Mount Kinabalu Day Climb No Longer Possible

Just found out the hard way.

A small silver lining; the new Lamaing Hostel has a dormitory for "only" 100 ringit.
Total price for a 2-day 1 night climb would be 287 ringit, without food though.
This is for 2 persons, add 64 ringit if you have to pay for the guide alone.

I may go on friday, have a reservation for Lamaing then (thursday fully booked) so if any one is nearby and wants to join me, reply here or contact me at Kinabalu Mountain Lodge.

Cheers,
Joseph

Who told you it was not possible? The head ranger in the park?

287 sounds like a much more realistic deal than most in the past years.
Let's hope that rate will last!

Sorry my post was a bit confusing, it was the total price for 1 person, not two and didn´t include the park entry fee (RM15/day).
Below is a better lowdown, all prices in local ringit and for one person on a two-day, one night trek :

Guide fee : RM128 (can be shared with up to 3 persons, higher fee for 3-6 pax)
Accomodation at Lamaing Hostel : RM100 per night (no food included but they told me there´s hot water to make noodles, coffee etc.)
Climbing permit : RM100
Park entry fee : RM15 per day
Insurance : RM7
Transport from Park HQ to the trailhead and back (about 4.5 km) : RM33 (optional)

Rates for the Mesilau trail are more expensive : RM95 1-way transport to the trailhead and +-145 for the guide.
This info comes straight from Sabah Parks Office near the Park entrance.
Thanks to them opening the new Lamaing Hostel, it now is possible to climb Kinabalu at a more reasonable rate instead of feeding the ringit-sucking leech that is the Sutera Corp.

Also, from 2015, guide rates will go up slightly:

-> Timpohon - Timpohon : 150 for 1-3 pax / 175 for 4-6 pax
-> Timpohon - Mesilau/Mesilau - Timpohon : 168 for 1-3 pax / 203 for 4-6 pax
-> Mesilau - Mesilau : 175 for 1-3 pax / 210 for 4-6 pax

Hope this explains things better.
If any one is keen on joining me on the two-day climb on friday, call me at Kinabalu Mountain Lodge.

Cheers,
Joseph

So you didn't actually talk to anyone on the ground?

The one day climb has always been 'unofficial' afaik...at least it was when i did it.You go to the park,talk to the chief ranger and he decides if you are fit enough to do it or not ;-)

No indication that has changed at all in your above post,so the title is very misleading........

Sorry lucapal, it wasn´t my intention to mislead anyone but the information is solid as i´ll explain below.

I just got back from the summit climb this morning; 90 minutes from Laban Rata to the top, easy peasy ;-) (i should mention though that i´m what many people would call annoyingly fit for my age (39)
Regarding the one-day climb, i read on several sites that you have to talk to the person at the Sabah Parks Guides counter and arrange a guide there the day before or the morning of the climb.
So i asked three different officials at the Sabah Parks office guide counter and they all had the same answer.
Also, several guides confirmed to me that as of August 1st of this year, it is no longer possible.
Reasons given : opening of the new Lamaing hostel and many people simply couldn´t make it back down before 5PM when Timpohon gate closes.
If there is any "unoffical" person or location inside the park you have to use for the one-day climb, i never read anything about that nor was any such information given to me by any one inside the park.

Finally and most resolute, about two weeks ago, i mailed Sabah Parks informing about my wish for the one-day climb.
Today of all days i received a reply :

"Dear Sir,

It is with regret to inform you that Sabah Parks is no longer offers a one day climb to visitors since the opening of our new Lemaing Hostel at Laban Rata. You can contact our Park Manager at Kinabalu Park, Mr.Justinus Guntabid (email address attached) for reservation.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

AK.MOHD.RODZAN HJ.PG.DAHLAN
SABAH PARKS"

FYI, the official website still has to be updated as i also mentioned to Sabah Parks that it´s still possible according to their site ;-)
As for Lamaing hostel, there´s a hot water boiler inside for all your coffee/noodles needs as the food inside Laban Rata cafeteria is expensive; i was quoted RM60 yesterday for dinner though i was told by a traveller it´s buffet all you can eat for 3 hours or so (which can be turned into a deal if you stuff yourself hehe :-d

Ok,thanks for that information!

In the same email i asked Sabah Parks "Could you give me a reason why the one-day climb is no longer possible?
There are many people who can do it in one day without a problem."
Their answer : "This is due to safety purposes and most of the day climbers end up staying overnight at Laban Rata."

Having done the two-day climb (but walking from my hostel, 2km from the park entrance, all the way to the summit), i can see many people underestimating the one-day climb, resulting in accomodation and/or guiding problems.
But that still doesn´t make right the prohibitive accomodation/food costs.

I hate to do this to you sunchaser... but the one-day climb is still possible. I did it a few days ago. I believe you may have been unlucky, turning up during a sort-of transitional time for the park making changes to their policy (now that Lamaing Hut presents a more affordable option). A permit for a one-day climb is now officially 200 R (Still 100 R for anybody taking longer than one day). You still have to convince the lead ranger to grant you a one-day "expedition" permit.

Regardless of how many days you plan to spend on the mountain, for anybody looking to book ahead and save money, I HIGHLY recommend you stay at Jungle Jack's Hostel, 1 kilometer from the park entrance - best option for budget backpackers and he can help you setup a two-day climb for a great price. Jack is an excellent, honest guy, with great connections on the mountain.

Hey there, thanks for getting back to me.
I'm happy you were able to do it, all the better.
I guess nothing is set in stone and it all depends on when/who you talk to.
All things considered, it's definitely worth the climb, it's just annoying rules are not clear and budget options stay limited/monopolised.
Cheers,
Joseph

I spoke to the park man today at his office for 30 minutes today.
On August 1 2014 The one day permit was changed. It is now only a half mountain hike. People's passes will be inspected to make sure they don't go beyond the 4.5Km point. (the reason given, 80% of climbers were failing to reach the top and people were too often delaying the 5pm closing time)

• Pushed for time - You can buy a 2 day pass including the accommodation. And if you make it up Low's pass before 10am the inspector may give you permission to go onto the summit, so that means you should be able to get to the top and out of the park, but you've paid for a bed you don't use.

• You are advised to book well in advance as the top lodges are almost always fully booked. However I often meet people who manage to get a bed within 4-5 days of booking. (this maybe cancellations or possible extra beds being help back). The situation is not likely to change there is only the Sutera 150 bed Lodge and the Via Ferrata lodge 40 beds (the ones used by Jack's). The bottle neck is that there is not enough water supply to the lodges, so the situation won't change soon).
  BTW people have problems with the public minibus from KK town centre. I waited from 7 am to 8,30am yesterday for the bus to leave, same for other people on other days, 20RM/90 mins . Next time I'd try taking the regular minibus from Shangri-La Hotel to Inanam and pick up the regular big buses running to Sandikan from there.

Thanks on the update.

Joseph

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.