Mount Kinabalu

Gunung Kinabalu, the tallest peak in Borneo at 4,095 meters high, was once proclaimed the highest mountain in Southeast Asia - A clever marketing strategy by those with vested interests in Malaysian tourism. The fallacy was widely accepted and unquestioned, having been perpetuated over the years by ignorant writers, school textbooks, tour operators, travel brochures, local propaganda and a generally ignorant public. It was not until internet technology caught on with the world, that word finally got out from people who knew the facts of geological studies. The current media renaissance is also helping to dispel this myth that has deceived many for decades.

The highest mountain is in fact, Hkakabo Razi at 5,881 meters high, followed by four other mountains in Indonesia including the second highest, Puncak Jaya (4,884 meters high) in New Guinea. Regardless, Mount Kinabalu is reputedly the most ecologically diverse mountain in Southeast Asia, with an incredibly high incidence of floral and faunal endemics, including orchids, ferns, pitcher plants, rafflesia flowers, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. A staggering 326 species of birds, which is almost half of those described from Borneo, have been recorded from Kinabalu Park and its adjacent regions, including Serinsim and Poring. Mammals total over 100 species, including the rare clouded leopard and greater ape the Orang-Utan, popularised in media culture.

The vast biodiversity and sheer beauty of its landscape has accorded Mount Kinabalu with a World Heritage Site listing by UNESCO, with many more new botanical and biological treasures awaiting discovery. Perhaps this is why visitors continue to sojourn here each year, despite the rampant commercialism that now plagues the park. While you can climb the mountain anytime throughout the year, the best time to go would actually be the first month - January, usually just before the Chinese New Year festival. This is considered the month with the lowest number of visitors by the park, so if you value privacy and uncrowded surroundings, along with cheaper accommodation, then plan your trip to Borneo within this time frame so that you can enjoy a more valuable holiday.

The weather during the day isn't as chilly as most people think; it can actually get downright hot and sunny especially towards the late afternoon. But night is a different matter - Heavy mist is a prevalent element with temperatures that can drop to 12°C. Rain falls the most towards the last quarter of each year, sometimes spilling into January till February. This rainy season is actually the best time to spot wildlife, if you don't mind getting all damp and muddy because of the wet conditions. Also, it's best to stay outside the park in the many available hotels and resorts down the road - The park lodges and hostels are incredibly expensive in line with the privatisation of Kinabalu Park. Finally, don't just confine yourself to this area, but explore the outlying attractions in neighbouring Kundasang and Ranau towns.

Mount Kinabalu is located in Sabah state, which is part of East Malaysia and geographically, the northern sphere of Borneo. The mountain lies on a northern point along the Crocker Range, a mountainous region in the east that forms the backbone of Sabah. Its impressive structure can be seen from as far as the cities and towns that skirt the eastern shores, including Kota Kinabalu (90 km away). The closest towns around the mountain are Kundasang and Ranau, both of which have great views of the massif on a clear day. The rainforest regions around the mountain have been gazatted as a national park; the most famous being Poring Hot Spring.

The Kadazan-Dusun people who live here have long revered Mount Kinabalu as a sacred resting ground for the spirits of their dead ancestors. This is why the name 'Kinabalu' is widely belived to have been derived from the Kadazan words 'Aki', which means 'ancestor', and 'Nabalu', which means 'mountain'. For centuries, the imposing masiff watched over the villages as they cultivated rice and vegetables in the surrounding valleys. Myths and legends circulated among them, some seemingly based on actual events while others from imaginative conjecture. These collective stories told from one generation to the next inspired numerous superstitious beliefs while imbuing the mountain with a sense of awe and fear. Kinabalu itself was tightly guarded; outsiders were prevented from scaling its walls unless meticulous ceremonies to appease the dead were held.

Sir Hugh Low, one of the first British colonial administrators in the Malay Peninsula and famed naturalist, was the first person to ever conquer the top (the highest peak was named in honour of him) in 1851, having reached an agreement with the locals to have a guide follow him up with a truckload of charms, along with the sacrifice of some chickens. From then on, several more were allowed to ascend the majestic peak, each time with a similiar set of rituals conducted by the villagers that involved the slaughter of chickens. Over time, the religious fervour and prevalent superstitions dimmed somewhat with the onset of a greater 'spiritua' force - Money that generated from tourism dollars as people from around the world arrived to hike up the 'highest' summit (the prevalent belief back then) in Southeast Asia. Today, the cumbersome rituals associated with each climb have been merged into a single event held each year, where local female shamans (called 'Bobohizans') offer up cigars, betel nuts, sirih leaves, lime and rice (as well as seven slaughtered chickens) to the mountain spirits.

Later, the park guides help themselves to these offerings in what is obviously a big party. Previously, Kinabalu Park was managed by the government and bereft of vast commercialisation. It was only normal for visitors to experience the natural wonder of this geological treasure and ecological masterpiece in all its glory, without the trappings of luxury and modern conveniences. Today, with the taking over of accommodation facilities by a private resort company, Mount Kinabalu has become a cash cow for the suspicious few. Gullible tourists are practically forced into overnight stays in the very expensive Laban Rata hostel (mid-way of the summit trail, just before the peak), in addition to various fees, permits and the high-priced park lodges that they may be staying in already. Fences have been erected around places such as the summit trail gate, making the park feel like a prison rather than a pristine forest. Finally, the park has legalised overcharging international travellers; the double standard of rates proudly written in bold on ticketing counters and price lists.

Climb	Hotels & Resorts	Trails	Poring