Chamah

Facts

  • Elevation: 2,171 m (7,123 ft)
  • Prominence: 1,041 m
  • Ribu category: Tinggi Sedang
  • Province: Peninsular Malaysia
  • Malaysian state: Kelantan
  • Range: Banjaran Titiwangsa / Main Range
  • Google Earth: kml
  • Rating: 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (Bagged it? Be the first to rate it)
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  • Other names: none.

Bagging It!

From the trailhead at Pos Simpoh (820m) to Kampung Rekom (910m, an Orang Asli village) takes 4 hours, a further one hour via Kem Sungai Rekon (970m) and Kem Pakma (1,010m) to Kem Tengah (1,125m). From there it is a further 1.5 hr to Camp Tongkat Ali (1,260m), a further hour Anak Chamah (1,695m), and a further 2.5 hours via Kem Cinderella (1,725m) to Chamah summit, so in total around 10 hours one way.

The summit is in dense forest so views are limited. Most hikers spread the hike over three days, with 2 nights spent camping at Kampung Rekom.

The hike could be combined with Ulu Sepat, but you would need 5 or 6 days in total. The combination trail leads northwest from Kampung Rekom via Kem Sungai Peres (1,105m), Kem Maggi (1,440m) and Kem Sempadan (1,685m).

Trail Map

Peta Jalur Pendakian Gunung Chamah
For a high quality PDF version of this and other trail maps, please download from our Trail Maps page.

Local Accommodation

Booking.com

Featured Guides

If you are a reliable local guide and would like to be featured on this page to increase your bookings, or a tourist who would like to support the development of a local guide business, please email danpquinn@gmail.com with the following information: Mountain name, guide name, guide location, guide contact details, and at least one English language review from a previous hiker who was pleased with the guiding services. An example is given below for reference. We have a maximum quota of 3 featured guides for each mountain page on the site. The fee for this is £20 (British pounds sterling, typically via the Wise app or PayPal) for a period of 1 year and helps to pay towards the ongoing development of the Gunung Bagging project.

  • Name and location: Pak Budi, Surabaya, East Java.
  • Contact details: +62812xxxxxxxx, budi@gmail.com, https://www.instagram.com/budi_mountain_guide/ 
  • Review from previous client: “Budi was a brilliant guide for our September 2023 trek up Gunung X and I would definitely recommend him to other tourists“, John, USA.

Practicalities

  • Getting there: From Kuala Betis, take a 4WD to Sungai Simpoh (3-4 hours depending on the road condition).
  • Trip planning assistance: Would you like Gunung Bagging to personally help you in arranging your whole trip? Please contact us here.
  • Permits: Register at Gua Musang Police Station. You can register and pay for an e-Permit online from the Forestry Department of Malaysia website.
  • Water sources: At almost all of the camp spots, notably not at Kem Cinderella.

Local Average Monthly Rainfall
Average precipitation (rain/snow) in Penang, Malaysia

Location

2 thoughts on “Chamah”

  1. As seems to be common in Malaysia at present, our planned trip ended in failure due to unprofessional guides and poor communication.

    The original plan had been to hike Gunung Benum after Tahan, but the access road remains blocked, so we decided on Chamah after it appeared that Benum would be shut for a long time into the future from the Raub side.

    Our Benum guide who I had paid RM450 deposit to back in 2020 for a trip that never happened due to covid kindly sent RM300 of that as deposit to our Chamah guide, Arif Jamaluddin of Selangor. Perhaps he was expecting us to cancel after Tahan, but we didn’t so he decided to cancel 24 hours prior to the start of the hike, citing ‘urgent matter’. The urgent matter later turned out to be a forestry course – not really urgent, and incredibly poor manners.

    He did at least pass on contacts for 4WD and new guide, but couldn’t be bothered to give them our itinerary. I passed on a short trek up Gua Musang peak with 2 friends because I wanted to get some sleep before the Chamah trip, and I was still having to negotiate with the new contacts. Naturally the price had changed and it’s very interesting how the price never goes down, it always goes up.

    I was supposed to be sleeping ready for a 1am wakeup in Gua Musang but at 1030pm I was still negotiating. Nightmare – thanks a lot to Arif Jamaluddin for leaving us in the lurch for his ‘urgent matter’.

    Well, we drove over to Kuala Betis for 0130-0200 meeting at the mosque as planned. We waiting until 0230 and neither driver nor new guide showed up. There’s a police check on almost every road in and out of Gua Musang so they must have been confused with 3 foreigners driving back to the hotel in Gua Musang again. At 0350, the new guide – Poncho – sent a message saying he had fallen asleep but was waiting for us to call him. Perhaps he had no idea we do not have a Malaysian phone, so we just meet at the place and time as arranged, which he failed to do.

    He still wanted the trek to go ahead, but doing Chamah in 2 days with no sleep and all this stupid delay and poor planning and communication was looking unlikely. The trek is expensive due to the 4WD, so why bother unless you are sure you can make it by starting early.

    So, Chamah didn’t happen. I guess this happens a lot in Malaysia. In Indonesia you half expect a problem, but the guide prices are much lower. In Malaysia, you pay through the roof for a guide and sort out the ridiculous permit system weeks in advance only for the guide to cancel last minute and his replacement not show up at the designated time and place.

    Perhaps the Datok in Perak is right that something needs to be done. After all, our permit would have been invalid given that the name of the guide would be different. Basic tip for guides – when you take money and agree to be a guide for a trek, you need to stick to your word. Is it really so difficult to know that integrity is important?

    Chamah… perhaps I’ll do it with Ulu Sepat next year.

    1. Hi there. Myself Zaharim.
      Have read your writing & I only can recommend my friend who always organise this kind of trip,
      Ustaz Man, 01135667519.

      1. Camah & Sepat this comming 27 – 31 Ogos 23

      2. Tebu & Sarut, 16 & 17 Sept 23.

      Myself, too old for this kind of trip although I love it, because at one time, the jungle n the mountain is my baby.
      Now I only go for scuba.

      Anyway where are you from?

      Anything to clear your doubts, don’t hesitate to call me 0125166927

      Thanks.

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