There’s more than one way to explore Mount Santubong. Besides taking the trail which goes up to the summit of Mount Santubong, did you know that you could also take a loop trail through its jungles?
There are two official trails provided at Santubong National Park, namely the Mount Santubong Summit Trail and Santubong Jungle Trek trail.
The jungle trek trail is a loop trail which takes about two hours to finish. It is perfect for those who are not that into hiking but still want to taste a bit of nature.
About Santubong Jungle Trek Trail
Located at the foot of Mount Santubong, this loop trail is considered to have an easy to medium difficulty hiking rate.
Both summit and jungle trails start with the same path until you arrive at station F.
From there, the trails split. The Santubong jungle trek trail is marked with blue signs while the summit trek has red markings.
The highlight of the jungle trek is a beautiful waterfall with a hanging bridge. The waterfall site also offers BBQ pits, benches and a small hut.
If you are planning to take this hike on weekdays, chances are high that you might have the whole waterfall to yourself. That way, visitors can truly enjoy the serenity and tranquility Santubong has to offer.
But if it is a visit during the weekend, the waterfall can be crowded with people.
Since it is an easy trail to the waterfall, the site is also popular for families with young children.
After the waterfall, the trail requires a bit of hiking uphill until it reaches Station N which is the summit of the Santubong Jungle Trek Trail.
Here, there are two benches surrounded by tall trees for visitors to rest at.
Don’t expect peace and quiet or to be 100% enveloped by the sound of nature at this spot as you can still hear the faint sounds of vehicles going past the national park.
Then the trail will go downhill with ropes provided along the steep track.
The jungle trek trail ends where it started – at the Santubong National Park HQ.
Some precautions to remember
Though the trail is considerably easy to hike, visitors still need to take some precautions.
First of all, the bridges and boardwalks can be slippery and even dangerous when they are wet.
There are a few which look like unmarked trails diverging from the main trail which can be confusing at times. So hikers are advised to watch out and follow the marked signs carefully.
If you are planning to hike this loop trail, remember to enjoy what Mother Nature can offer. There are so many things to admire, from trees to insects.
Other signs which visitors can watch out for are those naming some of the tree species found at Santubong.
Some of these species are Meranti Pitis (Shorea ovata), Kapur Keladan (Dryobalanops beccarii), Rengas Sudu (Gluta aptera), and Kayu Malam (Diospyros graciflora).
As always, we encourage readers to never leave your rubbish behind. Use drinking flasks instead of bottled water when you can, and take plastic bags to carry back your rubbish to dispose of at home.
