{"id":15262,"date":"2025-07-05T23:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T15:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=15262"},"modified":"2025-07-06T22:11:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T14:11:50","slug":"mount-sayap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/mount-sayap\/","title":{"rendered":"Mount Sayap, the “New” Second Highest Mountain in Malaysia?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mount Kinabalu is widely known as the highest mountain in Malaysia. Many also recognise Mount Trus Madi (or Trusmadi) as the second highest. Last year I was surprised to learn that there\u2019s actually another peak taller than Trus Madi! Standing at 3,058 metres above sea level, Mount Sayap (formerly known as Mount Guwow) is 416 metres taller than Mount Trus Madi<\/strong>, which stands at 2,642 metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mount\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Mount Sayap (or Mount Guwow) is, unofficially, the second highest mountain in Malaysia. Mount Trus Madi currently holds the official title.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like thinking you have five brothers, only to be told one day that your second eldest brother lives next door\u2014but everyone somehow forgot about him, even though you see him almost daily. Mount Sayap, like Mount Kinabalu, is located within Kinabalu Park, but one lies in the north, and the other in the south. The distance between the two peaks is only about 7 km.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Location\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Mount Sayap is located at the “tail” end of Mount Kinabalu, as seen from the Tuaran and Kota Belud sides.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the northern side (Kota Belud), Mount Sayap appears like a \u2018tail\u2019 of Mount Kinabalu. It\u2019s always been there, yet never properly measured until recently. Though it\u2019s not officially declared yet, Mount Sayap is now regarded as Malaysia\u2019s unofficial second highest mountain<\/strong>. Sabah Parks, which manages Kinabalu Park, hasn\u2019t made a formal announcement, possibly to avoid overwhelming interest before the area is ready for tourists and climbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Mount Sayap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The mountain is named after Kampung Sayap, a nearby village. Previously, it was called Mount Guwow. The name \u201cSayap\u201d has an interesting origin: during a visit by a British military officer, he stopped by a river near the village that was filled with dry leaves due to a drought. Curious, he asked a local what the word for dry leaves was in Dusun. The villager answered \u201csahap.\u201d The officer misheard it as \u201csayap\u201d (which means \u201cwing\u201d in Malay) and documented it in his notes\u2014thus the name stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Location\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Map: Location of Mount Sayap and Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. Technically, Mount Sayap is part of Ranau.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How Tough is Mount Sayap?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though Mount Sayap is only two-thirds the height of Mount Kinabalu, it’s probably twice as hard to climb. With its pyramid-like shape, this mountain may turn out to be one of the toughest climbs in Malaysia. Its steep, wild terrain is likely to challenge even seasoned hikers, with altitude sickness, leech-infested trails, and dense mossy forests among the expected obstacles. If climbing Mount Kinabalu feels like riding a tamed horse, Mount Sayap is like a raging wild bull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Summit<\/a>
Summit trail to the peak of Mount Sayap from Sayap Substation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sabah Parks has begun expeditions to scout the area and set up camps and trails since 2021. Jack Arrey (2nd runner-up of Mr. Kaamatan 2024) has already climbed it, and based on his video (see below), the route is steep and demanding, undeniably harder than Kinabalu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n