Wednesday, July 05, 2017

CBL Terengganu Hiking

CBL Terengganu 3D2N camping 1-3 July 2017 ... I truly enjoyed myself in hiking this CBL trail: the Langsir campsite is beautiful, and the water in the stream is clear and clean; Cemerong waterfall is magnificent, one of the highest waterfalls in Malaysia. We were doing a reversed trail: Langsir campsite, then Berembun peak, followed by Cemerong waterfall. The organizer of this hiking trip was Ms Leng HW; the mountain guides were Justin Chin and Mizan, each in-charged of 12 hikers.

In my opinion, every local hiker should try to hike this CBL trail. As for me, I would definitely revisit this CBL trail again in near future. 

CBL: Cemerong, Berembun, Langsir.

GPS coordinates and contact number: do scroll down the report.

Do CLICK HERE to view 110 photos courtesy of yours truly (KC Leong).

 The trail head of CBL hike ... We have to wait outside the park for the gate to open at 8:00 a.m.

Difficulty Level – it is similar to going up to the peak of Gunung Nuang. Round trip distance is about 15km (compare to round trip to Kem Pacat of Gunung Nuang which is about 18km). Many of the steep ascents in CBL are similar to Kem Pacat to False Peak of Gunung Nuang.

 A group photo before the start of the hike; on the left are two mountain guides (Mizan and Justin Chin)

Timing and Duration – for this hiking trip, we took the LBC trail (the reversed of CBL trail). 
(a) Trail head to Langsir campsite: 5 hrs (9:30am to 4:30pm … including one hour of lunch break at Kem B, another hour relaxing in Sungai Bangan Balu); 
(b) Campsite to Berembun peak: 1 hour; 
(c) Campsite to Cemerong waterfall: 5 hrs (8:30am to 2:30pm  … including 45 minutes of lunch break at Kem B); 
(d) Cemerong waterfall to trailhead: 1 hour.
(click map above for actual display and bigger file size)
 Justin Chin, the mountain guide, explaining the various trails

Descent the Mountains – On Day 3, we targeted to leave Langsir campsite at 8:00 a.m. after breaking camp and breakfast. The lead time required was at least two (2) hours. The team has to move a little faster to arrive at the Cemerong waterfall at around 2:30 p.m., and we targeted to return to trail head at 4:00 p.m.; refreshed, and proceeded to Gambang or Kemaman towns for dinner before returning to Kuala Lumpur.
 We regroup at this point, waiting for the next steep uphill challenge

Park Opening and Closing Hours – The main gate opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m. daily. I was told that last time, hikers arrived at the trail head main building at 10:00 p.m., camp extra one night and ready at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. With the park closes at 6:00 p.m., this method may not be workable unless there is a special arrangement with the Park Office via the mountain guide.

 Arriving at Kem B for an one-hour lunch break ... clear water with many fish in the stream


Getting There – Travelling time from Kuala Lumpur is about 5 hours (only toilet break, no restaurant along the highway). The simplest method – but tiring to the driver – is to start the journey at 2:30 a.m. and target to arrive at the entrance of the park before 8:00 a.m. just in time for the briefing by the mountain guide at the start of the hiking journey. Another method is to put up a night at Dungun or Paka towns – one hour away to the trail head.

GPS Coordinates of CBL trail head:
4°39'27.0"N 103°00'14.0"E
4.657494, 103.003878
 A clean and bright Langsir campsite next to a clear-water stream

Packaged Tour – According to the mountain guide, Justin Chin, packaged tour for porter and catering service is available for hiking CBL trail: the support crew will carry the flysheet, groundsheet, cooking utensils and cook meals. Sleeping at campsite is communal style in rows. A participant just has to carry his/her own sleeping bag, clothing (Yes! bring warm clothes for the cold night) and drinking water, etc. Otherwise, the average weight of backpack containing the camping stuff is about 15kg. As for me, my 65 litres backpack weighted 17kg, and the heavy weight was a big challenge during ascent or descent of the mountains.
 Pitching tents ... my Kelty Salida-1 tent was easy to set up

Hiking CBL Made Simple – for those who would like to hike this scenic trail, contact the mountain guide for handling of the necessary permit application and detailed arrangement ... Tan Ji Kue: 012 989 2128. Have a good CBL hiking trip and enjoy yourself!

 Our simple dinner is ready (LimTH, Chee Sing, ChooKS) ... It was quite an effort to cook rice (with direct fire)  :-) For the two days of camping, the smell of burnt rice while cooking was a frequent happening (even from other tents) 
The water in the stream is clear and clean, and the tents are conveniently pitched next to it
 Day 3 morning ... break camp and proceed to Cemerong waterfall
 Arriving at Berembun peak, which is a 1-hour steep ascent journey from Langsir campsite (the 'B' of CBL)
 The magnificent Cemerong waterfall
Another view from higher ground



Posted by KC Leong

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