Climbing Gunung Raya's Eagle Stairs 2024

Climbing the Gunung Raya eagle stairs is something I’ve been meaning to do for a very long time. A nearly mythical staircase that leads to the top of one of Langkawi’s giants; Gunung Mat Raya.

Gunung Raya mountain sits majestically in the middle of Langkawi Island. It’s a legendary mountain of 881-meters in height and visible from nearly every vantage point in Langkawi. From downtown Kuah, across padi fields and from small kampung roads, Gunung Raya is always quietly looming in the background.

Free Things to Do in Langkawi, Malaysia — Gunung Raya as seen from Padang Matsirat.

The views from Gungung Raya are spectacular. And free. One only needs transportation up the long, windy (and convenient) road to the top to be rewarded with the panoramic view of Langkawi. It’s a long haul, but worth the drive.

However, there is another more interesting way to get to the top of Gunung Raya mountain and that is by taking a jungle shrouded staircase trail from Lubuk Semilang Recreational Park (also known as Book Village).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a single picture will never quite explain the complexities of climbing Langkawi’s Gunung Raya mountain via Tangga Helang Seribu Kenangan (the Eagle Stairs of a Thousand Memories or the Thousand Memories Eagle Stairs (depending on who’s translating). In the past few years I’ve seen a variety of photos, but they don’t truly paint the whole 3.1km story. So, I’m going to try!

Tangga Helang Seribu Kenangan
(Eagle Stairs of a Thousand Memories)

Built in 2000, Tangga Helang Seribu Kenangan originally had a whopping 4287 cement steps in places, climbing skyward to 787-meters, just a bit shy of the full height of Gunung Raya’s 881-meters, but still a hefty 3.1-kilometer (one-way) distance.

The 24-year-old staircase is in surprisingly good condition despite its age and the years of harsh elements and nature’s wrath. However, there are a few felled-trees and washed-out areas, here and there, but local hikers have generously provided alternative dirt trail routes around these small challenges.

The stairs are also quite uniform in size, making it much easier to ‘climb’ and relatively easy on the knees. The consistency of the staircase construction is impressive and can certainly spark one’s curiosity as to whose handiwork it is.

And how long did it take these hard-working folks to complete the task? Imagine, 3.1 kilometers of mountainside cement stairs with handrails no less! Surely it must hold some sort of construction record.

Climbing the Gunung Raya Eagle Stairs in 2024

The Gunung Raya Eagle Stairs of a Thousand Memories is a challenging 3.1-kilometer hike that some would say is ‘easy’. Even the sign at the entry states that it takes about 2 hours to complete, but I’m going to disagree with that assessment. Perhaps an elite athlete could pull that off, but the average human? Hmmm. I’m going to say it’s more like 3 hours. And to be honest, what the heck is the rush?

If you are in some sort of personal fitness challenge and want to get from point A to point B as fast as you can, then knock yourself out. But if you want to savor the hike and perhaps even see some of the surrounding nature, then a steady but relaxed pace will get you up those stairs in 3 to 4 hours. *It would also be very wise to have a hiking/climbing partner with you in case of emergency.

It took my hiking partner Ulrika and I four hours, but we did stop for photos, nature moments, and spent a little extra time climbing over fallen trees as well as negotiating washed out stairs. However, I was getting a bit concerned after about three hours and no sign of an end in sight.

We hadn’t initially set out to go all the way, but after a couple of hours, it seemed stupid just to turn around and go back. So, onward we went! We weren’t even sure if the trail went all the way through, but thankfully, some hearty nature lovers had already forged paths around the few chunks of completely missing stairs. And we did indeed make it all the way through.

Although there are rumors of some trail upgrades being planned, at present there are no distance or height markers. Except for one tree ‘near’ the halfway mark. The 2000 step tree I guess it’s called. I’m not so sure of its accuracy as the continued journey past this point seemed much less that the 2287 steps purportedly to go. We were at hour 3 when we hit this location and I wasn’t finding it very inspirational, but what are you going to do at that point right?

Gunung Raya Eagle Stairs for Newbies

About 1 hour from the base there is also an unofficial landmark of 3 or 4 huge round boulders sitting next to each other (on the left). Unofficially named Boob Rock. This would be a good turning around point for newbies who aren’t quite sure of their physical abilities. Your total hiking time will be around 2 hours, and for a first timer that’s a proud accomplishment.

However, if you go 2 hours up the stairs, the jungle becomes a bit unworldly (in a good way). It’s quiet and the aroma of nature is intense. Hornbills can be heard overhead flapping their powerful wings as they chat amongst themselves. It’s very magical and easy for a lazy person to suddenly picture themselves as a go get em adventurer. Nature, like mountains can be contagious. But do remember, that what goes up, must come down and at this point you either decide to turn around or forge onward and conquer the Gunung Raya mountain beast. *Do note also that getting help at this point could be problematic, because you are in the middle of a very dense forest.

Arriving at the Top of the Gunung Raya Eagle Stairs

If you make it to the top, you will likely want to do a victory dance and give yourself a few high fives. We sure did! We were a bit surprised to find very few people out and about too. This spot at the top of the stairs is a Lookout Point and has several geological information boards for visitors to read whilst gazing out at the panoramic view.

Some folks also like to leave their trash at this location, which isn’t cool at all. So, please don’t be that person. There is zero reason for anyone to leave their trash here.

Gunung Raya’s One Way Ticket

My partner and I took four hours to complete the trail one way. Neither one of us had any interest in immediately re-seeing what we had already seen. But alas, how does one get back down to the starting point? We relied on the kindness of strangers to help us get back to our starting point at Lubuk Semilang Recreational Park; we hitchhiked. Unfortunately, no GRAB taxis were in the area, but maybe it was just our mid-week timing. Sometimes you just have to get creative when it comes to these things.

But then anyone who is adventurous enough to climb over 4000 cement steps to get to the top of a mountain isn’t going to let a little transportation problem get in their way, right? Best bet is to start walking down the main road and wave at every car that passes. This may sound undignified, but there is a good chance that at least one person will stop and give you a ride closer to the sea level main road. (Be grateful and thank them profusely). It’s still easier than climbing back down 4000-plus steps.

For more beginner mountain adventures in Kedah, Malaysia: I Survived Gunung Baling and You Can Too!
and Climbing Gunung Keriang, Kedah’s Iconic Mountain