Malaysia Tightens Hiking Rules at 189 Sites as Lost-Hiker Cases Jump 30%

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 3

Malaysia will require guides at 189 high-risk hiking locations, tighten pre-climb screening and ban some “compressed hikes” after rescues of lost hikers climbed sharply.
52 lost-hiker cases were recorded in the first five months of 2026, nearly 30% more than a year earlier, with officials linking the rise to social media-driven risk-taking and poor preparation.
New screening will require health declarations, medical-history checks and insurance coverage, while some states will reject compressed-hike applications or impose minimum multi-day climbing periods on certain routes.
Officials say the aim is to cut accidents and reduce search-and-rescue deployments, which consume significant manpower and public resources, as “hike-tok” trends push hikers to chase content and peak counts.