The monsoon season can really be harsh as we typically saw rainfall almost every day for the past three months.
If you’ve been keeping up with the news, mother nature has not been too kind to us as the monsoon season caused a landslide at Batang Kali last month, killing a total of 31 people.
Read: Batang Kali Landslide Claims The Lives Of 16 People And 22 People Remain Missing
But before the incident, the Selangor State Forestry Department (JPNS) issued a notice to all hikers as they have halted all hiking activities due to the dangers of the monsoon season on 1 November 2022.
Fast forwarding 3 months later, JPNS announced the reopening of hiking and climbing activities in the state. Outdoor lovers can finally plan out their weekend trips as the state will be opening all activities starting 1 February.
The re-opening includes hiking trails that cover six Eco Forest Parks and hiking trails in the Hulu Selangor Forest, Central Selangor Forest and Klang Beach Forest.
Hikers Will Require A Permit from JPNS
One thing that all hikers will need to note is that when wanting to hike at specific locations around Selangor, they will be required to apply for a permit at the nearest forest district office. Aside from a permit, it is now compulsory for hikers to use the service of guides starting on the same date.
Here’s the address for the Forest District Offices:
1) Central Selangor Forest Office
Address: VG-3, You Vista, Jalan You City, 43200 Cheras, Selangor
Phone Number: 03-90816054
2) Hulu Selangor Forest Office
Address: Kompleks Kerajaan, Jalan RP 4/1 Rawang Perdana, 48000 Rawang, Selangor
Phone Number: 03-60916131
3) Klang Beach Forest Office
Address: Tingkat 2, Bangunan Pejabat Daerah Jalan Jambatan Kota, 41000 Klang, Selangor
Phone Number: 03-933716326
A total of 18 hiking areas in Selangor will require hikers and climbers to have a permit. You can check the list here:
Another thing to note is that some mountains in the list are located in Pahang and do share borders with Selangor such as Bukit Cin Cin and Gunung Ulu Kali. Hikers who hike around the Pahang/ Selangor border will also need to find out if the mountain is considered private property and are advised to not trespass on the land.
One example would be the between the Gohtong Jaya and Genting Highlands area where locals reported parties making money as they offer hiking services. Those irresponsible parties charge RM 60/ pax and claim to have permits to hike the area.
For more information on guide services, hikers can contact the Selangor Forestry Mountain Guide Association at 018-9741651 or the Hulu Selangor Guide Association at 019-9194471.
Netizens Complain On Efficiency And Transparency of JPNS
Despite the good news on the re-opening of hiking activities, many netizens were not too keen on the idea that hikers need to apply for permits and have guides accompany them during their hike.
Now that we are in 2023, we would think that the permits can be applied for via online applications. Unfortunately, these permits will require hikers to apply manually at the forestry office days before their hike.
Here’s some of the comments:
Meanwhile in Kelantan, a netizen on Twitter tweeted out that the state has implemented the use of guides on tracks and some are questioning why a guide is needed on tracks that are easy to hike.
Gunung2 yg boleh buat sehari semua dah tak boleh sekarang
— Botak (@RaidonKimura91) January 17, 2023
Semua kena ada malim
Bosan!!!! pic.twitter.com/tUT6ConCgY
As of now, JPNS and other official authorities have not answered the questions of the public. Aside from that, they will need to ensure that the guides are well-trained and prepared for the job before the public are able to request for their service.
What are your thoughts on this? Do we really need a guide to go hiking at most of these spots? Let us know in the comments.
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, JPNS & various cross-references for context.
FOMO much? Follow our Facebook and Instagram for more updates.