'KINABALU' HIGHEST PEAK IN BORNEO

Before Christianity and Islam became the dominant religions of the island of Borneo, Animist beliefs dictated that when a person died, their spirit rose to the peak of Mount Kinabalu. HERE ARE THE REVIEWS OF MOUNT KINABALU!

At 4,095 meters above sea level, it's one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia.

Significantly, Mount Kinabalu along with other upland areas of the Crocker Range is well-known worldwide for its tremendous botanical and biological species biodiversity with plants of Himalayan, Australasian, and Indomalayan origin. A recent botanical survey of the mountain estimated a staggering 5,000 to 6,000 plant species (excluding mosses and liverworts but including ferns), which is more than all of Europe and North America (excluding tropical regions of Mexico) combined. It is therefore one of the world's most important biological sites.

Hugh Low

British colonial administrator Hugh Low made the first recorded ascent of Mount Kinabalu's summit plateau in March 1851. Low did not scale the mountain's highest peak, however, considering it "inaccessible to any but winged animals".In April and July 1858, Low was accompanied on two further ascents by Spenser St. John, the British Consul in Brunei.The highest point of Mount Kinabalu was finally reached in 1888 by zoologist John Whitehead. British botanist Lilian Gibbs became the first woman and the first botanist to summit Mount Kinabalu in February 1910.
Botanist E. J. H. Corner led two important expeditions of the Royal Society of Great Britain to the mountain in 1961 and 1964. Kinabalu National Park was established in 1964. The park was designated a natural World Heritage Site in 2000.

UNESCO-listed Mount Kinabalu National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo, with visitors forced to book two to three months in advance to secure one of 196 daily allocated hiking permits.

Though Sabah is developing at pace, villagers living at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu continue to perform Animist rituals to appease spirits residing at the cloud-ringed peak so no harm comes to those who scale it.

Porters earn 128 Malaysian Ringgit (US$40) for two days' work on Mount Kinabalu

"I've climbed the mountains maybe 100 times," Conrad said.

"But I never get bored of it. Every time I see something new that excites me, and the view at sunrise is never, ever the same."

More information is available from the Mount Kinabalu Official Climb & Booking Information Centre, which says March to August are the best months to visit as it's the dry season.

There are multiple options for those wanting to hit the summit, ranging from from one-day to two-night climbs.

The pros recommend beginners do the three-day, two-night option. It allows them to acclimatize to the altitude. Only the super fit should try to get to the summit in a day.

Guides and permits are required by law.

How Getting there?

 

Map of Sabah

From Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, a number of flights to Sabah capital Kota Kinabalu are available. The flight time is about two and a half hours. The drive from Kota Kinabalu to Mount Kinabalu takes about two hours.

“You never know what's around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you've climbed a mountain.”
  Tom Hiddleston