TAKE ON GUNUNG LEDANG

By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH
metrose@thestar.com.my

TANGKAK: The state government wants the people living in the Ledang parliamentary area, to try climbing Gunung Ledang.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said although he had yet to try it, it would be a challenge for those who wanted to see the mountain, famous for its mystical tales.

He said the mountain, which stood at 1,276m and was the highest in the southern peninsula. It had been mentioned in stories on Hang Tuah and Puteri Gunung Ledang.

“The story of the princess and Hang Tuah is a legend and it will be good if the people can climb up the mountain.

“They may see things, plants and even animals, which they have not seen elsewhere,” he said during a visit to Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang near Sagil, here, recently.

Abdul Ghani, who was accompanied by the Johor National Parks Corporation director Suhairi Hashim, however, said they needed a permit from the park authority to climb the mountain.

He said the permit was a standard procedure as the park needed to know who had climbed up the mountain area and the number of people entering the jungles.

He said like other national parks in Johor, the Gunung Ledang National Park also imposed certain requirements for visitors to observe.

“We have built a 1.6km road, stretching from the Sagil town to Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang,” he said.

Meanwhile, Suhairi said mountain climbing was a healthy recreational activity and climbers would also find the mountain a refreshing challenge.

“There is plenty to explore on the way to the peak, which is shaped like a ship’s bow and every bend of the trail reveals new scenery.

“We also urge all visitors to the mountain not to litter and to bring back whatever they took into the jungles,” he added.

SOURCE: THE STAR, FEBRUARY 27, 2012