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The Summit climb takes at least two days. A guide
is compulsory for every climbing group and porters can be booked if required, as
can transport to the starting point of the climb at Timpohon Gate.
 The ascent is not difficult in climbing terms, but it is very strenuous,
especially for those who are not very fit. Those who suffer from asthma,
respiratory ailments, and high blood pressure or heart problems should consult
their doctor before attempting the climb. Most people suffer mild headaches or
disorientation at Panar Laban and above, due to the high altitude. Never
underestimate the mountain. It can be bitterly cold on the plateau, especially
in rain or wind. For the complete list of equipments, Please
click here!
Although there are water tanks along the trail all the way up to Panar Laban,
there are none above Sayat-Sayat and a water bottle is advisable for this last
stretch. Some people find that stopping very hour the ascent with a small snack
and hot drink or packet drink like Milo; it is useful to reduce the onset of
altitude effects. Cameras and film should be placed in plastic bags. There are
some route map is posted every kilometer along the climb.
 The short first section of rough gravel and sand track leads down, across a
small gully to join the main flank of the mountain, and past the little trickle
of Carson’s falls. From here the trail rises steadily as a series of rough,
uneven steps, right up to the overnight huts at Panar Laban at 3272 meters
(10735 feet).
There are no toilets along the trail, but small shelters, known as
pondoks,
named after common or interesting plants in the area, afford the weary some well
earned rest at intervals and water tanks are provided at these shelters so
climbers do not have to carry heavy water bottles with them. As it often rains
on Kinabalu in the afternoons it is advisable to start as early as possible to
avoid any downpour. The average time taken to reach Panar Laban is about four or
five hours. Photographers, botanists and birdwatchers should expect to take
rather longer.
The first trail shelter, Pondok Kandis, is reached
at 1,981 meters (6499 feet), where excellent views are to be had looking down to
the coast. Moist winds blow refreshingly up the valley here and the gnarled
trees leaning out from the ridge top are draped in trailing club mosses and pale
green-grey lichens.
The second shelter, Pondok Ubah at 2,081 metres
(6827 feet), is just below a well known site for the Borneo’s most unusual
pitcher plants, Nepenthes lowii, but as it is slightly off the trail, asks your
guide to point out it to you.
Soon after, an overgrown track leads off left to the radio station, but the main
trial continues to the right contouring around the ridge. The forest becomes
thicker and mossier, trees and ferns are abundant and everywhere the long spiky
shoots for climbing bamboos pierce the mist. You will arrive in
Pondok Lowii (2286 meters, 7500 feet) after 30
minutes of climbing. The air is damp and green moss and ferns carpet the ground
and stunted trees. The trail splits soon afterwards, leading to Sabah Radio and
Television Station, a restricted area on the left, and the continuation of the
Summit Trail on the right.
 At 2515 meters (8251 feet) the fourth shelter, Pondok
Mempening, is reached, with wild begonias growing nearby. Stops at these
shelters give one time to observe the squirrels, tree-shrews and birds that seem
so unafraid and come looking for discarded food on the ground.
Soon one emerges onto an open exposed ridge at Layang-Layang at 2702 meters (8865 feet), where a small tin hut provides a
welcome resting place (though not an overnight stop) for weary climbers.
At this point a band of ultramafic soil, distinguished by its orange-cinnamon
colour, crosses the trail and the vegetation changes dramatically. The forest
becomes shorter and much more open and is dominated by the second species of
Leptospermum that grows on Kinabalu, L.recurvum, with its tiny grey leaves, and
Dacrydium gibbsiae, a very beautiful conifer, both found only within the
Kinabalu Park. This is also the zone if the insect-eating pitcher plants for
which Kinabalu is famous.
 Out of the roughly 30 species of pitcher plants recorded form Borneo, around ten
grow on the mountain and at least three are found nowhere else. These include
the spectacular Nepenthes rajah, the largest pitcher plant in the world. This
patch of ultramafic forest on the Summit trail is the only place in the world
that you are likely to see N.villosa growing in the wild, but the pitchers,
nestling at the base of the Leptospermum trees in the moss, are easily damaged
by trampling feet. Please look carefully where you tread. Ask your guide where
you can see it.
After about 45 minutes and at about 2,690 meters (8,825 feet), you will arrive
at Pondok Villosa. It is situated at the top of an
open rocky patch and soon the forest becomes more stunted. Superb vistas can be
had of the mountain towering above you as you follow the path upwards. At the
top of this open area at about 3,050 meters (10,000 feet), a small track leads
off to a helipad on the right and it is worth making this five minutes side trip
for the dramatic view of the towering peaks from the helipad on a clear day.
Shortly after the helipad junction, you suddenly leave the ultramafic soils. The
forest again changes back to taller trees draped thickly in mosses, and orchids
cover the ground in between tumble granite boulders.
Within a few minutes you arrive at the sixth shelter,
Pondok Paka at 3,080 meters (10,105 feet), named after the Paka Cave
nearby, famous as the place where Low, Whitehead and others slept before making
the final assault on the summit. The Paka Cave, on the edge of a small stream,
is really nothing more than a large overhanging rock. It can be reached along a
rather overgrown track to the left, which continues above the cave to join the
main trial higher up. This detour is fairly steep but takes only a little longer
than the standard route.
Large numbers of earthworm casts are often seen in this area together with
digging marks made by one of the mountain’s few high elevation creatures – the
Kinabalu Ferret-badger. Like the leech, little is known about the ferret-badger
but it is though to be quite common at this altitude, feeding mainly on large,
grey earthworms.
  The thinning air makes it harder to breathe, but the accommodation complex of
Panar Laban (3270 meters/10728 feet) that can sleep
140 persons a night lays not far ahead. The most comfortable place to stay
overnight is the Laban Rata Resthouse which an hold
60 people and which is equipped with running water, electricity, a restaurant,
and indoor showers and toilets. Electric heaters are provided in the rooms as
well as blankets. Some climbers opt to stay at Sayat-Sayat hut 400 metes (1,300
feet) higher to shorten the summit day. The facilities are much more basic here,
with no heaters and outside toilets several meters away. Food and sleeping bags
to be carried up and they are much colder. |
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