Kinabalu Park

I visited Kinabalu Park back in September 2022 with my wife, and we decided to climb Mount Kinabalu as part of our visit. The cheapest climbing option was to book directly via the official site (sabahparks) for the climbing permit and accommodation booking. It's worth pointing out that the climbing permit is limited and always in high demand, especially outside the rainy season (basically avoid Nov - Feb), and the permit booking slots are open in a 6-month window. So, if you're planning to climb the mountain, be on the lookout for the announcement once the booking window is open. The safest bet is to follow Sabah Parks official FB page. They will have a set allocation for independent visitors (booking done through sabahparks.com reservation portal) and visitors via agencies if I'm not mistaken.

As we flew to Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur and didn't plan to rent a car or take a bus, we opted to book through an agency. The package included return transportation to Kinabalu Park and stops at Jambatan Tamparuli, Desa Dairy Farm, Kundasang market, and Poring Hotsprings. We decided to skip Poring Hotsprings so that we could have more time spent at the park itself.

On the first day, we arrived at Kinabalu Park around 3pm, greeted by clouds concealing the Kinabalu summit. After checking in at Sutera Sanctuary Lodges, the only accommodation within the park, we took a walk along the one-way road, spotting Bornean Stubtail, Mountain Wren-Babbler, and Ochraceous Bulbul. As …

Kinabalu Park is included on the World Heritage List mainly because of the extraordinary plant diversity resulting from its particular topography. In fact, Mount Kinabalu creates a gradient of climatic and edaphic conditions enabling an incredible number of plants to thrive. The isolation of certain populations resulting from this topography has also favoured the emergence of a large number of endemic species. The best way to visit the park, as described in some of the reviews here, is therefore to reach the summit and tackle this climatic and topographical gradient yourself. Unfortunately, although I'm quite the target audience for such an attraction, the staggering cost of the excursion put me off and I won't be describing a trip to the summit to you. Indeed, it's compulsory to reach the summit in two days with a guide, and only one company has a monopoly on accommodation on the mountain. As a result, a night in a basic dormitory can cost upwards of $500, to which must be added park access fees and the guide's fee. Nevertheless, there's plenty to do at the bottom of the mountain.

I visited the park over two days in February and March 2023. It's easy to get to the park from Kota Kinabalu thanks to the minibuses that frequently leave the city on their way to Ranau. However, on the morning of my departure, the only other passengers present at the minibus stop were an American couple on their honeymoon who had been waiting for …

Well, 141 community members visited before me and no more than 3 managed to write a short review. The last review was in 2012. None have submitted photos, and the main site photo we had was from the Public Domain. Still, the site has achieved a decent 3.38 rating. So is there something wrong with Kinabalu Park?

Overall, I think it is a worthy WHS, but not a good day trip destination. The higher scores may have come from people who climbed the mountain. I think the benefit of climbing is seeing the change in vegetation, and that’s also Kinabalu’s main OUV.

Like most others, I had to make do with a few hours around the Park Headquarters. The entrance fee for foreigners now is 50 ringgit, which I find a lot – certainly compared to Gunung Mulu where you can enter for 5 days for 30 ringgit. And the visiting conditions at Kinabalu are much worse: I didn’t get a map or any instructions upon entering (they just took the money), trails don’t look maintained, and there’s car traffic, and poor signage. The only part I liked well enough was the small Botanical Garden, which has an additional entrance fee! I wanted close-up views of pitcher plants, and they have several species in a flowerbed accompanied by a large sign stating “Protected Plant. Do not Disturb”.

I suspect that one of the reasons for the lack of photos is that the peak of Mount Kinabalu is …

There are two vantage points where a traveler can see the inscribed area --- the National Park Headquarters, and Poring Hot Springs in Ranau(What people say about Poring Hot Spring is true - its too expensive, obviously a tourist trap. A bit elitist for budget travelers like me). I never got to climb it. But, going to those two vantage points proved to be still difficult for DIY travelers. For one, asking directions from locals was confusing. It seems that even those from the area don't know much about the ins and outs of seeing the sites. Many would suggest taking a tour, or by renting a taxi, convincing you that its the best way to go to those places. However, buses are available that would lead to the gates of Kinabalu Park HQ. Nevertheless, I felt that the place is truly gifted and is well deserved of a WHS status.

Really deserved the title as one of the WHS. The park is beautiful, and as I happen to manage to climb the Kinabalu Mountain, I could see more of the park area, which is just stunning.

I managed to see a beautiful waterfall from afar... and unfortunately it's quite unreachable there... but I'm glad it's part of the park, so it is also considered as a heritage :-)

For a spectacular view if the mountain, take the 7am flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan (home of the orang-utans and turtles). That early the air is clear for an uninterupted view.

We enjoyed taking the canopy walkway near the Poring hot springs,to stroll through the treetops.

The brilliant orchid flowers made a colourful display in the forest.

Buses from Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan stop at the park entrance, but the it is such a large area that you really need you own transport to get around.