What to do and see in Kuala Kubu Baharu, Selangor: The Best Things to do

Reviewed By csChai - Malaysia, null

My better half and I decided to go to Kuala Kubu Bharu, popularly known as KKB, about 70 km from Kuala Lumpur to hike Bukit Kutu after reading that hikers would be rewarded with a very beautiful view at its peak, 1053 metres above sea level. We left our hotel in KKB early in the morning and drove along the road leading to Fraser’s Hill (Route 55). About 20 minutes later and after passing by the Sungai Selangor Dam, we turned right into Kampung Pertak, an orang asli (indigenous people) village. It is about 5 km from KKB town. We drove along a tarred road in the village and when we reached a T junction, we turned right. At the end of the road, there was a boom gate where the orang asli collected RM1 per person, a very reasonable fee to pay for the upkeeping of the place. A short distance later, there was an open gravel area to park our cars. Although it was still very early when we arrived, the place was full. It was a long weekend and many people had taken the opportunity to camp along the river, Sungai Pertak, and some had hiked up Bukit Kutu at night to catch the sunrise at the peak. We started the 6.5 km hike to the peak by crossing a short steel suspension bridge over the river and a short distance later, we came to the second bridge. This second bridge was bent, slanted and half-submerged in the water, crossing it required extra care. Not long after that, we came to the third river crossing and there was no bridge there. We had to choose between taking off our shoes or wading across the river with them on, we chose the former to keep our feet dry for the long hike. This is considered the easier part of the hike as the trail was flat, clear and wide. After the third crossing of the river, the trail starts to ascend. We hiked along the soft and muddy trail as it had rained the night before. The trail was full of exposed tree roots forming steps and fallen bamboo plants. After about two hours of hiking, we came to a tall stone wall, it was an amazing sight, a great creation of Mother Nature. We learnt that it is called Batu Tedung (Cobra Rock), apparently with reference to the black and white parts of the huge rock and its shape. However, it was very sad to see lots of graffiti all over its wall. Pure vandalism! We continued our hike along the clearly visible trail and about an hour later we came to an open area with an old, tall brick chimney. There was a very small well in its vicinity but it was full of rubbish and plastic bottles although it was covered with a metal lid. We hiked up a short trail on the right to reach the peak. There were three big rock boulders on the peak with three aluminium ladders leaning against them. We climbed up and were rewarded with a clear and beautiful view. Extra care should be taken when going up the ladders and standing on the top boulder. It is certainly not recommended for those with a fear of heights. We descended to the chimney area and followed the trail behind it and after about 10 minutes, we arrived at the remnants of a colonial bungalow. After taking some photos, we hiked back to the chimney area and started our descent along the same trail. Hiking down proved to be more challenging for us because of the slippery tree roots that we had to step on. We managed to reach our car after about two hours. We had taken about three hours to reach the peak earlier. We washed ourselves in the clear and cool water and drove back to KKB for a very nice and reasonably priced chu-char (cook and fry) lunch at a small restaurant called Restoran New Sign located along the road just before reaching the town. The hike up Bukit Kutu is of moderate difficulty and can be done on a day-trip outing. To all hikers planning to climb Bukit Kutu, please get your permits from the Forestry Department in Rawang before doing the hike. On our way down, we were stopped by a team of rangers from the department who gave us a stern warning for doing so without the permits. Nevertheless, Bukit Kutu is definitely worth a hike for all outdoor enthusiasts. Happy Hiking !