What to do in the Kinabalu Park - full hiking guide

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The Kinabalu Park is a natural stopover on the Malaysian Borneo-Reiseroute. Understandably, they may then ask themselves what they should do in the Kinabalu Park, especially if they are not willing to issue the entrance fee of over $ 300 for the summit.

To hike on the various paths of the Kinabalu Park below the mountain and see most of the areas, you can take a day trip from Kota Kinabalu into the Kinabalu National Park.

If you break off early enough, you still have enough time to treat yourself to a good natural and hiking fix.

Kinabalu National Park

The cinema national park is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site, famous for its variety of plants and animals and of course houses the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. Berg Kinabalu.

The Kinabalu Park is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site. The park is also the center of plant diversity for Southeast Asia and has more than 5,000 vascular plant species. The park also has no shortage of fauna because it is about 90 lowland mammal species and many others.

Sabah tourism

Apart from the main summit, there are many winding and interconnected paths that offer great hiking opportunities.

Kinabalu National Park-where is that?

The Kinabalu Park is about 100 kilometers east of Sabah's capital; Kota Kinabalu (KK). The KK's road is a continuous constant climb that winds up the farm runners of the park.

You will notice the height immediately, as the temperatures will fall quickly as soon as you reach the entrance to the cinema aluminum park, which is located at 1550 meters.
Alt = "View of the mountains in the Kinabalu National Park">

accommodation in the cinema aluminum National Park

If you prefer to stay in the park than to take a day trip into the Kinabalu National Park from Kota Kinabalu, you have two options:

cheapest hostel option: Happy Garden resort this hostel is just outside the main entrance to the cinema aluminum national park. You can get a room in an 8-bed sleeping hall for less than $ 7 per night.

Spend the night in the park: Sutera Sanctuary Lodgesdieses is a little more expensive, but will not blow up the bank for a twin room at around $ 28.

You also have the choice of staying in the nearby Ranau or Kundasang, both of whom have several lodges and hostels to choose from. You can compare the best accommodation offers around the "Mount Kinabalu Landmark" by clicking on these links to Booking.com or Agoda.

How do you get to the Kinabalu Park?

from Kota Kinabalu, the Kinabalu Park is quite easy to reach. You have the option of either choosing a bus together or a private taxi. Both options last about 2 hours.

Bus from KK to the Kinabalu Park

The cheapest way to get from KK to Kinabalu Park is the journey with a collective bus. These regularly leave from the small inner -city bus station, which is in front of the "Dreamel" hotel. I attached the exact location of the bus station below.

The cost of a KK bus from Kinabalu Park is 20 Ringgit per person for a small minivan, which takes you directly to the park entrance. My advice is to be here before 6:30 a.m. if you plan a day trip because the first bus is quickly full.

If you miss the first bus, you may have to wait a few hours until the second bus is full, or get into a collective taxi.

Taxi from KK to the Kinabalu Park

If you would rather take a taxi, you will find 4 and 6-seater cars right next to the bus station. The cost per person for this option is 25 ringgit or 100 ringgit for a private car.

While the grave app in Kota Kinabalu works, we found it cheaper to simply go to the bus station and organize a taxi transport from there.

Back to Kota Kinabalu

Both options mentioned above to get from KK to Kinabalu Park are only possible in one direction. This means that you have to organize your return transport yourself. After you have ended the hikes and all the activities in the Kinabalu Park, you will find minibuses at the entrance to the Minibusse National Park.

Since we came back with a little delay, we saw no private minivans. Instead, we waited to wave down a passing bus that drove back from Ranau.

The fare for the bus ride back from Kinabalu Park to KK was 20 Ringgit, but put us at the Northern Bus Terminal (Inanam). We then had to bring a grave car back to our hostel, which only cost an additional 10 ring git.

Kinabalu Park Entry fee 2019

Before you go to the hiking trails, you must pay the entrance fee for the Kinabalu Park. This fee is 15 ring git per person, which corresponds to approximately $ 4. Children receive a discount of only 10 ringgit per person.

What to do in the Kinabalu Park-Trail Guide

After you have arrived and have paid for admission, you may be wondering what you can do in the Kinabalu Park. If you don't climb Mount Kinabalu, there are still several hiking trails that meander around the park.

Due to the altitude, the Kinabalu Park has a unique variety of vegetation that is a habitat for hundreds of different birds, opossums and monkeys. The area is quite wet all year round, so that the hikes prove to be a real rainwald experience on Borneo.

If you would also like to add the hot sources of Porong to your day trip to the Kinabalu National Park, you can book this tour in advance that includes all fees, lunch and transport to both destinations.

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Complete Sabah leader: Sabah-Route 7 days-things that can be done in Sabah Borneo

Hiking map Mount Kinabalu

Here is the official card that helps you to orientate yourself in the Kinabalu Park. It describes all the main paths and the main path to Mount Kinabalu.
Alt = "Mount Kinabalu National Park away card">

Do you want to drive here yourself? Rent a motorcycle online in KK in advance.

Hiking trails in the Kinabalu-Park

Here is a brief summary of the most important short hiking trails that are winding around the feet of the high-towering cinema aluminum summit.

Liwagu-Trail

Hiking distance: 5620 m hiking time: 2 hours

The Liwagu Trail is the longest path in the Kinabalu Park. The majority of the path follows the small river that flows down the mountain. Since it is the longest, you won't find many day trippers, which is perfect if you prefer to hike alone.

You climb over several water pipes on the way, make a few steep ascents and descents and finally reach the upper parking lot, which is the starting point for Mount Kinabalu. In my opinion, if you wonder what you should do in the Kinabalu Park and you have to choose a way, make it a Liwagu Trail.
Alt = “Possum in the Kinabalu-Park”> Wild Possum in the Kinabalu-Park

Mountain-View-Trail

Hiking distance: 150 mh. Hiking time: 15 minutes

top of the Liwagu Trail, shortly before the entrance to the Mount Kinabalu Trailhead, you can see a small but steep path that penetrates into the dense scrub on the opposite side of the street.

This path is short, but offers some of the best prospects for Mount Kinabalu and the Kandamaian Borneo waterfall, which flows down its steep cliffs.
Alt = "Kinabalu National Park waterfall">

Bukit Ular Trail-closed

I planned to take this trail in the loop, but found that it was closed (October 2019). Unfortunately I can't say much about that, but if you visit the Kinabalu Park and find that it is open, let me know what it is.

Kiau View Trail

Hiking distance: 2344 mh hiking time: 1 hour

An alternative to the longer Liwagu Trail is the Kiau View Trail, which also begins near the park input. This path is also scenic, with many colorful bird species. You don't have to follow a river on the Kiaw View Trail, but the end offers an excellent view over the Kinabalu Park.

Pandanus-Trail

Hiking distance: 598 mh. Hiking time: 30 minutes

The Pandanus path is a short path that connects the Kiau View path with the street that leads through the middle of the park. Usually you would not choose this path as a main hiking trail, but it is more suitable for accessing the Kiau View Trail.

Silau-Silau-Trail

Hiking distance: 3057 mh hiking time: 1-1.5 hours

The Silau Silau Trail is one of the most popular trails in the park because it connects several of the other branches in the Kinabalu Park. Compared to the others, it is also very easy because it is almost completely flat.

Mempening-Weg:

Hiking distance: 3396 MH hiking time: 2 hours

Mempening is another flat path that is also a frequent choice for activities in Kinabalu Park. I have not completed the entire path, but it is quite flat all the way to the street, where you can join the Kiau view path to create another loop.

From the Mempening path you can also drive up the steeper routes to Bukit Tupai and Bukit Burung to find some small protective huts and viewpoints.

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  • Alt = "Rainforest Bird in the Kinabalu National Park">

Mount Kinabalu hike

The main attraction in Kinabalu Park is of course the Mount Kinabalu itself. The mountain is the highest in Southeast Asia, and Trekker can achieve the summit in a 2-day trip without climbing experience.

This means that the hike is very busy. The national park reacted to this by making the entrance fee and trekking fees ridiculously expensive. As a result, I decided not to climb, mainly because of my budget, but also because I do not particularly support the demand to pay hundreds of dollars for a hike.

If it is on your bucket list, you have to book in advance, as the slots seem to fill up very quickly.

For a complete package with all permits and the transport organized for you, you can book this package that is the best rated Mount Kinabalu package that I could find online.

Alternatively, you can also visit the official website, which also contains a wealth of information for the hike.

over to you

As you can see, the question of what to do in the Kinabalu Park is mostly just about hiking and trekking! If you have decided not to hike to the summit, I would still recommend that you take a day trip to the Kinabalu National Park to explore the lower paths and discover some unique plants and animals!

Would you like to share your experiences? Let me know in the comments what you think of the park!
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