The 4,095-meter-high Mount Kinabalu is found in Borneo, in the province of Sabah. Mount Kinabalu is the second highest mountain in Southeast Asia. This challenging mountain is climbed daily by 150 people. In fact, only 150 permits are issued per day to protect nature and ensure that Mount Kinabalu does not become too crowded. When in Borneo, climbing Mount Kinabalu is a nice challenge.
Please note that it is a really tough hike and you must be in (reasonably) good shape. On other blogs, you can read that “anyone with some basic fitness can do it” but we absolutely disagree. We both exercise a lot, running, hiking and fitness, but we too found it extremely hard and draining. Therefore, in the weeks before the hike, make sure you practice on a stairmaster or something else with walking uphill. Still determined and want to climb Mount Kinabalu? Quickly read all the information you need below.
Content of this blog:
Tour booking for Mount Kinabalu
You can not climb Mount Kinabalu by yourself. You must do this with a tour and an accompanying guide. There are several organizations online with which you can book the tour. It is important to book the tour well in advance given the few permits. At least 1.5 to 2 months beforehand is recommended. We did the 3D2N Mount Kinabalu climb & Kinabalu park stay. This was a good distribution of activity and nice to be able to get up quietly on the first day of the climb. Indeed, on the 2D1N, you will be picked up from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu around 06:00 in the morning.
Besides Amazing Borneo, there are a number of providers in Kota Kinabalu of the hike to Mount Kinabalu. All tour operators offer similar packages and prices. We paid the equivalent of 420 euros per person in October 2022. A high amount but if you love a mental and physical challenge and want to hike through the beautiful landscapes of Mount Kinabalu then it is well worth the money.
Preparation
It is wise to make sure you have enough food and water with you before the hike to Mount Kinabalu starts. You can buy this before being picked up by the tour. Think especially of energy bars, bananas or other fruits. From the tour operator you get a packed lunch but for the extra energy these snacks for in between are important.
On the way up, you will encounter shelters at every kilometer. Here you can rest on a bench and have something to eat or drink. You can also tap water here only this is unfiltered water. Tourists are advised against drinking this as it can make you very sick. Of course, if you have a Lifestraw that filters the water itself, you can drink it. If you do not have this filter bottle you will have to bring enough (2 á 2.5 liters per person) of water.
Packing List
- Sufficient foods and drinks
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Layers of clothing + a warm sweater and a raincoat
- Headlamp
- Power bank (there is little to no power at base camp)
- Gloves (yes these are really necessary – it is very cold at the summit)
- Possibly a hat if you don’t have a hood
- Walking sticks if you like this
- Toiletries for 1 overnight stay
- Clean set of clothes and underwear
- Paracetemol, band-aids and other medications if necessary
- Cash money (not too much, 200RM is more than enough)
Mount Kinabalu hike day 1
Today is finally the day. You will begin the climb to the top of Mount Kinabalu! Around 8 or 9 a.m. you will arrive at the center. Here you will register, get your packed lunch and meet the guide. After this, you will leave by van for the start of the hike. You only start hiking 1800 meters above sea level.
The first few minutes you walk down the stairs. Then the climbing starts and it goes up steeply pretty quickly. Because you’re not very high up yet, it’s very hot here, in the middle of the jungle, and you’ll soon start to sweat. The humidity here is very high. Therefore, make sure you have layers on and you can take off a sweater/vest easily.
Every kilometer is a shelter. Be sure to take a break here and eat or drink something. Later in the day, you will benefit from this. Take a good look around you from time to time, too. You’ll hike through beautiful areas but you won’t get to experience much of this because you only focus on climbing.
After 6 kilometers of steep climbing, you will arrive at the base camp of Mount Kinabalu, te overnight stay. Most people take between 4 and 6 hours over this 6-kilometer climb to base camp. After your arrival at base camp, you can relax in your room. The rooms are divided with two bunk beds so they are shared rooms. After this, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the clouds and mountains on the “terrace” at the back. It is also possible to buy some snacks or soft drinks here at the base camp. Also pay close attention to signs of altitude sickness here. Are you feeling a lot of headache, nausea or vomiting? Please indicate it to the guide or an available medic. They specialize in altitude sickness and will take good care of you.
At 4:30 p.m., the dinner buffet already starts. It is wise to eat something here right away so you can replenish your reserves a bit. You are probably so tired that you want to go straight to bed after dinner (we did too). However, we, and others in base camp, did find it difficult to really get to sleep. We were still full of adrenaline and with the thought that the alarm clock is at 01:15 it is hard to get a deep sleep.
Mount Kinabalu hike day 2
So at 01:15 you wake up to the alarm clock. Time to get dressed and head to the breakfast buffet. You can choose from noodles, rice, and (thankfully) bread. Around 02:00 you will leave to climb the summit of Mount Kinabalu. The first kilometer, up to the checkpoint, is up via stairs and rocks. This is still okay to do. After the checkpoint, you will have to climb with the help of a rope that you hold on to. This piece is hopeless and very tough. Make sure you have some energy bars or bananas with you here and a buddy you can get support from. There is little oxygen in the air and you are not used to that. Take it easy and get plenty of rest.
Eventually you can see the summit and the sun is rising very slowly. This is truly a magical moment and all you want now is to get to the top as quickly as possible. Once we reach the top, it is very cold but also so insanely beautiful. This is what you did it all for!
The climb from base camp to the summit takes between 2 and 4 hours. After enjoying the view for half an hour/hour, it is time for the descent. You soon find out that climbing was tough, but descending is even tougher on your knees and joints. By now it is all light and you can see where you walked this morning. What an amazing view you have here!
Between 07:00 and 09:00 you will arrive back at the base camp. It is time for breakfast number 2 and this will go down much better than the first breakfast early this morning. It’s time to pack the rest of your gear and begin the long, and very tough, descent down the mountain. Mentally, this is also tough because you have reached your goal and now you want to get down as fast as possible. This descent will take you around 3 to 5 hours on average.
Once down, you can be very proud of yourself for a moment. You just made it! After another fine lunch, it is time to leave for Kota Kinabalu. Today you do nothing at all for a while. It is nice to stay in a hotel with a bathtub, this is good for your tired leg muscles. We stayed at the Luma hotel which comes highly recommended. They also have room service for when, like us, you can’t walk from sore muscles.
Day after the hike
The next day you will have even more muscle pain. Therefore, it is wise to book 2 days in the same room to properly recover and rest your legs. After this day of rest, it is time to explore the rest of Borneo. For example, go by bus to Sandakan, the base for the Kinabatangan River or go snorkeling and diving in Semporna. There is plenty to do on this beautiful island.
what a great read. really good informative and truthful. I liked all the useful tips. thanks for all the information.
Hi Samantha, that’s lovely to hear. Happy that we were able to help! Enjoy your travels!