Choosing The Right Season to Climb Mt Kinabalu.

How to Book a Trip to Climb Mt Kinabalu.

How Hard Is It to Climb Mt Kinabalu?

Terrain of Summit Trail. KM by KM Photograph Series from Timpohon Gate. Start Here.
More photos on the Summit of Mt Kinabalu.

Is It Dangerous (or safe) to Climb Mount Kinabalu?

Training to Climb Mt Kinabalu. Read to Prepare. Download Checklist.

 
 
 
 

This website is about climbing this majestic mountain located in Sabah state of Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu, arguably the highest mountain in South East Asia.

You can find checklist, guides and tips on preparing and evaluating your trip. There are guides on:

• choosing right season to climb the mountain,
• making booking of your trip,
• evaluating safety and toughness to climb,
• training plan and training to climb
• Pictures of the terrain of Mount Kinabalu, KM by KM. Start the journey here
• and more...

There is a useful checklist on things to prepare for the climb and a selection of photographs.

Guides to Climbing Mt Kinabalu

Preparation
Planning Weather and season Flights and road transports Booking a package to climb Mt Kinabalu DIY tour: Booking to climb Mt Kinabalu Overview of the climb journey Training An overall training Plan (for busy people) Prepare your body for a long uphill walk Descend: walking downhill	Getting Ready To Go Clothing to climb Mt Kinabalu Shoes & slippers Gear & equipment First aid & medicines Full checklist for climbing Mt Kinabalu Travelling Luggage arrangement Telecommunication on Mt Kinabalu
Journey
How to Get There Flights and road transports Getting there, Kinabalu National Park Analysis Of Terrain & The Journey Is climbing Mt Kinabalu easy? Is it safe (or dangerous) to climb Mt Kinabalu? More about the terrain and the climb Climbing the terrain (Part 1: Ascending) Climbing the terrain (Part 2: Descending) Photograph of Timpohon Trail's terrain (before rearranging) Photograph of Summit's terrain (before rearranging) Low's Peak, the highest point of Mt Kinabalu Photograph of descent from summit before Sayat Sayat (to be ready) Photograph of descent after Sayat Sayat (to be ready)	Accommodation And Food Grace Hostel (Grace Lodge) Laban Rata Rest House Panar Laban Huts Balsam Buffet Restaurant Nepenthes Lodge Journey to climb Mount Kinabalu Increasing odds to reach Low's Peak Altitude sickness Food & drinks while climbing Personal hygiene, toilets and bathrooms My Journey Of Climbing Mount Kinabalu Why do I climb Mount Kinabalu? Our experience on climbing Mount Kinabalu: 18th~19th September 2010 Our experience on climbing Mount Kinabalu: 15th~16th September 2011 (to be ready)

Rock formation right after Sayat Sayat checkpoint during our descent.

The most iconic view of Mount Kinabalu, South Peak.

Training (for Busy People) to Climb Mount Kinabalu

I write this training guide for person like me, a busy-9-to-5-office-worker. We probably sit too long during office hours and have too little exercise after office hours. We want to spend minimum time in training but yet we want to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu.

It is a big slanting plateau at the summit of Mount Kinabalu. After the last checkpoint, Sayat Sayat, you will be walking, with only 62% of oxygen of sea level,  for about 1.75KM to reach Low's Peak. The elevation of this 1.75KM is 442Meters (from 3,653M at Sayat Sayat to 4,095M at Low's Peak.)

Bare Minimum Training Objectives

• Get your body to get use to walk on jungle trail and uneven hiking terrain
• Prepare for reasonable fitness, especially for exercise-lacking-middle-age-office-workers. First, you can't reach Laban Rata too late in the evening because you need to sleep and wake up in the mid night for the climb to summit. Second, you need to cross Sayat Sayat checkpoint before 5am
• Get use to walk in the dark with headlamp
• Get use to your gear and shoes, i.e. headlamp and climbing shoes

These are the minimum objectives of training in order for a person to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu and descend safely.

View of a farming village at Kundasang

Kundasang is a beautiful town. It is full of visual surprises. It is a place you must stay for a few nights in your plan of climbing Mount Kinabalu.

The first evening at Kinabalu Pine Resort. I sit on the balcony and took this photo with my iPhone 4's HDR Pro app.

Sitting at the balcony of my room, I could see this view of a farming village. Weather at highland changes quickly and the same view look so different under different shades of sunlight.

Kundasang situated at about 1500 meters - 1800 meters above sea level. It is cold at night.

The Hidden Garden Park of Pekan Nabalu

Along the way from Kota Kinabalu to Kinabalu Park you will pass through this little town called Pekan Nabalu or Nabalu Town. There is this beautiful garden park in this little town hidden away from the main road.

The secret garden park of Pekan Nabalu. We were on the way back from Kinabalu Park to Kota Kinabalu.

The magnificent Mt Kinabalu.

This secret garden is located behind a row of building and market place on the main road from Kota Kinabalu to Kinabalu Park. You turn in to the left when you see a purple tower at Nabalu. Once you drive near the souvenir stores you can see this small park that gives a beautiful view of Mount Kinabalu.

I read about this town and the beautiful lookout place from internet but I simply could not find it on our way to Kinabalu Park. But when we returned, by sheer luck (wanting to buy some souvenirs), we turned in to this place and saw the beautiful garden park and this view. I am absolutely happy to be rewarded heftily for just a little generosity to buy things from the locals. :-)

Turn to the side road when you see this purple tower. You should be able to find
the secret garden park right after the souvenir stores.

I am keen to find out what is the name of the little town at the hill top of the smaller mountain.
(bottom left of this photo). It is a blank on Google Maps but you can see the town clearly in the satellite view.

Pekan Nabalu lookout garden park is not marked on Google Maps. You need to see it on satellite view.




To see the exact location, try this Kinabalu Park and Surrounding Areas map.

The exact spot.