Trek up Mount Kinabalu

After a bit of Googling, we booked the three day/two night deluxe private room package from Amazing Borneo which was totally all-inclusive. The adventure began with a prompt pickup from our hotel just after noon. This big bus brought just five of us up to the mountain.



Two hours of amazing scenery brought us to the front gate of Kinabalu National Park.





We promptly checked in to our accommodations for the first night, the luxurious Liwagu Suite No. 1. We didn’t really know what to expect, from power to running and/or hot water to anything else, and what we got was… really nice. A one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom loft suite with a big television and a comfy bed.










A total of four meals came from the main restaurant at the park headquarters, which was nothing to write home about. But then again, we didn’t come all this way for the cuisine.





Without much to do after dark, we called it an early night to get up and have breakfast before setting out on the main event: the climb up the mountain. 8:30 am saw us getting our climb badges, meeting our guide, and getting a ride to the start of the climb at Timpohon Gate, elevation 1866 meters or 6122 feet.




For the next six hours, we went up, up, and up some more, alternating among clear skies and fog and rain on an endless staircase.







Every kilometer or so, we had a chance to stop at a pondok or rest hut. Due to the sheer number of people climbing the mountain every day, these huts all have running water and flush toilets, even out here on the mountain.



Lunch.



After about seven hours on the mountain, of which maybe half was spent moving, we made it to the guesthouse at Laban Rata, elevation 3273 meters or 10738 feet.

It was a little too busy to take many discreet photos, but if you want an idea, DanielW included several in his trip report from the same place a few months ago.



I did, however, capture the sunset over the mountain.



Our “private heated room” was indeed private and heated, though the best feature had to be its exclusive supply of hot water in the shower. All of the building’s hot water is produced on site, and while there’s theoretically an equal allotment for everybody, having your own tank means not having to call dibs or running the risk of somebody else using it all up before you have a chance to shower.

At 2 am the next morning, it was time for some motivation and some headlamps as we continued upwards!







About half of the remaining path was more stairs before the last hour or so gave way to bare granite with an anchored rope to follow. We made it to the summit (elevation 4095 meters or 13435 feet) just a few minutes before the sunrise, which was—dare I say—one of those moments that makes traveling a third of the way around the world and then trekking for two days all seem worth it.



Of course, then we had to climb back down the mountain. On the one hand, gravity is working with you instead of against you, but on the other, it’s a lot more wear on the joints and after six and a half miles (not to mention the two and a half miles up right before it) we were sore in places we didn’t even know existed.




After a quick meal at the park headquarters restaurant, it was a two hour van ride back to Kota Kinabalu and an extremely nice shower back at Le Méridien.

Overall: one of the peak experiences (ha!) of my life. Probably one of the easier ultras to summit in the world (it’s the 20th-most-prominent peak) thanks to the well-traveled trail and lack of climbing skill necessary.