MOUNT KINABALU
Are you thinking of trekking/climbing up Mount Kinabalu? If you are, read up because this post is all about that! If you're not, read up anyways because this post may just push you to go. Let's briefly talk about the mountain. It's situated in Sabah, Malaysia, right at the northern part of Borneo Island. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and recognized as one of the tallest mountains in SE Asia between the Himalayas and New Guinea. The mountain stands at 4,095 m high (13,435 ft). Aside from its height, the mountain is also known for its botanical and biological species biodiversity. Believed to have 5,000-6,000 plant species, a fairly impressive amount making it one of the worlds most important biological sites.
There are over 40,000 people from different parts of the world who visits the Kinabalu National Park each year just to get to the summit of the mountain. Despite the high elevation which can be intimidating to some, people of all ages, from experienced, to intermediate or beginner level craves the experience of summiting Mount Kinabalu. There's no technical skills or special equipment needed to complete the ascend, you just need to have a fair physical condition and have a lot of determination.
THE KINABALU TALE
Sabah's largest ethnic group, the KadazanDusun, believes that the spirits of their ancestors resides at the top of the mountain. Mount Kinabalu get's its name from the Kadazan word, "Aki Nabalu", meaning "the revered place of the dead". Another tale tells different. The word Kinabalu is "Cina Balu" which means the "Chinese Widow". The legend is about a Chinese prince who climbed the mountain looking for a huge pearl guarded by a dragon. He then married a Kadazan woman who he eventually left to return home to China. The Kadazan women wandered into the mountains heartbroken where she eventually turned into a stone. Two interesting tales but which one do you believe in more? Or do you even believe in any of them? They are just tales after all.
THE TREK
First and foremost, you cannot do this trek alone. You need to book the trek through an agency or through wherever you're staying. The price is quite hefty if you're on a budget for a 2-day trek though pick up/drop off, accommodation, meals, permit, and an english speaking guide is included in the fee. Only 125 permits are given per day, meaning they limit the people summiting on a daily basis. Regardless of your budget, it's very beautiful and worth doing.
DAY ONE
As with any high elevation treks, pace yourself especially in the beginning. The first day is a fairly moderate hike and it looks like this. You'll get picked up around 6/7 am and make a pit stop at the Kinabalu Park HQ where you'll get an ID which is required to be worn at all times. You'll also be getting your packed lunch here. Then you'll get dropped off at the beginning of the trail (entrance gate) which is where you'll sign in as well as show your permit. Once everyone in your group had all checked in, your guide will be taking you through your itinerary for the day, safety, and so forth. From here you and your group will start your ascend.
You'll cover about 6 km more or less on this day (4-5 hours). The trail is beautiful and it's also not as steep (compared to the second day), so enjoy it. Your final stop for the day is Panalaban (3,273 m or 10,738 ft.). This is where you'll be staying for the night and have your meals. You may also shower here(which I recommend you do) but depending on where you're staying, at least where I stayed, the water temperature is controlled by a solar panel meaning if you want to take a hot shower, there needs to be sun! Which is what my group and I didn't have when we arrived at our accommodation, so everyone literally took a one minute shower because the water was that cold! You will be staying in a hostel like style bedroom and be having an all you can eat meal for dinner! The food is really delicious. It'll definitely give you a food coma but that works out perfectly because you'll have an early day the next day. When I mean early, I mean like 1 or 2 am early!
DAY TWO
Hoping that you went to bed at a reasonable time, you'll be waking up to have a light breakfast and get ready to hit the summit for sunrise.
DAY TWO (CONT.)
It'll still be dark out so you'll be needing a torch/flashlight. You'll start your ascend before 3 am. This part of the hike is the harder one of the two as this is first thing in the morning, it's dark out and it involves a much steeper climb. The last 90 m or so of requires you to scramble over loose rocks and boulders. Depending on your condition level, it takes about 3-4 hours to summit from Panlaban, just in time to catch the sunrise. Once you've made it to the top, take loads of pictures and most importantly soak it all in. You've completed Mount Kinabalu! After you've enjoyed a wicked sunrise from the summit with 100+ other people, you're going to make your way back down to Panlaban Base Camp. Here you will have your "real breakfast" then once you're done, you'll pack your things and make your descend back to where you started. A minivan will be waiting for your group who will transport you back to the Kinabalu Park HQ between 1-2 pm where you will collect a cool certificate stating that you've conquered Mount Kinabalu! You will then have lunch at a restaurant nearby, another buffet style and the food once again does not disappoint! Once you've stuffed yourself (which is what I did and I'm sure most of you will also because the food that delicious!), you will be driven to Kota Kinabalu wherever you're staying in the city. This takes roughly 2 hours.
Would I recommend climbing Mount Kinabalu? ABSOLUTELY! It's a must if you're in Malaysia. It's a challenging yet a worthy mountain to summit. It doesn't matter what level of climbing experience you have, you'll have a wicked time enjoying the scenic trail, meeting amazing people, and witnessing a beautiful sunrise at the summit. If you don't enjoy any of these at least you'll be well fed and have a certification stating that you've conquered Mount Kinabalu. But I'm very positive that this once in a lifetime experience will be an amazing one for those of you looking to check it off your bucket list.
If you're doing this hike and don't know which agency to go with, I went with Amazing Borneo. I had a great experience with them overall starting from my inquiry to the time they dropped me off back in the city. I highly suggest checking them out if you're thinking climbing Mount Kinabalu.
I hope you all enjoyed this post and if you have any questions or have anything to add, please drop them in the comment section down below as I'd love to hear from you! Happy adventuring!
