Mount Kinabalu Itinerary
8 day programme:
Saturday: Day
1 Arrive Kuala Lumpur
Depart from Adelaide to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines. Arrive at
around 9pm and transfer to your
hotel. This evening join Professor Patrick James and your fellow group
members for a welcome dinner
featuring Malaysia’s delectable cuisine. Meals included: Dinner
Sunday: Day 2 Kuala Lumpur - Full day sightseeing. Evening welcome function.
Morning orientation tour of the city including King’s Palace, National
Monument, National Mosque and
Merdeka (Independence) Square. Much of the history of the city is depicted
here as well as the traditions and
cultural heritage of the major communities. Included in this tour is a photo
stop at the Petronas Twin Towers
plus an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic view of the city from the
observation deck of the KL Tower. End
the morning with a visit to the Islamic Art Museum, before a special welcome
lunch featuring Malaysia's delectabel cuisine. This afternoon there
will be some free time to relax
before a special UniSA Alumni event which will also be attended by members
of the local Kuala Lumpur
chapter of UniSA. The event will start with a presentation by Professor James, followed a cocktail party
with the Malaysian Alumni Chapter members. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and
Cocktail Party
Monday: Day 3 Fly to Kota Kinabalu - Afternoon sightseeing and overnight.
Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu and check into Le Meridien Hotel.
Known locally as KK, Kota
Kinabalu is a growing city with a blend of Malay, European and Chinese
influences. Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner
Tuesday:
Day 4 Drive to Kinabalu National Park
Leaving Kota Kinabalu you may be able to enjoy some fine views of Mt Kinabalu in the distance, en route through the wild highlands to Kinabalu National Park. From your simple hotel, which is just outside the park, you will have the chance to take some easy walks in what is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent settings in Borneo, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Wednesday: Day 5 Begin Mount Kinabalu
Ascent
Climbers:
Those wishing to climb Mount Kinabalu will make an early start with your
local guide this morning. You will
leave your main baggage behind at the hotel and carry a small daypack.
Register first at Park Headquarters
then drive to Timpohon Gate where you begin your trek at about 1900m. The
group will trek for 6 hours to
reach Laban Rata Resthouse, a mountain hostel situated at 3353m and
surrounded by magnificent scenery.
The lower part of the trek is through dense tropical vegetation and mist-shrouded rainforest with giant ferns
and luxuriant mosses. The hostel at base camp offers very simple,
dormitory-style accommodation with
heating and shared facilities. Early to bed tonight, in preparation for the
final ascent to the summit of Mt Kinabalu.
Non-climbers:
For those staying behind at the hotel near Park Headquarters, there are
numerous low level nature trails in
the park where you can explore the diverse flora and fauna of the area.
Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch
Thursday: Day 6 Ascend
to the summit of Mount Kinabalu - return to hotel at Park Headquarters
A very early wake-up call for those who wish to climb to the summit of Mt
Kinabalu - a challenging trek which should only be attempted by those who are confident about their level of
fitness. You will rise at
approximately 2.00am and trek to the summit in time for sunrise (around 5.45am).
Of course, this part of the
trek will be made in the dark and it is necessary to wear warm clothes and
gloves and to carry a torch. The
trek includes many steps and, close to the top, you will use a series of ropes,
ladders and handrails to assist you
in scrambling across a rocky
plateau near the summit. The view from the top of Mt Kinabalu (4095m) is
breathtaking as the sun rises over
the misty jungle lowlands.
Those who do not wish to make the summit ascent can still enjoy some wonderful views
around base-camp, while
the ‘summit climbers’ make the descent on foot. After the summit climbers make
their way back to Laban Rata Resthouse, everyone will then trek down to
the Park Headquarters and
transfer to the nearby hotel (where you stayed on Day 4) to join up with
any ‘non climbers’. Dinner and
overnight at the hotel near Park Headquarters. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Dinner
Friday: Day 7 Poring Hot Springs - Sepilok
This morning drive through jungle and palm oil plantations to Sepilok. On
the way make an excursion to
Poring Hot Springs. At 450m this area is tropical lowland forest, dense with
vegetation and thick bamboo,
with a humid misty atmosphere. You can cross a tree top walkway 41m above the
forest floor or perhaps
you prefer to take a relaxing soak in a hot spring bath –wonderful for
trek-weary muscles! Later this
afternoon, continue to Sepilok Nature Resort. Meals included: Breakfast , Dinner
Saturday: Day 8 Sepilok – Kota Kinabalu
Spend the morning in Sepilok at the largest of the three Orang Utan
rehabilitation centres in the world.
Covering over 4000 ha of forest, the centre was established in 1964 to
rehabilitate captured, injured or
abandoned apes to the wild. So far about 100 orang utans have been brought to
the centre where they are
taught how to survive in their natural habitat. The programme has been a great
success to date with up to
75% of the animals having returned to the jungle. About twenty regularly come
back to the feeding platforms
near the centre, though not always at the same time. Pregnant mothers, who
otherwise live in the jungle,
often come to supplement their diet and return after the birth of their young.
You will have time to see these
magnificent wild ‘men of the forest’ and learn about the centre’s work, before
driving to Sandakan Airport to
board the short flight to Kota Kinabalu. On arrival, connect with you overnight
flight to Adelaide via Kuala Lumpur.
Meals included: Breakfast
Note: Hotel and tour routings may be altered due to operational reasons.
CLIMBING MT KINABALU
The climb of Mt Kinabalu starts on Day 5 with a trek to the base-camp of
Mount Kinabalu, an arduous ascent from about 1900m to 3353m. There are some
very steep sections, which are made all the more tiring due to the
elevation. Your accommodation at base-camp on the evening of Day 5 is at
Laban Rata Resthouse. Those wishing to attempt to reach the summit at 4095m,
will rise well before sunrise on Day 6 to begin the climb. You should
definitely be in good physical shape to attempt this part of the climb and
come well prepared with warm clothing, gloves and good walking boots as the
summit is very cold.
Walking grade and fitness:
Grading is a rather difficult topic as much depends on your own perception
of your level of fitness and trekking abilities. The following is intended
as a general guide, but please do contact us for more information if you
have any doubts regarding your ability to attempt the climb. Regardless of
your own assessment of your fitness, we strongly recommend that you consult
your doctor before deciding to undertake this climb and before beginning any
training in preparation for the climb.
We have rated the difficulty of the trek to the summit of Mount Kinabalu as
moderate – strenuous as it is quite steep and altitude is a factor
which must be considered.
The first part of the trek, on Day 5, from Park Headquarters to Mount
Kinabalu base-camp, will involve approximately 6 hours walking, continuously
uphill, at relatively low altitude (up to 3353m). Some previous hill walking
experience would be beneficial, but this should be within the capabilities
of those who lead an active life and exercise regularly.
The trek from the base-camp to the summit will take about 3 hours – this is
for the more serious hill-walker and a higher level of physical fitness is
required. Please note that, for these trekkers, the total number of hours
walking on Day 6 will be approximately 9-10 hours (to/from the summit, then
from Mount Kinabalu base-camp to Park Headquarters).