CAMPING AND CLIMBING MOUNTAIN BESAR HANTU, KENABOE - PART 1

     Greetings an d Good Luck to Everyone Who Stopped by the ANS TRJ Blog, Thank You.

         This is my second time camping here. I've fallen in love with this place because the atmosphere is peaceful and really comfortable without any disturbances whether they exist or not.   

        This time I would like to share a story from when we climbed Mount Besar Hantu, which is located in Mukim Kenaboi, Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus. 

        It is also one of the mountain groups located at the end of the Titiwangsa range which extends from the border point of 3 states, namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang, to Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.

Welcome To Kenaboi Wild Park

Let's continue the story.   

     

        Gunung Besar Hantu has a height of 1462 metres and the distance to go there and back (two way) is around 20 kilometres. The one-way climb from Kampung Ulu Kenaboi is estimated to be 10kilometres.  

        It is also one of the mountain groups located at the end of the Titiwangsa range which extends from the border point of 3 states, namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang, to Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.

The path to the campsite is via a suspension bridge.

            We rented a campsite for 3 days and 2 nights. We brought all our food and drinks from home. We cooked using a mini gas stove. We brought our own tent because there are sites and electric cable facilities at each campsite. We need to bring an extension cord and make sure the wire is long enough to reach the tent. I brought 3 USB bulbs, a flyer sheet, a pot, a glass, a spoon, enough food and drinks for 3 days 2 nights. The important thing is to have enough Maggi supply, quick to cook, quick to eat 👻😁.

    A little information sharing. For any activity here, you need to get a permit at the Kenaboi affairs office. Go straight to the Kenaboi Wilderness Park to make the payment and get the permit.

Facilities at Kenaboi Wilderness Park:-

Campsite per day RM5.00

Per head RM5.00

Facilities include toilets/bathrooms and a surau.

A dome that can accommodate 40 people is also available for rent.

A 3-room chalet is also available for rent at a price of RM150-250/day.

Accommodation facilities available here.

The first time I came here was on 29/1/25. This time I came just to camp.

This is the exploration list I need to complete.

The second time I came here was on 2/5/25 - 4/5/25. My main goal was to conquer Gunung Besar Hantu. 

The story begins like this. 

        On Friday, when I went to Kenaboi, my car almost went into a ravine many times. When I came, it was raining heavily. I couldn't see the road, and the road was narrow, only enough for one car to pass. It was really dangerous. Luckily, my co-pilot was able to hold the steering wheel. Every time I reached a corner, my car almost went into a ravine. Oh God, why did I do that day? Alhamduillah, we arrived safely at Kenaboi Park. If yo  go there during heavy rain, be careful driving.           

         That night after Isha prayer we were having dinner. While eating, we heard the sound of an eagle from the direction of the suspension bridge which is the entrance to this campsite. It was 9.30pm. We were the only ones camping here and no one else. The sound of an eagle was heard from a distance at the corner of the suspension bridge. Then the sound of the eagle moved towards the front of the campsite towards the forest across the river. Not long after, the sound of the eagle moved to the forest on our left. Then the sound of the eagle was right behind our tent. The sound was from the forest behind the toilet. At first, the eagle sounded like usual, the sound of an eagle that we are used to hearing. Not long after, we were all shocked and looked at each other because the bird's sound turned into a loud hoarse sound like a harsh voice screaming in the forest. Phew, it sounded scary. We didn't say anything except keep quiet.

    

#Info: Night Eagle (Machaeramphus alcinus)

This is the only species of eagle known to be active at night and hunts at dusk and at night, according to Wikipedia.

        After finishing eating, we rested and went to sleep. That night, I tried to sleep while opening tik tok and watching Horror Story. Then I forced myself to sleep but my eyes wouldn't sleep, I felt uncomfortable. Finally, I played on the phone until 2 am, my stomach was already hungry, so I continued to cook maggi. That morning was indeed our important mission to climb Mount Besar Hantu. Our plan was to wake up early at 3 am and get ready to start our mission. All the equipment such as flashlights, small knives for protection, mineral water and some food. We didn't know what we would go through on the journey and just prayed and trusted in Allah S.W.T. 

Gas runs out, so we have to use wood.

        I cooked Maggi and woke up everyone who was sleeping because it was almost 3 am. I didn't seem to sleep. Everyone woke up and ate to gather energy because I wanted to climb the mountain. 

I co uldn't imagine myself climbing a mountain as far as approximately 11km which took 

6 - 7 hours to climb.  

        After eating and each of us getting ready with our respective necessities, we were a little late. At 4.00 am we moved out of the campsite to the administration center to the outer gate.

Walked up to the Kenaboi Signboard wall and the clock showed 4.15am

        Arriving at the parking area, there were many cars there. Apparently there were many groups of hikers who came early that morning to climb GBH. Feeling excited and a little safe because many people wanted to climb that morning. The three of us went out and went to the 'Welcome To Kenaboi' signboard. That was where the entrance to GBH and all the Kenaboi forest spots was.

        At this moment, I was really excited because it was my first time entering the forest so early in the morning. We are confident we can do it and may God protect us throughout our journey. 

  

Every step is full of caution.

        Our eyes were focused on the glow of the flashlight and we didn't care about the forest to our left and right. We walked and the only sound we could hear was the chirping of crickets and grasshoppers.

 The journey has reached 1km to 2km.

    After 3km of travel, we stopped to perform the Fajr Prayer by the forest hut. 

 

        When we stopped here, other hikers had already passed where we stopped, so we didn't have to worry about the pitch blackness around us.

    After praying, we continued our journey. 

After 4km, it was daylight. It was almost 8 in the morning. We feel comfortable moving quickly because we no longer need to use flashlights. Feel the enthusiasm to continue the journey and have a little fun.

After 5km of walking, I felt a little tired, but the cool morning air helped my spirit to walk that morning. 

 The road started winding with creeping tree roots and uneven ground.

After 6km of hiking,we stopped for a short break to quench our thirst and give way to other climbers who were at odds with us.

 I'm feeling more tired than ever. I haven't slept all day, and I'm starting to feel the effects. 

The landscape  

was full of forests and tall trees on both sides. Along the way, we could hear the chirping of birds and grasshoppers.

It's already bright and the sun is up, but it doesn't feel hot here, it's really cool but I'm really tired and sleepy.

 
We have walked almost 8 km.  Wow, how tiring it is now. I am starting to feel very tired and sleepy. This is the result of not getting enough sleep. The air around us is getting colder because we are already at a height of almost 2900 feet. The current situation is almost the same height as Mount Angsi (2702 feet).

    When I first climbed Mount Angsi, I actually wanted to surrender, but somehow I decided to climb the higher GBH. Apparently my desire was greater than my extreme fatigue 😉. 

This is the largest tree here. According to information, the forest officials want to cut this tree down but are facing difficulties in managing it.

 

 The roots of trees that are decades old may be hundreds of years old. We had to climb the tree roots that were wrapped around the path and it was quite slippery and challenging. It was the best. 

     The air is getting colder and the temperature is getting humid. I don't remember how many kilometers it was, something happened to me. The hill there was really damp. Suddenly I felt a pain in my neck. I put my hand in and felt something soft sucking my blood, huh.

    Oh my, the leech apparently went up to my neck. I immediately pulled the leech out, half of its head was already inside my neck. Just remind me of one, apparently there's another one on my neck. I immediately pulled out the leech that was stuck to my neck. I was struggling and it sucked my blood. I don't feel afraid because we are in the forest, we have to be prepared for whatever comes our way. This leech is really rude...hehe.      After a short break, we continued our journey with the remaining 3 kilometers to reach the summit. The atmosphere there was humid because the leech climbed up to the tree branches. The cold temperature had started to seep into our bones which were not very fat haha. While walking, suddenly another climber scolded me for what was on my hand. Oh my God, there was another leech sucking my blood.  

        Phew, this leech is too much. Have a lot of people climbing, it seems that the leech likes to suck my blood, maybe my blood is sweet and delicious 😁👻. 

        It's already bright and the sun is up, but it doesn't feel hot here, it's really cool but I'm really tired and sleepy.

      About 2km left to reach the top of GBH. 

     I started to feel very tired and felt like falling asleep. I had to hold on and gather some strength to reach the top.

       Finally, the long-awaited moment came true.

 We managed to reach it in style. The conditions at the top were too cold. Fog with a wind blowing... phew, it was so cold. There were many climbers on the top. Some were cooking and some had food ready. We were very tired and in our heads we just wanted to sleep. The ground was damp and filled with mossy forest. We had to find a place inside because the main room of the peak was filled with groups of climbers from Melaka. We rested in the gaps between the mossy forest trees and I continued to lie down on my backpack. It was really cold but because I was too sleepy, I took this opportunity to take a short nap. The clock showed almost 12 noon. I thought I could sleep for a little longer but woke up because the cold wind was stinging my hands and starting to feel numb. I was also afraid, I might freeze to death haha. 

        We just ate bread and drank water, then went to take pictures as proof that we had arrived at GBH. Actually, the food we brought wasn't enough. It was a mistake because we didn't bring more food. The situation at the peak was full of climbers making it difficult for us to take pictures. We can't stand the extreme cold temperatures that pierce our bones.. We took pictures in the gaps between the mossy trees and decided to get down immediately because we were afraid we would be late arriving at the campsite. We were all satisfied with the success of conquering Gunung Besar Hantu, it was truly the best and an experience that we will never forget.

We made it and now it's time to go down the mountain. It's not an easy thing either. 

        The descent was quite difficult because of the many bends and slippery downhill conditions, coupled with the tree roots that emerged and spread out. My legs couldn't handle the pressure when going down the hill. My legs started to hurt. Even going down was tiring. I gathered some energy to go down. There was a hilly area to climb. The last 4 kilometers, my legs started to hurt. I felt like my knee screws were loose because every time I stepped and put my feet on the ground, the pain was so bad. I tried walking like a duck, walking like a rabbit, walking like a crab and finally walking backwards. 

 

    If I walked like a 'Sloth'😩, I wouldn't reach the Kenaboi Campsite until tomorrow. My knees were loose and didn't grip because this was my first time hiking the farthest, almost 22 km round trip, phew, terrible. There were also many climbers who called 'Gojek' (Aboriginal people) because they couldn't bear to continue their journey back to Kenaboi Park. The drivers of 'Gojek' motorbikes are all men, so I don't dare to take a ride. There was a woman whose leg was injured, because she slipped and their faces looked like they were about to cry 😢... it must have been really painful.  This Gojek service is really good and a side income for the Orang Asli there. In my knee condition, I continued walking to the campsite. Alhamdulillah we all arrived safely and in style. It was already 7pm. We returned to camp, prayed, took a shower, and then cooked maggi because we were very hungry.

        Even though I was tired, this is the best memory so far. Alhamdulillah, thank you Ya Allah for allowing me to climb to the top of Gunung Besar Hantu.

         Actually, after hiking anywhere, the body feels light, healthy and happy.

        After dinner, everyone rested and slept soundly. The next day after lunch, we packed up to go back. When I woke up that morning, my legs were fine again. I could walk normally. Maybe I had overused my legs yesterday that's why I had cramps.

        That's all the story I want to share and hopefully it will be useful for all of you. Thank you for stopping by the Ans TRJ blog and see you in the next blog. That's it, Wasallam.