Best trails in Kinabalu Park

Great little hike to help acclimatise for Kinabalu peak. Trail in good condition, no other people. Lots of orchids

I climbed Mount Kinabalu from Timpohon to Laban Rata and then overnight to the summit and back down, in late July under perfect weather conditions (it started raining less than two minutes after I reached the finish line back down). I climbed from Timpohon to Laban Rata in 3h40 + a generous hour of breaks, including lunch, and summited from Laban Rata to Low's peak in 3 hours, from 2:30 to 5:30, just in time for day break. I followed with the Walk the Torq via ferrata (the short one, completed in a leisurely two hours) and then the hike back down to Timpohon took 4 hours. As a generally fit (mid 30s, running 5-8km daily, boxing, no smoking no alcohol) and well-travelled but not experienced hiker, I found Mount Kinabalu to be an enjoyable and rewarding trek. I found it to be consistently and moderately challenging but never "hard". While trail is fairly steep, at a consistent 25% (2.3km elevation in just 8.7km of trail), it's basically one giant staircase with changing ground and views. There are no passages that require particular technique, although having some upper back conditioning can help for the rope-assisted part of the ascent around km 7. The descent, particularly the last 3 kms, is more tedious than difficult, and one should really just ensure good form to reduce stress on the knees. By the end of it I was so bored with the forest staircase landscape that I sprinted the last 100m to the gate - saved me from getting drenched! Altitude was my primary concern, having never hiked past 3,850m, and having struggled the only time I got that high, I did feel that the air was getting thinner after the 5th km hut around 3,000m and the last kilometre to the hut was definitely slower. It took me a good 8-10 hours to get over a mild headache and it was only after two hours of the early morning summiting ascent that I started feeling fully comfortable. The most exciting and rewarding portion is certainly the last 1.7km after the Sayat Sayat hut, where the vegetation clears out and the landscape becomes truly unique and bewildering. It's definitely worth the effort to reach at sunrise as the views are incomparable. All in all I highly recommend this trail to anyone with an acceptable level of fitness and motivation. I saw several people well into their 50s completing the trail at a good pace, although I can't speak for those who didn't complete it and I did hear of a lady who had to be brought down urgently due to altitude sickness. It's not technically difficult so it's the perfect place to reward yourself with a high summit and move on to the next stage, which I can't wait to do.

Mount. Kinabalu Trail in Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia depict a challenging hike with stunning mountain views. My verdict to this hike is there is tough ascents and descents, with a strenuous 6km hike to Panalaban and a difficult 3km hike to the peak. The trail is not recommended for beginners, requiring serious training even for experienced hikers. The conditions within the last month have been described as rugged and requiring stamina for a successful summit and descent. Typically in July conditions may be challenging with rugged terrain and lots of steps to climb, making it suitable for seasoned hikers who are well-prepared physically and mentally. Navigate Mount Kinabalu to the laban rata hike consist of 6 stops around 6km. It is a treacherous hike with elevation gain of 1,4km and giant steps. To complete the summit challenge on second day to the low’s peak hiker has to fight with altitude on low temp and strong win, warm clothing essential. The remaining trekking can be completed within 3 hours with a check point cut off at 5:30am at sayat-sayat hut. Train and pack adequate you be ready to go . Brace the cold brace the view of victory!

Rainy conditions make hiking Kinabalu much tougher