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Kinabalu National Park Sights

Mt Kinabalu

3 reviews | Write a review

Good for: hiking, nature, adventure

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    • Kinabalu National Park

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Lonely Planet review for Mt Kinabalu

Towering 4095m above northern Borneo, Mt Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and the island of New Guinea. Known as Gunung Kinabalu in Bahasa Malaysia, the mountain is quite unlike any other on earth, rising almost twice as high as its Crocker Range neighbours and culminating in a crown of wild granite spires. When the summit is visible (usually in the morning, before the clouds close in) the mountain literally demands your attention. .

It is clearly visible from many parts of Sabah, including Kota Kinabalu and the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Even if you decide not to do the climb to the summit, the park itself is a beautiful spot, and many visitors come just to escape the heat and humidity of the coast. There are several fine walking trails in the rainforest at the base of the mountain, the climate is agreeably cool and accommodation both inside and outside the park is good. The hard part of climbing the mountain is jumping through the bureaucratic hurdles to get there. Assuming you are able to secure a reservation for an accommodation package, you still must pay for an expensive climbing permit and hire a guide to climb the mountain, despite the fact that the mountain is no more dangerous than many commonly climbed mountains in other parts of the world. But it is definitely worth jumping through the hoops to get to the summit of Kinabalu. Once you see that sun start to come up across Borneo, we're sure you'll agree.

 

Traveller reviews for Mt Kinabalu (3)

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    Stunning Sunrise!

    borneoislovely recommends this,

    The stunning sunrise on the peak, is what everyone looks forward to. Nice climb
    and will climb again soon.

    www.borneotravelblog.com

    Good for: hiking, nature, adventure

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    like walking up a rocky creek bed two steps a time for hours

    thurstonhowell4th recommends this,

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    what a rock! a great climb and a right of passage

    jayvee recommends this,

    Apparently you are not allowed to climb to the top of Mount Kinabalu in one go ... I sorta knew that but tried anyway. I hid my 'day pass' under my fleece (which allowed me to go no farther that 2000m) and gunned it straight past the overnight lodge and headed for the summit at 4000m.

    At around 3000m my legs started to wobble and I was feeling what I thought was altitude sickness , so I set my sights on getting to 10000 feet instead.

    I made it, and managed to recover my strength whilst sitting on a bare patch of granite, marvelling at the mountain which is a right of passage for many Sabahan’s. I highly recommend it, spend a few days and enjoy the many picturesque walks down in the valley below as well.

    Good for: hiking, nature

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