MALAYSIAlonelyplanet.com MALAYSIAN BORNEO – SABAH •• Around Kinabalu
are included in the price, although guests can
bring their own food up the mountain and
negotiate with Sutera for a price reduction
(boiling water can be purchased for RM1 if
you bring dried noodles). Non-heated facili-
ties surrounding the Laban Rata building are
also available for RM320 per person (meals
included). Yes, the inflated prices feel mo-
nopolistic, and to make matters worse, Sutera
is trying to force climbers to stay in the park
for two nights – one night at Laban Rata and
one night at the base.
The other option at Laban Rata is to stay at
Pendant Hut, which is owned and operated by
Mountain Torq ( above ; pricing is on par with
Sutera). Pendant Hut is slightly more basic
(no heat – although climbers sleep in uber-
warm sleeping bags); however, there’s a bit of
a summer-camp vibe here while Laban Rata
feels more like a Himalayan orphanage.
PARK HEADQUARTERS (AT THE BASE)
The following sleeping options are located at
the base of the mountain and are all operated by
Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. As per Sutera’s mono-
polistic reputation, these options are overpriced
when compared to the non-affiliated sleeping
spots outside the park ( p500 ).
Grace Hostel (dm RM120) Clean, comfortable 20-bed
dorm with fireplace and drink-making area.
Rock Hostel (dm RM120) Somewhat institutional 20-bed
hostel with similar facilities to Grace Hostel. Twin-share
rooms are available here as well (RM350 per room).
Getting There & Away
It is strongly advised that summit-seekers
check in at the park headquarters by 9am,
which means that if you are coming from KK,
you should plan to leave by 7am, or consider
spending the night somewhere near the base
of the mountain.
A shuttle bus runs from the Pacific Sutera
(9am), the Magellan Sutera (9.10am), and
Wisma Sabah (9.20am) to Kinabalu Park HQ,
arriving at 11.30am (RM40). In the reverse di-
rection it leaves Kinabalu Park HQ at 3.30pm.
Express buses and minivans travelling be-
tween KK and Ranau (and Sandakan) pass
the park turn-off, 100m uphill from the park
entrance. Air-con express buses (RM15, three
hours) and taxis leave from both Inaman and
Wawasan (see p496 ). A share-taxi from one
of these transport junctions is significantly
cheaper than hailing a cab in the city centre
(which will cost you RM150).AROUND KINABALU
Kinabalu National Park is home to Borneo’s
highest mountain and some of the island’s
best-preserved forest. Most travellers make a
beeline for the mountain and the main park
headquarters area, but the following spots are
also worth exploring.
The junction for the Mesilau Nature Resort
on the KK–Ranau highway is the site of the
Kundasang War Memorial (Kundasang; admission RM10;
h8am-5.30pm). There are English and Anzac
gardens here, commemorating the prisoners
from these countries who died on the infa-
mous Sandakan Death March.
One of the few positive contributions the
Japanese made to Borneo during WWII, Poring
Hot Springs (adult/child RM15/10) has become a pop-
ular weekend retreat for locals. The complex
is actually part of the Kinabalu National Park,
but it’s 43km away from the park headquarters,
on the other side of Ranau. If you’re expecting
some kind of natural paradise with rock poolsVIA FERRATA
In 2007 the good folks at Mountain Torq dramatically changed the Kinabalu climbing experience
by creating an intricate system of rungs and rails crowning the mountain’s summit. Known as via
ferrata (literally ‘iron road’ in Italian), this alternative style of mountaineering has been a big hit
in Europe for the last century and is just starting to take Asia by storm. In fact, Mountain Torq
is Asia’s first via ferrata system, and, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it’s the
highest ‘iron road’ in the world!
After ascending Kinabalu in the traditional fashion ( p497 ), participants use the network of
levers to return to the Laban Rata rest camp along the mountain’s dramatic granite walls. Via
ferrata may be an Italian import, but Mountain Torq is pure Bornean fun.
For more information about Mountain Torq (including a YouTube video documenting the
experience) check out http://www.mountaintorq.com or the ‘Via Ferrata Asia’ group on facebook (where
you’ll find photos of our climb!). Prices start at RM300.499