MY · Negeri Sembilan · 2.83°N 102.32°E

batu kikir

Za'ba's kampung house museum and the Wave Rock, a giant curved boulder on Bukit Baginda.

Best time
Any time of year for the museum. Climb Bukit Baginda on a dry morning: the trail is steep and slippery after rain.
How long
1 day
Getting there
About 2 hours' drive from KL: the North–South Expressway to Seremban, then Federal Route 51 through Kuala Pilah. Batu Kikir is about 20 minutes past Kuala Pilah.
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MY · Negeri Sembilanbatu kikir2.83°N 102.32°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Za'ba's kampung house museum and the Wave Rock, a giant curved boulder on Bukit Baginda.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBatu KikirMY, Negeri Sembilan
KLbatu kikir
≈ 78 km from KL, as the crow flies
Teratak Za'aba is a museum in Bukit Kerdas, Batu Kikir, Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, dedicated to the famous Malay linguist Zainal Abidin bin Ahmad (alias Za'aba/Za'ba).

Photo: Tripadvisor · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A small town between Kuala Pilah and Bahau, known from the Negeri Sembilan folk song 'Apo Kono Eh Jang' for its old iron bridge, since replaced. Two things bring people here: the timber house museum at the birthplace of Za'ba, the scholar who shaped modern Malay, and the Wave Rock, a huge ridged boulder on Bukit Baginda.

Makan

  1. Masak lemak cili apiFish, chicken or daging salai in the state's fiery coconut gravy at the Malay rice shops in town.Map ↗
  2. Kuih and teh tarikPick up a few pieces from the morning stalls before the climb.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Teratak Za'baA traditional Negeri Sembilan timber house at Kampung Bukit Kerdas, where Za'ba was born in 1895, with his typewriter, books and belongings inside and a small herb garden outside.Map ↗
  2. Wave Rock, Bukit BagindaA steep 2 km climb from Kampung Majau to a boulder about 40 metres wide, streaked with vertical ridges like a breaking wave. Most people take 1.5–2 hours up.Map ↗
  3. BoulderingClimbers come for the granite problems around the rock; bring your own crash pad.Map ↗
  4. The Jempol River bridgeThe concrete bridge that replaced the 'jambatan bosi' of the song, just north of town.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Bukit Baginda is in a forest reserve, so get the Negeri Sembilan forestry permit on N9Pay before you go; the village also collects a small fee at the trailhead.
  • Start the climb early. The trail is hot and hard going by late morning.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.