Two days before my hike to Gunung Tahan via Merapoh, I headed North to explore Gua Musang, mainly for Bukit Gua Musang hiking, and to hunt for food around the small town of Gua Musang.
Gua Musang is just North of Merapoh. So, instead of driving at midnight to climb Mount Tahan from Sungai Relau, I decided to stay in Gua Musang first and to take a half an hour drive to Mount Tahan on the climbing day. I booked a room at Rihla Hotel Dataran Tengah, which was strategically located for me to explore around Gua Musang town by foot.
While it is commonly known for the limestone caves easily spotted around Gua Musang, very few are aware of the fact that one can actually hike up to the peak of Bukit Gua Musang – the actual Gua Musang cave itself, that got its name from an interesting folklore.
Bukit Gua Musang Hiking Guide to the cave & peak
Climbing up to the top of Gua Musang involves more than just simple hiking. First, you have to locate the right entrance or starting point, and look for the correct trailhead. Second, you need to squeeze yourself into a tight cave’s opening, to enter the multi-chamber cave and not get lost in the cave. Last but not least, upon finding the cave’s exit on another side, you need to hike and climb to the peak of Bukit Gua Musang. Not only that, many climbers made a wrong turn in the cave during their return trip, because the exit point they entered is so narrow it’s easy to miss.
To aid your journey, I created the map below to guide you on your Gua Musang cave hiking adventure.
Special thanks to Mr Azam, a Gua Musang ecotourism pioneer from Foxtreme Adventure, who provided me with the directions before my solo hike to the peak. For a guided tour to Gua Musang hiking and caving, or other fun nature activities in Gua Musang, you can contact Mr Azam at +6013 320 8677.
Gua Musang Cave Hiking Map (open full size map here):
Entrance to Bukit Gua Musang Trailhead
The journey to the top of Bukit Gua Musang starts from Gua Musang’s old train station, which you can enter here.
Next, turn right and walk towards the end of the railway platform.
Then, just before the end of the platform, you will spot the entrance of a squatter settlement. This is also the entrance to the Bukit Gua Musang hiking and caving trail.
Take an opportunity here to snap some nice railway photos.
10.35am: Cross over the railroad to the entrance.
After entering the settlement, zigzag your way through the houses.
(+1)10.36am: Continue walking through the houses, you will then find the first sign of limestone rocks nearby. There is a stream to you right. Turn left at this rock towards the cave trailhead.
(+1)10.37am: Spot this sugar palm tree (locals call it pokok kabung) at the trailhead and start your hike to the cave.
Straight away, the path going uphill will be steep but short.
(+2)10.39am: There were two cat ladders here to aid your climb. It used to be just ropes.
(+2)10.41am: After the ladders, follow this flat trail with the cave wall to your right.
Gua Musang Cave Entrance
(+1)10.42am: Then, very soon you will reach the cave entrance, into Gua Musang.
Brace yourself and suck in your tummy, because the cave entrance is really narrow.
Yup, it is this tight, walking sideways with the cave walls touching my chest and my back.
Gua Musang Cave - 1st Chamber
(+3)10.45am: This is what you will see after coming out of the tight entrance. At this first chamber, take the cat ladder up to the second chamber.
Note: Before you move on, take a look at the back of the entrance and you will see this cave opening with rope leading up to the very slippery slope. That is a viewpoint but you can’t exit through there due to its height. Many visitors ended up climbing up there trying to find the exit, because they missed the ‘hidden’ narrow entrance where they used to come in.
So, remember it until you return in order to not get lost and confused.
Only at a certain angle close to the wall you can see the tight cave entrance/exit with light shining through.
Gua Musang Cave - 2nd Chamber
(+4)10.49am: After climbing up the cat ladder to the second cave chamber, there is a cave opening here where people usually take a rest.
The cave wall was full of graffiti here…
Looking at the ceiling and ground in the direction towards the main chamber.
Gua Musang Cave - Main Chamber
10.55am: After a short break, I continued walking into the dark main chamber of the cave.
A ghostly cave rock formation that reminded me of a character in a horror video game.
(+5)11am: According to the guide, there is one star fruit-shaped rock formation with a water source. I think this is the one, it had water dripping slowly from the cave ceiling.
Continue walking down into the main chamber. One tip was to follow this light-colored path, which was less slippery.
(+1)11.01am: Reaching the lowest part of the main chamber. From far it looked like a pond of water below, but it was actually dry land. After walking downward here, it will be an upward walk to the next cave exit.
(+4)11.05am: It’s always a relief to be able to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Gua Musang Cave Exit to Hiking Trail towards the Peak
11.13am: After taking a short break at the cave exit, I continued my journey to the top of Bukit Gua Musang. Here, you will find a long cat ladder, going up to the trail above the limestones.
(+2)11.15am: Here’s the view to the bottom after climbing up the limestones.
Continuing on with the trail, passing through low hanging branches and blades of limestones popping up from the ground.
A little bit of simple climbings are required on some parts.
Gua Musang Peak
(+13)11.28am: In about 15 minutes from the cave, I reached the peak of Bukit Gua Musang. To find the right direction when you reach the top, find the flagpole to reach the peak area.
The wide angle view of a part of Gua Musang town from the peak of Gua Musang Cave.
From the peak, you can see Masjid Razaleigh, which is built as a smaller replica of the Great Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram).
The formation of limestone karsts here made me think of a mini version of The Pinnacles of Mulu National Park.
12.18pm: After I was done with enjoying the peak, I headed back to the cave for the exit but with one last cave’s chamber to explore.
Gua Musang Cave - Wind Tunnel Chamber
(+11) 12.29pm: When heading back into the cave towards the entrance, the left side of the main chamber has an additional chamber to explore. It is called the Wind Tunnel Chamber and has a ladder going up to it.
One of the interest points here is the snake-shaped formation of the cave floor here. The other interesting phenomena is the reversed wind flow due to the cave’s structure. When standing near the cave opening, you could feel the wind blowing out of the cave, instead of blowing in.
The Wind Tunnel Chamber is a short one, you will see the cave’s opening right away.
There wasn’t much view from here but it was a good short section to explore.
On the way back, I found a pile of moth / butterfly wings. They are probably the remains of spiders’ food discarded from the webs above.
At 1pm, I safely exited the cave through the same narrow opening.
Back to the old railway platform.
Took a fun shot with an idle carriage before leaving the old train station.
Have this guide helped you? Tag @meowtainpeople in your hiking stories & posts!
More Gua Musang Attractions
After my hike, I took some detours while walking Southward back to my Gua Musang accommodation. Below are some points of interest and attractions of Gua Musang town:
Masjid Razaleigh
As mentioned before, Masjid Razaleigh was a newly built mosque that replicates the shapes and structures of Masjid al-Haram (Great Mosque of Mecca). As of March 2022, the mosque has yet to open for prayers.
From the side of the mosque, I get to see the nice almost-full-view of Bukit Gua Musang. You can see the obvious crack in the middle of the limestone hill. Folklore has it that a thunder struck the rock and nearly split it into two, with a huge pack of Musang (Civet Cats) running into the cave. You could also see a thin flagpole on the top, which is the Gua Musang peak that I summited.
Gua Musang Railway Station (New)
This is the operating Gua Musang Railway Station that replaced the old train station. Just like the old station, it also has the background of Bukit Gua Musang but from a different angle. This station is part of the intercity railroad that transports passengers between the states of Kelantan to Johor.
Masjid Buluh (Bamboo Mosque)
Located nearby the railway station is a unique mosque that is made out (not entirely) of bamboo, called Masjid Buluh. It is often the place of choice for Muslim travelers and locals to perform their prayers.
Around the mosque, you can see a few limestone hills or caves nearby, including Bukit Gua Musang.
Food Hunting around Gua Musang
I had Roti Canai London on the way to my accommodation before my hike to Bukit Gua Musang. After the hike, I went to Irdina Nasi Kukus for the best freshly fried village chicken I had, which is just a few minutes walk from the old train station.
There were more delicious food that I hunted down in Gua Musang and you can find them here: What to eat in Gua Musang
Furthermore, there are more activities to do in Gua Musang, such as water tubing, camping, rock climbing, and more caving! Do check out Foxtreme Adventure, a trusted partner for eco-tourism in Gua Musang, for your authentic Gua Musang adventures!
Have this guide helped you? Tag @meowtainpeople in your hiking stories & posts!
Affiliate Links to support this site:
Yay for transparency!: The links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a booking/purchase after clicking the links. I recommend only products and companies I use. Your support helps me keep the site going 🙂
Want to do the same affiliate marketing with your site? Use this AccessTrade platform link to receive RM5 reward.
*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*
Yay for transparency!: Some of the links here are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a booking. I recommend only products and companies I use. Your support helps me keep the site going 🙂
