The very peak of Mount Kinabalu pierce the sky at 4095m, and patiently waits to be touched by anyone who is brave enough to attempt to reach her.
Two hours away from Kota Kinabalu lies Kinabalu Park (please read more under that attraction for further details), host to Timpohon Gate, the portal to the summit trail of Mt. Kinabalu. The summit, on the map at least, is misleadingly nearby. Only 8.7km from the start, the reward of the summit awaits. What most eager climbers don’t factor in though, is that the altitude rise from 1563m at the gate, to 4095 meters at the peak. The gradient is what makes this a challenging onslaught.
Not for nothing, Mt. Kinabalu is the highest peak between Mt. Everest in the Himalayas in the north, and the peaks of Puncak Jaya in New Guinea in the South. Mitigating factors include the fact that Mt. Kinabalu is one of very few peaks at this altitude, which can be reached without any specialised climbing gear or actual climbing as such. There are no extremely hazardous areas on the marked route and thus, the only challenge you face is the limit of your endurance with failure the only real fear.
Most people prefer to make this a 3 day 2 night affair, although some can do it in 2 days 1 night. The bare minimum requires you to arrive and start before at least 11am. Estimate a good 6 hours or so to reach the rest point of Laban Rata, or which ever accommodation you choose nearby. Eat, shower and sleep until you have to wake up at least around 2am, that is if you want to see the sun rise as you reach the summit, which most do. Then it’s another 3 or 4 hours until you reach the roof of Borneo.
Nice use of other peoples images without their permission... all you had to do was ask!
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