Gunung Besar Hantu – Five 'Stubborn Ghosts' At The Top Of Negeri Sembilan’s Highest Peak
Located at the tail end of Titiwangsa Range, Gunung Besar Hantu is the highest mountain in Negeri Sembilan with the height of 1462m (4797 ft). Dubbed the Titiwangsa Arch, the mountain marks the border between Pahang and Negeri Sembilan. During the Malayan Emergency (Zaman Darurat), the communists were believed to have used a ‘rat trail’ at the foot of the mountain to sneak between the two states. One can trek on foot through this jungle trail from Jelebu in Negeri Sembilan to Janda Baik in the Pahang in about two days’ time.
The Orang Asli community who live at the foothills of Gunung Besar Hantu believe the mountain is inhabited by ghouls and other ghostly creatures, which explains why the mountain is named Gunung Besar Hantu, which literally means “Big Ghost Mountain” in Malay language. It’s sister peak which stands at 1354m is named Gunung Kecial Hantu (“Little Ghost Mountain”).
Even though the mountain is the tallest in Negeri Sembilan, it is however not as popular as the more frequented Gunung Datuk in Tampin and Gunung Angsi in Seremban. In an effort to promote extreme sports and boosts Jelebu as an equal tourist destination alongside Port Dickson, the state government had gazetted the mountain and its surrounding jungle as a forest reserve. I’d said it’s not very successful as the state park is still not known among non-hikers, partly due to its remote location. Good news for us hikers though?
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| View from Kem Orkid - the dense rainforest in Taman Negeri Kenaboi |
I first know this mountain through MMC as they have been organising several hikes there before. Unfortunately, I have never once been lucky enough to tag along. This time around, I happened to be in KL in the same weekend Uncle Mak is organising a trip of his own. Of course, being a big sucker for mountains, I just couldn’t resist. I was told that its difficulty level rivals that of Gunung Nuang (they probably meant from Janda Baik) and having done Trans Jerging the week before, I wasn’t too worried about my current fitness.
How To Get There
The trail head is located in Taman Negeri Kenaboi, about 33km away from Titi Town, Jelebu (about 40 minutes away). By car, it is only about 1 hour 40 minutes from Seremban and is only 1.5 hour away from Hulu Langat, making it an ideal day trip from KL / Selangor.
The road as far as Kampong Ulu Kenaboi is good, but the last stretch leading to the state park is mostly metalled, heavily rutted and potholed in places. It is also narrow and if you meet oncoming traffic you may have to pull over to the side bushes to give way. For this reason, 4WD or at least a car with high clearance is recommended. Having said that, some of us did managed to get there with sedans like Kia and Honda although it wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Taman Negeri Kenaboi (Previously known as Taman Alam Liar Negeri Kenaboi)
Address: Jln Kampong Ulu Kenaboi, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
GPS Coordinates: N3.176500 E101.986333
Opening hours: Daily, 8am – 6pm
Entrance/Permit fee: RM5 (paid at guard house)
In the past, hikers are required to apply permit at the Pejabat Renjer Hutan Daerah Jelebu Kuala Klawang (GPS: N2.935500, E102.06812) in advance. However, things have changed, and we are now able to apply for the permit right at the guard house itself (just like Gunung Angsi and Gunung Datuk). I’d said it’s more convenient this way.
Other activities in Taman Negeri Kenaboi
Although our sole purpose here was to hike Gunung Besar Hantu, the state park has plenty of other activities to offer:
1. Hike Gunung Kecil Hantu (1354m), the sister mountain of Gunung Besar Hantu – close until further notice
2. Hike to Lata Kijang waterfall
3. Hike to Jeram Berungut
4. Caving – Gua Semong and Gua Harimau
5. Bird watching – look out for rhinoceros hornbill nesting place
6. Butterfly spotting – the jungle here is famous Rajah Brooke butterflies
7. Jungle trekking
8. Tubing in Sungai Kenaboi
Steamboat Breakfast On Rainy Day
Except Jun Chin who travelled all the way from Port Dickson (effort, man!), the rest of us drove from KL in the morning to arrive at 8am in the morning. However, luck doesn’t seem to be on our side as it was raining cats and dogs. Not wanting to waste the steamboat ingredients which Uncle Mak had prepared (for dinner after the hike) and considering how far Jun Chin had travelled, we decided to at least have steamboat breakfast at the Park HQ while hoping for the rain to stop anytime soon.
After paying the permit fee, the guard opened the barrier and let us in. The trail towards the mountains and waterfalls is straight ahead but we turned left towards the Park HQ, where there’s shelter to set up our steamboat breakfast.
The Park HQ also has dormitory, chalets, campsite, multipurpose hall, dining hall, office, prayers room and toilets although the facilities all seemed to be run-down and not in use. In fact, there was no water in the toilet on the day of our visit.
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| Turn left right after entering through the barrier and you will reach the park HQ |
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| Steamboat breakfast while waiting for the rain to stop |
From Twelve To Five
The rain finally stopped at 10.30am but seven people had lost their mood for the hike, leaving only five of us who were still keen to make it to the top of Negeri Sembilan – Uncle Mak the leader, Bryan the veteran hiker, Jun Chin who is revisiting the mountain after six years, Wei Xian a new friend and myself who come all the way from Singapore. I bet all five of us would still go on with the plan even if the rain didn’t stop. Quoting Bryan, we were the five “stubborn ghosts”.
Never Ending Road
After saying goodbye to the rest, we walked back to the guard house where the road leads straight to Lata Kijang Junction. Many hikers in the past had driven their 4WD on this road to get to the junction, but we decided to walk since we weren’t sure of the road condition. The distance was about 1.6km and it took us only 20 minutes. Riding a 4WD would probably not save you much time anyway.
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| Never ending road |
At the Y junction, you should take the right path towards the logging road. The left junction will take you to Lata Kijang (literally means Deer Waterfall), a 93m high waterfall which is a popular tourist attraction here. The walk to the waterfall and return would probably take you about 1.5 hour.
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| Left: Lata Kijang Right: logging road towards Gunung Besar Hantu |
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| Bamboo stretch spotted halfway through the logging road |
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| Walking the logging road |
Kem Sungai Kering
The never-ending logging road will lead you all the way to Kem Sungai Kering. Along the way, there were many small paths which forks out from the logging road (they were all on the right), so you got to stay on the main road and keep going until you reach the spacious campsite with wooden table and bench.
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| Rest area at Kem Sungai Kering |
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| Took at break here (beware of leeches) |
From the bench, continue walking towards the river. From the river, if you were to continue straight, you will be heading towards Lata Damar, but to go towards Gunung Besar Hantu, remember to turn right into the jungle trail where the real hike begins.
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| Head down towards Sungai Kering (we stood there to give way to an incoming 4wd ahead) |
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| 4wd crossing the bridge |
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| Sungai Kering (do not cross) |
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| Instead turn right |
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| This is where you should make your turn |
Kem Orkid
The jungle trail started gently without much steep inclination until we reach a small stream (about 10 minutes from Kem Sungai Kering). From some other blogs online, there used to be a small tree trunk that serves as a bridge, but the trunk seemed to have washed away and we needed to step on stones to cross the stream.
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| Stream crossing |
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| Beware of the current when it is raining heavily |
If you are hiking in the rain, you may get stranded here if the water level rises. This is especially dangerous during your descent in the evening. We bump into a large group of Malay hikers that day who were stranded there for three hours before they managed to cross the river and continue their ascent towards Kem Orkid (they had started their hike at 3am in the morning when it was still raining).
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| Wild mushrooms along the trek |
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| Wild mushrooms along the trek |
Like many other mountains, the trail gets slightly steeper after the stream crossing, but still comfortable for seasoned hikers. After an hour, we finally reached Kem Orkid (literally “Orchid Camp”). True to its name, we found some wild orchids here.
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| Kem Orkid |
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| Wild orchids spotted |
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| We are halfway to the peak |
This campsite is where most hikers camped if they are doing a 2D1N hike. I was told there is a water source nearby (5 minutes away). You will pass by the branched trail towards the water source (it forked out on the right) when you hike towards the summit.
Besar-Kecil Junction
After taking a short break in Kem Orkid to snack up and for some obligatory photos, we continued towards the summit, which is about 1.5 hours away (for fast hikers only an hour away). This is where the hike gets interestingly challenging. We kept going uphill and it only seemed to get steeper and steeper. When you finally thought it’s going to be over soon, the trail gets even steeper. The almost 80-degree inclination reminds me of Gunung Suku of Trans Jerging, except this is a lot steeper but fortunately shorter.
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| Big tree spotted |
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| Very very steep! |
Although it was quite a strenuous ascent, the weather was chilly, and the ground was soft, making the whole hike a rather pleasant one. As both Jun Chin and I had not been hiking as regularly as before, the gap between us and the fast three began to widen. Soon, we lost them, and we began hiking leisurely until we reached a Y Junction – the GBH-GKH Junction.
A barricade tap was tied to the left junction leading to Gunung Kecil Hantu (GKH), so naturally anyone would take the right junction which will lead you to Gunung Besar Hantu (GBH). Here, I met two Malay hikers who had just return from GKH. They made sure to point me towards the direction of GBH but didn’t forget to recommend attempting the more challenging GKH next round. Do note though that GKH is closed due to a landslide previously and it is a very dangerous hike for now. This explains why there was a barricade tape in place, so I really do not encourage anyone to attempt this until the authority reopen the route.
The hike towards Gunung Kecil Hantu (GKH) from the junction and return will take an additional 3 hours.
Gunung Besar Hantu Summit (1462m / 4797 ft)
From the junction, it is only about 700m away to the summit of GBH and the trail now is less strenuous compared to the previous stretch from Kem Orkid. The cool weather here was such a bliss. As it rained in the morning, the temperature dropped and the ferns and mosses on the trees were covered with dews. Unfortunately, I had some problem with my phone that day, so I didn’t manage to snap any photos. It’s okay, I’ll be back!
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| The summit |
After half an hour, I finally reach the summit. At the highest point of the summit, a trig station has long collapsed. The summit sign can be seen hanging on the tree next to the fallen trig station.
We climbed up the tree to find out at what kind of view it has to offer. Although ranked the highest in Negeri Sembilan, the view here is nothing to shout home about, but you do get see some valleys and mountains when the sky is clear.
They said you can see as far as Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands, but we couldn’t spot them as the it was partly cloudy that day. Better luck next time, perhaps?
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| Yay! I made it |
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| Love how I pose with style here *smirk* |
We climbed up the tree to find out at what kind of view it has to offer. Although ranked the highest in Negeri Sembilan, the view here is nothing to shout home about, but you do get see some valleys and mountains when the sky is clear.
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| View from the summit. Where's KL? Where's Genting Highlands? |
They said you can see as far as Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands, but we couldn’t spot them as the it was partly cloudy that day. Better luck next time, perhaps?
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| Group photo |
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| Big ghost and small ghost |
After taking some group photos at the tree, we settled down for lunch before descending to the foot of the mountain.
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| The summit space |
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| Instant cup noodles is the most convenient lunch option |
Descent
Just like Gunung Nuang, the descent is much easier and faster as the trails are 95% downhill. From Kem Orkid towards Kem Sungai Kering, we were basically running most of the time. Though we took 4 hours to the reach the peak, we only took 3 hours to descent. Fast hikers and trail runners may even make it back to the guard house in 2 hours.
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| This beautiful photo was taken by Wei Xian at the stream on our way out |
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| Walking back to the Park HQ where our car is |
There was no water at the toilet, so we ended up at the river to wash up.
By 7pm, we were ready to drive home and, on our way out from Kampung Ulu Kenaboi, we saw a hornbill. Bryan had heard the sound of hornbills this morning when we were walking on the never-ending road, but we couldn’t spot any. Finally, we saw one standing on the power line cable of the village. We were quite lucky after all, weren’t we?
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| Head towards the river to wash up |
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| Hornbill *love* |
With a photo of the beautiful hornbill in our phones, we drove back to KL where I then took a midnight bus back to Singapore.
Epilogue
I was told that Gunung Besar Hantu is quite similar to Gunung Nuang in terms of the terrain, distance and difficulty. So how similar are they? After doing it, I’d have to agree, although the latter does feel more daunting. Having said that however, I completed the hike in 8 hours which is the exact same time I spent to hike Gunung Nuang for the first time, except that I took longer break at Nuang’s peak and Kem Pacat. I guess I was fitter back then?
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| Let's get back in shape soon, shall we? |
However, the biggest question I have in mind is the spooky tales of Gunung Besar Hantu and Gunung Kecil Hantu. I’m sure there must be some amazing stories behind the origin of the names, but I spent hours searching up the net to no avail. Does anyone of you have some stories to share? Feel free to comment down below to share with me any stories you’ve read or hear about these “ghostly” mountain. After all, sharing is caring! *grin*
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| Girl who hike *wink* |
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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 22.6km return from guard house (19.4km return if start from Lata Kijang junction) (one creek crossing)
10:30 Start hiking from guard house
10:50 Reach Late Kijang junction (turn right towards Kem Sungai Kering)
11:50 Reach Kem Sg Kering (5 min break) (turn right towards Kem Orkid)
12:15 Stream crossing
13:05 Reach Kem Orkid (5 min break)
14:00 Reach Besar-Kecil Y junction (turn right to Gunung Besar Hantu)
14:30 Reach Gunung Besar Hantu peak (1 hour lunch break)
15:30 Leave peak
16:30 Reach Kem Orkid
17:15 Reach Kem Sg Kering
18:30 Reach guard house
Guard house > Lata Kijang Junction = ± 1.6km (20 minutes, return 15 minutes)
Lata Kijang Junction > Kem Sg. Kering = ± 4.6km (1 hour, return 1 hour)
Kem Sg. Kering > Kem Orkid = ± 3.4km (1 hour, return 45 minutes)
Kem Orkid > Besar-Kecil Junction = ± 1km (1 hour, return 40 minutes)
Besar-Kecil Junction > GBH summit = ± 700m (30 minutes, return 20 minutes)
Ps: Except for Celcom, there is no signal for other telco lines from the area of Kampung Ulu Kenaboi all the way to the top of the mountain, so you may have a problem contacting anyone in case of emergency. Be sure to download an offline map and inform someone of your whereabout being going for the hike.
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-Thanks for reading-
Posts
Nice write up, interesting and engaging read. The merry band of stubborn and hungry ghosts had a fun day out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment. You must be Bryan! :)
Deletehi,, is it the park still open for hiking,,, we plan this sunday,,
DeleteHi Shamini, I'm not sure if this is opened at the moment due to covid and mco. Do contact the forestry office before going
DeleteMany thanks to you Catherine for the insightful information. it makes my planning of visit to this place much easier. I visited GBH in 2011 back then, I am planning to revisit on 16-18th Mar 2020. Taking a bunch of students with me( I am a home school teacher) I am planning to go on a river hike to Jeram Berungut at he same location near the HQ of Kenaboi State Park on 7th March2020.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the read. Your upcoming trip sounds fun! Are you a regular hiker?
DeleteRegaring the story of how does the name of gunung besar hantu and gunung hantun kecil came about, someone had told me about it before when I went there on 2011. Unfortunately I forgotten about the whole story. The only thing I remembered was that when you look at both of the hill from far(at the foot hill as Lata Kijang) you will see one smaller person (with the head and stomach)lying on the left and another bigger person( with a head and stomach) lying on the right.I will try to catch a picture of that and send it to you. Mean while be patient until I find out the dongneng (traditional story pass down orally by ancestors)from the locals, then I will tell you about it.
ReplyDeletewow that's interesting! can't wait to hear about it!
DeleteYes, Catherine, I am a regular hiker since young. I done most of the hills and mountains in West Malaysia ( Not all though).My highest peak is Gunung Tahan on Jun-July 2011.Now beside I hike on my own, I bring students for camping trip during school holidays. They love it. I reside at Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. If you and your gang are planning hiking near my area, do let me know. If I know the route and timing allow, I don't mind to be your guide.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anakin!
DeleteWell written, detailed and informative. Thank you
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, I'm more confident of making at attempt to GHB! Very detailed write up. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi YS Wah,
DeleteYou are welcome. Just be well prepared and you can do it. Hope you have an enjoyable hike :)
Hi Cath, did u ride on the lorry/4wd towards the starting point actually? if not it will take how long to reach if by walking, pls share, thanks ya
ReplyDelete