Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest
Location :
In the district of Baling, Kedah.
Coordinates of the park are N 5 30.083 E 100 46.333
You can access the Google Map here.
Natural Heritage Status:
The park is famous for its seven-level cascading waterfalls.
Sg Mempelam from Gunung Inas flows through the park.
The park situated within Gunung Inas Forest Reserve.
Evidence of ancient geological formation at the cascading waterfalls need more research. It could be from Cambrian age. Possible finding includes rock debris and fossils.
There is a herb garden within the park.
Huge tualang (Koompassia excelsa) tree with bee hives found in the park.
Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest
Bukit Hijau Waterfall
Gazettement :
Present status as recreational forest.
Accessibility:
To the park: The level of accessibility to the park is relative easy and straight forward.
Paved road and easily accessible with land transport. Signboards were placed from the Butterworth-Grik highway until the park.
There is no public transport service. A taxi can be hired from Butterworth or the nearest town (eg Kulim and Kuala Kertil) to Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest.
In the park: Accessibility in the park is with the cement walkway crisscrossing Sungai Mempelam until the top waterfall.
Bridge over the waterfall
Affordability:
Entrance to the park is privatized.
Parking fee:
Motorcycle – RM1
Car – RM2
Van/ MPV – RM4
Bus – RM8
Level of Development:
The park has been over developed to cater for the public as eco-tourism area.
Huts, rest areas and bridges were built to cater for picnickers as well as campers.
There were also developments for groups in team building, eco-tourism and group activities.
There are 2 villages near the park – Kg Jerenang and Ulu Bakai with an estimated 300 households.
Popularity:
Average arrival figure per day :
Public Holiday is about 2000 persons.
Weekend is about 500 persons.
Weekday is about 150 persons.
The park is frequented by the local community as well as tourists from other states in Malaysia. Foreign tourists occasionally drop by the park. The carrying capacity of the park has saturated. Parking spaces and picnic areas could not cater especially during the public holidays. The Forestry Department does not have any control on the influx of figures. Parking and accommodation are under a private company. Rubbish can be seen everywhere within the park.
To help increase the popularity, the Forestry Department is building more sheds and access road cutting into hill slopes. No mitigation control seen.
Accommodation:
(as at May 2008)There are 16 well furnished chalets. The chalets are isolated from the public area.
A large campsite for at least 300 campers is provided within the park.
Chalets and campsite are frequented by locals.
Chalet per night is RM100. Campsite per tent is RM9.
Camp rental at RM25 per tent that can accommodate only 4 pax.
Signboards on the availability of chalets can be seen along the route to the park.
Brochures are widely distributed at the park entrance.
Chalets at the park
Threats:
Garbage: The biggest threat of the park is garbage disposal. A large heap of rubbish was found hidden away from public view within the park.
Attitude: Attitude of local picnickers in discarding garbage without any consideration of the cleanliness of the park.
Over-development: Cutting of hill slopes to make way for heavy machinery to reach the upper reaches of the waterfall is detrimental to the fauna and flora of the park. The park should be left in the pristine state with minimum development. Ironically there was an open burning at the construction site near a signboard disallowing open burning.
Mitigation:
Enforcement by the park authority.
More rubbish bins should be placed at strategic areas.
Declaration of water bottles and food packages brought into the park.
Disallow food into the park (this mitigation was very successful in the national park of Thailand)
Conservation:
An on going conservatory projects by the Forestry Department include planting rare local fruiting trees and medicinal herbs.
There are plan to increase the herbs in the herb garden to more than 100 species.
A hectare of Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) has also been planted.
Development should not be over done against the conservation of flora and fauna.
Ancient geological formation
Benefits to Local Communities:
Local communities involved in retail outlets – food stores and sundries inside the park. Outside the park, the locals also set up stores to sell drinks, swimming apparatus and fruits. The bulk of benefit goes to the private company that manages the accommodation, campsites and garbage collection.
How to Get There
If you are coming from North-South Highway (PLUS), you should exit at the Butterworth – Grik Highway and head towards Grik. Follow the highway all the way towards the east. Some 45 km from Butterworth, you should see the signboard to Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest. Turn right at the traffic lights. You will travel another 12 km from the junction to the park following the signboards all the way.
Map to Bukit Hijau Recreational Forest
Important Contacts
Pegawai Hutan Daerah,
Pejabat Hutan Daerah Kedah Selatan,
09000 Kulim,
Kedah
Tel : 04-49003760
Pegawai Hutan,
Pejabat Hutan Lipur Bukit Hijau,
Hutan Lipur Bukit Hijau
09020 Kulim
Kedah Darul Aman
Nur Bukit Hijau Chalet
Perkampungan Latihan & Rekreasi
Hutan Lipur Bukit Hijau
09020 Kulim
Kedah Darul Aman
04-4620833