Standing only at 250m, anyone could do this in a brisk. I felt a pressing need to blog this when my hiker friend Jade told me about a hill full of nepenthes. Obviously low land nepenthes since the hill is rather flat.
Typically from October to December Malaysia experiences the monsoon and constantly plummeted with rain and cooler weather. This may be a strong factor that encourages the wild growth at this time. Bukit 2RM is NEPENTHES GALORE!
Starting point: Park the car beside the road. (you could waze or google to Bukit2rm)
Hike Duration: 20-30 minutes up the peak gallop your way down! 40 minutes max!
End Hike: Backtrack or loop
Hike Difficulty: 2/5 although some part is rather steep!
Scenery Rewards: 3/5
*this hike is more content that celebration!
** I believe monkey pitcher plant might be seasonal since hikers have reported zero sightings during the dry season
Park Car along Persiaran As Salam
What to bring
1. Good pair of hiking shoes
2. Gloves, as this hill is more climbing than hiking and rather steep
3. Water it does get hot
4. Cap, depending on what time you start the hike, it can be hot as there is no canopy cover!
Start hike
There are 2 ways to reach the 250m peak, alternatively, you could backtrack.
The trail is rather self-explanatory although without signs! We took the steep way up the hill. It was clambering at some parts. #bukitsentosarawang
Don't forget to look back as you climb up as the views are marvellous as you ascend. #bukit2rm #monkeypitcherplant #nepenthes
After about 15 minutes you will be halfway up the hill, and you should reach the peak in 20-30 minutes from the car park. #nepenthes
The return leg could be a backtrack or you could follow the easy track down that would complete the loop. Things to consider if you backtrack is that the trail is steep and there are no ropes to support your descend which can make it dangerous.
Flora & Fauna
Most lowland pitcher plants grow in open habitats such as secondary bushes associated with Gleichenia ferns. And this was exactly the case. And strangely as I was descending from the other side of the hill I did not encounter any monkey pitcher plant.
To see these guys flourish in the wild in their own natural habitat is such a sight to behold! Among the scrubs, I also noticed wild orchids, although not in bloom. #nepenthes
Nepenthes flowers in bloom
As you can see, Nepenthes is unique to very few zones in the world. Please do not harvest them from their habitat!
Reflections
A short climb to be rewarded with these little carnivorous plant all over the hill is a real steal. I am not sure if they will dry up as the weather gets hotter but there were some plants that looked parched and wrinkled. Therefore if you wish to catch them this season, go now or else you may need to wait till the next monsoon kick in.
Date visited: December 2020
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