Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia - Conquered!

Standing tall in the East Malaysian state of Sabah, Mount Kinabalu is the highest peak in Borneo and the 20th most prominent mountain in the world. We were very lucky to have the opportunity hiking up 4.095km and conquered the peak! The summit plateau, Low’s Peak is named after Hugh Low in March 1851. It takes about 2 days to climb up and it is not necessary to have previous experience in mountain climbing. Nevertheless, it is advised to be physically as well as mentally fit to push through lethargy throughout the hike. Above animated pictures show the trail map of Mount Kinabalu. There are two ways to reach summit trail which are Timpohon Gate and Mesilau Gate.

The distance from Timpohon gate is shorter by 2km compared with Mesilau track which is 6km. Eventhough Timpohon track is shorter but it is considered as the toughest track with steep path as compared with Mesilau. Hikers who love the natural view would prefer to take Mesilau track to enjoy the mind blowing natural view.

This picture was taken once our team arrived at Kinabalu park.  From here, we took a van to Mesilau Nature Resort.
 

Day 1

We spent a night at Mesilau Nature Resort. The place is very clean, comfortable and there was a good service by friendly resort staff.

Room view from outside.

Such a pleasant environment

Restaurant is placed just a few metres away from our room and dinner serving time is 6.30p.m.

After our heavy dinner, we walked around the restaurant area to enjoy the nice cool weather and views. Since our mobile signal coverage in the room is very poor, we decided to settle all calls at the restaurant area. Nevertheless, do not be worried because during your hiking period you can still bring your mobile phone - along the way to Summit, the mobile line coverage is good.

Above picture is the Mersilau track starting point and every hiker needs to register themselves in the morning before start their journey. A group of 1-5 persons will have one guide and this guide will give you a short briefing before the journey. The guide will follow the slowest member in a team and they can also help you to carry your bags but you will be charged based on the weight of your bag.

This are our recommendation during hiking:

- Do not carry heavy bag unless you are used to it. (preferably, the weight is less than 5KG)

Tips to reduce weight of your bag:

- If you are carrying a backpack, you can refer to their arrangement techniques in the internet

- Sharing is caring (you don't need to bring everything by yourself, align with your   friends who to bring what)

- Always stick to your group. If you have a big group, you may split into several groups. (for our case, we were divided into two groups; Fast and Slow ;-) )

- For beginners, you need to be slow and steady. Just walk slowly while enjoy seeing the beautiful scenery. You can have a short break at every checkpoint.

- Be careful with your steps and do not push yourself too hard. We recommend hikers to use small steps in order to save energy.

These are the necessities needed to be prepared beforehand:

(Some sources are from Climb Mt. Kinabalu)

Clothing

Waterproof jacket or a ponco (high chances for it to rain in the evening

Warm, lightweight jumper and warm, lightweight pants

Spare socks and under garments

Beanie or wool-knitted hat

Fleece or wool-knitted gloves

Miscellaneous

Snacks (granola bars are the best option, banana as your source of energy) for the climb

Water bottles (at least one litre, preferably in small bottles)

Sunscreen cream

Small first aid kit

Whistle (in case of emergency in bad weather and visibility)

Head-lamps with spare batteries
Oral Rehydration salts

Fully charged cell phone

Lodging

If you choose to stay in or near the park on the night before you climb, there are a number of options, ranging from basic to luxury.

1. Kinabalu Pine Resort is located in the foothills near Kundasang, 10 minutes from the national park. Price for a standard room starts from RM100 per night. Package inclusive of breakfast and dinner are also available.

2. Kinabalu Rose Cabin is near Kundasang. Similar to the Pine Resort, rooms start from RM70 per night in the normal season.

 Magnificent view from Low's peak with cottony clouds as the background.

 

That's the other peak seen from Low's peak. The surface is granite and it is such an amazingly inspiring scenery.

 Hikers on the way to Laban Rata; known also as the summit trail.

 Sunset from Laban Rata. One in a million view.

Through the trees, a waterfall draws a breathtaking scene perfectly. It was relaxing just sitting here and looking around before resuming our journey to the peak.

At the Low's peak you may find this sign board. As a symbol of the achievement, we recommend hikers to get some photo shots at this point. Good Luck!