Mesilau, named after Mesilau River, is an area situated at approximately

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

on the East Ridge of

Mount Kinabalu Mount Kinabalu ( ms, Gunung Kinabalu, Dusun language, Dusun: ''Gayo Ngaran or Nulu Nabalu'') is the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia. With an elevation of , it is List of islands by highest point, third-highest peak of an island on Eart ...

Kinabalu National Park Kinabalu Park ( ms, Taman Kinabalu), established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of ...

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

, Malaysian Borneo. It is the site of the Mesilau Nature Resort, which is owned and operated by Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. Mesilau East River and Mesilau West River pass through the Mesilau area.Kurata, S. 1976. ''

Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu ''Nepenthes of Mount Kinabalu'' is a monograph by Shigeo Kurata on the tropical pitcher plants of Mount Kinabalu and the surrounding area of Kinabalu National Park in Sabah, Borneo. It was published in 1976 by Sabah National Parks Trustees as the ...

''. Sabah National Parks Publications No. 2, Sabah National Parks Trustees, Kota Kinabalu. Mesilau East River forms a deep ravine, and Mesilau Cave is located nearby. One of the two main summit routes of Mount Kinabalu starts at the Mesilau Nature Resort and is called the Mesilau Trail. The Mesilau Trail meets the old Kinabalu Summit Trail just above Layang-Layang ( Dusun for ''Place of Swallows''), which is situated at approximately .

Flora

Mesilau is home to the only population of '' Nepenthes rajah''

pitcher plants Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

accessible to regular visitors.Clarke, C.M. 2001. ''

A Guide to the Pitcher Plants of Sabah This list of ''Nepenthes'' literature is a listing of major published works dealing with the tropical pitcher plants of the genus ''Nepenthes''. It includes specialised standalone publications and taxonomic monographs released as part of larger ...

''. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu. The plants grow on a steep hillside overlooking Mesilau East River. A number of other species, including '' N. burbidgeae'', '' N. fusca'', and '' N. macrovulgaris'', have been transplanted there from the area around the Mesilau Nature Resort on Pinosok Plateau.Thong, J. 2006. ''

Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Inc. ''Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society Inc.'', formerly titled simply ''Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society'' and also known as the ''VCPS Journal'', is a quarterly periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simp ...

'' 81: 12–17. A single example of the rare natural hybrid '' N. lowii'' × '' N. rajah'' also grows nearby. Daily guided tours are organised to the "''Nepenthes'' Garden" where these plants are found. This nature trail is subject to a fee and operates daily from 9 am to 4 pm.Chilling out in a tropical destination
. ''The Jakarta Post'', 12 June 2011.

Climate

Mesilau has a subtropical highland climate (Cfb) with heavy rainfall year-round.

References

External links

Sabah Parks Directory: Mesilau

Kinabalu Park - Guide to Mesilau Summit Trail

The Sabah Society Mesilau Trip, 26–27 March 2011
Mount Kinabalu Protected areas of Sabah {{Malaysia-river-stub