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Summit of Mt. Tambuyukon

Climbing Mt. Tambuyukon (part 3 of 5), the 4th highest mountain of Malaysia

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Continued from Part 2…

(You may start reading from Part 1)

Today is the BIG day because we will go to the summit. Please refer to trail map for the location.

DAY 3. To the Summit!

All climbers wake up and had oat meal / Maggi instant noodle as breakfast at 3:30am and headed to the summit at 4am. In the briefing, our tour guide, Maik, says today will be the most challenging day and he is right. As difficulty multiple, the so-called 4 KM distance to summit looks more like a longish 8 KM trek.

Climb to Summit

For safety reason, we target to reach the summit before 11am. All climbers must return to Musang camp at 11am, no matter how far they make. As there is no water point along the way, a few porters will carry some water and follow the climbers.

Under a mixed feeling of apprehensive and excitement, we climbed slowly and quietly in the dark. The first 1.5 KM is steep and narrow ascending trail and many parts need to climb over by hands. Besides, the overhanging tree trunks always blocked our way that we have to move over or under them. My head bang on a tree and bleed when I struggle to move up in the dark.



Above: Mind your head and feet!

After KM12, we were awarded by a few hundred Meters of relatively flat trail to the Jeneral Camp (named after General Poon, who led a team of Royal Malaysian army on this route years ago) at KM12.6.


Above: climbing over network of slippery entangled roots

Jeneral Camp is a small open area which can setup 3 small camps. I checked my watch and it was 6:40am, but the summit is still a long way ahead.


Above: Jeneral Camp (KM12.6). Still a long way ahead…

You can watch 10-sec video below to see the Jeneral Camp:

Though it didn’t rain, after the morning shower by mist, the cloud forest was wet all over the place, and I can even feel the moist filling my nose. Most of the time, I had to hold the trees and roots to move up, actually I like it coz climbing by hands saves a lot of leg work.

Nepenthes Garden (KM11.5 – KM14)

When the day turns brighter, I can see clumps of pitcher plant along the trail after KM11.5. The most spectacular Nepenthes edwardsiana is hard to be missed due to their bright color and huge size (20 to 40 CM, and known to reach 50CM). Nepenthes edwardsiana is characterized by highly developed ribs and teeth peristome. They are most abundant between KM11.5 and KM13, where a few small colonies of Nepenthes villosa and lowii are also found in this mossy environment.


Above: Nepenthes edwardsiana (left) and rajah (right)


Above: Nepenthes lowii (left) and villosa (right)


Above: Nepenthes burbidgeae (left) and tentaculata (right)

After KM13, colonies of Nepenthes rajah, the largest pitcher plant species in the world, takes over. Botanists also record the presence of N. burbidgeae, N. tentaculata, N. fusca, N. stenophylla and various hybrids such as N. xKinabaluensis (N. villosa x N. rajah), N. harryna (N. villosa x N. edwardsiana), N. tentaculata x N. burbidgeae and N. edwardsiana x N. burbidgeae in Mt. Tambuyukon.


Above: pitcher plant from 1CM to 40CM

KM13

The summit trail is relatively less steep after KM13. Shortly the luxuriant mossy forest thin out and we came to a long rocky ridge with clearing to sky. If you turn around, you can have a panoramic view of neighboring ridges of Tambuyukon converging towards the summit. I feel like walking on the backbone of a gigantic dinosaur.

When the mist clears, I can see Nambuyukon (second highest peak of Tambuyukon Range) in Kota Marudu. I have to put on my jacket when it gets cold and windy in open area.


Above: Nambuyukon Peak, 2nd highest peak of Tambuyukon Range

An author (Clarke, Charles M.) has the best description of the mountain relief:

“The summit sits at the top of a number of very long ridges which drop away gradually over several Kilometers. The sides of these ridges plunge steeply down into deep and similarly long gullies. These gullies funnel strong winds up towards the summit. The winds rush over the summit at tremendous speeds, the result being that the vegetation can only grow up to 1 Meter high in places. The upper parts after 2,100M of mountain are covered with low, scrubby vegetation, punctuated by large ultramafic boulders.”

You can watch 1-min video below for panoramic view of Tambuyukon Range:

Ultramafic Boulders

We moved carefully along the rocky ridge and conquer a series of hillocks. At this point, we know the true meaning of Tambuyukon, which always cheats us with a number of “faked summits”. And DON’T believe those milestones as they lie too. My experience and gut feeling tell me that the distance between KM13 and KM14 is not 1KM, but 3KM!!!

The huge yellowish-grey boulders near the summit are ultramafic rocks. Ultramafic rock derived from the Earth’s mantle, the layer of the Earth below the crust and above the core, formed billions years ago from melted rock when the Earth first solidified. Such rock consists of heavy minerals (Magnesium, Iron, Nikel) and its soil is poor in nutrients, which promotes the growth of endemic and highly specialized plants adapted to this environment. Ultramafic rock was pushed to Earth’s surface mostly during tectonic movement and Mt. Tambuyukon has the highest concentration of ultramafic rocks in Sabah. Sound cool but watch out for snake under the rock.

After 9am, we reached the last and smallest camp, Rajah Camp (KM13.6), which can hold only one camping tent. More N. rajah is seen around this area.



Above: Rajah Camp (KM13.6)

The last 400 Meters to the summit is a narrow and rocky passage under the leptospermum recurvatum dwarf trees and dense with underbrush.


Above: see the summit at the right?

The Summit (KM14)

Finally, all of us reached the summit at 10:10am. The summit has no beacon or survey landmark, but only a signage that shows the trail distance and height of Mt. Tambuyukon.



Above: group photo on the summit. WE MADE IT!!!

The summit area is no wider than 20M across and densely surrounded by leptospermum trees. Frankly, it is not an impressive peak, but we are still happy about the victorious moment. We had an early lunch on the summit. The guides and porters have brought some rice with dried anchovy fishes, biscuit and 3-in-1 hot drink.

You can watch 5-min video below to see the climb from the start to the summit:

Behind the signage is a narrow trail that takes us to the side (very windy!) facing Mt. Kinabalu. Many say we can get the nearest and best view of Mt. Kinabalu from Mt. Tambuyukon. Too bad Mt. Kinabalu was covered by thick mist and refused to show her face.


Above: Mt. Kinabalu refused to show her face..

The temperature was about 20°C but the chilling strong wind makes us feel like 10°C. I notice there is a vast camping area that can house more than 5 tents behind the summit.


Above: camping ground behind the summit

You can watch 1-min video below to see the surrounding of the summit:

Return to Musang Camp

We need to be back to Musang Camp before 5pm, so we must leave the summit by 11am. By coincidence, today (24/6) is the birthday of Joimis, so all of us gave him a surprise by singing a birthday song to him on the summit. This might be the first time ever a birthday song echoes on the peak of Mt. Tambuyukon.


Above: The end is also the beginning. Now we are 0KM on the way back to the starting point.

The descending route is not easier than ascending. On the way down, I spotted a few N. tentaculata and N. burbidgeae. We arrived Musang Campsite around 4:30pm. The climb is considered over. Everyone was in relaxing mood and shared their joyful stories. We also prepared a birthday fruit cake for Joimis to celebrate his birthday.


Above: you do not want to fall from here….

Though extremely tired coming back from the summit, I took a shower at the small stream nearby. A leech bites me. Anyway, I feel fresh and clean after the cold shower. Because of humid environment, our cloth is always damp and “sticky”, making us uncomfortable. Tonight is still a warm night, but free of stress.

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Climbing Mt. Tambuyukon (part 2 of 5), the 4th highest mountain of Malaysia

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Continued from Part 1…

DAY 2. From KM5 to KM10.8

We wake up at 7am to have chicken porridge as our breakfast and trekked 5KM to Musang Campsite (KM10.8) at 7:45am for day 2. Please refer to trail map for the location.

Wuluh Campsite (KM6)

KM5 to KM6 is mainly steep descending trail and we reached Wuluh Campsite (KM6) after an hour. Wuluh Campsite is next to Wuluh River and has large clearing that can house 4 to 5 camps.

If the mobile toilet and water tank there are not in bad shape, Wuluh Campsite can be the best camping spot on summit trail. We continued our climb after a brief stop at Wuluh Camp.


Above: Camping ground of Wuluh Campsite

Below: Wuluh River next to the camp



You can watch 1.5-min video below to see the surrounding of Wuluh Camp:

The undulating terrain between KM6 and KM7 was punishing and I was told that the narrow walk along the hillside at KM6.5 took a life of a foreigner who fell. We rest a while on a high point at KM7, then descended one hour to Kepuakan Campsite (KM8).



Above: probably an ant-snatching assassin bug that likes to pile stuffs behind its back to confuse preys and predators

Kepuakan Campsite (KM8)

Around 11:30am, we arrived Kepuakan Campsite, where we had Maggi instant noodle and fried rice as our lunch.

You can watch 1-min video below to see the surrounding of Kepuakan Camp:



Above: Kepuakan River next to the camp


The Kepuakan River next to the campsite is bigger than Wuluh River, but the camping ground is a smaller area which can fit only 3 camping tents. Mobile toilet and water tank are available in the site. Gaining more energy from lunch and rest, we crossed Kepuakan River to head to Musang Campsite (KM10.8) at 12:30pm.


Above: Crossing Kepuakan River

Tough! KM8 – KM10

80% of the trail between KM8 and KM10 is over 50 degrees of steepness and the worst part for day two. The climb is twice the difficulty of previous day.

Things got better after KM10. The trail is relatively flat and the air is cooling and refreshing, as we reach 1,400M above sea level. From the misty air, mossy carpet and slimmer trees around, we can see the switch of hill forest to montane vegetation. 10 minutes later, we came to a junction that can take us to Serinsim Substation in Kota Marudu. According to the ranger, the journey to Serinsim takes 5 days.


Above: Junction to Serinsim substation in Kota Marudu

We knew Musang Campsite was only a few hundreds Meters away so we speed up, then the ranger advised us to be cautious and stick to the right. Because a few steps to the left of the narrow trail is a sheer drop. A lady from Peninsular Malaysia fell here just a month ago and luckily stopped by trees from a fatal plunge.


Above: Entering lower montane forest (above 1,000M)


Above: I’m only one step away from the cliff at the left

About 200M before Musang Camp, we were surrounded by 3 to 4 species of birds. Probably they never seen a human before, so they perched on the trees and made calls to us, as if they were asking who we were. I only can tell there were an Ashy Drongo and a Magpie Robin among them.

Musang Campsite (KM10.8)

Situated at 1,445M above sea level, Musang Campsite gets its name from the presence of civets around the site. Though the ground is not so wide and flat, Musang Campsite is quite spacious and able to host more than 4 camping tents on a long ridge that overlooks deep valley at both sides.

We overnight here on day 2 and 3. The canopy of montane forest is thinner, allowing more light to enter, so the surrounding is brighter here.

You can watch 1-min video below to see the surrounding of Musang Camp:

However, the only available water source is a small stream that requires 5 minutes walk on a steep descending trail (10 minutes to come back). I checked out the stream and found that its volume is only slightly better than tap water.

Climbers can take shower there by scooping water from a small pond, though icy cold but still bearable. May be leeches exist in this wetter area, so few are keen to come here. I also saw an abandoned mobile toilet and shower area not far from the stream.


Above: small stream for taking shower (icy cold water)

You can watch 40-sec video below to see the stream:



Above: check if any girl taking shower

Our makeshift toilet is 15-second walk from our camp. Basically it is just a deep hole with rotten wood plank cover on top, and 3-side surrounded by canvas as wall. The toilet is really smelly after everyone “contributes” their bit for 2 days.

For dinner, we had rice served with dried anchovy fishes and mixed vegetables. It was a bit warm tonight and we were bitten by tiny sandflies (agas). The bites are very itchy and can last for days (The itches worsen if you scratch). There were a few leeches in the campsite, presumably brought in by porters who took water from the stream.

Tomorrow is the day to climb to the summit, so we went to bed earlier. The late night was windy, we heard loud rustling leaves and felt the howling strong wind shaking our tents. Mt. Tambuyukon is like a living monster that breathes.


Above: someone bitten by leech and bleed inside the camp

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Climbing Mt. Tambuyukon (part 1 of 5), the 4th highest mountain of Malaysia

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Top 5 highest mountains of Malaysia are all in Sabah. After conquering the Mt. Kinabalu (4,095M) and Mt. Trus Madi (2,642M), last month I climbed Mt. Tambuyukon (2,579M), which is the 4th highest mountain and the hardest one. I’ll share my experience in 5 articles, 300 photos and 16 videos here, so you know what I went through in this 5-day trip.

Below is the structure of my blog on Mt. Tambuyukon trip:

About Mt. Tambuyukon (Gunung Tambuyukon)

With a height of 2,579.22 Meters (8,462 Feet) and lies northeast of Mount Kinabalu, Mt. Tambuyukon is the 4th highest mountain of Sabah and Malaysia. It is part of the Kinabalu Park and managed by Sabah Parks. Tambuyukon means “cheating” in Dusun language. The origin of the name is – during the climb, a guide named Tam keeps on cheating other climbers that the summit is not far ahead but it is still a long way.

There are two climbing routes to Mt. Tambuyukon, namely, the northern entry from Serinsim Substation in Kota Marudu, and southern entry in Monggis Substation, situated about 35 KM from Poring. We started our climb at Monggis as the summit trail is 14KM (Kilometers) and shorter than northern trail (over 20KM).

DAY 1. Start of Climb

Register at Kinabalu Park HQ

On day 1, we departed from Kota Kinabalu at 6:30am and reached Kinabalu Park HQ (Kundasang) at 7:45am. Even though we have booked the climb 1 month earlier, we still need to register in Kinabalu Park administration office before the climb, and fill up the indemnity form (MyKad / Passport is required for identification).


Above: Sabah Parks administration office (Kinabalu Park)


Above: Visitor Center of Kinabalu Park

Then we proceeded to Kinabalu Park visitor center to pay for climb permit and insurance, and collect our climber tags. We met our tour guides and transferred our luggage and supplies to their 4-Wheel drives (4WD). After having breakfast and buying packed lunch (fried rice) at a restaurant nearby, we headed to Monggis Substation at 10am. We stopped briefly at G*Mart Supermarket at 10:30am to purchase last-minute supply.

Road to Monggis Substation

The road journey from Kinabalu Park to Monggis Substation takes 1.5 to 2 hours (for 60KM). At first we drove on an asphalt road. After a roundabout near Poring Hot Springs (13KM from Ranau), we turned to Bongkud, the start of a long and dusty gravel road and the point we are about 35KM from Monggis Substation. We saw dozens of heavy trucks and dozers busy building this Ranau – Kota Marudu highway.




The gravel road can turn muddy and slippery during rainy season. With heavy trucks moving around, it is dangerous for vehicles to lose control on slippery surface. You must use 4WD to go to Monggis. The highway is supposed to be ready by April 2011, but it seems like it is far from completion and less than 5KM of this highway is paved (as of June 2011).




Then we passed through Kampung Pinawantai (village) on a narrower and bumpy gravel road. We crossed 3 small streams on the way. According to the guide, the streams would flood and become big rivers during rainy season, and only 4WD can cross them. We drove through a few single-lane bridges and saw two new bridges under construction.




About 10KM before Monggis substation, we came to a small countryside track of Kampung Monggis (Monggis Village). Finally, we arrived Monggis Substation (of Kinabalu Park) at 12pm, about an hour late to our planned schedule.


You may watch the 3-min video below to see the overall road condition:

Start of Climb

Our Sabah Parks rangers and porters already waited for us at the substation. We unloaded our bags and supplies, and did the final packing. Since it is noon time, we decided to have our lunch before the climb.


At 1pm, everyone put on their leech socks and joined the short briefing by Sabah Park ranger, Mr. Wasidi Wasli. The starting point is just next to the substation, which is 267M above sea level. The total distance to the summit is 14KM, and we plan to arrive Wuluh Camp at KM6 before 5pm today. You may check out the trail map. You will need to refer to this trail map again for the rest of the articles.


Below is the summit trail map of Mt. Tambuyukon. Click it for bigger picture:


We walked slowly under the tall and dense canopy of lowland and hill dipterocarp rainforests. Even though the climb just began, the air was so warm and humid that we felt a bit short of breath during jungle trekking. Then the rain showers came on and off, fortunately they were blocked by dense canopy. We didn’t see any big animals but we know the presence of sun bear, wild boar and deers from the claw marks on the tree trunk, or the footprint. Hornbills and monkey are also spotted or heard on the way. If we are lucky, we might see orangutan before KM11, the ranger said.


Above: Now I know bear also knows how to write ABC

KM0 – KM4

To experienced hikers, the first 4KM of the trail is not tough (and thanks to our porters who carried over 100Kg of our bags & supplies). But due to the warm environment, we sweated a lot, so we ran out of water very soon. You can refill water at two shelters, i.e. (1) Kulat Shelter (at KM2.2), and (2) Kera Shelter (at KM4), but the water tanks may not have water sometimes. There are small mobile toilets next to both shelters too.

Kulat Shelter (KM2.2). We reached Kulat Shelter (Pondok Kulat) at 2:30pm. Climbers may explore a trail that takes them to Kikulat Waterfall about 800M away. Due to time constraint, we didn’t visit the waterfall.



You may watch the 45-sec video of Kulat Hut:

Kera Shelter (KM4). The 2nd and also the last shelter. A shower area surrounded by canvas is found next to the water tank, but its pipe is not working. A wide and flat open space beside Kera Shelter is big enough to fit 3 to 4 camping tents, making this area a suitable camping site.


You may watch the 40-sec video of Kera Hut:

It’s dry season so we didn’t see many leeches, the little blood suckers that live in wet environment of rainforest. The trees are tall (30+ Meters) and many have huge buttress. The most interesting tree is the Seraya Putih trees with white-color trunk.

You may watch the 2-min video of the rainforest trees in Mt. Tambuyukon:

Camping at KM5

It is after KM4 where our hardship starts, the trail doubles in steepness and we were slowing down. We were supposed to camp at Wuluh Campsite (KM6), but had to stay at KM5 at 5pm, due to the vanishing daylight.


Above: view from KM5. The climbers are crossing a small stream

KM5 campsite is an irregular slope area with lot of shrubs and heavily foliaged ground. The area has less clearing and less suitable for camping. The only good thing is – a small stream is only a 30-second descending walk from the campsite, so most of us can take a shower that evening.

You may watch the 30-sec video of KM5 camp:

Our tour guides setup 3 dome camps for us and also cooked our dinner. Wood cutting is not allowed so they cooked with portable cooking stove. We had rice and porridge as dinner. No bench is available so we have to sit on the forest floor to enjoy our meals.


Without toilet, we have to do our business a distance away from our camp and river. This is the first time I digging a hole to do my number 2. I covered my “stuff” with soil and leaves, put a tissue paper on top as a marker, so others won’t step on it. Luckily, leech is not around here during dry season, so my private part is safe from leech attack, haha.

This is only day 1 so we went to sleep very early, hoping to fully recharge for the next 3 days. Due to painful toes and the loud snores in the camp, I didn’t sleep well. In midnight, I heard my friend sleeping next to me talking in his dream. I turned over to other side, trying to ignore the noise. Then he talked louder and louder, to the level that he’s like shouting and struggling. I quickly turned on the torchlight and he stopped shouting, opened his eyes and said “shit!”. Seemed like he was having a nightmare. After the trip, he told us that he experienced incubus and he couldn’t move his body, as if “someone” was pressing him. Spooky… many had told me that Mt. Tambuyukon is a place full of spirits.

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Climbing Mount Trus Madi, the 2nd highest mountain of Malaysia – Part 3 of 3

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Continued from Part 2… (Note: The trail & accommodation have improved a lot after 2014. Please check out my latest Guide on Climbing Mt. Trusmadi.)

Day 3

Though I didn’t sleep well, my muscles were able to relax and recover. I advise climbers to invest in a good (=expensive) backpack that can spread the weight evenly, otherwise you would have back pain like me. Everyone waked up at 2am, after having some cookies and instant noodles (with curry meat, sardine and tuna) as breakfast, we packed and headed to the summit at 3am. If plan went well, we could reach the summit before 6am to watch the sunrise.

Conquering Mt. Trus Madi

The morning was total darkness. With the aid of LED headlight, I could only see a few feet in front of me. We were only 1.5 KM away from the summit, but most of the trail was over 50 degree of steepness. Certain section was impossible to climb without the help of ropes. My head even knocked on overhanging branches a few times. When I tried to grab anything along the steep trail to support myself, I felt a sharp pain and found that I grabbed on a thorny rattan. This sinister plant is so abundant along the trail to the summit.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

With heavy camera, tripod, drinking water, etc., I had over 5Kg of weight on my back so I moved very slowly. Near the top of Taliban Peak, I could see the streetlight of Keningau town far away, it was so beautiful. Thanks to the stupid La Nina phenomenon, it has been raining all night and the trail became muddy and slippery. That’s no way we could avoid contact with mud, so our pants were dirty.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

Finally I reached the summit around 6:30am. I didn’t feel excited. Instead, I was glad that it was over. I looked around and found that none of us was clean, our jeans were full of mud stains.


Above: group photo on the summit.

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Someone say climbers will be rewarded by the beautiful sunset and close view of Mt. Kinabalu (only 40 KM away). Due to the heavy rain and dense fog, we saw nothing. According to the book “Mountains of Malaysia” by John Brigss, Mt. Trus Madi has “The most beautiful mountains view in Malaysia”.


Above: a marker that divides Mt. Trus Madi into Tambunan and Keningau districts

Since we were there anyway, we took some happy faces group photos. FYI, due to a nearby repeater, your mobile phone may get full bar of signal. You can call your love one to say that you call her/him from the top of Mt. Trus Madi. It may sound romantic too if you jump off the peak to prove your love, lol. Or at least you can post an update to your Facebook or Twitter.


Above: Yayasan Sabah repeater. Some say this area is haunted by spirit of a porter who died of malaria

The Summit

The guide showed us a unique plant (Melastoma minahanse) below, it is only found on Mt. Trus Madi and Papua New Guinea. Apart from Myrtaceae, the summit vegetation is dominated by small, leathery-leafed shrubs such as from the families of Ericaeae, Theaceae, Podocarpaceae.


Above: Melastoma minahanse, this plant only found in Trus Madi and Papua New Guinea

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The most special plant community of Trus Madi is the scrub community on the summit. The mix of the montane and subalpine species growing on the summit is unique to Mt. Trus Madi. The shrub species that occur separately as montane and subalpine elements on Mt. Kinabalu are condensed into the same habitat on Trus Madi, and this results in such high species richness. Such coexistence of ecologically divergent species is not found on Mt. Kinabalu!

Descending

We only stayed about 20 minutes on the summit, then we descended to the cabin. I was not in a mood to rush home, so I walked slowly and took photos on the way. The mossy jungle of upper montane forest looked like an alien world, as one said, we were like entering the world of “Lord of the Rings” movie. Characterized by persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, this moist forest is part of the cloud forest zone. You can see abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, so it is also known as mossy forest.

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I also photographed some orchid and rhododendron flowers that are only found in higher altitude. The flowers look so nice with raindrops on them. I was told that a Proboscis Monkey was once spotted at 2,000 M above sea level. That’s so unusual, as this monkey only lives around mangrove forest.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

Endemic Pitcher Plant

You must check out the Nepenthes macrophylla pitcher plant here, which is a montane species endemic to the upper slopes of Trus Madi. There are so many of them along the trail from summit to the cabin, like a pitcher plant garden.

Later we found a Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis pitcher plant on top of a tree near our cabin. Limited to summit ridge from elevations of 2,500 to 2,600 M, Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis is the natural hybrid of Nepenthes lowii and Nepenthes macrophylla. Sadly, this biggest hybrid species is under threat and getting scarce, because tourists pluck them.


Above: Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis on the tree

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We packed our stuffs and left the cabin at 10am and descend to the starting point. The rain has stopped and we could get a clear view of the surrounding mountains. Trus Madi Range is 80 KM in length, so long and vast that it covers Tambunan, Keningau and Ranau districts. The misty mountain range of Mt. Trus Madi looks like the backbone of a huge green dragon starts and ends in nowhere. I missed this view the previous day due to the dense mist and heavy rain, so I kept shooting photos.


Above: Nepenthes lowii


Above: Nepenthes macrophylla


Above: Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis (hybrid of Nepenthes lowii and macrophylla)

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Going Home

I took more than 5 hours to reach the starting point of Mt. Trus Madi from the cabin (3.4 KM). When I was about 30 minutes to the Starting Point, I heard a lady screamed in front. But there was no person in front of me. I ran quickly to check but found nobody. The scream was so loud and clear, so I am sure it was not an illusion. Some say the jungle spirit played a trick on me when I was alone. It still remains as a question mark to me.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

Whatever, I was back home in one piece later. Weeks later I was informed by one of the lady climbers that she was pregnant during the climb (she also didn’t know). Phew… that makes me sweat.

May be Mt. Trus Madi does not have astonishing and magnificent landscape like Mt. Kinabalu, but its pristine and unique flora beats Mt. Kinabalu. In fact, Mt. Trus Madi has the potential to become the next UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sabah. It is a must-go for nature lovers.

Lastly, a special thanks to our ethnobotanist guide, Julius Kulip, for identification of the plant species and being our nice company. Julius is one of the few plant experts who is very knowledgeable about Trus Madi and even wrote a few publications about it. I also used some of his info in this blog.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

If you are interested in climbing Mt. Trus Madi, the info below might be useful for you.

Planning the Climb

Mt. Trus Madi is a Class 1 protected forest reserve (FMU 10) managed by the Sabah Forestry Department, so you need to apply for the permit to climb. Please note that only a maximum of 16 people (include guide & porter) are allowed to overnight on the mountain every day, so you may need to book the date earlier. Sabah Forestry Department will charge various fees such as Entry Permit, 4-Wheel Drive entry permit, forestry guide, certificate, etc. The rate is higher for foreigner tourists.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

One Forestry Guide is required (compulsory) for every 5 or less climbers. For example, you need to hire two forestry guides if you have 7 people in a group. The Forestry Guides are not Tour Guides, they only monitor the tourists (some tourists like to steal the precious Gaharu wood and rare orchids in Trus Madi forest) and take care of their safety.

Working out the budget is a difficult task. Fortunately, the tour operator can register and pay Forestry Department on your behalf, but for a service fee. Usually the tour operator provides the 4-wheel drive transport (a must), 1-night accommodation in Tambunan town, tour guide, insurance, porters and cook, so the cost can vary, depending on what you need and how big is your group (minimum 3 persons. bigger group can get better rate).

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You can contact TYK Adventure Tours (Tel: (60 88) 232821 / 238702, email: tykadto@gmail.com, website: www.tykadventuretours.com) directly for the tour package.

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Though you can hire porter to carry your bag, you better improve your physical fitness by exercise regularly before the climb. If you think climbing Mt. Kinabalu is hard, don’t even think about Mt. Trus Madi!

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Things to Bring

  • Sleeping bag (temperature can drop to 10°C at night)
  • Backpack (with rain cover)
  • Raincoat / poncho
  • LED Headlamp
  • Warm clothing such as wind breaker / jacket / sweater
  • Spare clothing & small towel (in case you get wet or dirty)
  • Hand gloves (for climbing with ropes)
  • Water (1 Litre): you can refill water in resting hut and cabin, so don’t carry too much (heavy!).
  • Toilet paper
  • Food & Cooking Utensils such as portable gas stove and pot (if you cook your meal)
  • Dining set (spoon, plate, cup)
  • Camera & spare batteries
  • Comfortable trekking shoes (Addidas Kampung rubber shoe is the best!)
  • Plastic bag (to store rubbish. Leave nothing behind!)
  • Optional: trekking pole, medicines (for headache, minor wound), deep heat spray (relieve muscle pain), energy bars, rehydration salt


Above: for climbers who make it to the top, they will earn a beautiful certificate issued by Sabah Forestry Department

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The lighter your bag is, the better. In long hours of climbing, every pound counts. You can hire a porter to carry your bag (up to 20 Kg) for about RM150 to 200 per trip. If you spend a night in Tambunan, you can leave those unnecessary things such as used clothing behind.

Good Luck!

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mount Trus Madi, the 2nd highest mountain of Malaysia – Part 2 of 3

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Continued from Part 1… (Note: The trail & accommodation have improved a lot after 2014. Please check out my latest Guide on Climbing Mt. Trusmadi.)

Start Climbing

After a group photo at the Starting Point, we started to climb at 10:30am. It was about 26° Celsius and the air was misty and refreshing. It was mainly uphill trail but not very steep. Thick layer of green moss blanket is everywhere on the floor (survival tip: you can lick the water on the wet moss blanket as the last resort, if you run out of water).

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Summit Trail

We began our climb in a hill mixed dipterocarp forest, characterized by closed-canopy forest with taller trees. Due to the moist environment, you can see many lichens, liverwort and algae plant. The hill forest is dominated mainly by dipterocarp of genus Shorea, and understorey plants dominated by Rubiaceae with 16 species.

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The dim and humid environment also promotes the growth of mushroom and fungus. We saw many of them in different colours and size along the trail. The most special one is the blue mushroom, which is only found in Mt. Trus Madi. Unlike the summit trail of Mt. Kinabalu, the trail is heavily foliaged and we are surrounded by dense vegetation most of the time. The nature trail is narrow, no boardwalk and hand rail, and a lot of overhanging trees and entangled roots. You have to watch your head and steps carefully.

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Lower Montane Forest

The lower slopes represent a transition zone where dipterocarp species mixed freely with hill non-dipterocarp species. This gradually gives way to lower montane forest vegetation between 1,500 and 2,000 M asl, which is dominated by tree species belonging to families of Fagaceae and Lauraceae, and also the altitude where two species of rafflesia are found (rafflesia tengku adlinii & keithii). More standing trees are densely covered with epiphytic mosses. We saw some orchids (Eria, Dendrochilim, etc.). The flowering season of orchid is from November to December, so we did not see many orchid flowers. Nepenthes tentaculata (small pitcher plant) is quite common here.

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As we moved up, the decreasing number (remaining distance to summit in Meters) on signage motivated us. I also stopped frequently to photograph the interesting plant, most looked new to me. There are two resting huts on the way, one after 1 KM, and another one after 2 KM. You can use the small toilet next to the hut. Water tanks filled with river water are available at the huts if you want to refill your bottle. The water is uncooked but taste really sweet, cold and fresh!

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When we had our pack lunch at second hut, we were saying that the first 2 KM was not that challenging and thought that it would be the same later. We were wrong. The last 1.4 KM of trail after second hut was where the nightmare began. The trail was getting steep and required the use of fixed ropes. Then it rained on and off, turning the trail into muddy and slippery path. Luckily, for the first day, we only needed to reach the cabin (1.5 KM away from summit) to stay a night.

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We spotted some friendly and colourful birds. One of them is Mountain Black-eye, which is endemic to montane zone 1,800 M above sea level. Some of them were probably Kinabalu Friendly Warblers. The guide said if we sat still for a while, many curious birds would come near us.

Multi-Peak Challenge

What makes Mt. Trus Madi so tough is its “multi-peak” terrain. To reach the summit of Mt. Trus Madi, there are at least 3 peaks you can’t avoid, namely, Taman Bunga (Flower Garden) Peak, Taliban Peak (which is named after the first Native Chief in Tambunan and has nothing to do with terrorist) and Trus Madi Peak. Slopes become steeper closer to the peaks. When you climb to the top of a peak, you will see another peak in front, you conquer it, then you will see another peak in front again. Taliban Peak is slightly lower than the highest Trus Madi Peak, so someone call it a “faked summit”. There are many ascending as well as descending trail. The descending is not easier than ascending.


Above: the peaks of Mt. Trus Madi. The highest peak is not visible from this side.

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The guide also showed us some old trails to Mt. Trus Madi. They looked so narrow, steep and dangerous. The old trail has a few narrow ridge walk with deep drop at both sides. If you slip, nobody will see where you are (no kidding).

The Taman Bunga (Flower Garden) Peak

Though I sound like being tortured, I have a lot of fun in fact. 500M before the cabin (at 2,000M signage), you will enter Taman Bunga Peak, which means Flower Garden. It is an Upper Montane zone about 2,300M asl and a natural garden full of flora. This is one of the few places where you can see the rare pitcher plant, Nepenthes lowii, everywhere. Kinabalu Park was used to have a lot of lowii but most of them were killed by a prolong drought in late 90.


Above: Taman Bunga Peak in mist

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The showiest flower is the bell-shaped rhododendron flower. Wild orchid is easy to find here. Lichen, which is a composite organism of a fungus and a green alga, is abundant around, an evident of zero pollution. I also found many other interesting plants that I’ve never seen. According to the guide, there are different flowering seasons, so you would see different things in every few months.

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Our cabin is only 500 Meters away from Taman Bunga Peak. As the rain was getting heavier and the day was turning dark, I speed up my walk and reached the cabin by 6pm. Normal people would reach the cabin latest by 5pm. I was slow because I stopped many times to take photos.

The Cabin

We would spend a night in the cabin in first day. The cabin is built at 2,400 Meters above sea level in year 2008, and the summit is only 1.5 KM away. There are about 7 bunk beds (14 beds) in the cabin. The beds have no mattress and blanket, so you must bring your own sleeping bag. On the bed is a layer of canvas with a zinc plate underneath. Even a bit of movement on the bed will create loud noise, like you are sleeping on a zinc roof, very annoying.

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Though this cabin looks more like a refugee camp, it is better than nothing coz it is warmer than sleeping in camp. The bed is quite small too, even for a short guy like me. After putting my backpack and camera bag on the bed, there was not enough room for me to fully extend my legs.

Most of us were cold and wet. Our cook prepared some rice with sardine and black bean salty fish for us as dinner. Though there is a small kitchen next to the cabin, there is nothing inside. We need to carry our own cooking utensils, gas stove, plate, pot, spoon and cup ourselves. I felt better after sipping some hot coffee. There is a gravity pipe that brings river water to a tap, so I could refill my bottle with water. Trust me, the water here tastes far more better than our tap water that is full of chlorine smell. There is a toilet not far from the cabin, but none of us wanted to take a shower as the water was freezing cold.

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The guide burnt the mosquito coil to chase away a small and yellow flying bug called Agas. Agas is an insect that sucks your blood and leave an itchy bite mark. Another pest is the mice that running and fighting under our beds and I could hear them all night. The porter had to hang the food high, so these mice couldn’t steal it.


Above: kitchen next to the cabin. Behind is the camp of porters

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We were all exhausted and we had to wake up at 2am the next day, so we went to bed early. When I almost fell in sleep, I was splashed by cold dripping water. I checked the ceiling for water leaking but found no crack. Due to the warmer temperature in cabin, water condensation formed on the cold ceiling. For every few minutes, the water droplet dropped on my face. I tried to move my position but still could not avoid the dripping water. The strong smell of mosquito coil also choked me. So for the whole night, I laid on the bed listening to mouse fighting and heavy rain. Not only that, my bags were all wet in next day.

Read Next Article (Part 3)…

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mount Trus Madi, the 2nd highest mountain of Malaysia – Part 1 of 3

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(Note: The trail & accommodation have improved a lot after 2014. Please check out my latest Guide on Climbing Mt. Trusmadi.) God really blesses Sabah, because the top 3 highest mountains of Malaysia are in Sabah. I guess the highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu (height: 4,095M), is no stranger to Sabahans. Many even climb it more than once. But most of us haven’t tried to climb the second highest mountain of Malaysia, Mt. Trus Madi (height: 2,642 Meters or 8,668 feet).

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Lack of promotion is responsible for lack of visitors to Mt. Trus Madi. Another reason is – the climb is so challenging that someone even call Trus Madi “Terus Mati” (mean “Die Straight” in Malay language). Of course it is only a joke, as accident in climbing Mt. Trus Madi is rare. Though 1,453 Meters lower than Mt. Kinabalu, Mt. Trus Madi is harder to conquer. Some say if the trail to Mt. Kinabalu is a highway, Trus Madi trail is a countryside road then. The climbers have to be reasonably fit. Personally I would not recommend people younger than 15 years or older than 60 years to challenge the real “mountain power” of Mt. Trus Madi.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Mt. Trus Madi

Earlier this month, I climbed Mt. Trus Madi with 5 ladies and all of us made it to the top, despite the poor weather. Thanks to the Internet, I can bring my photos and experience to your screen. I strongly recommend Mt. Trus Madi to hardcore hikers and nature lovers. You will be dearly impressed by the pristine conditions of Mt. Trus Madi. At least you will be proud of yourself for conquering this mountain.

About Mt. Trus Madi

The name “Trus Madi” is originated from the Dusun words “pinotorusan Madi”. Pinotorusan means Hunting Ground and Madi is the name of a hunter who was used to hunt in Trus Madi. Due to higher altitude, the temperature on the mountain is about 10 to 25 degree Celsius. The flora of Trus Madi is very rich and unique. About 600 species in 160 families of plants were recorded in forest here.

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Mt. Trus Madi encompasses 5 different types of vegetations, i.e. lowland mixed dipterocarp (427-600M), hill mixed dipterocarp forest (600M – 1,500M), lower montane forest (1,500M -2,000M), upper montane forest (2,000M – 2,500M), and summit scrub (2,500M – 2,640M). You will pass through all these vegetation zones during the climb. The hybrid vegetation of montane forest and summit scrub is so unique that it is not even found on Mt. Kinabalu!

The Itinerary

The climb will take 3 days 2 nights. The climb starts in Tambunan (90 KM away from Kota Kinabalu). You can choose not to overnight in Tambunan town, but you need to move early at 6am from Kota Kinabalu, to drive 1.5 hours to meet the tour operator in Tambunan town before 8am. Below is the standard itinerary:

DAY 1
5:00pm Depart to Tambunan (from Kota Kinabalu city)
6:30pm Arrive Tambunan town & overnight there
DAY 2
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Briefing and preparation
8:30am Depart to Mt. Trus Madi’s Starting Point by 4-Wheel
9:30am Arrive Forestry Check Point Gate & Register
9:45am Proceed to Starting Point
10:30am Starting climbing Mt. Trus Madi (3.4 KM). Lunch enroute
5:00pm Arrive Cabin
7:00pm Dinner
9:00pm Overnight at cabin
DAY 3
2:00am Wake up call
2:30am Breakfast
3:00am Ascend to summit (1.5KM)
5.30am Reach summit to view sunrise
7:00am Descend to cabin
9:00am Arrive Cabin. Tea break & Packing
10:00am Descend to Starting Point
4:00pm Arrive Starting Point and proceed to Kota Kinabalu
6:30pm Arrive Kota Kinabalu

For the first day, I stayed in a resort in Tambunan. Its service sucks so bad that I don’t want to mention its name here, coz I don’t want to promote this stupid resort.

Day 2

The next day I wake up around 7am to get prepared for the climb. After I had my breakfast at 8am, the guide and porters met us at the resort. After a short briefing and loading my bags to their 4-wheel, we headed to the starting point of the climb at 8:30am.

Going to Starting Point

The road, mainly gravel and muddy path, to the starting point is about 30 KM away from Tambunan. The mud is the soft, sticky, smooth and slippery yellow clay soil, so the road is only accessible by four-wheel drive. The engine of our 4-wheel roared and tried really hard to catch very bit of the almost inexistent fiction.

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On the muddy road, the car was like gliding and skiing on the mud, and swing violently in zig-zag like a wild bull. The steep slope with loose pebbles also posed a challenge. Our highly-skilled 4-wheel driver shifted gear quickly back and forth, to fight for every inch forward. To be frank, I was freak out. I held the handler so hard that as if I was giving birth a baby. May be I can call it an adventure.

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After 35 minutes, we reached the gate of the Forestry Check Point, where everyone was required to register. We also used the “tree” toilet there. It is a man-made structure, not a real tree.

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After taking a group photo at the gate, we continued our 4-wheel journey to the starting point. After the checkpoint, the ride was not that bumpy. But then I was terrified when the driver attempted to cross the river. I started to have horrifying imagination of our car being swept away by the river. My worry was needless and we crossed two rivers without any problem. Only now I truly realize the power of 4-wheel drive. Since 4-wheel is meant for adventurers, I wonder why those old aunties and uncles drive 4-wheel in city only and keep it so clean?!!

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After 40 minutes, we arrived the starting point of the climb. There is nothing there except a “4900 M” signage, which means we are 4.9KM (4,900 Meters) away from the summit of Mt. Trus Madi. 4.9 KM sounds like a short distance on flat ground, but it is not the case for the rugged terrain. They say this is a new starting point, which cut down the distance by 2 hours (about 3 to 4 KM). Many say we would see many blood-sucking leeches at the Starting Point, but luckily we didn’t see any.

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Read Next Article (Part 2)…

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Senambung Hill

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Bukit Senambung (Senambung Hill) is the highest point of Pulau Banggi (Banggi Island). This pyramid-shape hill is covered with dense forest and its top offers an irresistible aerial view of whole Pulau Banggi, so you will get both climbing + jungle trekking experiences.

Bukit Senambung is located in Kalangkaman, about an hour drive from Karakit. It is advisable to use 4-wheel to run on this bumpy gravel path full of mud.


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You know you enter a very remote area when you see many Dusun Bonggi huts, which are made of wood and dry leaves, along the way. These are probably one of the few places you can see such primitive houses in Sabah. My car is probably the only vehicle on the road, and my camera caught a lot of dust while shooting. There are hundreds of coconut trees that seem like the primary crop of the locals.



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Senambung Hill is a class II forest reserve (commercial logging) managed by forestry department. The hill doesn’t look tall and steep, but this is a wrong impression. As we moved closer, we felt that we were so small. My expectation of a leisure and easy hiking was definitely too much.


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After registered with the ranger at the foothill, we started the climb. I was warned that the slope was quite steep and I should proceed cautiously and don’t try anything uncertain. The guide said we needed only 30 minutes to reach the top but we took over 2 hours!


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Most of the time we were climbing the slope with a steep of about 40 to 70 degree. Though tired, there were cool breezes that made me felt much better. I saw only one small leech on the way. Well, it will be very minor problem to bother with, when you feel so exhausted. Only one person was bitten.


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The trail was slippery, muddy and not tourist-friendly. Forget about your hundred dollar branded shoes such as Timberland and Camel, as they are not as good as a pair of RM7 (USD$2) “Kampung Addidas” (Village Addidas), a local made rubber shoe. The expensive hiking shoe is prone to catching mud, and it will become a “skiing shoe” in such trail condition. The worst thing was – I brought a fragile camera, so I had to walk like a pregnant woman. A walking stick can make a difference too.

Most already started to feel the body stress after 500 Meters, and we didn’t know how long was the trail ahead. To maintain my determination, I didn’t dare to look up. I only focused on the part in front, walked and climbed slowly. I thought the trail was only 1KM and it was a 1.8KM. I could see the beautiful blue sea through the trees. That motivated me to move on.


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“Why still hasn’t arrived? How far are we?” we kept on asking the guides. I brought two small bottles of water and one 100Plus (which helped a lot!), and a few energy bar. I finished all of them. Finally, I was so glad I made it to the top. “Is it the top?” I asked the guide, as if it was hard to believe that the hardship was over. I was rewarded a nice view from the top.

^dGJ$82^%&2XYZ…!!! Why they call Bukit Senambung a “Hill”? Senambung Hill is 529 Meters high so it needs another 71 Meters to qualify as a Mountain (600M), in UK standard. However, it is considered as a Mountain under USA standard (1,000 feet). Whatever, I am happy to reach the top of it.

Photos taken in Banggi Island of Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Trip to Batu Punggul – Part 3 of 3

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Continued from part 2…

Finally we were ready to climb Batu Punggul. At the beginning point of the climb, we could take a short trail nearby and “preview” Batu Punggul. Everyone was warned not to proceed when they felt they were not feeling confident to make it. Most chose to stay back.


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Unfortunately, my greed was stopping me to think twice about the challenge, as I had climbed Mt. Kinabalu a few times without problem. I didn’t foresee I would be defeated by a mountain that was so much lower. Look at the start of the trail (photo at left below), so scary man…


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The guide said it was only a 30 minutes route. However, that is their time, not ours. It was a climbing route almost vertically upward. We were really climbing with hands and ropes, soemtimes tree roots. Tell you, there is NO trail that is flat for walking. Probably the guides were trying to motivate us. They always said the top was only a few minutes ahead, so I climbed… I climbed… and I climbed, but I still didn’t see the top. The rock was hard and sharp. We just tried to get firm grip of it and pulled ourselves up inch-by-inch to the top slowly.


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This was one of the most punishing moment in my life. I started to be dehydrated after 30 minutes coz I was running out of water. However, I didn’t want to give up at this point so I just disregarded the warning from my body. This place is the worst nightmare for height phobia. A single mistake you would fall all the way down the hundreds foot drop under your feet. The guide kept on reminding us not to look under our feet, to ensure that we wouldn’t lose strength due to fear.


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Without the guide, I doubt if I can make that far. There were many “traps” along the climb. Some small tree branches fell between the rocks, then covered by leaves on top over time, forming a very weak structured often mistaken as firm ground. I once stepped on it and missed the step, causing my both legs hanging in the air. There were lot of vegetation that cut my jean and almost poked my eyes while climbing.


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After nearly an hour of climbing, the afternoon sun was shooting hot beam to us. At last I reached the top of Batu Punggul, but the highest point was still 30 minutes away. I was sitting at the edge of the cliff. The tree canopy and river looked so small under my feet, and I could see Tataluan Village far way. Due to dehydration, I felt that I was overheated and would pass out if I forced myself to continue.

Therefore, I had to admit that I was defeated by Batu Punggul at 12:45pm, though the highest point was not too far away. Actually anyone who regularly exercises can make it. It is only that I am too weak and seldom work out. I was making a few wrong decisions too, e.g. didn’t bring enough water, wearing heavy hiking shoes. It is also advisable to climb as early as possible in the morning so you won’t be exposed under harsh sunlight.

To get up there is challenging, but moving down is another nightmare. To prevent dehydration worsen, I had to stopped very often and rest under the shade, waiting for body to cool off to proceed. Facing down to see the height was so demotivating, I relied on the energy of desire for survival and back in one piece. Later the elder villager told me that the spirit didn’t permit me to climb. Somehow I had started climbing before he managed to bring me this message. They also said it would rain for 2 days if someone conquered the mountain, and it did rain heavilt later. Don’t know if these are true. Anyway, this shows that the locals strongly believe there are spirits living in Batu Punggul.


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Don’t worry. I am ok. Though I didn’t conquer Batu Punggul, at least I won’t regret for not trying. The next morning when I waked up for work, I found that the force of gravity has tripped. Driving a small car was like driving a 16-ton truck. I have uploaded all the photos of this trip. Hope you will like the photos that I “risked” my life to take.

Photos taken in Sepulot, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo