With its towering peak at 4.095 meters , Mount Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu) is the highest peak of South East Asia. Located in the State of Sabah, one of two states in Borneo in Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu is part of the Kinabalu National Park. In addition to this mountain, the park also offers many other activities such as orang-utans, monkeys proboscis monkeys and turtles come to lay their eggs. If time permits, I think go back and treat this part of the national park. But for now it is the ascent to the summit of Mount Kinabalu (called Low's Peak) I propose you to discover.
Otherwise you can directly access the photo album by clicking here
.
Day 1: Friday, March 21, 2008
wake at 2am this Friday, March 21. Air Asia ticket in hand, we must reach Johor Bahru in Malaysia to take a direct flight to Kota Kinabalu. The appointment is made with Thibaud, and Benjamin Roman at 3:30 in the parking lot of the most famous food courts Singaporeans: Newton Circus.
Fearing traffic jams this Easter weekend, congestion may be exacerbated by the tightening of controls due to the escape of a terrorist from a Singapore detention center, we took the margin to arrive on time for this flight of 7:25. This margin proved useless because by 1:30 we were at the airport eating migoreng our first weekend.
1:30 flight later and we asked his foot on the tarmac at the airport in Kota Kinabalu. Our bags on their backs, then we took a taxi to Kinabalu Park. No choice here, the use of an official taxi (150 Ringgit for a 2 hour drive) is a must.
arrived at the park, we have now we pay the park entrance fee of 15 ringgit. We then enter in the center of tourism Kota Kinabalu Park to start the negotiation. Our weekend is indeed strongly tinged with risk. Housing top of the mountain consists of a few huts that must be booked 4-6 months in advance. Taking only very rarely our tickets three weeks in advance, so we were not in perfect synergy with the organization of the park. We wanted anyway try it out, figuring he had 3 options in my pocket: a possible withdrawal of those who have booked their rooms, can sleep in the refectory of the huts and the opportunity to pitch a tent up there.
Appearing on the first desk on the right, our optimism melted like snow in the sun: no home, no trekking permit us to merely repeat the hostess. Before our insistence, she sent us to a colleague left the room. Behind his glass of ice, the other hostess seemed more receptive. We have received the same sentence, the crestfallen that Thibaud showed an exceptional acting skills, probably gained by watching many series such as Under the Sun and First Kisses in her teens, has awakened the compassion of this charming hostess. She called her manager and asked us to come back 30 minutes later to meet him.
Morale income, we left the park gate and went down the road to arrive at a restaurant that we were billed as the cheapest in the area. A fried rice and lime juice later, we returned to our Headquarters to play on the weekend negotiating with the manager. Invited to return to the chalet (Bilik Operasi) to the left of the reception of tourists, we Affredin meet there, the manager. Explaining our lack of reservation, we wonder about our 3 options for mounting. No withdrawals recorded for the rooms: 1 option less. Camping is prohibited at the top: The second option is to forget. There remains the possibility of sleeping in the dining hall ... No tickets for tonight, but tickets for tomorrow. We would have preferred to leave this evening to spend Sunday at the beach, whatever, we will not be foodies, but it remains to discuss the price. Not without reminding us that demand is strong and it is a peak period (usually a bad sign), our new friend is embarking on the list of cost per person:
- the trekking permit: 100 rings
- Guide: 18.5 Ring by person
- Insurance: 7 Ringi
- round trip transportation to the Typhoons gate: 7.5 Ringgit
He is quick and to the total. "Uh, and housing? "A small sign with his hand to calm our anxiety, and voila who tapped on his calculator: 133 Ringgit.
These are the prices we found on the Internet, no problems yet.
Followed by calculating the price of housing, "live breakfast" at 2:30, breakfast at 7:30, ... the list grows more and more we say we will have to fork out .. 260 Ringgit! "Uh .. 260 including the 133? No .... . The smile on his lips, he fell into his chair .. He has as much power as a nightclub bouncer now. Expressing our outrage, we get a discount ... 10 Ringgit, which makes us a total of 393 ringgit. The message is clear, either you take it, is certainly will pay more. Theobald and Benjamin start to learn from others while Romain and myself make him the conversation. They come back. It does not really fly, he takes a fee of 20 ringgit per person, but for that price we are not on a waiting list and we safe to ride. The choice is clear to me, I have not come to pick strawberries. So you pay. At this price, we will sleep in the refectory of the Laban Rata Guesthouse. Note that there are 4 cabins up there.
The receipt in hand, we come out of the park and take the high road on the right. 7 minutes later and we arrive at Banyu
Homestay in which we put our bags. It occupies a Chamber composed of 3 bunk beds for 15 ringgit per person. Both activities are open to us: go to the hot springs (80km to go) or descend into the valley to do some walking. Due to time, we choose the second option. Note that it is often possible to see the Rafflesia near these hot springs. The Valley Map in hand, we return to the park from where the hiking trails. It's raining, we simply loop through the paths Bukung Bukit, Bukit
Tapai to finish by the Silau-Silau trail. Probably because of bad weather, we were not dazzled by these small trails only the mist
sneaking into the forest comes to us from a photograph.
Back at Balsam Cafe, drink prices pushes us back to the restaurant adjacent to the Banyu Homestay. It is 17:30 when we order dinner. The hamburger making only 8 cm in circumference, we attack a second flat. What followed was a poker how Texas Hold Them All, using seeds bought at the grocery restaurant like chips. In bed
to 22h, we must rise at 8:45, the manager who asked us not to arrive at Headquarter after 10am.
Day 2: Saturday, March 22, 2008
First up at 7am, I'm going to walk around the guesthouse to take pictures of the valley
before it it does cloud cover. It is indeed generally good early the morning but it is covered from 8am. Breakfast in the belly, I pass my turn to shower, no time. My traveling companions are rather slow to prepare, I'll scout to wait the guide. I will not need it because we are still in Malaysia, so beyond ECTT
e front organization, it's always awkward. The guide therefore happen only 11.15. It then waits for a car to take us to the Typhoons Gate (5 minutes by car), the starting point of the trek. Headquarters of the 1400 meters, we here at 1900 meters above sea level when we come to the door. It is still raining, so we decide to put us in short order to preserve the few clothes we have. Solemnly, we descend the steps of the journey
.
14kg bags on our backs, we discuss this first day
walk without much problem, taking advantage of the many shelters for shelter from rain and supplies. The beginning of the trek is steep, the dirt tracks give way to many stairs
or natural wood. Not a lot of flora or fauna on the way, only a few
squirrels. After 4 hours of walking and 1300 meters of vertical drop (from 1900m to 3200m), we rejoiced to see the first chalets.
arrived on a kind of earth full, the Laban Rata Guesthouse
stood in the mist. Already full, we commandeering a table in the refectory
.
Some pictures from the terrace on Mount Kinabalu, which reveals itself a little, and we attacked one of two showers on the floor. The buffet starts at 17h. Well supplied, it seems that costs 50 ringgit, it comforts us in our choices so to have paid 250 Ringgit
. Wait 21h before people emptied the dining hall is being installed for our mattresses, we wait by playing poker. 21h, we kindly deport a small group of Singaporeans flocked to climb to get some rest. 9.3 degrees outside, it's not too cold.
A
twenty mattresses on the floor, here we are in close quarters with the most complete thirty backpackers. The room is heated and have a duvet and blanket per person, everything seems to lend itself to what is going on a good night.
Day 3: Sunday, March 23, 2008
A handful of Malaysian tourists preferring to talk loudly rather than sleeping, we're out of our à1h50 slight drowsiness in the morning having slept one hour maximum. The
first starters down to breakfast, we removed the mattress to resettle all the dining tables. Our law has been giving us a live breakfast: fried egg, sausages, baked beans and coffee. We leave at 3 am, a half-hour after the majority of people. Leaving our bags at the guesthouse, we take with us a bag for 4 with bottled water, granola bars and warm clothing. A line of flashlights
split the night to attack the peak.
The first part of the climb is composed of numerous wooden staircases. Regularly blocked by backpackers particularly slow, we need the double of that opportunity. The first hour is so fast. Then we get to the top of the cliff. Grabbing a rope, and we assemble a
incline over 45 degrees (photo to return, and therefore in broad daylight and downhill). Next we come to a checkpoint
, allowing only those who
precious badge. Following the walk is walking on large slabs of rock along the rope that leads to the summit. Here, there are plenty to overcome the many tourist groups. Pretending not seen me go, let me escape my companions to become the first French to
Easter 2008 at the summit. A souvenir photo with the sign indicating
4095 meters above sea level and cigarette victory later join me and others. Two and a half hour climb, we still half an hour before sunrise, the time to position a little below the summit, the sun rising over his right. He did not too cold, no wind keeping us from freezing on the spot.
The first rays appear red, the sky
is completely cleared, which is rare. It seems that it is often covered with clouds. 11.000 photos later, we take the opposite path.
As we descend, Many tourists are finally starting to reach the top. You realize then that Mount Kinabalu is close to being a tourist factory
. The weekend
nearly 200 tourists a day to launch the ascent of the summit.
legs start shooting, but we join smoothly the guesthouse for breakfast from 7.30am.
We take the bags and redo the 4 hour walk in the opposite direction to join the Typhoon Gate. The return was undoubtedly the most grueling march my stay in Asia. Scrutinizing every turn to see the milestone that we announced the growing proximity of the door, we come limping to a car waiting there. Back in Hedquarter, we negotiate with a taxi to take us for 150 ringgit in Kota Kinabalu.
The town is not big, we ask at the seaside in the resort's Waterfront Anjung Sandara where we take jugs of beer and pizza. The beach is quite nice despite some marine smell very strong, but when we saw the most beautiful
sunset weekend. Three hours later we were at the airport where we take a flight to Johor Bahru. We ship book a Roman taxi before the hordes of passengers not do the same. Rather than take the usual taxi (80 ringgit) which deposits passengers at Queen Street, we choose the one that accepts a 160 ringgit to make three stops and passing through Tuas checkpoint, offering less than bottling Woodlands. A flash back to Singapore, but not without having crawled up the stairs to my room, I was beginning my treatment of pain which lasted a good four days.
Budget for 4 people (excluding aircraft): - Transportation: 610
Ringgits - Permits, Tickets: 200
Ringgits - Food: 480
Ringgits - Housing: 210 Ringgits
For a total of 1,500 ringgit (or 300 euros).
Major expenditures:
- Taxi Singapore - Airport Johor Bahru: 70 Singapore dollars
- Flight Johor Bahru - Kota Kinabalu AR: 438 Ringgit
- Airport Taxi - Kinabalu Park: 200 Ringgit
- Kinabalu Park Entrance: 15 Ringgit
- Guide: 70 ringgit per group
- Trekking Permits: 100 Ringgit
- Housing: 100-250 Ringgit
Practical Information:
trekking map of the Low's Peak summit / / map of hiking trails in the valley
LINK ====> TO THE PHOTO ALBUM => HERE
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