash here even though there is a high volume of hikers here, way to go people!
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*Captain Planet passing by* Remember, please take care of our environment, and please don’t destroy the Nature. Leave no trash behind and take back only photos and memories (and also some trash if you can). Walk on the designated path and stay in the middle as much as you can, so that the exposed soil doesn’t spread/corrode further. BE ONE WITH NATURE *flies away*
Very detailed guideline for a new hiker, photos and guideline are clear enough to see.
Thanks a lot for the feedback, Feng Yuen!
I was a little worried that the information is too much 😀
Those are really great guidelines and sharings. Loved the clear explanation. Me and my friend got lost on one of the trail and it exhausted me so much …
I can’t wait to go back and hike again following your guidelines. Thank you so much !!!
You’re welcome, Lemonie! I’m glad you find the info helpful. Years ago I got lost in Bukit Gasing too, so I thought it’ll be good if I could provide a guide.
Sometimes it’s fun to get lost haha but you gotta bring extra water. Have fun hiking!
Thank you for the details guidelines. I haven’t been there. Plan to go tomorrow.
You’re welcome Shema! Hope you managed to have a nice trip there 😀
Hi, can i know did u saw the sun rise there?
And is it okay we go hiking early morning around 4:30am or 5am?
Hi Sharmilaa, I have yet to try catching sunrise in Bukit Gasing but I believe some spots such as the Temple/Telekom area would be a nice spot to view the sunrise. It’s okay to go early when it’s still dark, but do bring a light source. Also, it’s best to try out the trails on daytime to familiarize yourself with the directions first before trying to hike in the dark. You may also follow some other hikers who also show up as early as yourself. Enjoy! 😉
Okay…I would like to go on this route for my very first hiking with my 12year old daughter…I have gone through hundreds of websites and by far this is the best one! great guide lines details with pictures in case I GET LOST!! thanks for this.. I am going to keep this as a guide! <3
Glad to hear that Aani 😀
Hope you and your daughter enjoy the hike!
Where are the cats noww ???? Huhuhu
I hike here to see the cats but they were nowhere to be found 🙁
nice and very detail explanation. made me as BBNU hiker eager to try climb up this hill this weekend. hope u can share more about your hiking activities later.