MALAYSIAMALAYSIAN BORNEO – SABAH •• Mt Kinabalu & Kinabalu National ParkGetting Around
Minivans operate from several stops in KK,
including the Padang Merdeka Field Bus
Station and the parking lot outside Milimewa
Superstore. They also circulate the town look-
ing for passengers. Since most destinations
within the city are within walking distance, it’s
unlikely that you’ll need to catch a minivan.
If you do catch one, most destinations within
the city cost RM1.
Most of KK’s taxis have meters, but few
drivers will agree to use them. Set prices rule
the roost, but you should always negotiate
a fare before heading off. There are several
hubs where taxis congregate, including the
Milimewa Superstore in the centre of town.
Figure around RM7 to RM10 for a ride in
the city centre.
MT KINABALU & KINABALU
NATIONAL PARK
Towering above the island with its haunting
husk of granite and halo of cotton-puff clouds,
‘Borneo’s roof’ majestically rises over Sabah’s
swatch book of rainforest greens as if it were
shouting ‘Climb me!’ to wandering travellers.
And climb it they do. Mt Kinabalu, or Gunung
Kinabalu in Bahasa Malaysia, is the region’s
biggest tourist attraction.
As far as mountains go, the 4095m peak of
Mt Kinabalu may not be as wow-inducing as,
say, a Himalayan sky-poker, but Malaysia’s
first Unesco World Heritage Site is by no
means an easy climb. Around 60,000 visi-
tors of every ilk make the gruelling trek up
Borneo’s ultimate Thighmaster each year,
returning to the bottom with stories of tri-
umph, pictures of sun-lit moonscapes, and
really sore legs.
Information
A park fee, climbing permit, insurance and a
guide fee are mandatory if you intend to climb
Mt Kinabalu. All permits and guides must
be arranged at the Sabah Parks office (h7am-
7pm), which is directly next door to the Sutera
Sanctuary Lodges office, immediately on your
right after you pass through the main gate of
the park. Pay all fees at park HQ before you
climb and don’t ponder an ‘unofficial’ climb
as permits are scrupulously checked.
All visitors entering the park are required
to pay a park entrance fee (adult/child RM15/
RM10). A climbing permit costs RM100/
RM40. Climbing insurance costs a flat rate
of RM7 per person. Guide fees for the sum-
mit trek are the following: RM85 per small
group (one to three climbers) or RM100 per
large group (four to six climbers). If you ask,
the park staff will try to attach individual
travellers to a group so that guide fees can
be shared. The total minimum price for a
couple climbing the mountain is (drum roll
please) RM164.50 per person, and that does
not include the RM360 for room and board
atop the mountain at Laban Rata (that’s a
grand total of RM524.50 for all of you maths
whizzes out there).EQUIPMENT & CLOTHING
No special equipment is required to suc-
cessfully summit the mountain; however, a
headlamp is strongly advised for the predawn
jaunt to the top – you’ll need your hands free
to climb the ropes on the summit massif.
Expect freezing temperatures near the sum-
mit, not to mention strong winds and the
occasional rainstorm.The Climb to the Summit
Climbing the great Mt Kinabalu is a heart-
pounding two-day adventure that you won’t
soon forget. You’ll want to check in at park
headquarters around 9am to pay your park
fees, grab your guide, and start the ascent
(four to seven hours) to Laban Rata (3273m)
where you will spend the night before finish-
ing the climb. On the following day you’ll
finish scrambling to the top around 2.30am in
order to reach the summit for a breathtaking
sunrise over Borneo.
The trek is tough, and the ascent is un-
relenting as almost every step you take will
be uphill. You will negotiate several obsta-
cles along the way, including slippery stones,GETTING INTO TOWN
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA)
is 7km southwest of the centre. Minivans
leaving from the main terminal charge
RM2, while minivans or local buses that
pass the airport bus stop (turn right as you
leave the terminal and walk for 10 min-
utes) charge RM1. Taxis heading from the
terminal into town operate on a system
of vouchers (RM20), sold at a taxi desk on
the terminal’s ground floor. In practice,
you can usually just board a taxi and pay
RM20 in cash.497