Sungai Lembing’s well-known Panorama Hill needs no introduction, but here’s one anyway…
The Panorama Hill (Bukit Panorama) is a beloved tourist spot, where a 45min climb up some well-maintained steps would reward you with a calming, peaceful view of a sea of clouds.
Assuming you reach the peak before sunrise, that is.
Start early – if you belong to the unfit (like me), 5.00am or 5.30am is a good time to start walking up those stairs. You’ll have plenty of time to rest in between, and you get to take your time navigating through broken steps near the top.
These be the most treacherous steps, the rest are easy as pie
The Sg Lembing folks maintain this place very well, both for themselves and for the weekend tourists. Word of advice: I do not recommend coming here during weekends and public holidays. Sure it’s your only time off, but then you’ll have to reckon with a LOT of weekend tourists like yourself, jostling for limited spots at the top.
Only a handful of people at Panorama Hill? Yes, we went during a normal week day
Whimsical morning fog enveloping the village
Unfortunately this was a mix of fog and haze. Damn you, haze!
As this trip was right in the middle of the 2015 haze season, this was the sunrise we saw:
But never mind, let me show you of what it could have been, a photo from my earlier trip:
There would be days when you don’t get to see a perfect sunrise, due to Mother Nature, clouds, etc. The easy hike is still enjoyable, with plenty of views like these:
Don’t you want to jump into the sea of clouds? No don’t.
Reminders: Bring your own drinks and snacks up. Bring your trash down with you. Avoid the insane crowd by visiting during a non-public holiday work day. Yes, it’s suitable for kids. No, it’s not suitable for older folks with knee problems; the steps can be steep. Bring a torch light if you’re going up to catch the sunrise. Be respectful of the hill, your surroundings, especially when you’re hiking up in early morning before day breaks.
And enjoy 🙂
