Climbing Mt. Kinabalu for Sabahan

Hello there Sabahan!!!

Have you conquered the majestic Mt. Kinabalu? If yes, share with me your experiences. For those who want to climb but doesn't know what to do first or what to bring, feel free to scroll down this page as I would like to share few great information with you! 

Great news for Sabahan is you can enjoy much cheaper climbing fee compare to Peninsular people and of course foreigner... So, plan your climbing now! Below are the Sabahan Rate (2 Days 1 Night):

Conservation Fee               : RM3 (18 years and above), RM1 (Below 18 years)

Climbing Permit                 : RM 30 (18 years & above), RM 12 (below 18 years)

Insurance                           : RM7 per person

Certificate (per person)      : RM 10 1st Class (with color, only for those reach the summit), 

                                           RM 1 2nd class (black and white) *optional

Accomodation + Food     : RM 80 (Meals x 5) (Pack Lunch @ Balsam, Dinner @ LR, Supper @ LR,                                                  Breakfast @LR, Lunch @ Kinabalu Park)

Guide Fee                        :

Timpohon-Summit-Timpohon : RM128 (1-3 pax), RM150 (4-6 pax)

Timpohon-Summit-Mesilau/ Mesilau-Summit-Timpohon : RM143 (1-3 pax), RM173 (4-6 pax)

Mesilau-Summit-Mesilau : RM150 (1-3 pax), RM180 (4-6 pax)                                             

Preparation before climbing

1) If you are climbing with friends, decide the number of people that going to join the climbing but must not exceed 20 climbers. This is because Sabah Park had limit the number of Sabahan climber to only 20 per day. If you are climbing alone than there would be no problem.

2) Decide the date. I suggest you to book the climbing date at least 3 months before, because there are lots of people want to climb the mountain and accommodation is limited at Laban Rata and Gunting Lagadan.

3) Go to Sutera Sanctuary Lodges at Wisma Sabah Kota Kinabalu (Lot G15, Ground floor) for reservation and payment of accommodation. Then go to Sabah Park HQ at Kota Kinabalu to pay the permit and insurance. Payment for conservation fee, certificate and guide can be made before climbing at Kinabalu Park Kundasang. Decide whether to climb via Timpohon or Mesilau among your group so you can easily pay guide fee later.

4) Training. But if you are fit enough then there won't be problem as the trail is quite easy. Climbing Mt. Kinabalu is not easy but not hard too. The easy part is from the starting point to Laban Rata and the challenging part is from Laban Rata to Summit. Another thing that making the climbing hard is RAIN. The coldness is so evil!

5) Book place to stay overnight before the climb because climbing will start early in the morning. So, siapa yang tinggal jauh dari Kawasan Kundasang/Ranau, better find a place to stay a night. I suggest homestay/chalet around Kundasang town, there are lots of them, accommodation at Kinabalu Park is expensive.

What to bring??

Here are the list of things you should bring:

• Rain coat (in case of rainy season, buy a good quality rain coat, last time I went I brought 3 ponchos and all got ripped out before I reached Laban Rata. I ended up soaking in wet)
• Head Lamp. You going to use this during the second day of climbing at 2 or 3 am.
• Medicine. Paracetamol, muscle pain reliever (balm) etc.
• Glove. waterproof.
• Walking Stick. This is optional, you still can climb happily w/o it but its going to be useful for beginner climber.
• Extra pair of sock
• Plastic bag
• Extra Money

I guess that is all for now. It is very important that you plan your trip to save budget even di negeri sendiri. And the most important thing is...enjoy the climb!