Mount Kinabalu - hiking the highest mountain in borneo and Malaysia
About Mount Kinabalu Hike
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain that sits in Borneo on the Malaysian side. The hike goes to the Low’s peak which is at 4095m. It is possible to hike Mount Kinabalu in 2 days 1 night, or 3 days 2 nights. It starts from around 1860m and with an overnight stay at around 3200m. The trail itself is not overly difficult with a roundtrip distance around 17.5 km, but the elevation gain is over 2200m and of course another 2200m down. Making the trip physically demanding in two short days.
Because of the large vertical distance difference, you get to see many different vegetation and habitats on the same trip. The view goes from green lush rainforest to plain rocky mountain peak. According to the official park regulation, it is required to have a registered mountain guide to hike Mount Kinabalu(as of 2024). The number of the guides varies depends on the group size.
How to Hike Mount Kinabalu
Me and my partner signed up for a private tour through an agency where they fix everything for us. Our package price included transportation to and from Kota Kinabalu to the trailhead, a guide, 1 night at the hut, meals (lunch, dinner on day1, breakfast before summiting, breakfast after summiting, lunch on day2), registration and park related fees, insurance, and certificate.
Make sure to sign up for the trip through a trust-worthy agency. Check what’s included in the price and package to avoid any problem. There are only limited spots per day, so it is extra important to book as soon as possible, especially during peak season.
Our experience
Day1
Driver picked me and my partner up from our hotel in Kota Kinabalu at 6:30 in the morning. After 2 hours of driving, we arrived at the national park and had our first peak of Mount Kinabalu. It was sunny with blue sky, but it’s unpredictable with the tropical weather in the afternoon. By 9am we met our guide and started our long ascend to the hut. Since we were a private group (just us and our guide), it’s easier and more flexible to decide when to stop and rest. Our guide also deviated a bit away from the trek and showed us some special plants in the rainforest along the way.
The trail itself was not difficult, but the constant uphill and big steps slowly drained us. The last 45mins to 1 hour before arriving the hut came the typical tropical afternoon thunderstorm. We had to put on our rain jacket despite the humidity and heat. We were wet both inside out (rain on the outside and sweat on the inside). It was not pleasant, but that’s part of the journey. We arrived the hut at around 3pm and got to change out of our wet clothes and rest for the rest of the day.
The hut was surprisingly clean and comfortable. There were proper bed, pillow, sheets, shower and modern toilet. There were plenty of tables and boardgames in the common area for people to chill and kill time. Food was also tasty with options to choose from. In general, it was quite luxury and much better than I expected for being so high up in the mountain. Dinner was served at around 17 and by 19-20-ish most people were already in bed to prepare for an early early start for summit day.
Day2
Sleeping at 3200m without acclimatisation we both had headache throughout the night. Despite the bed being quite comfortable, it was hard to fall asleep due to the non-normal sleeping schedule and altitude sickness. Luckily, headache and out of breath when hiking were the only symptoms we had.
To reach the summit before sunrise, most people got up around 2 to have early breakfast or maybe so called late supper? Our experienced guide gave us the wake up time and meeting time the day before to ensure that we could reach summit before sunrise. He also told us he will be the pacer on summit hike to make sure that we were neither too slow nor too fast. By 4 am were were on the way already and reached the peak exactly at sunrise, which was at 6. Even though it was summer time in Malaysia, at 4000m above sea level it was still cold, especially before the sun was out.
After summit, we hiked back to the hut and enjoyed another yummy breakfast (8:30 for us since we stayed longer at the peak to take pictures) before the long gruelling descend. We were both delighted as we got to see beautiful sunrise and the hardest part was over. What we did not expect was that the hike down somehow felt more demanding due to the big stone steps and impact on our knees. All in all, it was a very nice experience and great memory to have.
We did not hire a porter for this hike, so everything is in our daypack. On the summit day, we just packed necessities like water and extra layers into one backpack as our summit bag, and left the other at the hut.
What we had with us
Daypack (30-40L) with rain cover
Hiking poles
Water bottle (1L)
Snacks
Waterproof jacket
Hiking pants
Fleece and insulated layer
Base layer or wool underwear
Beanie, buff, gloves
Hiking boots
Slippers, sandals or camp shoes
Headlight
Toiletries, towel, toilet papers
Camera
Others
Personal medication ( if you need for altitude sickness)
