Route Hunters Episode 7: Jempol To Rompin

Route Hunters Episode 7
Its all about the straights in this route.

 

Length: 161km

Routes: Route 11, Route 12, Route 63

Nearest Towns: Jempol / Rompin / Muadzam Shah

I remember once writing that Kuala Kelawang was not the most accessible of roads for residents of the Klang Valley to drive over the weekend. I guess we have to take that word back. 4 years of Route Hunting has allowed us to discover some of the best driving roads and sceneries in the Peninsular. Most of the time, our preference are for the tight, twisty, and technical roads. Occasionally though, we crave for a long, full throttle cruise towards the horizon, Vanishing Point style. One such road exists, and it’s Route 11 – 12 and Route 63 between Jempol and Rompin via Muadzam Shah.

Route Hunters Episode 7
From Jempol towards the Junction of Route 12, its mostly well sighted straights like this.

What to Expect

The trek down to Jempol itself is a rewarding process. You can either head down to Seremban via the LEKAS highway or head up via Route 86, which will bring you to Jempol past Kuala Kelawang. Or, you can try the more adventurous route, via the B32 and N32 from Hulu Langat to Kuala Kelawang. Would make your engine and gearbox nice and warm for the drive!

The road itself cuts through acres of plantation on the Negeri – Pahang boarder. It’s not a short drive, almost 80 km on just the section before Muadzam Shah, and there are no towns or settlements in between. So please ensure your spare wheels, bladder and fuel tanks are all checked before embarking on the journey.

Route Hunters Episode 7
A 3D layout of the Route via Google Maps, not that its very ‘3D’ to begin with.

The Course

The road is divided into two halves. One half is the Route 11, which cuts through Jempol, and then towards the T junction that joins Route 12. The second half is the Route 68 from Muadzam Shah to Rompin.

Route 11 itself appears arrow straight on the maps, but it’s far from that. The route is very 3 dimensional, as it runs over all the hills in the southern part of Pahang, across countless acres of plantations. That’s all you will see in this route, plantations, plenty of them. There’s a certain serenity with the wide horizon you get from the views on the either side of the road.

Route Hunters Episode 7
The majority of Route 11 is lined by Plantations

The one advantage of the hilly road is that it becomes an overtaking paradise, as on the downhill your line of sight can extend to almost 1 km ahead. Plenty of time to dispatch a multiple vehicle overtake safely and feel like a boss!

The second part of the route is the Route 68 from the Muadzam Shah town towards Rompin. This section feature some high speed curves, which are still well sighted with less traffic. As you draw towards the end of the route, the vegetation changes from plantation crops to marshland trees, eventually ending at a T junction where the famous Mak Ngah Udang Galah Sepit Biru shop is located. A few km from there is the beach, where you can park facing the sea itself.

Route Hunters Episode 7
Route 64 gets a little more twisty compared to the Route 11 and 12.

Overall, it’s a route catered for those who are looking for a long, high speed cruise. Good for big cc NA cars, with tall gearing. Roads can get patchy at some parts otherwise the rest of the route its very comfortable. Even cars like the Megane RS265 found it to be good to drive on. The best part is that you drive right to the South China Sea, there’s a certain satisfaction you get when you drive all the way to the edge of the map.

Route Hunters Episode 7
As the route nears the coastline, the vegetation surrounding the road changes from agricultural to marsh forests.

Hazards

Commercial Vehicles

This route is used by predominantly commercial vehicles transporting agricultural produce, they are not the fastest moving vehicles so make sure you do not over drive your car beyond its braking capacity

Isolation

This route is pretty cut off from the rest of the world, therefore please ensure you plan your pee and fuel stops. There are only 2 petrol stations for the entire 161km between Jempol and Rompin, so plan carefully.

Wildlife

Monkeys and monitor lizards can be a big issue past Muadzam shah as you enter the marshlands. A big sized monitor lizard colliding with your oil cooler or radiator at even 80kph is going to leave a whole lot of damage on your car.

RH Ratings

Speed: 8.9 / 10

Twist: 3 / 10

Elevation: 4 / 10