Gunung Tahan

Gunung Tahan reaches 2,187 metres in the middle of Taman Negara and is the highest point in peninsular Malaysia, and it has a reputation among Malaysian hikers as the hardest standard mountain in the country - not for altitude but for what is between: from Kuala Tahan the classic route runs about fifty-five kilometres each way over seven days, crossing a series of ridges and rivers with repeated thousand-metre ascents and descents, through leech-heavy lowland forest, then mossy montane forest, and finally onto an open plateau of stunted vegetation and rock. The shorter Merapoh route takes four to five days. There is no shelter, no resupply and no phone coverage; everything is carried. A permit and a licensed guide are compulsory and the park limits numbers. The summit plateau is often in cloud, and hikers frequently reach it and see nothing.

What you actually see

• 2,187 metres - the highest point in peninsular Malaysia.
• Fifty-five kilometres each way - the classic route from Kuala Tahan over seven days.
• Forest changing with height - lowland, then mossy montane, then stunted plateau.
• No shelter or resupply - everything carried, with no phone coverage.

When to go

February to September; the monsoon closes it. Five to seven days.

Honest expectations

This is a serious expedition, not a hike - permits, a licensed guide and full self-sufficiency are required, and people have died on it. Leeches are constant. The summit is often clouded in.

Nearby

Taman Negara headquarters at Kuala Tahan is the main trailhead.