West Malaysia, or Peninsular Malaysia (Semenanjung Malaysia), is the part of Malaysia which consists of the Malay peninsula and nearby islands. It includes the Malaysian states of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu. Given that so many of Peninsular Malaysia’s mountains lie on the border between two different states, we have decided to list them together on a single page.

Although generally more densely-populated and not as wild as Malaysian Borneo, there are some serious, lengthy and wonderful hikes here. At 2,187m, the highest peak is Mount Tahan and it takes around 7 days to complete the full traverse. Mount Korbu is the second-highest in Peninsular Malaysia and it is also the highest peak in the vast Titiwangsa mountain range which runs roughly north-south along much of the peninsula from the border with Thailand in the north.

One list of peaks here which is already known to local hikers is the G7, which consists of the 7 peaks overs 7,000 feet high (around 2,134m). These are Tahan, Korbu, Yong Belar, Chamah, Yong Yap, Ulu Sepat and finally Gunung Gayong (2,173m) which, less than two hours away, is essentially part of Gunung Korbu.

There is very little information at the moment on a few of the lesser-known peaks here, so it is hoped that this list will provide some incentive for Malaysian hikers to explore new areas, especially on the eastern side. You need to hand in a list of hikers at local police stations for many of this region’s peaks. Here is a template to use – be sure to complete the name of the mountain or conservation area. To those who haven’t explored the mountains of Indonesia, the options in Peninsular Malaysia seem incredible. But for those who are accustomed to Indonesia (and – to an extent – Malaysian Borneo), the perception will be different. Indeed, there are several down-sides to hiking in Peninsular Malaysia when compared to world-class Indonesia, Sarawak and Sabah, especially for solo travellers and small groups. These include the following points:

1. Guides are over-priced. It is not uncommon for a guide to ask for over RM300 for a day-hike which is over Rp1,000,000 – way more than double the standard price in Indonesia. They often say this price is for up to ten people, but in our view one guide is only sufficient for a team of 3 or 4 hikers. Johor is particularly bad in this respect, perhaps because they feel they can charge corporate Singapore prices for a simple hike in the forest – even as high as RM600 for a half-day hike. Single hikers and small groups really suffer, paying Western prices in a country where salaries and the cost of living are still relatively low. Sadly for Peninsular Malaysia, there are better hikes in Java for a tiny fraction of the price. However, if you can enlist the help of the often shy Orang Asli in rural areas then you will often get strong guides with great local knowledge at an affordable price, though they must be registered as guides within their state.
2. Many hiking trips have a minimum number of participants required. This makes life difficult for solo travellers or small groups who may not have enough friends who wish to join them (as if the overly-high guide costs weren’t enough). Many half-day hikes can be done without a guide, but unless you have GPS, compass and at least a couple of friends with you, do you really want to be hiking alone in what is technically tiger country?
3. There is no ‘ojek’ (motorbike taxi) culture in Peninsular Malaysia. Whereas buses usually leave on time (unlike in Indonesia), getting to remote areas can be expensive, especially if you are on your own, as you will need to hire a full car or taxi rather than simply jump on the back of a motorbike (the latter is ideal and affordable for solo travellers). Some trailheads require expensive 4WDs to reach.
4. Guides in this region often ask for some money in advance, usually in order to pay for permits (and take further profit from in the form of some kind of ‘management fee’). Unfortunately, this encourages cheats to take the money and disappear, as has happened to us! It’s a difficult situation, but one which the authorities could improve by simplifying the permit issues by having tickets available at the trailheads instead of obscure forestry offices or third parties. Thankfully, most forest areas are now covered by the Forestry Department of Malaysia website and online system where you can register your hike and pay for permits in advance – ideally at least 3 weeks ahead. Consider this before sending money to a guide. Hopefully more people will start using this online system instead of hiking without registering or paying extravagant prices for simple admin tasks.
5. As noted above, the awful ‘minimum number of participants’ rule in many areas such as Gunung Ophir/Ledang and Besar (Endau-Rompin) means that as a solo hiker you either pay several times the already high price to go for a hike with a guide. It also means the mountains are frequented by large groups who disturb local wildlife (high impact trekking). If anything, there should be a maximum number of participants and small groups encouraged in order to minimise the impact on wildlife. 

A Selection of Photos of Peninsular Malaysia’s Ribus

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Map of Peninsular Malaysia’s Ribus

Download these peaks as a kml file.

Statistics and Links to Peninsular Malaysia’s Ribus

Name	Elevation	Prominence	Ribu Category	State	Island
Tahan	2,187 m	2,140 m	Tinggi Sedang	Kelantan/Pahang	Eurasia
Korbu	2,183 m	1,993 m	Tinggi Sedang	Perak	Eurasia
Yong Belar	2,181 m	615 m	Spesial	Kelantan/Perak	Eurasia
Chamah	2,171 m	1,041 m	Tinggi Sedang	Kelantan	Eurasia
Yong Yap	2,168 m	638 m	Spesial	Kelantan/Perak	Eurasia
Ulu Sepat	2,161 m	775 m	Spesial	Kelantan/Perak	Eurasia
Batu Putih	2,130 m	974 m	Spesial	Perak	Eurasia
Irau (Malaysia)	2,110 m	668 m	Spesial	Perak/Pahang	Eurasia
Benum	2,107 m	1,950 m	Tinggi Sedang	Pahang	Eurasia
Gerah	2,103 m	917 m	Spesial	Perak	Eurasia
Liang	1,933 m	1,020 m	Kurang Tinggi	Perak/Pahang	Eurasia
Noring	1,889 m	794 m	Spesial	Kelantan	Eurasia
Bintang	1,862 m	1,566 m	Kurang Tinggi	Kedah/Perak	Eurasia
Semangkok	1,825 m	623 m	Spesial	Selangor/Pahang	Eurasia
Ulu Kali	1,772 m	910 m	Spesial	Selangor/Pahang	Eurasia
Rajah	1,687 m	527 m	Spesial	Selangor/Pahang	Eurasia
Bubu	1,657 m	1,494 m	Kurang Tinggi	Perak	Eurasia
Chemerong Peak	1,571 m	1,334 m	Kurang Tinggi	Terengganu	Eurasia
Rabong	1,538 m	980 m	Spesial	Kelantan	Eurasia
Ulu Titi Basah	1,533 m	1,059 m	Kurang Tinggi	Perak	Eurasia
Lawit Terengganu	1,519 m	1,292 m	Kurang Tinggi	Terengganu	Eurasia
Tapis	1,512 m	1,227 m	Kurang Tinggi	Pahang	Eurasia
Nuang	1,493 m	856 m	Spesial	Pahang/Selangor	Eurasia
Besar Hantu	1,462 m	714 m	Spesial	Pahang/Negeri Sembilan	Eurasia
Bukit Larut (Gunung Hijau)	1,448 m	892 m	Spesial	Perak	Eurasia
Bunga Buah	1,430 m	502 m	Spesial	Selangor	Eurasia
Ulu Bakar	1,391 m	1,029 m	Kurang Tinggi	Pahang	Eurasia
Ulu Soh	1,324 m	1,090 m	Kurang Tinggi	Perak	Eurasia
Ophir / Ledang	1,276 m	1,204 m	Kurang Tinggi	Johor	Eurasia
Bujang Melaka	1,234 m	1,083 m	Kurang Tinggi	Perak	Eurasia
Kenderong-Kerunai	1,223 m	903 m	Spesial	Perak	Eurasia
Jerai	1,217 m	1,184 m	Kurang Tinggi	Kedah	Eurasia
Telapak Buruk	1,193 m	790 m	Spesial	Negeri Sembilan	Eurasia
Bukit Kutu	1,070 m	302 m	Spesial	Selangor	Eurasia
Peninjau	1,058 m	966 m	Spesial	Perak	Eurasia
Kajang	1,038 m	1,038 m	Kurang Tinggi	Pahang	Tioman
Besar Endau-Rompin	1,036 m	986 m	Spesial	Pahang/Johor	Eurasia
Belumut	1,010 m	975 m	Spesial	Johor	Eurasia
Rembau	884 m	638 m	Spesial	Negeri Sembilan	Eurasia
Raya Langkawi	881 m	881 m	Spesial	Kedah	Langkawi
Western Hill	833 m	833 m	Spesial	Penang	Penang
Angsi	825 m	153 m	Spesial	Negeri Sembilan	Eurasia
Bukit Unyang	730 m	328 m	Spesial	Selangor	Eurasia
Pulai-Baling	620 m	519 m	Spesial	Kedah	Eurasia
Bukit Lagong	572 m	423 m	Spesial	Selangor	Eurasia