Hill full of durains in Kemensah Valley, Bukit Pau

Bukit Pau 272m, nestled in the city's boundaries, about 10 minutes from the pull-off at Zoo Negara, is a little haven for nature seekers, with abundant wildlife and fruit trees, with the iconic quartz ridge in the background and glimpse of the Klang gates dam. #kemensahhikes

Starting point: At the shoulder of Jalan Tiara Kemensah 3

Hike Duration: Allow around 5hours to 6 hours

End Hike: Backtrack, there is a loop at Bukit Pau

Distance : 9-10km

Hike Difficulty: EASY and suitable for children above 5

Scenery Rewards: views of the Kuala Lumpur, Kemensah valley, Quartz Ridge, Klang Gates Dam

Note: There are another parking point at the ATV side, but they charge 10rm per car as of June 2023.

What to bring

1. Basic first aid stuff such as disinfectant, ankle guard in case you sprain your ankle, band-aid.

2. Walking stick is optional

3. Raincoat and Poncho

4. At least 2l of water, snack! It is hot as most parts are trekking on ATV trail

5. Change of clothes, can have a dip at the waterfall by the carpark

6. Good pair of hiking shoes

7. Check the weather forecast

8. Cap

9. Umbrella

Note: the hike is long and hot with not much canopy at parts, start early!

Carpark to Kebun Che Mah (30-45 minutes)

We arrived around 7.30am at the residence parking. On a Saturday morning in mid June, the area was full with hopeful hikers, waiting to taste the seasonal king of fruits at the orchards in Bukit Pau!

The trailhead to the orchard is a laterite dirt road that starts with a steep ascent for about 100m before it eases. Not much of canopy here, so it is best to start early!

First cross road after about 150m, head right onto the trail, until you reach the gate of Kebun Che Mah. The trail is a moderate trail uphill, perfect for jogging! #kemensahbukitpau

Take right to head to the orchard and Bukit Pau

If all negotiation fails, make sure you e-wallet, if you do not have cash on you!

Note: If you are proceeding to Bukit Pau and if you do not have any cash at hand, it is worth haggling with the gate keeper and inform him that your final destination is Bukit Pau. Some hikers managed to enter without paying the entrance fee of 3rm. It is worth a try! Apparently weekday charges is 5rm per pax!

This is a pretty lookout point of the Kuala Lumpur skyline at Kebun Che Mah. On the weekends, they offer some local fare, al fresco dinning in the surroundings of nature! In the hut there are few exhibits of the crystals rocks that have been found around the area beneath the Gombak Selangor quartz ridge. #kemensahdurian

Still no money... take the trail up the VIPER sign, just head straight at the fork, you'll miss the toll charges!

If you take this trail, at the rock formation, there is a trail that heads left to Bukit Batu Chondong. The area is actually closed but a short 15minute climb will reward you with a sea of clouds and the Klang Gates damn beneath your feet. Backtrack after the lookout point and do not venture beyond the lookout point, as it is forbidden!?

Quartz, a natural mineral with chemical composition of silicon dioxide (SiO2)

Kebun Che Mah to Bukit Pau (20-30 minutes)

The trail to Bukit Pau and to Dusun Tok Lee is straight forward. Slightly narrow, and undulating, with tree cover, the terrain is sandy with red clay at parts and hardly muddy during the dry season. At the T-junction take the right if you are heading to Dusun Tok Lee. The left will bring you to the Klang gates dam (at some point need to turn right to the lake)

Take left at the gate to head to Bukit Pau, Tok Lee orchard and Klang gates

The trail shrinks and quickly filled with the orchestra of chirping birds and wood knocking beat of the woodpecker

We took the right turn towards the orchard, and Bukit Pau. We passed bamboo groves on the left as the trail descends to a clearing to reveal the rolling hills of Bukit Pau and the Kemensah Valley. We missed the sunrise but the views were nothing less than spectacular!

You could go to the dam first but the durians run out fast especially in the weekend

Bukit Pau is a loop, you could take left or right from the clearing and it will arrive back to the same point

We made a right, down the hilly slope, with steep and abrupt ascents and descents. The trail is flanked on both sides with all sorts of fruit trees, mangosteens, durian, sour sop, rambutans and more durian trees! At some parts of the trail, there are durian branches overhead and it is wise to practice caution- especially during the windy days!

There were durian fruits on almost every durian tree and it was just a feast to the eyes and nose to experience these trees in fruiting peak! Apparently this year 2023 is a bumper year for the durian, but not the same for the mangosteen!

Tok Lee orchard offers breakfast, drinks and seasonal fruits during weekends

The group of us were all city dwellers and we were absolutely psyched to see so much fruits laden on every tree! There was a long queue by the time we arrived at Tok Lee orchard. Hikers were in queue for the morning breakfast "nasi lemak" or "mee goreng" with "quill-eggs sambal" that was spicy and delicious! And it is always never too early to wash down your breakfast with durian of the season! There were baskets full of the fruit, just harvested in the morning and every table were devouring the fruit, as if in competition! I have never seen such frenzy and love that people have for a fruit, but Malaysians really do!

Petai (stinky beans) are starting to fruit too

So much joy to see so many thorny fruits on one tree!

Takes about a month for these guys to turn a deep purple!

Bukit Pau 272m is not your highest mountain but it was incredibly fruitful!

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RETURN

We made the loop around Bukit Pau and trek back to the canopy area and although we had hoped to trek to the Klang Gates dam, but the weather was getting hot so we decided to trek out! We managed to clock about 9km and total ascend of appx 480m! It was a satisfactory workout, although we might have eaten more than we have burnt on this hike!

There are many places where you could drop in for lunch. If you are craving for a BBQ lunch on the river, head to BBQ Lamb just before the Zoo on the way out. However, we were craving for some beggar's chicken. Only 3 places in Selangor cook their beggar's chicken with clay and bake them. Their chicken are reared behind their house and they don't make many, therefore try to be here early! It takes 6 hours to bake them! They do have duck variety too but may need to make booking in advance.

Reflections

Kemensah, seamlessly merges with the urban landscape of KL but when inside the forest, it does feel like one has been teleported into a rural village lost in time. It was such an educational and fruitful trip we had at the orchards!

The Gombak Quartz ridge, aka the dragon's back!

Date visited: 17th June 2023