During the recent Aidilfitri holidays, we made a plan to hike Broga Hill after a few unsuccessful attempts to make this outdoor adventure a reality.
We went with two other families – who have school-going children – and friends. One of them who has been there be the guide.
The hill is located near Semenyih town and it’s about 5 minutes’ drive from there. The entrance to the hill is before Broga town if you’re coming from Semenyih.
To reach Broga Hill from Kuala Lumpur, it takes about 45-60 minutes by car depending where you live.
Broga Hill, as I was told, is a popular hiking place and it’s better to go there early as it can get very hot as the sun rises because the hill is without trees.
We decided to reach the foothill at 6.30am. You have to go even earlier if you want to catch the sunrise, perhaps 5am?
As we reached the foot of Broga Hill, I was shocked to see many cars parked along the road leading to the entrance of the hill – as well as many cars parked in the oil palm plantation in which hikers need to go through to reach the trail.
Washroom facilities are provided at the entrance at premium price: RM1/entry. However car park is reasonable which is RM2/entry. Free parking is available along the road but not advisable.
The first part of the hiking leads you through a secondary forest with mud trails. After which, you will reach the first peak and there are no trees covering the hill. The “bald” situation is the reason that makes the hill hot during late morning or afternoon.
If you keep walking, you will reach the second and third peaks. The highest being the third. Right before reaching the highest peak, a hiker needs to climb up a boulder with the help of a rope which is already there.
We were hesitating whether we wanted to climb to the highest peak with young children tagging along. We decided to give it a try since we had a few adults who were readily to lend the kids a helping hand.
In the end, every kid but one made it to the top after the challenging final climb on the boulders. We should give ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.
On the way down, only then did we find out there’s an alternative trail to bypass the big boulders before the highest peak. Even though it’s slightly longer but it’s safer and it’s perfect for the faint-hearted.
For an average hiker, you need one hour to reach the highest peak which is 400m above sea levels. That means it takes you 2 hours for a round trip.
In our case, the six children that came along, they were the ones who hiked faster than the adults.
You may ask, “Why bother hiking up a hill while you can sip a cup of soda at home while watching TV?”
It’s the view you enjoy while you are up there. It’s the reconnection with Mother Nature. It’s the moving of your butt and the workout. It’s the good feeling after the adrenalin pumping hike.
And of course, the lure of good food in Broga town. Unfortunately, for some reason, we didn’t have the chance to taste the famous grilled fish in Broga. But we settled for a much simpler brunch which took us 2 hours to finish due to long queue.
Why so long?
Because Broga town is filled with tourists and hikers to the brim, especially on weekends.
If you have more time to spare, make a trip to Sak Dato Temple (石哪督公庙) in Broga. It boasts a hanging bridge and a huge statue of Sun Wu Kong – the Monkey King. I advise you to go there not in the heat of afternoon unless you want to have your body tanned.
Though it was a tiring trip but it’s worth the early wake up and the feeling was awesome after you successfully conquered Broga Hill – though it’s nothing when you compare it with nearby hills like Bukit Gasing or Bukit Saga – as one of my friends told me later.
