Gunung Jerai, Kedah

Gunung Jerai is the Malay name for Mount Jerai, one of the taller mountains in Kedah state in Northern Malaysia. While it may not be the tallest, its position on the coastline amidst the surrounding flat geography has made it stand out as a landmark in the area.

In fact, it is so striking, it has been even used by ancient mariners from India as a navigation marker from ancient times. Today, it can also be seen from as far away as Penang island, further south.

It is believed that in the past, sea-levels in the are were much higher, and that Gunung Jerai was once an island called Pulau Serai. The waters than receded and leaving it as a mountain emerging from the surrounding flatlands.

Gunung Jerai, as viewed from the coast.

Today there is a Forestry Museum and a hotel called The Regency, Jerai Hill Resort at the peak of the mountain. The road up the peak is drivable, starting from the north-eastern flank of the mountain.

At this point at Kaki Gunung Jerai, there is a museum called the Muzium Terusan Wan Mat Saman. From here it is about an 11km drive up the mountain to the hotel. The drive up is challenging, as the road is narrow and there are switchbacks. Not a problem for an experienced driver and you do not need a 4-WD vehicle, but may be a challenge for a novice.

On the way up, you will first come to the Forestry Museum, before finally arriving at the Resort. Be warned that there is very little parking up there, and can be quite congested if there are a lot of day trippers as they do not allow visitors into the resort and you have to park outside. At the time of our visit, there was a charge of RM4 to park there.

Walking into the resort, there are various accommodation options and there is a playground and swimming pool for hotel guests. There is also a small strawberry park. Besides that there is also a small cafe and the hotel restaurant of which visitors can also partake.

Map of The Regency, Jerai Hill Resort.

The main reason to visit is however, the View! This is indeed spectacular, as the resort faces northwards towards the surrounding rice paddies below as far as the eye can see. You can also see the coastline going all the way to the north.

A small island called Pulau Bunting lies of the coast, and it is linked by a white elephant bridge to the mainland. It is a white elephant as the island is uninhabited, and the bridge was built at enormous cost to connect to an uninhabited island. As of now, access to the bridge is also sealed off.

At 1217m from sea level, Gunung Jerai is thought to have once
been an island called Pulau Serai, before the sea retreated.

Stunning view of the coast and surrounding rice paddies.

There is not much else on the mountain itself. The road continues on from the resort to go up to the telecommunication tower at the peak, but essentially once you have visited the resort, it is time to drive back down.

On the western flank of Gunung Jerai there are three waterfalls, namely Seri Perigi, Titi Hayun and Batu Yan. The Puteri Mandi waterfall is a 3km hike from Titi Hayun.

Seri Perigi falls.

On the southern flank of Gunung Jerai is the Bujang Valley Archaeological Museum. Bujang Valley is believed to be a civilisation that dates back to at least 2,500 years ago. More than 50 tomb-temples, known locally as Candi, have been excavated in the Gunung Jerai area.

Also in the south is the Tupah recreational forest.

Last view of Gunung Jerai from the ricefields.

Gunung Jerai is an interesting drive for day trippers from Penang. Do bear in mind the limited parking up there, and there can be congestion if there are too many visitors at a time.

Langkawi Skycab, Kedah

Langkawi is known as the Jewel of Kedah, which is a north-western state in Peninsular Malaysia. Although, the Langkawi archipelago consists of 99 islands in the Andaman sea, most people will only visit the main big island of Langkawi itself.

Locally, Langkawi is known as a land of myths and legends. There are stories of Mahsuri, a pretty maiden who cursed the island for seven generations, the legend of the Pregnant Maiden and the Field of Burnt Rice. But our favourite story is that of the quarelling giants.

The story goes that there were once two Giants living on the island, Mat Raya and Mat Chinchang. The two were great friends, to the extent that their children became betrothed to wed. Unfortunately at the wedding reception, Mat Raya and Mat Chinchang got into an argument and began to quarrel.

Each grabbed items close to them and began to throw at each other. A pot of gravy was thrown and spilled on the ground. The place where it fell became known as Kuah (which means gravy in malay) and is today the main town on the island. A pitcher of hot water fell at Ayer Hangat (hot water in malay), where today you can find a hot spring. Lastly a jar fell at Belanga Pecah (broken crockery) and the handles or rings of a pot fell into Selat Cincin (Strait of Rings), the channel which separates Langkawi from Tarutao island in Thailand.

A third Giant, Mat Sawar, managed to stop the fight and mediate between the two warring giants. In remorse and anguish, they decided to atone for their mistake by being turned forever more into mountains. Mat Raya was turned into Gunung Raya, the tallest mountain in Langkawi today, and Mat Chinchang became Gunung Machinchang, the second tallest. Mat Sawar the mediator was also turned into a small hill between the two giants, to separate the two and guard the peace for eternity.

Today Gunung Machinchang stands guard in the heavily forested north-western corner of Langkawi island. The area was declared a UNESCO Global Geopark due its unique geo-diversity, with its exposed palaeozoic sedimentary rocks from the Cambrian to the Permian period. It also has great biodiversity in its flora and fauna.

For a long time, there was no way to get to the top of Gunung Machinchang, other than through an arduous trek through the jungle. Then in 2003, the Langkawi Cable Car was opened to the public, after 2 years of construction. With a total length of 2.2km, the cable car took you from its starting point at the Oriental Village in Burau Bay, up to the top of Gunung Machinchang in about 15 minutes.

The cable car is said to have one of the steepest inclines in the world, at 42 degrees between the base station to the middle station. It is also said to have the longest free span for a mono-cable car, at 950 metres. From the middle station, another span takes you up to the top station.

Today the entire operation is run by Panorama Langkawi, which has numerous other attractions in the Oriental Village, such as 3-D Trick Art, Time Travel, 6-D Cinemotion, ATV's and the like; but the main attraction is and will always be the Langkawi Skycabs.

You can either buy your tickets online through their website or queue up on site at the Oriental Village. Please note that the Skycabs do close for periodic maintenance from time to time, so make sure it is not closed at the time you chose to visit! It may also close in times of bad weather or high winds.

If you chose to buy on site, you can either opt for the normal queue or buy express lane tickets at higher price. There are also options for a glass floor gondola, private gondola and even a VIP gondola. The tickets also cover admission for some other attractions like the SkyDome, SkyRex and 3-D Art.

Once you have paid, you queue to get on your gondola and then off you go!

The Skycab takes you over old growth jungle.

Truly a wondrous sight to behold all this unspoilt greenery.

You also get a glimpse of the Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) waterfall.

Soon you come to the middle station where you dismount.

A wonderful view of Telaga Harbour, Pantai Kok & Burau Bay from the middle station.

You then take the cable car up to the Top Station from the middle station.

From the Top Station you can pay extra to take the Skyglide down to the Skybridge.

Alternatively you can chose to trek downhill to the Sky Bridge.

The skybridge is an impressive feat of engineering.

At the opposite end of the skybridge is a platform with an amazing view of the Machinchang range.

The jurassic park looking moutain range.

View of the Top Station from the Sky Bridge.

From the Top Station, you can climb up staircases to the topmost platforms.

There are two platforms on top of the mountain.

View of the Skybridge from the top platform.

The very scenic view of the surrounding jungles in the mist.

The Thai island of Koh Tarutao can be seen in the distance.

Last view of the Skybridge.

Langkawi is truly the Jewel of Kedah, a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea. And no visit to Langkawi is complete without going up the Skycab to the peak of Machinchang!


Panorama Langkawi Sdn Bhd

Address: Cable Car Station, Oriental Village, Burau Bay, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah.
Telephone: (604)-959 4225
E-Mail: info@panoramalangkawi.com
Operating Hours: 9:00am/9:30am/12 noon to 5:00pm/7:00pm

Durian Perangin Waterfall, Kedah

The beautiful island of Langkawi is blessed with blue seas, white sand beaches and emerald forests. And although it is not really noted for its waterfalls, it does have a trio which can make for a welcome break from seaside activities. These waterfalls may not be particularly impressive during the dry season, but come in the rainy months, and it is a very different story.

The most famous of the waterfalls is Telaga Tujuh, a.k.a. the Seven Wells, followed by the Temurun waterfall, both located in the Machinchang area. The third, lesser known waterfall is at Durian Perangin.

Durian Perangin falls.

Durian Perangin appears to be named after that famous thorny fruit, the Durian. Perhaps there are durian trees in the area, hence the name?  Located on the northern slopes at the base of the Gunung Raya, which is the tallest mountain in Langkawi, the access to the site is easy if you have your own transport. From the main town of Kuah, head north towards Tanjung Rhu on Route 112 (Jalan Ayer Hangat). After about 18km along this road, you will notice a signboard pointing to the left to Durian Perangin. Take the left and after about a further 2km you will reach the carpark of the falls.

Park your car here, and walk towards the entrance to the falls. There are a couple of stalls here, selling food or souvenirs and snacks.

Once passed these stalls, you will see a well-maintained park. Timber boardwalks, shelters and walkways line both sides of a fast flowing stream. 

Timber boardwalks and shelters line the bank of the stream.

A suspension bridge crosses the stream, which you can cross to get to the public toilets on the other side.

Suspension bridge.

Walking up the pathway along the stream is pleasant, as you hear the sounds of the fast flowing water rushing pass. The water here is shallow, and suitable for kids to take a dip.

The path ends at another bridge, which then loops back to the front on the other bank of the stream. Next to the bridge is another shelter. Both the bridge and shelter face a nice swimming hole which is fed by the first waterfall.

View of the first swimming hole from the 2nd Bridge. Note more steps leading upwards to the right.

On the right of this first swimming hole, you will notice steps leading up the hill. Up to this point, the walking has been easy. To climb up these steps would require a bit of fitness.

View of the first waterfall from the side.

As you climb up these steps, you will notice the waterfall gushing alongside the route. Appearances can be deceiving, the waterfall is much taller than it seems from below.

The waterfall hidden in the undergrowth.

The climb up the hill may require a few stops if you are particularly unfit, but otherwise it is not too difficult and the is clearly marked. It should not take too long to reach the top.

At the top, the river cascades over the rock to form the waterfall below.

Once the steps end, you will find yourself overlooking another pool, fed by another waterfall coming down from the top. This waterfall has a taller drop than the one below, and the pool is larger.

You can clamber down the rockface to get to the pool below. When we there on a normal weekday, there were only three other people around, and the whole setting was indeed calm, soothing and relaxing.

The 2nd waterfall and pool.

A nice place to relax and take in the environment. Our only regret is that we didn't bring our swimmers to jump in and take a dip in the cool mountain water.