This Is the Best Hiking Trail in Southeast Asia

When people think of popular outdoor destinations in Asia, places like Thailand’s beaches and jungles, Japan’s Kumano Kodo, or Bhutan’s rugged mountains may come to mind. But one, oft-overlooked Southeast Asian country is quickly becoming a rising star.

According to a new study conducted by online tour operator Exoticca.com, Malaysia has some of the best hiking trails in the region, and nine of 10 of the routes that made its list can be found in the Golden Peninsula. For its study, Exoticca analyzed AllTrails data from 11 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and assigned scores based on hiker ratings, foot traffic, and the volume of positive reviews.

“Malaysia proves particularly popular,” an Exoticca.com spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. “The data shows that hikers value trails that combine accessibility with natural beauty.”

Though Malaysia dominated the list in general, one trail in particular came out on top as the best hiking trail in Southeast Asia: the Bukit Gasing Circular, a leafy loop in Malaysia’s capital region.

Found in the Bukit Gasing Forest Park between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, the 2.4-mile-long loop is a local favorite and takes around one to 1.5 hours to complete. On AllTrails, the Bukit Gasing Circular has a moderate rating and has a mix of flat, open paths and challenging staircases. In the reviews, hikers noted the “killer stairs,” hidden hanging bridges, and elevated wooden platforms along the way.

In Exoticca’s analysis, the Bukit Gasing Circular scored 98.4 points out of 100, thanks to a 4.6-star average from 2,225 hikers and a near-perfect 99.6 percent popularity score. Second place went to Bukit Kiara via Changkat Abang Haji Openg (96.73 points), a 2.8-mile path that links several popular green spaces on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The interconnected Twin Peaks–Quill Killer–Rock Garden–Lower Carnival network(95 points) came in third with a 2.9-mile web of trails with steady inclines and shaded stretches through thick forest; this winner is also located near Kuala Lumpur.

Even shorter treks earned high ratings, like the 1.4-mile Ketumbar Hill trail (located in Kuala Lumpur’s Cheras neighborhood), which snagged the fourth place spot with 93.9 points and a 98.9 percent popularity rating. Known for its easy access and city views, the trail is a favorite among early-morning walkers. 

Thailand broke Malaysia’s streak with the 4.5-mile Wat Pha Lat “Monk’s Trail” to Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, which placed fifth. 

The rest of the top 10 were also in Malaysia. Sixth place went to Sri Bintang Hill, a 1.4-mile trail in Kuala Lumpur popular for its sunrise views. In seventh was the Bukit Gasing Fence Trail Loop, another scenic circuit within the Bukit Gasing forest reserve. Tiga Puteri Peak via Merbuk ranked eighth with a 3.7-mile climb to a summit vista in Selangor. Mount Datuk came ninth as the most challenging trail on the list, earning a five-out-of-five difficulty rating for its rock scrambles and sweeping views in Negeri Sembilan. Rounding out the list in tenth was the Taman Tugu Green–Yellow–White Trails, a 2.3-mile loop through a restored urban forest park in Kuala Lumpur.