The Long Way Up: Experience Climbing Mt. Kinabalu

written by local expert Jon Miller

From climbing volcanos in South America to getting lost in the Australian wilderness, Jon loves a bit of adventure! He is currently on a worldwide mission to find the 'best beer ever' and has an unhealthy obsession with Cornettos.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. This is true for many travelers, and my decision to climb Mount Kinabalu, on the far north east of Malaysian Borneo, meant overcoming one of my biggest travel issues: My complete inability to plan anything ahead of time.

Mt Kinabalu stands at 4,100 metres. It is a World Heritage site and the highest mountain in all of Borneo. To help preserve the natural beauty the government decided to cap the number of visitors to Kinabalu each day. The rules also state you cannot climb yourself, and have to do with a guide or organised tour group. These kind of rules do not sit well with travelers like me who lack the foresight to know what they’re doing more than a few days in advance. As you can imagine I struggled to book this particular adventure.

I arrived in the town of Kota Kinabalu with no plans other than to climb this beast. It was a fairly quiet town and I didn’t want to stick around any longer than I needed so went about asking in tour shops. When I asked for spaces on tours the next day, most people laughed, and the best I got offered was a spot in two weeks, which was no good for me. I was about to give up when, as if by luck, the last shop I tried had a place for me, for the next day! It was expensive, but I was delighted. In your face forward planning!

Climbing Mt. Kinabalu

I was picked up pretty early the next morning, introduced to the rest of my group and driven a few hours from the town to the base of the mountain. The drive there was pretty memorable, the altitude increasing as the mountain’s majesty came into view. We signed some papers, were given some very basic lunches and were on our way. We had one guide between about 6 of us, and as we didn’t really stick together I barely saw him on that first day. The route was pretty simple, there was no way you could really get lost and the guide did feel a little bit superfluous, but rules are rules I guess.

The first day was quite a tough climb. We trekked about 6km, up through the clouds to a cute little guesthouse nestled into the mountain side. The view was stunning, particularly at sunset, and they fed us very well which was good considering how much we’d each paid for this trip! trekking mount kinabaluOn the way to the guesthouse we were constantly passed by porters carrying luggage, food, drinks and heavy looking generators. I asked our guide about them who told me these guys do this every day, making numerous trips, carrying on average 40kg each way each time. I kinda felt bad for them, that seemed like pretty tough work, so even though there was a fully stocked bar at this guesthouse I limited myself to just one sunset beer, out of sympathy for the porters! trekking mount kinabalu

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I got a fairly early night as we were up again at 2am to try and reach the summit before sunrise. I smashed about 5 cups of coffee, threw on some warm clothes and joined the hordes of climbers heading up. This was a really tough climb. There was only 2.7km from here to the top but the air was getting very thin by this point, it was dark and some sections were so steep you needed a rope to pull yourself up. Not everyone in our group made it, but knowing how lucky I was to get a last minute spot on this there was no way I was going to give up. trekking mount kinabaluI got to the peak, tired but satisfied. I arrived at that beautiful time just before the sun rose when the sky begins to glow. I found myself a sweet little spot to watch as the sun came into view and sprayed orange light across the side of the mountain. Everyone was silent, simply enjoying the moment. I felt quite very peaceful and content. As the sun rose further you could see the famous ‘sea of clouds’ below like a bright white carpet. I’d been this high before but had never seen anything this spectacular.  trekking mount kinabalu

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The Long Walk Down Mt. Kinabalu

After taking a million photos I decided it was probably time to make my way back down. Even though we’d done the climb up over two days, the walk back had to be done in one go. I guess going down is easier.

I set off but kept getting distracted by beautiful scenery I’d missed on the way up due to darkness. There were numerous peaks, some impossibly sharp, piercing up into the sky. There were also a number of crystal clear lakes, glowing blue in the sun’s low light. These all made for fantastic photo opportunities and also made me fall pretty far behind schedule.   A man standing at the top of mount kinabalu

As a result the walk down became more of a jog down, which my legs paid for the next day! We had another great day of weather for the descent though and the views were just as incredible. It really showed why this is such a popular spot for travelers, and thankfully completely justified the rather expensive price tag. I made it down, just in time for the bus back to town. I was given a certificate to say I’d made it, but really all I wanted was a shower and a beer…both of which I had as soon as I got back to Kota Kinabalu. Both of which were definitely well earned. trekking mount kinabalu

Price for Hiking Mt. Kinabalu

This varies but expect to pay a minimum of $250USD. This will be for a two day tour and will include all your transport to the mountain, your overnight accommodation, all food, minimal water, your guide and park fees. It does not include snacks and beers at the guesthouse, plus you should allow a bit extra to tip your guide and porters. Three day tours, and possibly longer are available too, if you are a little slower.

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What to take for climbing Mt. Kinabalu

  • Hiking boots
  • Hiring pants/jacket
  • Thermal undergarments
  • Head Torch
  • Gloves
  • Warm hat
  • Your own snacks for extra energy
  • Money (for beer/snacks)
  • Water (this can be replenished at the guesthouse)
  • Basic overnight toiletries

You can hire porters to take your luggage up for you, but spare a thought for them and try not to make your bags too heavy. You really don’t need much at all.

Insider Tip: BOOK IN ADVANCE! I got very lucky to get a last minute spot, the trips can fill up as far as 3 months in advance. Email around as many tour operators as you can, the price can vary pretty wildly for the exact same package, but you will undoubtedly get a discount if you are in a larger group. trekking mount kinabalu

Overall, I had a great time and despite the steep price tag, the views that I saw and the experience in itself was well worth it! As soon as you get down the mountain, consider heading to Poring Hot Springs as you soak in the warm rock pools. Perfect way to end a rather exhausting climb.


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One experience you have to have in Malaysia is climbing Mt Kinabalu!

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6 thoughts on “The Long Way Up: Experience Climbing Mt. Kinabalu”

    • Approve Anna FaustinoChief Editor & Designer at Adventure In YouFollow our adventures on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter and Pinterest.—- On Fri, 17 Jun 2016 23:11:37 +0700 Disqus wrote —- “Hi guys, I did Mount Kinabalu in one day, it worked out RM 140 ($34) in total.”  Settings   A new comment was posted on adventureinyou Campbell Louw Hi guys, I did Mount Kinabalu in one day, it worked out RM 140 ($34) in total. 12:11 p.m., Friday June 17 | Other comments by Campbell Louw     Reply to Campbell Louw           Moderate this comment by email Email address: [email protected] | IP address: 58.8.72.156 Reply to this email with “Delete”, “Approve”, or “Spam”, or moderate from the Disqus moderation panel.       You’re receiving this message because you’re signed up to receive notifications about activity on threads authored by adventureinyou. You can unsubscribe from emails about activity on threads authored by adventureinyou by replying to this email with “unsubscribe” or reduce the rate with which these emails are sent by adjusting your notification settings.

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  1. Hey there is a much cheaper way to get to the top, you have to ask directly at the park office for accommodation. So instead of 750 Ringgit you only have to pay 100, also you don’t have to eat there. So we did the Kinabalu for only 110$ inclusive food which cost you about 30$.

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