 |
Climbing The Mountain |
| Height | 1276m AMSL |
| Location | Johor-Melaka border, West Malaysia |
Mt. Ophir is one of the most climbed mountain in Malaysia due to its accessibility, its moderately low altitude, and its challenging terrain. Located at the border of Johor and Melaka state, it can be climbed from either side of these two states. From Melaka, the trail starts at the Asahan village near a waterworks and is more straight forward and easier then from Johor side. The trail from Johor starts near the Sagil village beside a cascade of waterfall. It is a more challenging trek (ranked 6th most difficult in Malaysia) but is very popular among the climbers. Camp grounds are available for campers near the waterfall, and for holiday seekers, Gunung Ledang Resort is just right at the entrance.
There are of course, many ways to climb the mountain. The popular approaches are listed below:
- Trek up and descend by vehicle
-
This is an easier trek designed for beginners. The climb starts from Johor side early in the
morning around 7-8am, and after reaching the summit, you take a short trek to the second summit
where the telecommunication tower is situated. There is a paved road leading down and you take the
vehicle from there. You will need to make prior arrangement with
Gunung Ledang Resort
for the vehicle before climbing up.
- Camp overnight
- This approach is preferred by trekkers who want to take a leisure trek or to enjoy the outdoor. The most common camp grounds are the ones at Kolam Gajah (Elephant Pool, also known as Square Pool), Sungai Segi Tiga, and Botak Hill. The trek to summit can be done the same day if you have sufficient time, or early next morning if you want to see the sunrise. Refer to this time table to help you plan your trek.
- Cross over
-
Here you are treking from one side of the mountain to the other side, and it can be
either from Johor to Melaka or vice versa. The more popular trek is the one starting from
Melaka, and you can do it eaither in one day or by camping over. For single day trek, people
would normally start at about 3am or earlier in the morning from Asahan to attempt to reach the
summit before sunrise. Head light or torch light is needed as you will be trekking in the dark.
This is one of the most popular way of climbing Mt Ophir at
Singapore Adventurers' Club (SAC)
. One of the difficulties for all trips starting from Asahan is that the trail head can be hard
to find unless you are familiar with the place.
- Day trek
- This is the favourite way among hardcore trekkers. The trek usually starts early in the morning around 7-8am from Johor side, and completes in the same day in 8 hours or less. If you are attempting it the first time, please note that you'll need to start early and trek at a moderately fast pace in order to return before sunset. It is also advisable to bring along a torch light or head light just in case you could not make it back on time.
Copyright © David Wong. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without prior permission from the author. To email me, remove the "_spamaway" from the following address: kalohimal_spamaway@yahoo.com.sg