Mount Trusmadi or Trus Madi (Dusun: Nulu Trusmadi, ) is a mountain located at the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia. It is considered as the second highest mountain in both Sabah and Malaysia at , after Mount Kinabalu with Trusmadi offering a tougher climbing challenge than the latter. It is located within the Trus Madi Range with an area of 184,527 hectares in total.
Geology The mountain geology comprises tertiary formation of mudstone, shale and argillite with subordinate beds of quartzite, sandstone, siltstone and limestone breccias.
Biodiversity The mountain area is located within the Trusmadi Forest Reserve where it supports a wide range of unique flora and fauna, including Nepenthes macrophylla, a species of pitcher plant.Bourke, G. 2007. Exploring the upper reaches of Gunung Trus Madi. Carniflora Australis (9): 9–16. The natural hybrid Nepenthes × trusmadiensis is named after the mountain.Briggs, J.G.R. 1984. The discovery of Nepenthes × trusmadiensis—an impressive new pitcher-plant. Malaysian Naturalist 38 (2): 13–15, 18–19. In 1999, a small-scale expedition on the mountain biodiversity was conducted through a collaboration between Sabah Museum and Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science with various bird species are found within the area.
The mountain is known for having bird hides since the COVID-19 pandemic, where many come to observe the Bulwer's pheasant as it is one of the few areas where the pheasant has been photographed alongside Maliau Basin and Jungle Girl Entomology Camp. There are approximately 43 species of birds around the hides, and 6 to 15 can be photographed.
Features It is one of Sabah's ecotourism and mountain climbing destinations. There are three climbing trails towards the mountain summit, namely from Wayaan Kaingaran (Tambunan), Wayaan Mastan (Keningau) and Wayaan Mannan (Sinua, Sook, Keningau). Both Wayaan Kaingaran and Mastan are accessible only with 4WD while Wayaan Mannan has a good access road.
See also List of ultras of the Malay Archipelago
References