Maxwell Hill - Bukit Larut

Foot of Maxwell hill (Bukit Larut). Clean air, Serene and Beautiful.
In USA, the bukit is considered a mountain.

By Winnie Ooi.

A nice night view of Taiping Town from Maxwell Hill.

A cool place. Good for those who like fresh air and exercise. Many people walk and jog up the hill. Good for fitness. Recommended for fitness and bush walking enthusiasts. There is a conventional road going up as well as short cuts. Do take advice or follow the regulars when you want to try the short cuts. There are people serving free drinks at pondok 3 around 3-4pm. You will be a very fit fella if you walk up regularly. King Edward 7 school has a school song where it says "King Edward’s will live forever, As long as the Taiping Hills stand..." Enjoy!

There are bungalows galore on Bukit Larut. Visitors can have their pick of the Bukit Larut Rest House (3,400 ft), Beringin (3,400 ft), Cendana (3,700 ft), Gunung Hijau Rest House (3,650 ft), Cempaka Bungalow (3,738 ft), and Tempinis Bungalow (3,750 ft).

Bookings can be made through Superintendent, Maxwell Hill, Taiping. (Tel 05-8077241)

Rates for single and double rooms range from RM8.00 and RM15.00 in both the Rest House. Rates may change over time. Inflation fren.

Every 31 August which is the Merdeka Day will have something special in Taiping. Just like this running competition. There are also Fishing Competition and Orchid show in Taiping.

Latest news: The state government has approved in principle the construction of a RM60 million (S$25m) cable car system at Bukit Larut in Taiping. Jan 19, 2009. Should scrap it.

The hill is a haven for birds such as the rhinoceros hornbill, large moths and butterflies, beetles, monkeys and Pope's Pit Viper. You can also see beautiful Tulip flowers on the links. A visitor will take 11 minutes to reach the 1,250m peak of the resort from the bottom of the mountain, compared with the 30-minute, 13km ride via four-wheel-drive or government Land Rover. Taiping is growing my friend!! Another thought is to preserve the area is to build this at another hill instead. Away from water catchment areas. Romantic place as well.

From the maxwell hill looking down towards the exit.

From the entrance, looking upwards. This is where you start jogging or pacing. There will be some fresh little water falls along the way to cool you down. Really cool place. The short cut trail is on the left. Follow the locals to be safe. Better don't go during rainy days, later lightning strike pulak.. lol.


 It rains a lot. When you jog instead of walking up consistently, I am sure you'll be pretty tired. You should be drenched. Shiok rite? I did it and you can too!

Pondok 1 below. Budak hamsem. lol

  

Aha. This pondok was fixed in 2010. This should last another 50 years. Well done to the rangers.

Good uncle keeping the pondok 2 clean above.

Hikers below going down from pondok 3.

 

Majority of the runners stop here to rest before going down. Some fitter ones will proceed further up from here to pondok 3. Careful, lots of mosquitoes. Authorities should clean up the place to avoid dengues. Free tea for you.

 Good water source to cool down at pondok 2 below.

Pondok 3 below.

Also got free tea. 

Relax and enjoy the free tea at the Maxwell Hill.

The official pondok 3 block below. Watermelon Park at pondok 4 which is only 300m ahead. 

Sad to see the brick being vandalised now.The pondok 4 has been painted with nice colouring. Well done.

Pondok 4 on Maxwell hill below.

Famous Taiping Coronation Swimming Pool is below. If you want a cool dip of fresh (non chlorine) water, this is where you want to be. Just jump in. Definitely no chlorine issue. Pure cool fresh water. The picture below is old. Latest renovation was in beginning of 2009. This is where some great swimmers display or boast their superior ability to splash around. Eg. showing off their cool v-shaped body or showing off some butterfly strokes to impress some ladies (lots of pretty ladies in Taiping lah, tau ka?? lol). After swimming, you should try the malay laksa or rojak just outside the pool. Some people selling fresh fruits there as well. Click here for swim challenge. Be healthy.

The source of the clean water is below.

Below is a quick drive into taiping from Simpang. I was rushing to meet a dentist to do scaling. lol. Taiping dental is a good place to fix your teeth issues. It is directly opposite to the famous PSL Goreng pisang stall.

Top of Maxwell hill above. Cool and nice place to stay over night. Some said, it's haunted. Recommended to try it. You'll need to book early as this is a very popular stay over spot. Seram... hehe.. There are also some beautiful flowers like tulips available on Maxwell Hill. Should recommend them to plant more varieties of flowers. A paradise for photographers. Some even do bird watching. Not the orang jantan one of course.