Prelude
Gunung Alai, located near Gerik, Perak, is known for its stunning sea of clouds, making it a popular destination for hikers and nature enthusiasts. I have been hearing about this for quite some times and recently I have made it to hike this mountain. My wife happened to have an event at Ipoh, from where we can travel to the trail head at a shorter distance as compared if we drove from Kuala Lumpur.
We departed from Ipoh after 6pm. We have our dinner at Sungai Perak highway stop (R&R) and arrived in Gerik about 10pm. Since we should be at the peak early morning before the sunrise to enjoy the clouds scenery, we decide to have a rest there before continue to the trail head, which actually located at Kampung Alai. We didn’t book a rest house, instead we took a nap at the local bus hub carpark after we bought some supplies at convenient store there.
While it’s a way to save on costs, it’s definitely not a comfortable one. I should advise late comer to book a hotel or homestay at Gerik, where you can have a proper rest before start the hike. More important, a place to enjoy a good shower after the overnight hike! We realized we should do so when started to drive back from the trail head.
At midnight, we departed from Gerik and head on to Kampung Alai. The journey took about 30 minutes. We parked our car nearby the trail head, stretched and warm up our bodies, grabbed some snacks and put on our hiking gears. At 1.20am, we started our hike.
Going Up
Most photos were taken in reversed order on descending.
Kampung Alai is located almost in the middle of Gerik and Pengkalan Hulu. The latter is very near to Baling, which is the destination for Gunung Baling – another great hiking point!
Hiking in the dark is both thrilling and challenging specially it is a trail we never hike before. The early morning hours provide a cool and tranquil atmosphere, and the darkness adds a sense of adventure to the trek. We maintained steady pace at moderate speed as we have amble time to reach the summit.
Bring headlamp that can last for at least 3 hours, specially if you plan a slow and steady pace. Besides, you may need light source at the peak depends on activities you wish to do.
The trail begins as small unpaved road passing through orchards. It then soon goes gradually uphill. We passed by a small rubber estate, then we can heard stream of water close to us. The trail is well-defined, so even there’s no signboard or markings, experience hikers won’t doubt they are on the right path. The trail gradually becomes steeper and we began to see ropes at the trail side for hikers’ assistance. After about 40 minutes, we reached the first check point, CP1. It is a clear space with simple benches made by small trunks. We didn’t make a stop here as we were still fresh. We take some water and continue our journey.
Trail conditions are muddy and slippery plus steep, so hiking poles are strongly recommended!
Very soon after CP1, the trail become steeper and steeper. The real challenges have began. From there all the way to the peak, the trail is at least 45 degrees incline, only short sections before and after CP2 there are some flat grounds. We have to take a break just before CP3 (we didn’t realize it was juts another 5 minutes away) to catch up our breath and be re-hydrated. At CP3, there’s a huge tree at the middle of open space where the locals put on the “CP3” signboard. We amazed at the tree and that help relief our sore a bit.
It feels like starting as Wawasan trails then turned into Gunung Datuk’s non-stop ascend, that kind of difficulty level. It is strenuous, so bring snacks for re-energize and sufficient water to regain from losses.
At the Peak
After a rather short and the steepest section upon CP3, we reached the peak. Exactly 2 hours after we started. We feel happy and satisfactory when we saw the campsite, the peak signboard and our national flag gently waving in the morning breeze. Hiking often presents physical and mental challenges, but those moments of amazement and the sense of accomplishment when reaching the summit make it all worth it.
It was still dark but we already can see some clouds formation looking outward from the peak. We turned off our head lamps as the light beams seems destroy the serenity and tranquility of the surrounding. With the help of little glimpse of light from the waning crescent, we settled down at the campsite on our mat and had our supper. Then under the orchestra of insects buzzing, chirping and squeaking, we took a rest.
We woke up after 5.30am, partially due the cold. We were lucky to have sufficient clothing on. The sky was then brighter and we were able to walk around the campsite without our headlamp on. We soon started to choose our perfect shooting angle. I setup my tripod and have my camera ready, while my wife already taking selfie around. It soon became bright enough for me to shoot properly. The clouds gathered and became thicker, covered all the low lands, left only the two mountain peaks, Gunung Kerunai and Gunung Kenderong (the taller), in front of us. Only the tips of their peak can be seen above the clouds, like two island in the middle of the sea. The scene reminded me of the “Lonely Mountain” in the movie “Hobbits”. What a magical moment!
It can be quite cold at the peak. When your clothes were wet soaked into sweat, change them to keep your body dry. Prepare a mat thick enough to insulate from the cold ground. Emergency blanket can be useful.
We took a few good shots. However the recently worsen haze condition and lack of sunlight have disallowed me to get tact sharp pictures for the mountains. They only can be seen as shallow shadow and was a bit blurry. Despite this, the sea of clouds was no doubt one of the most stunning that I have seen. A power impression enough to make lasting memories in my head.
Coming Down
As soon as we finished our photo session, we packed and started to descend. Going down the same trail under daylight was easier. The steep descend proved to be demanding to our muscles and joints. I even fell down once as my pole failed to the slippery surface. Despite this, it was overall a pleasant journey. We returned to the trail head in 1 hour 40 minutes, which were significantly faster than our way up.
We headed back immediately to Gerik, pulled over at a petrol station and did our cleaning and changing. This was when we started to regret that we didn’t book a hotel. Then we were able to searched a good local restaurant selling Vietnamese cuisine. It is hidden in the new-village-like residential area, away from the main streets. My wife googled it and we made a right choice. Foods were nice and coffee was great. We ate like ravenous winter wolves and totally forgot to feed social media first. I should share this restaurant here without affiliate.
We dropped by the Lenggong Valley Archaeological Gallery. Unfortunately it was under renovation and only a small temporary exhibition room is opened to the public. We only manage to see the 13,000 years old Perak Man replica and some stone age tools. According to the guard, there is no idea when the work will be completed. So for those who wants to include this destination into your trip, check first before going. With some regret, we then continue our journey back to Kuala Lumpur.
Important
The hiking of Gunung Alai require permits and guide (Malim). Looking for the Perak forest department here to find out more. One may also get the information for social media groups. The fee isn’t much and well worth it for the guide services, heir efforts to maintain the clear and clean trail as well as those signage and facilities made for all the checkpoints.
