Climbing Mt. Kinabalu

Type: Adventure City: 97km Airport: 90km Adults: > 300 Discount for locals: Yes Open: 08:00 - 18:00 Closed: Never

At 4,095m Mt. Kinabalu is one of South East Asia’s most prominent peaks and remains Sabah’s top adventure activity with over 40,000 eager explorers daring to take on the challenge of her slopes every year, most of who succeed.

Although Mt. Kinabalu is not a technically difficult climb, nor a particularly perilous journey, Joe Couch Potato will likely not succeed to claim her summit without at least some physical preparation.

A moderate level of fitness is required to conquer the summit trail, which really is more of a steep walk than a climb. The trail starts off at 2,200m and over 8km raises to 4,095m.

The 2-day Mt. Kinabalu trek involves overnighting at Laban Rata at 3,300m. The final stage usually starts off at 2am to hopefully put you at the summit just in time for sun rise.

The descent often takes half the time of the ascent, with the average climber finishing at around noon.

How to Get There

There are 2 main places from which to start your climb to the top of Mt. Kinabalu;

Sabah Parks headquarters near the Timpohon gate, and
Mesilau Nature Reserve, which is another 30 minutes down the road through the township of Kundasang.

Regardless of which starting point you choose, you need to make your way there by either long distance bus, mini bus, long distance taxi, rented car or tour operator.

By road, Sabah Parks headquarters is 90km from Kota Kinabalu, a journey that can take 1 and a half hours on a good traffic day or up to 2 and half hours or more on a bad traffic day. If there was an accident or landslide along the route, well, settle in for a long journey.

Snag transport in one of the following ways:

Long distance bus terminal behind the public library in Kota Kinabalu. Grab a bus to Sandakan, but tell them you’re only going to Kinabalu Park; Cost: RM 10 – RM 15;
Long distance taxi, hanging around where the long distance buses are. Potentially faster, but much more expensive; Either charter the entire taxi or wait until it fills up with 4 people; Cost: about RM250 divided by however many passengers;
Rent-a-car – it’s possible to rent a small car like a Kancil for RM90 a day and drive there yourself. Get onto the A4, head towards Tuaran, at the roundabout to Kundasang / Ranau turn right and just follow the road;
Tour Operators will gladly take you to the mountain, however, for the luxury of a spacious, air-conditioned van, you will pay the most out of all the transport options. Check with any operator for a quote;

If you’re starting from Mesilau Nature Reserve, you will need to pass Kinabalu Park and get off in Kundasang, from where you need to take another taxi to Mesilau.

Fees
Transportation costs aside, the other main cost components of climbing Mt. Kinabalu are your accommodation and insurance, porter and permit fees.

Without accommodation at the rest stop at Laban Rata, you won’t be able to climb at all, so that should be your first step when planning your climb.

Packages booked with the management company of Laban Rata, Sutera Sanctuary Lodges, start from about RM780 per room for 2 people and can be a little less or a lot more, depending on who you book with and what it includes.

Other mandatory fees include the following (select 1 appropriate fee from each category):

1. Climbing Permit	Malaysian	Non-Malaysian
Adult (per person) Below 18 years (per person)	RM 30.00 RM 12.00	RM 100.00 RM 40.00
2. Insurance (per person)
Accidental Death (up to RM 50,000)	RM 7.00
Accidental Permanent Disability (up to RM 50,000)	RM 7.00
3. Certificate
1st Class (color)	RM 10.00
2nd Class (black&white)	RM 1.00
4. Guide Fee (per day)	1-3 Climbers	4-6 Climbers
Timpohon -> Summit -> Timpohon	RM 42.60	RM 50.00
Timpohon -> Summit -> Mesilau	RM 47.50	RM 57.50
Mesilau -> Summit -> Timpohon	RM 47.50	RM 57.50
Mesilau -> Summit -> Mesilau	RM 47.50	RM 60.00