The Great Things You See to the Mount Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu is a wonderful travel destination, offering both pristine beaches and rugged mountains.

Something about Mount Kinabalu

Mountain Kinabalu is Malaysia’s highest peak and the mountain holds a special position in the Kadazan’s hearts. It is a sacred mountain, and climbing to the peak of the mountain is a pilgrimage for not only the locals but a lot of hikers around the world. Being part of Borneo’s Crocker Range, the Low’s Peak is Mount Kinabalu’s highest point, standing at 4,095.2 meters above sea level. Mount Kinabalu is also Malaysia’s very first World Heritage Site, with Outstanding Universal Value.

Mount Kinabalu is not a volcanic mountain, and it is a rather young mountain range. The entire mountain is located within Kinabalu Park, and not many of you know this is one of the most bio-diversified places on earth! Mount Kinabalu and its surroundings are an important biological site that covers a wide range of fauna and flora; while some of the most unique species of plants, birds, and mammalian species could be seen here. Kinabalu Park covers an area of 754 square kilometers, including the botanical garden, Low’s Peak, and Poring Hot Springs.

The best time to climb Kota Kinabalu

The rainy season of Borneo starts in November to February, and March is the best time to climb the mountain. The most popular trails are the Summit and Mesilau – the two trails intercept at Layang-Layang at the height of 2,702 meters above sea level. It takes about four to five hours on the Summit trail to reach the Panar Laban and Laban Raa Resthouse. It takes one or two hours more on the Mesilau trail.

The Mount Kinabalu hike

Mount Kinabalu’s peak is a sacred place for the local tribe, Kadazan-Dusun. They are two indigenous peoples of Sabah – the ethnic groups Kadazan and Dusun. They call the mountain Aki Nabalu; Aki, in their native language, means “ancestors”. It is in their belief that the Mountain is a place where their ancestors rest. The indigenous people were forbidden to climb the mountain until British Sir Hugh Low led an expedition team to reach the peak in 1851; a local female priest in the tribe hosted a holy ceremony in order to calm the gods, and then it became a tradition that takes place annually.

Today, the indigenous people are working as a guide on the mountain hike. The hike takes about 6 hours, and it often begins at 7 am at the Park’s ticketing center at a height of 1,564 meters. The first day reaches up to 3,272 meters at the Laban Rata Resthouse. The Cemcem tour guide will first give the group an introduction to the hike after purchasing the park’s entry tickets at the headquarter; and it is quite physically demanding, given the rise of elevation is about 1,200 meters to over 3,000 meters above sea level.

The route to Mount Kinabalu Summit

Pass through the Timpohon Gate, the first 2 kilometers are between the 1,200 and 2,200 above sea level, this part of the hike is filled with tropical sceneries, subtropical bushes, and trees; they will also see Corson Waterfalls (pitstop: Kandis (1km) and Uboh (1.5km)).

Starting from the 3rd kilometer, the sceneries change as hikers will see colorful rhododendron before arriving at Layang Layang, the meeting point of the two hiking trails, Mesilau and Timpohon. The RTM station, the Malaysian broadcast station, is also located here. The open view offers a good spot for the hikers to take a break and enjoy lunch. (pitstop: Lowii hut (2.5km) and Mempening hut (3km)).

The Paka station marks the 5th kilometer at the height of 3,052 meters above sea level, this is where high altitude sickness may kick in for some people. The landscape at this point changes again and hikers are mainly walking on granite without much coverage. After a 7-hour hike, hikers will stay overnight at the resthouse before taking off to the summit for the sunrise in the early morning. Dinner is served at 4:30 pm and bedtime is 7 pm (pitstop: Villoso hut (4.5km) and Waras hut (5.5km)).

The summit hike starts at 2:30 pm in the morning, with breakfast served on the 1st floor of the Laban Rata resthouse. The hike passes through the ceremony site that was hosted by Sir Hugh Low and Kadazan-Dusun priests. The Gunting Lagadam resthouse is located at 3,323 meters high.

Sayat-Sayat resthouse is located at 3,668 meters high and hikers will need to grab onto the rope as they ascend on the exposed terrain. Why? because this is about the height for trees to grow, and only rocks can be seen at this point. While the rope is mainly for safety, it is also an important guide so that the hikers won’t get lost in the fog or darkness.

During the daytime, hikers can take a good look at a U-shaped Low’s Gully that vertically dropped from 3,900 meters above sea level to 1,500 meters. Hikers will arrive at Low’s Peak at around 5:59 am for the sunrise. The amazing view doesn’t end from the peak since walking down the slope downhill is just as epic. a certificate will be given to the hikers for completing the hike. #missionaccomplished

The Mount Kinabalu day tour

For family travelers, or those who are not ready for a two-day hike. Sign up for a day tour to enjoy the view of the mountain from below. SabahYou.com organizes day tours that cover a number of attractions and fun activities, including the suspension bridge, the Desa Cow Farm, Poring Hotsprings, and viewing of the corpse lily.

We were picked up from our hotel early in the morning and headed north to Nabalu, a small town roughly an hour and a half away from the city center, offering a breathtaking view of Mount Kinabalu. The small town is a popular viewpoint of the mountain, with some vendors selling fruits and local handicrafts. I was told that it’s not that often visitors get to see the mountain due to the clouds. Luckily, we visited on a clear day and we took tons of photos of Mount Kinabalu.

After spending about an hour in the town we continued our journey in the Kinabalu Park Complex and walk through the suspension bridge in Poring. The entire park covers an area of 754 square kilometers and it’s impossible to discover the entire ground in one day. By that time, we were actually at 1,500 meters above sea level and the temperature dropped quite a bit.

Treetop Canopy Walk

The suspension bridges of the Treetop canopy walk reach 40 meters high and imagine the thrill as it’s not recommended to those who are suffered from acrophobia.

The canopy walk is a 175-meter long walkway, connected by suspension bridges in 6 sections, offering a stunning view of the hundred-million-year-old rainforest. It was a special experience to observe the unique jungle from a bird’s eye view, (while watching our steps on the shaking bridge), we actually saw some beautiful animals and birds in the woods.

Remember tourists are required to pay a little extra for taking photos on the bridge and they have staff keeping an eye on those who steal a shot without paying.

Poring Hot Spring

Poring Hot Spring is located in Kinabalu Park and it’s at a height of 1,600 meters above sea level. It was discovered by the Japanese during World War II. The Hot Spring is a soothing sulfur bath that relaxes your muscles and heals your body.

During the time when the Japanese conquered Sabbah, outdoor thermal bath pools and bathhouses were built. Now the hot spring is an open area and families usually gather around and enjoy a dip in the water in the slide pool or outdoor bathtub. Prepare a towel and change of clothes if you decided to take a bath, or you might just soak your feet and wash away the exhaustion after a day of walking in the mountains.

To go further, the hot spring area has a butterfly house, orchid preservation center, tropical garden, animal farm, campsite, and youth dormitory. This is a bio-diverse rainforest with a great variety of plants that sometimes attract lemur, red leaf monkey, or orangutan.

The Corpse Lily

Another unique experience is the viewing of Rafflesia, commonly known as the corpse lily. We headed to Soulin’s Garden which was just a privately owned small garden that has flowers for tourists. The species belongs to the parasitic genus and it’s famous for its large size.

In fact, this is the largest individual flower on earth, and it is endemic to the rainforest of Sumatra and Borneo. It’s called the “corpse lily” because of its strong and unpleasant odor that basically attracts insects like flies. Although the flower that we saw in the garden was a little bit smaller than I expected, the largest Rafflesia in the wild could reach up to 3 feet across in width and weigh up to 15 pounds!

Desa Cattle Farm

Finally, before we head back to the city, we needed a few refreshments and stopped by the Desa Cattle Farm. This farm is located at Kundasang by the mountain foot of Mount Kinabalu, and it’s about 2,000 meters above sea level. This is one of the biggest highland cattle farms in Sabbah and tourists could enjoy the great view of the mountains, the adorable cattle, and a carton of milk or creamy soft ice cream. The most interesting part is, that the milking process starts at about 3 pm every day and the cows would queue up by themselves at the station waiting to be milked! If you are there at the right time you could witness this process.