Coral Hill – Short Hike Through A Mossy Forest

In case you didn’t know, Coral Hill is the free alternative to its more famous counterpart over in Brinchang.

Here’s how you can do this hike and what to expect during the hike!

Getting Here

There’s no clear signage for this hiking trail. The start of it is behind what used to be the Time Tunnel Museum.

We do recommend driving through the warehouses to reach the hiking trail rather than walking because the warehouses sort out seafood and fresh produce and it is smelly and uncomfortable to walk through.

The only way to recognise the entrance are the man-made landmarks in front. One is a simple hut (if you can call it that) and a makeshift bridge consisting of wooden planks over a dirty stream.

How Long Is The Hike?

If you’re relatively fit and able, it won’t take you longer than 15 minutes to reach the top of the hill where there is a stony outcrop. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the top since we stopped for photos along the way.

Take extreme care once you’re out on the outcrop. It’s an exposed area with nothing to hold on to and while we were there, we had no way of knowing if the rock would suddenly give way under us! It would be a seriously nasty fall through all the thick foliage around the outcrop.

Anyone who’s squeamish about mud might take a bit longer to reach the top as well. The trail can be extremely muddy in places. And so, we don’t recommend going if it has just rained. Or if there has been rain for subsequent days.

What Should You Wear & Bring For This Hike

We went in the middle of the afternoon, so there wasn’t any mist or fog. And the forest itself wasn’t that wet. We only had to get over one big patch of mud close to the top.

Tree roots are part of the climb, and you will have to put your feet in narrow places to get a good grip to hoist yourself along the steel uphill trail.

So, we would say hiking boots would be most ideal for this trail. If not, the next best option would be sneakers or wellingtons. Prepare for the possibility that your sneakers can end up caked with mud by the end of the hike though.

You won’t need any gloves (unless you’re scared of creepy crawlies). The good thing about this trail is that enough visitors use it to not have to bring a parang (big knife) to cut yourself a path through abundant jungle growth.

If you need extra support, we suppose you could bring trekking poles but they might get in your way as there are a lot of exposed tree roots along this trail.

Long pants (and maybe long sleeves too) are a good idea (but not necessary) since you can scratch yourself easily when you climb or go past plants.

Bug repellent might come in handy too if you find that mosquitoes are fans of your blood.

We do recommend using the toilet before you take on this trail because there are no facilities here.

Note: Even though this is a very short hike, it’s good practice to tell someone that you’re going to try this hike and when you expect to be back. As well as to take along your own drinking water, a whistle if you need to attract any attention from passersby.

Highlights Of The Hike

Botany isn’t our strong point, but we know enough to be aware that it takes many years for moss and lichen to cover the ground in a carpet-like fashion. We took great care not to step on them as it’s not easy for them to recover!

We started to see green moss and lichen growing on the trunks and branches of trees further along the trail as we made our way up the hill.

It started to get a bit nerve-wracking to find our way since we came across a few forks. We could only guess our next course of action based on common sense. Like following footprints that previous visitors left behind. Or observing how the undergrowth began to thin out closer to the top of the hill.

Note: There are local guides that specialize in this trail, but we don’t know any.

As we approached the top of the hill, we started to see different plants. These include wild pitcher plants of a few different varieties.

Once we were out on the outcrop, a fear of heights started to creep in at the back of your minds. But the hilltop views are quite nice. You can see hills beyond this one if the weather is clear. As well as the main road.

There’s different kind of lichen growing on the outcrop too – stringy light green ones and reddish orange ones.

Conclusion

If you’re thinking about attempting the Coral Hill hike, we highly recommend it as there are no entrance fees and the hike is short. Also, it looks like a mini version of the famous Mossy Forest somewhere in the middle of the trail.

But do know that hiking this trail will solely be at your own risk. We don’t think it’s a good idea to bring anyone with mobility issues either. Little children included as they could easily fall from the outcrop.

Things To Do In Cameron Highlands

Coral Hill is a beautiful but unsafe place (especially the end of the trail) to visit. There are a lot of other options we would recommend instead if you’re looking for family-friendly things to do in Cameron Highlands.

Cactus Valley

Cactus Valley is another underrated gem to visit if you don’t mind steep climbs and stairs. We love how they have arranged the cacti here. They have a great variety of different species to see as well!