Timpohon Gate marks the official start of the Mount Kinabalu hike in Malaysia. The best bet is to arrive by mini-bus to Kinabalu National Park, specifically to the entrance at Timpohon Gate. There, they will ask you to sign papers before you take off on the hike. At the gate itself, you’ll be joined by a guide for your hike. Note: The first part of the hike oddly enough is downhill but only the first ten minutes or so until you arrive at the only waterfall on the hike – Carson’s Falls.
The first couple of kilometres out of the way nice and early – an easy stroll.
The start of the hike is easy terrain like this, the ascent is not steep and the view is mostly of forest.
You’ll pass a few notable points on this part of the hike and by the time you have stopped for your lunch, you’re halfway through Day 1.
Signing in and onto the hike at Timpohon Gate! Below is Carson Falls (500m).
Pondok Kandis Shelter (1km), which is 2,039 metres above sea level.
At the 1kilometre mark at Pondok Kandis Shelter.
10:24am – Pondok Ubah Shelter (1.5km). This small shelter is 2,081 metres above sea level. Here you can do a water stop.
10:47am – Komborongoh Telekom Station (2.5km)
11:02am – Pondok Lowii Shelter (2.5km) – At this point we were 2,350 metres above sea level.
Lunchtime was at Pondok Mempening Shelter, which is where we spent time to revitalize before the last upward part of the day.
12:29 am – We arrived at Layang Shelter (4 km) and had covered more than 2/3 of our hike for the day.
Climbing Mount Kinabalu in Borneo:
Top photo credit: www.findyourwayinsg.com.
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
