Gunung Berembun Jelebu Day Hike - Revisiting The WWII Crash Site

About a year ago, I first step foot in the dense rainforest of Gunung Berembun Jelebu, the burial site of the crashed WWII aircraft. Having taken the reverse route from Telapak Buruk, my friends and I had done a very leisure Trans from Telapak Buruk to Gunung Berembun and out from Kampung Pantai trail head. Little did I know that I would be doing the classic route so soon (Kampung Pantai trail head > Gunung Berembun Jelebu > Crash Site > Gunung Berembun Jelebu > Kampung Pantai trail head)

“Expedition” 2.0

My first Gunung Berembun Jelebu was planned with the intention to make things easy, as we start from Telapak Buruk and the route is a descent all the way to the crash site, Gunung Berembun Jelebu, Gua Kambing and out from Kampung Pantai trail head with little elevation gain.

This time around however, I followed MMC plan - the classic normal trail by getting in and out from Kampung Pantai trail head. However, we only intend to reach as far as the crash site, not going any further to Gunung Telapak Buruk. Joining us MMC this time around, includes Vambly’s friends from Dream Team Singapore, a group of Chinese runners-hikers in Singapore. 

How To Get There

There are basically two entrance points to get in, one from Gunung Berembun Jelebu (Kampung Pantai) and the other from Gunung Telapak Buruk (the telecommunication tower).

Kampung Pantai trailhead

Trail heads:

★Via Gunung Berembun Jelebu |Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead

Loji Rawatan Air Pantai, Mukim Pantai,, 71770 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

★Via Gunung Telapak Buruk | TM Telecommunication Tower

71600 Kuala Klawang, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Telapak Buruk trailhead

As we went in and out via Kampung Pantai trail head, we didn’t need to park any car at the other trail head. If you wish to do a trans however, you will need to make sure you have a car at the end of your hike. For the second trail head at Gunung Telapak Buruk, a 4wd is recommended as the road is rugged unless you don’t mind damaging your car. 

October 2018 : Gunung Telapak Buruk > Crash Site > Gunung Berembun Jelebu (click here to read more)

July 2019 : Gunung Berembun Jelebu > Crash Site > Gunung Berembun Jelebu (stay here and read on)

Registration and hiking permit

It’s not uncommon that a registration fee is required to hike Gunung Berembun Jelebu, and here it costs RM 5 per pax, paid at the entrance (just next to the water treatment plant). The staff will be there at the morning (very early) and collect them from you. You will also be required to fill in the log book with your particulars such as your name, IC, and contact number.

Group photo (MMC + Dream Team)

Lata Berembun – campsite and water point

After filling up your particular, take the steps up where you will enter the jungle path. Keep a look for ribbon marker on your right about a couple of minutes from here. Take the right turn and you are on your way towards Lata Berembun, the first campsite and water point.

Lata Berembun

It takes approximately 30 minutes (distance about 2km) to reach the Lata Berembun from the trail head and the trail is wide, mostly flat and clearly marked. You will come across laminated paper marking on the trees about every 50m. The distance marker goes in descending order from this trail head and you shall it see that it starts from around 10,000m (the first one which caught my attention was 9000m+). One way I ensured that I was on the right track is to check the sign of this marking along the trail.

Close up of the waterfall

Lata Berembun is a waterfall and since the area is moist and damp, this is also where most people got bitten by leeches, although I did not have any for both times I hiked here. Do come prepared with your leech prevention is you are concerned.

This tree trunk bridge has now collapsed

There used to be a fallen tree trunk that bridge the river, however during our hike here in July, the trunk has broken. Now, without the bridge, one would need to cross the river by stepping cautiously on the rocks. Be careful not to slip and you may also consider crossing barefoot. 

Gua Kambing – water point

The distance from Lata Berembun to Gua Kambing is about another 2km, and there is some hard inclination but nothing too challenging. We reached Gua Kambing in about an hour, where we took a 15 minutes break. The Dream Team found some wild durians and they decided to open them up right there. The rest of us take the chance to sit down and take a break.

Gua Kambing

Gua Kambing is a rather interesting campsite, with water source (a tiny waterfall) and a sheltered rock cave. Past frequent hikers had also decorated the place into a comfy selter with tables, fly sheets and decorative mail box. It’s a great spot to rest and have a nice cup of tea, before the steep inclination ahead.

Water source

"Wifi Zone"

"Mail box"

Gunung Berembun Jelebu

It is only about 1km to Gunung Berembun Jelebu peak from Gua Kambing, but the hard inclination immediately after Gua Kambing (this one is really steep!) will slow down most people. Some sections have rope installed for assistance but I pretty much preferred to grab on roots if there are any.

Gunung Berembun Jelebu

After an hour, we reach Gunung Berembun Jelebu. Although it is spacious enough to function as a campsite, there is no water source nearby, so prepare enough water (which you can obtain from Lata Berembun / Gua Kambing).

Found a new flattering post

Look slim too. Haha

Close up bokeh by Huawei Pro 30

For those doing day hike, the peak is where people stopped for lunch before heading to the crashed site. It was only 10.15 when we reached here so it was still quite early for lunch. All of us from MMC packed chicken rice from Seremban Market (where we had breakfast this morning) but I couldn’t finish the whole packet.

Watermelon carried by Vambly

With some group photos to commemorate reaching the peak, we headed off to the crash site. 

Group photo before heading to the crash site

WWII Aircraft Crash Area

Though not as steep as earlier, the 2.5km trail from Berembun peak to the crash area goes up and down several trails with some hard inclination followed by occasional flat trails. I was following Joy from Dream Team who was leading the pack that day and about 2km later I decided to slow down. It was satisfying to finally be hiking at that pace but part of me is afraid to burn out. After all, my endurance is no longer like before since I stopped running for half a year and hadn’t have any long day hikes for almost a year. Finally, after 45 minutes or so, we reached the crash site.

This will be on your right if you come from Gunung Berembun Jelebu

It’s around the mark of 2550m, so be sure to pay attention to the green signage of the crash site on your right. Behind the metal sign is a debris of what looks like the wing of the aircraft, but the rest of the debris is on the other side.

This wing will be behind the green sign

Look to your left, where there’s another metal plate on a tree, with a Malaysian national flag hanging proudly right underneath the metal plate. From here, you should see a trail of steps to get to the rest of the plane wreckage. As you go down the steps, you will gradually find various plane debris scattered around.

Look out for this metal sign with the name of the deceased

Take this trail towards the plane wreckage

The wreck, though widely spread over a large area, is well preserved, including the fuselage, the engine, and even some faint markings.

Part of the plane, covered by fallen leaves and branches

Tyre still intact

Engine

The fuselage (main section of the plane)

From the photos I’ve seen circulated on the internet, the fuselage had only been hit by a fallen tree in recent years, which further damaged the aircraft. People used to be able to peek into the fuselage and see the structure within, but it is hardly possible to do so now with ease.

Obligatory photo with the plane

close up

Don't be mistaken. The hike is not tiring. I'm just born with this face

Trying to get a natural candid shot but failed

Let's just do smiling pose

Another awkward pose haha

I'm a bad poser

No eye see

As tempted as you could be to be taking photos with the wreckage and debris, try your best not to destroy any part of the plane you see. I understand the urge to touch, hold, sit and lean on the plane, but do bear in mind that it is more than 70 years old and they can be quite fragile. It’s also a respect to the crew who died in the crash, besides doing our part to preserve such an important historical site.

This jungle is beautiful

With hot mama - Carin

So… what exactly happened to this aircraft? What was it doing in our Malaysian jungle and how did it crash?

The Story Behind

Eight days after Japan surrendered during the end of World War II in August 1945, eight crew members onboard British Royal Air Force (RAF), flew a B-24 Liberator Bomber to the Malay Peninsula on a mission to drop supplies of food and medicine for Allied POWs, still imprisoned and in poor health, in a camp at Kampung Langkap not far from the crash site.

Instead of calling this "the aircraft" or "the plane", you may also refer to it as the B-24 Liberator Bomber or KL654-R

The aircraft took off from their base at Brown’s West Island airstrip in the Cocos Island around 1,000km south of Sumatra along with four other B-24 from Squadron 356. Without any distress signal and with no indication of trouble, the plane disappeared. For decades, it was thought to have fallen down into the ocean or crashed somewhere into the dense Malayan jungle. 

In the 1950s, the crash site was first discovered by orang asli tribesmen who reported it to the British Army. However, no action was taken for fear of an ambush by the communist insurgents. In 1991, local Orang Asli tribesmen once again reported a remote wreckage site to the authorities, but expedition to examine the site did not begin until much later in 2006, due to lack of funding and initial reluctance by the UK Ministry of Defence to support recovery of the remains.

What has become of the aircraft which once belonged to the British Royal Air Force

In 2006, the Malaya Historical Group (MHG), following two expeditions to the wreck site, positively identified the reported wreckage as the missing B-24 Liberator. The following year, MHG organized another trip with involvement of the Malaysian Army and two British participants, former Apache pilot and author Ed Macy and police detective Clayton Ford. They recovered two rings, a pocket knife, a watch strap and bone fragments. 

A thorough, 10-day excavation was done in 2009, which recovered bones, identity tags and personal belongings. The bone fragments recovered was then DNA tested to confirm their identities. Researchers believed that the plane had struck a tree and crashed down the dense forest.

Nature has taken over the plane with moss growing all over the debris

The remains of eight crew members of RAF flight KL654-R were permanently laid to rest on 18 October 2012 in a burial service with full military honours at the Cheras Road Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur, some 67 years after their B-24 Liberator crashed. 

With the consent from the family members of the crews, their remains were buried in one coffin but have individual headstones. Their names are:

Flying Officer J.T. Bromfield, 166369 from Cheam, Surrey (20 years old)

Flight Sergeant A. Turner, 1621393 from Dewsbury, Yorkshire (21 years old)

Flight Sergeant William Ross, 2213814 from Gateshead, Durham (20 years old)

Flight Sergeant Jack Blakey, 1582692, from Boston, Lincolnshire (30 years old)

Flight Sergeant Raymond Arthur Towell, 1624252, from Wellingborough, Northants(21 years old)

Flight Lieutenant John Selwyn Watts, 158017, from Crofton, Yorkshire (24 years old)

Flying Officer Edward Donald Mason, 166082 from Sheffield, Yorkshire (22 years old)

Flying Officer William Kenneth Dovey, 166352 from Ludlow, Salop (20 years old)

In memory of the deceased crews

It's quite a heart-breaking story of the young crews who died in such an unfortunate accident. Fortunately, with the recovery of their remains and a proper burial, their family members finally got their much-needed closure.

U-Turn Back

MMC members

We spent about 45 minutes at the crash site before heading back to Gunung Berembun. The time spent on our way back is absolutely shorter since it’s mostly descents, but everyone kind of went in different pace of their own. We let the Dream Team to fly own their own (they are all trail runners) while we from MMC made sure to regroup at every checkpoint (Gunung Berembun Jelebu, Gua Kambing, Lata Berembun) before continuing back to Kampung Pantai trailhead.

Regroup

We came out from the jungle at around 4pm and decided to clean up at the river near where we parked our cars. You will easily spot this as there is even a sign guiding your way. 

Dinner at Seremban Seafood Village Restaurant

Vambly initially proposed dinner at another seafood restaurant but since the said restaurant is only opened at 5pm, Dream Team who had completed their hike about one hour ahead of us, had driven to the famous Seremban Seafood Village instead. Once we got out, cleaned up and saw their message, we headed to the same restaurant. One second thought, we could actually make it for the other restaurant since we left Kampung Pantai around 5pm. Oh well, that calls for another Seremban trip I guess?

Stir fry baby kailan (front) and potato leaves with fermented beancurd (back)

Forgot what is this but this is good

Steam fish

Signature baked crab

Address: 3720-3724, Jalan Tuanku Munawir, Bandar Seremban, 70000 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Opening hours: 1pm to 1am, daily

Epilogue

I finished writing this second revisit to Gunung Berembun Jelebu around the same time the I saw the news of the unfortunate death of Nora, an Irish girl who went missing in the jungle and found death 10 days after. Knowing how dense the jungle is, it is not surprising that it took so long to finally found her, but her death saddened us. I couldn’t imagine how much pain her family is going through at the moment, but I could only hope that they stay strong and may Nora’s soul rest in peace. 

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Thank you for reading all the way till the end. Too much info and you just want a summarised itinerary but too lazy to scroll back up? Here’s a summary I’ve drafted up for you. Hope it helps you with your planning.

Itinerary:

**Disclaimer: Below is my timing according to my speed. So please take it with a grain of salt, as everyone have different pace. Have fun hiking this mountain. *wink*

Day Hike

Total distance hiked: approximately 15km return (one river crossing at Lata Berembun) 

0700: Gather at Kampung Pantai Baru trailhead

0730: Start hiking

0800: Reach Lata Berembun

0900: Reach Gua Kambing (rest 15 minutes)

0915: Leave Gua Kambing 

1015: Reach Gunung Berembun Jelebu (break 1 hour - lunch and rest)

1115: Leave Gunung Berembun Jelebu

1200: Reach WWII Aircraft Crash Area (45 minutes photo time)

1300: Leave WWII Aircraft Crash Area

1345: Reach Gunung Berembun Jelebu (regroup)

1430: Reach Gua Kambing (regroup)

1530: Reach Lata Berembun (regroup)

1600: Reach Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead

Alternative hiking route:

***Disclaimer: The following tips are formed based on my personal opinion. As I’m not a mountain guide nor professional hiker, please exercise your own judgment before following. 

🔼 Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead > Lata Berembun > Gua Kambing > Gunung Berembun > return

This is a rather short hike, which only covers one peak (Gunung Berembun Jelebu). Perfect for beginners or anyone looking for a leisure hike, and doesn’t mind not seeing the Aircraft Crash Area. You also don’t need any 4wd to do this hike.

🔼 Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead > Lata Berembun > Gua Kambing > Gunung Berembun > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > return

If you start your hike early, and have enough time and energy, you can extend your hike to the aircraft crash area before returning to the trailhead. This is what we did this time around. 

🔼 Gunung Telapak Buruk > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > Gunung Berembun > Gua Kambing > Lata Berembun > Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead (Trans) - more here

This is the what I did previously, and is rather easy since it’s descent all the way, but would need a 4wd to get to TM Tower Gunung Telapak Buruk, and have cars prepared at the end of the trek (Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead). You would also need to arrange another 4wd to drive someone back to TM Tower to collect the 4wd. Hmmmm, there’s a lot of cars needed for one hike.

🔼 Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead > Lata Berembun > Gua Kambing > Gunung Berembun > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > Gunung Telapak Buruk (Trans)

This is the opposite of the above but less relax, since it’s ascent all the way. However, you will need to arrange a 4wd to pick you up at the end of the trek. 

🔼 Gunung Telapak Buruk > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > Gunung Berembun > return 

If you have a 4wd, but unable to arrange another one to drive you back to TM Tower, then a trans (either route 3 or 4 above) is rather troublesome to do. In that case, you may make a u-turn from Gunung Berembun back to your 4wd.

🔼 Gunung Telapak Buruk > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > return 

Even shorter distance and fairly easy, if you have the same concern as above, and only wanted to visit the Aircraft Crash Area. 

🔼 Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead > Lata Berembun > Gua Kambing > Gunung Berembun > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > Gunung Telapak Buruk > return (Trans reverse)

Don’t have a 4wd but wanted to get to cover both peaks? If you don’t mind a long hike of more than 12 hours, this is one possible way, by starting from Kampung Baru trailhead which is accessible by car, and make a return from Gunung Telapak Buruk. 

🔼 Gunung Telapak Buruk > WWII Aircraft Crash Area > Gunung Berembun > Gua Kambing > Lata Berembun > Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead > return (Trans reverse)

Well, the exact opposite of the above, if you only have one 4wd and couldn’t arrange other transport to pick you up at Kampung Pantai Baru Trailhead and collect your 4wd. However, do expect to spend more than 12 hours for entire journey.

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Bonus read: How many Gunung Berembun is there in Malaysia?

When I was first exposed to the mountains of Malaysia, I often got confused with the same name shared by different mountains. One of such example is the name “Berembun” which seems to be a well-liked name for mountain-namers (if there is such a person?) If you have ever been confused like I do, here’s three different Gunung Berembun to help you differentiate them, the next time you come across this name:

☆Gunung Berembun (Jelebu) – 1014m/3326 feet

What’s this list without the mountain of the post? Otherwise a forgettable mountain due to lack of scenery and challenge, this mountain is receiving much love in recent years due to the plane wreckage. It is also the lowest mountain of the three listed here, and probably also the easiest. 

☆Gunung Berembun (Cameron Highlands) – 1840m/6037 feet

Nestled among the tons of trails in Cameron Highlands, Gunung Berembun is one of the 14 known trails in Cameron Highlands. I’ve yet to try this hike, but from what I’ve read, it was a rather easy trek. Maybe someday I’ll make a visit.

☆Gunung Berembun (Dungun) – 1038m/3405 feet

This mountain is located in Terengganu, in Hutan Lipur Chemerong, and is probably one of the hottest camping spot in recent years. The highlight here isn’t this mountain, but the clear water of Sungai Bangang and the beautiful Langsir and Chemerong waterfall. If you have not read my top post, here’s the entry about my visit to this place, back in 2017.

You may have noticed that all three Gunung Berembuns, though located at different states, do in fact share a similarity. All three peaks have no view to write home about, as the summit is overgrown with trees and bushes. 

The name “Berembun” in Malay language means “dewy”, so maybe morning dew were found amongst the trees in early morning (low temperature, especially Cameron Highlands)? 

What do you think? Did I miss any? Comment down below if you found any more Gunung Berembun which I have missed!

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-Thanks for reading-