Watching sun rise @ Sungai Lembing is an activity that you absolutely cannot miss. It only takes about 40 minutes to hike up Panorama Hill to see the rewarding view.
We started the climb at 5.50 am in the morning. It was moderately easy with a mix of steps and muddy paths. Bring a torch along because it’ll come in handy. Some just use the torch app from their phones. When we got to the top at 6.30 am, the sky had just begun to brighten with a little tint of purple. We were finally able to see the amazing surroundings – a mesmerising sea of clouds that almost look like Chinese paintings.
Everyone gasped when there was a glimpse of pink in the sky, and we all waited patiently for the spectacular sunrise. The big rock that you see afar is Cave Panching.
The colors intensified till the entire sky was painted in different hues of red, orange and pink.
We all kept our breaths, waiting for the moment for the sun to say peekaboo. But the sun played hide and seek with us, hiding behind the clouds and dimmed the sky again.
Then finally, drum rolls please, the sun made its appearance !
We lingered a little longer after the sun had risen, trying to imprint this precious memory in my mind forever. While we descended, the sceneries were still so incredible with so much clouds.
The track was still foggy near the base of the hill.
The entrance to the Panorama Hill is just behind the hawker market. To get there, turn into the road that’s next to the market, keep going straight, and you will see the pavilion at the end; the climb starts from there. Make sure to not park too near to the market on Sundays because there is a Sunday Market. The vendors will open up their stalls on the streets, so if your car happened to be parked there, you car could be stuck there. (I know this because our car was stuck ! By the time we came down from the hill, it was only 8.45 am and we couldn’t get back our car till 12pm).
Check out more pictures of Sungai Lembing Below:)

I did Bukit Panorama many, many years ago and it’s really amazing to get that sort of view (like you said, a Chinese painting) with only a 45-minute hike!
I know right ! The sea of clouds was so stunning, and with so minimal effort too to get to the top !