Waterfall @ Apek Hill

If one were to ask me what's KL best kept secret, I would probably tell them it's the waterfall @ Apek Hill aka Saga Hill. Want to know why? Read on...

Apek Hill (Old Man Hill) is one of the few rare gems available that is still well preserved in today's over developed Kuala Lumpur. It's like a sanctuary in the middle of a concrete jungle. If it weren't because my friends and I needed some training, I wouldn't have had the chance to discover such a beautiful place to share it here.

Located within the vicinity of Taman Cheras Awana, Taman Segar Perdana and Taman Bukit Hartamas, Apek Hill's entrance can be accessible via several entry point. One of the most popular one which I use is located at the end of Jalan Awana 23, Taman Cheras Awana. If you need to get the direction, try searching for "Jalan Awana 23, Cheras" via Google Maps

This hill is rated between Moderate to Advance level by most hikers who have been there. It's considerable tough even for some who frequent to the gym. So if you have not been working out or done any hiking previously, my advice is to try out easier hill like Bukit Kiara or Bukit Gasing. If you aren't sure how tough Apek Hill can be, let me share with you how I would personally rate it. From the scale of 1 to 10, Apek Hill would be rated 5, while Bukit Kiara and Bukit Gasing will be rated 1 and 3 respectively. If you are

Went up for the second time in a group of 5 including myself. Didn't take much picture through the journey as I forgotten to charged my battery, so I was conserving power for the best part. from the entry point, it took our group approximately an hour to reach the waterfall. From the entry point, there is 5 rest Station with the 5th Station located at the peak(386M above sea level).

Apek Hill is really well maintain in term of Cleanliness and it's actually quite safe because there is acutally a group of volunteers that operates a adhoc rescue team. Just in case you get lost in the hill, be sure to look up for small notes with numbers posted up on the trees. Never tried calling through, but I must say it's still pretty impressive.

Here's the waterfall area which my friends and I chilled at after a long and tiring hike;

Uncle Keith enjoying the water massage.

Don't be fool by the gentleness of the water that you see flowing. It's actually quite hard and painful when the water hit your body. Definitely not recommend for those who are in between the two universal gender(no offense intended).

This is actually my second time hiking up Apek Hill over the past 3 weeks and I must say the feeling just got better the second time, most like because we have got more confident after the first attempt. Hiking up Apek Hill is a real challenge for people like me, as I dont go to the gym and rarely do any exercise. At the same time I was thrill to see so much greenary smack right in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. The crisp cool fresh air that we breath there is simply refreshing. Some old folks(age between 50 to 65) who frequent venture around the hill claim that its the fresh air and challenge that keep them fit and healthy.

It is indeed a rare gem and if you have not visited the place just yet, maybe you should try to visit it one of these days before the government decides to make way for more development in the city.

Here's Uncle Jason Dancing (dancing to the rhythm of the falling water)

During our first visit 3 weeks earlier, we had another 4 friends with us. But they have since given up due to the intensity of the hill. LOL. Actually they were busy burning midnight oil to catch the World Cup 2010. Nevertheless the 5 of us had a great time enjoying nasi lemak panas by the waterfall and playing with water. Brings back good old memory when my late grandpa used to bring me to the waterfall in Taiping.

... and here's Nicole, Me and Adeline

Have been actively training and hiking for the past few weeks in prepare myself physically and mentally for my maiden trip to Mount Kinabalu @ Sabah end of this month. Many people whom I've talk to agreed that Apek Hill is a good training ground for those who plan to go Mt Kinabalu. So watch out for my post about my experience conquering Mt Kinabalu (hopefully I'm able to reach the peak without giving up half way).