Mount Kinabalu National Park covers an area of 754 square kilometers on the eastern coast of Sabah. At its center is Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,095.2 meters, is the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. The park is well maintained with good accommodations and worth visiting even if you’re not planning to climb. It is home to many rare orchid and pitcher plant species, as well as the Rafflesia with its enormous flowers.
Our Adventure in traveling began with an afternoon flight from Miri to Kota Kinabalu. We stayed in the city that night, but early the next morning, drove the 90 kilometers to Mount Kinabalu National Park. There we had a pleasant day walking with park rangers along some of the lower trails, had a good night’s sleep in a well appointed lodge, and the next morning, ate a leisurely breakfast.
Plants of Mount Kinabalu National Park
Our plan was to climb the mountain at a slow pace over 2 days, spending the night at the Laban Rata guesthouse (3273meters). We arrived at park headquarters at 10:30. There, we met our guide and did a last check of our packs before taking the 1.5-kilometer minivan ride to the trailhead at Timpohon gate. Unceremoniously, we moved onto the trail to join the many other groups that had been leaving since early morning.
The first part of the trail is an easy walk, but it gets progressively more difficult with plenty of stairs to climb. For the most part, the way is steep, but well shaded, and there are shelters every kilometer or so where you can replenish your water bottles.
At around 3000 meters the forest opens up to some beautiful views. Shortly after, you will see the Laban Rata guesthouse. The accommodation is dormitory style and the bathrooms are communal. There is a buffet style dining room on the main floor where meals are served and drinks are sold throughout the day.
Our summit day started with a 2 AM wake-up, a light breakfast, and a quick exit back onto the trail. The night was frosty and we needed our cold weather gear. There are more steps that eventually end on the mountain’s rock face. From the tree line to the summit, the trek becomes more of a climb. The rock is vast, exposed to the wind and can be very slick. There are anchored ropes that we used to pull ourselves up some of the more difficult sections, but all went well. Along with many others, we were on the summit for sunrise.
Thirty minutes later, it was time to leave. It took a few hours to get back to Laban Rata where we ate a huge breakfast before returning to Timpohon gate in the late afternoon.
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