Kg Kemensah to Sg Chongkak
Home >> Trail Guide >> Klang Valley >> Kg Kemensah to Sg ChongkakThe trails in the Ulu Klang water catchment area were among the first jungle trails that I had ever biked on, way back in 1993 with my friends Sha and Man. Unfortunately, years of disuse had allowed overgrowth and erosion. The good news is that this trail is again passable; in fact the trail conditions are the best that I have ever seen, thanks to the trail building efforts of some motorcross fanatics.
This trail starts at Kampung Kemensah, at the back of the National Zoo in Ulu Klang, and continues East across the range of hills that separates Ampang and Ulu Klang from Ulu Langat. It emerges at the Sungai Chongkak recreational area, about 1km North of Kampung Batu 18, on the Ulu Langat road. The trail is about 14 kilometres long, a substantial proportion of which is jungle singletrack. Because it is a point to point trail, you'll have to ride 35km on the road back to Ulu Klang, unless you've shuttled a car to the Sg Chongkak carpark before hand. The singletrack sections are steep in parts, and the descent is long, furious and technical. If you like riding in Bukit Kiara, you'll love this trail. The off-road section (when dry) should take about 4 hours with generous rest stops. Budget another 2 hours for the road ride.
The trailhead is located off Jalan Ulu Klang. Park you car either at the BP station in Taman Melawati or at the Zoo carpark. Turn into the road that goes to the Zoo and continue all the way down past the Zoo and past Kampung Kemensah. This road will turn into doubletrack, with intermittent sections of tarmac. The road will lead steeply uphill on several occasions before coming to a complex of buildings called "Institut Budaya Baru Melayu", an UMNO bootcamp, built on the site of the old Kem Semangat Ghafar Baba (marked on the Govt topo map). Continue past the guardhouse (smile and make small talk). Just before the road rises steeply again, there'll be a singletrack trail on the right of the road just behind the rumah rehat (rest house) sign. You will enter the jungle here, and it's singletrack the rest of the way (hooray!).
Pat Potvin, riding across a makeshift bridge.
There are 3 junctions on this trail. (I'll post the coordinates the next time I ride there; forgot to enter the waypoints into the GPS.) Turn left at the first junction to go steeply uphill. (The right fork goes back to Ampang Jaya/Bukit Antarabangsa, along the west face of the range of hills.) At the second junction, take left again. (Right goes steeply downhill to a waterfall). The final junction is near the top of a climb, where you should take right to go to Sungai Chongkak. According to James Yap, the left turn will lead you to Sungai Pusu, just off the Karak Highway toll, at the back of the International Islamic University campus.
The trail is steep in sections. How steep? Well, some bits are steeper than Pondok to Pondok in Bukit Kiara, and definitely longer too. If I remember correctly, there were 3 sections on which I had to push or portage the bike, including a section that I thought was rideable, but I was too shagged to continue cranking the 22x32.
The trail tops out on a bamboo grove (at the time of writing (25/08/01) this was slightly burnt-out), from where it continues downhill for more than half an hour (hooray!) before emerging at Sungai Chongkak. There are a couple of minor junctions on the descent as the trail nears the exit, take right at each.
Pat, Rueban and Krankster on a singletrack ascent.
Logistics
To drop a car at the exit in Sungai Chongkak: go to Ulu Langat by your favourite way (the best would be over the pass at the back of Ampang town). Drive North on the Ulu Langat Road, passing Kampung Batu 18. Go past the right turn to Semenyih and Kuala Klawang at Kg Batu 18. Look for a left turn at an orang asli village (the Langat river will be on your right), following signs to Sungai Chongkak.If you decide to ride it all the way, you'll have to cycle some 35km on the road. The section from Ampang town to the Zoo is a bit unpleasant because of the traffic and the consequent smog.
For a 1:50,000 topo map, get one for measly RM5 at the Govt Mapping and Survey Department. You'll want Sheet 126.
