The native villagers claim the mountain is inhabited by banshees and other ghostly creatures, that is why it is called Gunung Besar Hantu or Big Ghost Mountain.

"The locals speak of other spooky tales they claim that happened among the mountain’s thick and dense foliage, but adventure seekers like me still come here," mountaineer Radzee told the Bernama news agency as he led a group of 25 people in a three-day expedition up the mountain.

Located in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, Gunung Besar Hantu is among the cluster of mountains located at the tail end of the Titiwangsa Range.

Standing at 1,462 metres above sea level, it is among the highest peaks in Peninsular Malaysia.

Dubbed the Titiwangsa Arch, the mountain is also the "stone" that marks the border between Pahang and Negeri Sembilan.

The 32-year-old Radzee is familiar with Gunung Hantu Besar as it is his first mountain conquest in a list of 12 of the country’s tallest peaks.

"Communist terrorists were believed to have used a ‘rat trail’ at the foot of the mountain to sneak between Negeri Sembilan and Pahang in the days of the Emergency," said the Radzee who took up mountaineering at the age of 14.

The trail is still visible, close to a river that snakes through the valley and punctuated by markings left by earlier climbers.

A journey on foot through this jungle trail, that links Jelebu in Negeri Sembilan’s west and Janda Baik in the east of Pahang, would take about two days.

The state government, in an effort to promote extreme sports, had gazetted the mountain and its surrounding jungle as a forest reserve.

Trekkers can leave Kuala Lumpur for the two and half hour journey to reach Kampung Chennah in Jelebu, via Kuala Klawang town.

At the village, four-wheel-drive vehicles take you 15 kilometres of rough and bumpy roads until the Lata Kijang camp.

The hike up to Kem Orkid is about 900 metres above sea level.

The climb begins by scaling 339 steps at a slope that inclines about 80 degrees, from the Lata Kijang waterfall.

It takes about three hours, negotiating the sometimes flat and occasionally steep slopes.

Kem Orkid got its name from the numerous wild orchids growing around the camp which is sandwiched between two rapids. From the camp, the peak of Gunung Besar Hantu can be clearly seen.

On the third day is the final ascent.

Watch out for strong gusts of wind and slippery tracks.

The presence of dwarf and bonsai plants indicates that the peak is close and the climb is almost done

The soothing panoramic view of areas in Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor makes the arduous climb worth every step.