The Salt Trail, Salt Track, Salt Route, or Jalan Garam, is a collective of ancient salt roads that cross over the Crocker Mountains from the coastal villages of Penampang District to the interior villages of the Tambunan District.[1][2] This trail has been used for at least 4,000 years[3] by the Kadazan-Dusun, Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, and other denizens of inland Sabah to trade jungle-sourced goods and commodities for salt and other trade goods at the tamu in Inobong.[4] Today, it is still the only accessible route to reach the remote villages within Crocker Range National Park, and is promoted by Sabah Parks as a ecotourist attraction.[5] Others, however, have rebuked the Parks for the practice of dark tourism here, acknowledging the centuries-long intertribal conflicts that spawned in this region for the dominance of the trail. The most famous war for control over the Salt Trail was brokered by Aki Sogunting with a Planting of the Stone in the 18th Century.[3] Another smaller but still deadly war for control over the trail was the Tegahas–Liwan War, fought between the Tega'has Murut tribe and the Liwan-Dusun.

Salt Trail
LocationCrocker Range National Park, Crocker Mountains, Sabah
Established2000 B.C.
Maintained bySabah Parks

References

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  1. "Salt Track - Sabah". www.thamyaukong.com. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  2. "Salt Trail: ancient trade route revisited". www.dailyexpress.com.my. 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  3. 1 2 Miwil, Olivia (2021-09-28). "Three potential 'dark tourism' sites identified at Sabah's Crocker Range | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  4. "Exploring the Enigmatic Beauty of Crocker Range, Borneo - Borneo Geographic". 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  5. "Crocker Range Park | Salt Trails - The Official Sabah Parks Website". www.sabahparks.org.my. Retrieved 2026-03-30.