Gunung Ledang (Mt Ophir) via Asahan trail

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Gunung Ledang or more commonly known as Mt Ophir for Singaporean is perhaps the most trekked mountain in Peninsula Malaysia. The great majority of the trekkers climbed up the mountain via the Sagil path where there is a resort at the entrance to the mountain. But few people had heard of the Asahan route up Mt Ophir and even fewer had been up Mt Ophir from that route. As a matter of fact, Asahan route is shorter than the Sagil route up the mountain.

One of the reasons why Asahan route is less popular is due to its inaccessibility as compared to the way through Sagil. But fortunately, the start of trek from Asahan route is easily accessible by most vehicles. By this may change in the future as there are some constructions going on near the starting point of the trek. One thing to note is that there is a signboard at the beginning of the trek that states that climbers up Asahan are not allowed to come down the mountain from the Sagil path. So transport back should be arranged to pick climbers up from Asahan trail unless you want to take the risk and go down by the Sagil path. For the first 400m of the trek, the road is still passable by vehicle and you may be able to get the cab driver bring you deeper to a small open path where the locals would park their vehicles when they visit the stream.

Other than the Asahan route being shorter, the trail is also generally cleaner than the Sagil route. Moreover, this trek is totally free from any entrance charge or climbing permit. The trail here is also “wilder” than that of Sagil path and it is sometimes possible to hear gibbons calling in the evening. Can be quite unnerving at times. There is also a very nice campsite which is about 1.5hrs away from the summit. The campsite is quite big and can easily hold about 10 tents although they may have to be located at different areas. There is a stream beside the campsite. Although the water level is too low to actually swim in, the water cascading down a large slope is definitely enjoyable.

For those who had been to Mt Ophir via the Sagil path many times and would like to try a different route up the mountain, the Asahan route is definitely recommended. Not only is it cleaner, the route is also more rugged and subjected less human pressure. This route is also shorter thus it is possible to finished the whole trek in two days if you set off from Singapore early in the first day.

Getting There

From Singapore to Segamat Bus Take a bus 170 from Singapore to Larkin terminal in Johor BahruTake an Express bus from Larkin to Segamat Bus service: CEPAT EKSPRES SDN. BHD. Bus timing : … 1030 hrs … Cost : Rm 10 per person Duration : 3 hr 15 min

From Segamat Interchange to Asahan Cab Cost : Rm 80 per cab Duration : 75 min According to a friend of mine, a better way is to take a bus from Larkin bus Interchange to Tangkak bus Interchange. From there, take a cab to Asahan starting point. Cost of cab is about Rm30 or Rm40

Trek Details

Duration(min) Description Instructions Remarks 00 Signboard which says that trekkers who go up ophir by Asahan is not allowed to descend via sagil. Go straight ahead 10 Y-Junction Turn right There is a stream on the left side of the road that runs parallel to it. 10 End of path beside river. Turn right up a steep slope 05 Sign board “Hutan Simpang Gunung Ledang” 50 Sign board “GLC 2” Along the way, there will be arrows, “GLC”, pointing towards the direction of travel 50 Ascend; Sign board “GLC 3” 60 Rock face There is a small path on the left side of the rock face. 10 Sign board “GLC 4” Turn right to campsite. Stream on right side of campsite facing the summit. Path to summit is behind sign board DAY 2 00 Path behind sign board 30 Descend by path on left side of big rock Summit can be seen 05 Ascending 25 Cliff face Climb up cliff face using ropes 25 Summit Please read Disclaimer, terms and conditions prior to using the data/information on the website.