Mount Trus Madi

Trus Madi reaches 2,642 metres in the Crocker range south of Kinabalu and is the second-highest mountain in Malaysia, and it is a completely different proposition from its neighbour: where Kinabalu has a built path, huts and several hundred climbers a day, Trus Madi has a muddy jungle trail, a basic camp, no infrastructure and a handful of people on it, so it is climbed by those who want the mountain rather than the certificate. The route from Tambunan takes two days with a night at around two thousand metres, through lowland forest into mossy montane forest hung with epiphytes. Its botanical draw is Nepenthes, the pitcher plants: several species grow on the ridge including Nepenthes macrophylla, which is found on this mountain and essentially nowhere else, and hybrid forms. Summit views take in Kinabalu across the range when it is clear.

What you actually see

• 2,642 metres - the second-highest peak in Malaysia.
• Nepenthes macrophylla - a pitcher plant found on this mountain and almost nowhere else.
• Mossy montane forest - epiphyte-hung and permanently wet on the upper slopes.
• Kinabalu across the range - visible from the summit in clear weather.

When to go

February to September. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

There is no built infrastructure - a muddy trail, a basic camp, and a guide and permit required. It is harder than Kinabalu despite being lower. Leeches, rain and cold at the camp. Collecting pitcher plants is illegal.

Nearby

Tambunan and Mahua waterfall are north-west; Kinabalu is north.