Mount Kinabalu’s specialty lies in its location at a renowned World Heritage Site, Kinabalu Park. Nature lovers will be delighted to be able to witness the many variations of flora and fauna that are to be found on the mountain at different altitudes.
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 Indo-Malayan 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.
Standing majestically at 4,095m (13,435 feet above sea level), Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Mount Kinabalu derives its name from the Kadazan word, ‘Aki Nabalu’, meaning ‘the revered place of the dead’. It is one of the safest and most conquerable peaks in the world—provided that you’re reasonably healthy and physically fit.
It took two days to climb up and down Mount Kinabalu. The Summit trail starts from the Timpohon Gate (1,800m) which is located near the Kinabalu Park Headquarters. Before reaching Panalaban (3,273m), we encountered a series of trail shelters (pondok) — Pondok Kandis (1,981m), Pondok Ubah (2,095m), Pondok Lowii (2,286m), Layang-Layang (2,702m), Pondok Villosa (2,690m), and Pondok Paka (3,080m). The climb from Timpohon Gate to Panalaban takes approximately 6 to 8 hours.
Upon arriving at Panalaban, we had some time to rest and recharge own energy. The climb to the summit resumed 2.45am the next morning. The climb to reach the summit requires climbers to climb endless steps and a scramble pulling yourself up a rope. The climb from Panalaban to the summit normally takes 4 to 5 hours before sunrise.
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