Jungle Trek and Climb of Mount Kinabalu

Please check availability of accommodation at the mountain hut before booking this trip. The trip cost is per person for a minimum of two people.

INCLUDES

• Accommodation at Sutera chalet at the base of the mountain (twin/double rooms) and in the Laban Rata hut on the mountain (dormitories with bedding).
• Transfers to and from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu and between locations including Poring Hot Springs for those wanting to go there
• Overnight in the local village (Kiau) with meals and guide
• Activities and meals at the jungle skills camp with staffing
• 6% service tax paid only for hotel accommodation
• Meals on the mountain as follows:
  Day 1: Dinner (western and asian buffet) at restaurant in park HQ.Day 2: Buffet breakfast at café and packed lunch for climb (suggest bringing own snacks in addition, chocolate and peanuts are good energy foods), buffet dinner at Laban Rata restaurant between 5.30-7.30 p.m.Day 3: 2am light breakfast and then breakfast number two after sunrise return at Laban Rata restaurant. Upon return to park HQ a light lunch/high tea is served at the park café.

EXCLUDES

• Cash payments to Sabah Park Authority to be made in Malaysian ringgit at the park gate when you sign in:
  

  Description	1 pax	2 pax	3 pax	4 pax
  Entry Fee – RM50 per day	£18	£36	£51	£68
  Insurance – RM10	£2	£4	£6	£8
  Park transport – RM18	£3	£7	£10	£14
  Peak permit (18+ yrs) – RM400	£77	£154	£231	£308
  Sabah Park Guide – RM350 per group	£67	£67	£67	£67
  Total cash per person	£167.00	£134.00	£121.00	£116.00

• Climbing Certificate – £2.00 for colour, 20p for black and white
• Porters – these can be hired at the gate and they charge about £2.70 per kilo
• Travel Insurance
• Personal expenses
• Hotel tax of 10RM (~£2.50) per night paid in cash at check in (only for hotel and lodge accommodation)
• Company sales tax – as yet to be decided by the Sabah authorities.

Please note that ample advance notice must be given for this trip because accommodation on the mountain is difficult to secure, and we need to book beds in the huts on the mountain well in advance.

Read all the latest park prices on the Kinabalu Park website.

For the mountain section:

• 35 – 40 litre rucksack with waterproof liner and various size stuff sacks
• Trekking shorts and a few T-shirts/tops for the walk up and down (preferably not cotton)
• Boots with a good sole, ankle support and waterproof (gore tex) for the summit
• Shoes or sturdy sandals for the walk up through the jungle
• Waterproof jacket and trousers, plus gaiters are also useful
• Warm lightweight jumper or fleece/windstop fleece
• Warm lightweight trousers
• Socks and underwear with spares
• Beanie/woollen hat and a sun hat
• Waterproof gloves
• Sleep sheet (bedding is provided in Laban Rata but they prefer if you have your own sleep sheet
• Snacks – dried fruits, chocolate, nuts, sweets etc)
• Water bottles – hard plastic or metal – 1 or 2 litres. There are water stops on the path every kilometre or so.
• Sunscreen cream, preferably waterproof, and UV  lip salve
• Small towel for wiping your face
• Whistle in case of emergency in bad weather of visibility
• Headtorch and spare batteries
• Camera – keep in a waterproof pouch
• Power pack for electronics
• First aid – headache tablets, bandaids, antiseptic cream, small crepe bandage, triangular bandage, safety pins, rehydration tablets, compeed for blisters.

For the jungle section:

• Sleep sheet (mummy shaped bag made from cotton or light fleece)
• 2 sets of trekking shorts (cycling shorts, see below), T-shirts, lightweight shirts and trousers (quick dry material)
• Good quality sandals and lightweight trekking shoes or boots
• Two water bottles (hard plastic or metal, no disposable bottles please)
• Wash kit, lightweight towel, sun cream and personal 1st aid (as above)
• Sunglasses, sunhat, bandana head torch and batteries, camera

Notes on kit for the trip:

In the jungle it is hot and humid so lightweight clothing which dries quickly is best. You might prefer to avoid cotton and wear a sunhat and take a bandana. During the day you will want to wear light hiking boots or good quality hiking sandals (there will be streams to cross) with socks. To avoid chafing don’t walk in cotton underwear, cycling shorts are a better option instead of underwear, you can wear some light shorts on top if you want.

Keep one set of dry long sleeved clothes in a dry bag to change into in the evening and air your feet and then wear socks with sandals to avoid insect bites. As it gets cooler you will want a lightweight warm top like a fleece or jumper, and take a headlamp for walking around and visiting the toilet at night.

At night you can sleep in a mummy shaped sleeping bag made out of fleece or cotton. The villagers will supply a mattress and a mosquito net and everyone normally sleeps communally in a large open room. It’s warm at night so you normally sleep in under shorts and a loose T-shirt and then in the sleep sheet under a mosquito net.

On the mountain you need to have your lightweight clothing for the walk up in the heat in the forest and warm clothes plus waterproofs for the high camps and the summit. For the walk up through the forest it is hot and humid and strenuous, some people prefer shorts and a Tshirt (adding a jumper as they get higher), others prefer lightweight long trousers and a long sleeved shirt. It’s important to have spares in a dry bag to change into straight away when you get to camp. For the walk up there is a good path and many steps and it’s possible to hike in good quality hiking sandals or lightweight boots or trainers, but the summit morning must be in a proper boots. Gaiters are very useful for when it pours. The rain can be quite torrential so do expect to get wet feet if it rains on summit day! You should take spare socks and underwear and keep a set of clothes dry for the summit morning.

Sun injuries are common, so bring good skin cover, UV lip salves, good sunglasses and aftersun.

Check out further advice for clothing and equipment for your trip to Borneo and here for a more detailed mountain kit list.

• 3D2N visit to some luxury in the Kawag Nature Lodge in Danum Conservation Area for relaxation and wildlife viewing.
• A visit to the tropical islands off the coast of Sandakan including glamping on Turtle Island or Libaran (or a bespoke diving trip to Sipadan Island).
• 2D2N visit to the Hibiscus Beach Resort, which is a stunning and idyllic boutique beach chalet set in a secluded cove on the Kudat peninsula on the northern tip of Borneo.
• 3D2N Big Fin Beach resort for snorkelling, diving, paddle boarding or relaxing at this private and secluded beach resort, just off the coast of Kota Belud, near Kota Kinabalu.
• 3D2N add-on trip to the Danum Valley Conservation Area, staying at the Danum Valley Field Centre, with guided treks through primary rainforest.
• 4D3N add-on with visits to the Sepilok Orangutan Centre and the Kinabatangan River for stunning wildlife safaris.
• 3D2N treat with a night at the prestigious and award-winning Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Danum Valley Reserve.
• Additional nights accommodation in Kota Kinabalu or for sightseeing and visiting the islands, staying in the Hotel Sixty 3.

At 4,095 metres (13,435 ft) Mount Kinabalu is the highest peak in Borneo, and the highest point between the Himalayas and the snow-capped mountains of New Guinea. Lacking foothills, it appears to shoot straight up into the sky, it’s jagged granite peaks floating above the clouds.

The mountain is “u” shaped, with bare rock plateaux at about 3,900 metres like two arms with the infamous Low’s Gully between which is over one kilometre deep in places. Few mountains can beat Mount Kinabalu for stark simplicity. It is set near the equator, rising straight out of the tropical rain forest, a continuous, clean, bare rock mass, to the summit. Because of its breathtaking isolation Kinabalu has its own climate, a constant flux of cloud and wind, rain and cold, and the warmth from the forests below.

The effects of heat and humidity make this fairly easy but steep walk quite a challenge. For fitness training beforehand, we advise any exercise that works on the calf and thigh muscles since there are many steps to the hut.

The lower section on the first day is a steep path which is well trodden with regular water stops (pondoks) and many steps that meander ever upwards. There is no doubt that it seems never-ending, especially in the midday heat! Eventually the forest thins out and in the afternoon you may get some cloud and it will get cooler. The gradient eases and the walking becomes easier.

Coming down the mountain can be difficult after the strain on the leg muscles going up all of the steps the day before. Knees can certainly struggle with this so it’s important to allow enough time. After the summit the descent to Laban Rata is quite quick, and after a breakfast you will want to get underway so as to reach the park gate by mid afternoon and take the transport to Kota Kinabalu.

The rainforest is a very clean and pure place to visit. The canopy offers excellent shade from the intense sun and traps moisture however it can be very humid and you will need to continually drink water. We travel using trails which have been the jungle arteries for the local native residents for thousands of years. Sometimes the paths can be muddy and slippery, there are logs to clamber over, and the terrain is up and down, but the movement is never fast.

We will carry little, and there will be lots of stops for drinking and cooling off in the streams. Travel in the jungle is up and down, a lot of hills and only the canopy above you and the impenetrable forest around you. Stand still for a moment and the animals will suddenly be seen and heard. The trails are wide enough for one person and it is important to stick together.

As you would expect, the weather in the rainforest is warm and humid year round. Temperatures will usually be between 23-31degC with Relative Humidity ranging from 70-90%. Trips can be taken to the area at any time of year but usually, the best time is from March to May when the weather is generally a bit more dry and clear. Annual rainfall is in the region of 4000mm.

On Mt Kinabalu we ascend to higher and more exposed regions, breaking through the forest canopy and onto a rocky plateau. Up here early morning temperatures can drop to freezing level and you may see frost in shaded spots. In addition, we are also exposed to the wind. The wind speeds are likely to be 10-20km/h but can increase in excess of 50km/h at short notice and be accompanied by torrential rain.

A view of Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Borneo, across the jungle.

Arriving on an airy bit of rock towards the summit of Mount Kinabalu.