KOTA KINABALU

The Roof of Southeast Asia

By Cynet William

March 30^th, 2020

Your Booking Has Been Confirmed.

I can't remember if it was a birthday gift or an anniversary gift, but I remember feeling excited when Kim surprised me with a plane ticket to Malaysia. It was for a trip we've always talked about during our first few conversations when we first met-- but never seemed to push through. The whole trip was scheduled on April 17-22, 2019, just a week after our actual anniversary. The plan was simple, climb the highest peak in Southeast Asia, Mt. Kinabalu

All tourists are required to book through an accredited travel agency when climbing Kinabalu. The cheapest we found was through Amazing Borneo, which costed 3150 RM (~37k Php) for a 2D1N trip for a group of three. While that already includes food, lodging and traspo, it was pretty steep for our usual hikes. Thankfully, Ces was kind enough to join our trip, helping bring down the cost.

LABAN RATA RESTHOUSE

After almost 5 hours of hiking, we finally reached Panalaban Base Camp, where there's a dinner buffet waiting for all hikers. At 3,272masl, the resthouse is already 200m higher than Mt. Apo. We reached the base camp with a few hours to spare till sunset. Fortunately enough, the mountain granted us just a few minutes of a clear view of what lies ahead.

THE PEAK

The climb from Laban Rata to the peak was incredibly exhausting. But reaching the peak before sunrise made every step worth it.

THE DESCENT

The view was even more spectacular on the way down. The terrain was quite unique! And while the peak was barren, there were bushes and grass outlining the cracks, providing an amazing contrast beside the grey and reddish tones of the rock.