Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve trail I bet not many of you know there’s a little forest reserve right smack in the middle of Puchong. Ayer Hitam forest reserve or some people call it Bukit Wawasan is situated near Bukit Puchong and Bandar Puteri Puchong. It’s a piece of land owned by UPM but they were generous enough to allow the public to hike and climb through it’s property. I’ve known about the forest reserve for a while now but for some reason haven’t got the urge to visit it until recently.
To get there you need to set your Waze to Hutam Simpan Ayer Hitam trail head. It’s pretty easy to find using GPS and a car. If you plan to go on weekends, come early cause the trail head will be crowded with cars parked everywhere. You can easily identify where the forest reserve is by following where the visitors are heading. It’s at the corner of the road and you can find some enterprising Bangladeshis opening a drink stall there. The first few hundred meters of the hike is already uphill but not so steep. Something along the line of Bukit Gasing and Broga but unlike Broga you don’t get any of its beautiful scenery here.
The hike is pretty straightforward and easy. The path is well-trodden and clear not to mention the large crowd walking on it every day. There’s a few junctions along the way but I bet they all lead to the peak or back to the starting point. You just follow the path and the crowd and pretty soon you’ll reach the peak or highest point of the reserve (at only 220 meters high). It’s just a little clearing surrounded by trees.
The way down is also very clear. The chances of you getting lost is pretty slim unless you hike at night and without any lights. Yes I’ve heard story and news of a few people getting lost in the forest reserve area but all of them were found safely by rescue parties afterwards. If you’re just starting out, make sure you don’t go alone and bring somebody slightly more experienced than you. Or if you really have to, follow the crowd. Do not hike alone late in the evening or on weekdays.
Somewhere in the forest reserve there’s a little hidden waterfall with crystal clear water flowing through it. It is off limits for the general public and the land owner is pretty strict about it. Once in a while their rangers while patrol the area and if you’re caught visiting the forbidden waterfall they will not hesitate to bring your to the nearest police station for trespassing. Do the sensible thing and stay away from that waterfall for everybody’s sake. UPM were kind enough to let people into their property, don’t abuse their trust or that privilege could someday be rescinded for all. If you really wanna visit a beautiful waterfall, there’s dozens of them at many hills around Klang Valley and mountains around Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Perak. Read my previous hiking posts to find out where they are.
Ayer Hitam forest reserve trail is a good place for hiking for beginners. It’s relatively easy and you can complete the entire trail in about 90 minutes. There’s not much scenery or breathtaking landscape to look at though but most people go there just to exercise or train for trail-running and stuff. As always bring enough water and wear proper hiking clothes.
No comments:
Post a Comment