Climbing Mt. Kinabalu - Difficulty? Fear of Heights? Weather?
I'm traveling to Sabah in Borneo in early May. We're signing up for a pkg that includes climbing Mt. Kinabalu so I wanted to hear about people's experiences before committing to the climb portion of the trip.
Would someone with a slight fear of heights have a hard time? How physically demanding is the climb? Would weather conditions in May typically be amenable?
My friend is really looking forward to this, and I'm hoping to accompany her, but I want to make sure this is a good idea. I'm in reasonable physical shape, but have a fear of heights that can sometimes kick in. I did the Inca Trail a couple of years back w/o any problem so if anyone has done both the Inca Trail and Kinabalu, I'd especially love to hear about your experience.
Reply to this Hi Mary - with a slight fear you'll be fine.
The difficulty is quite high - mainly because you go from sea level to 4,400m in 36 hours. Not enough time to avoid altitude sickness.
Here is a blog on the climb -
Legs of Jelly - that I found matched with my own experiences pretty well!
As to the weather - it is pot luck day to day - one day you'll have perfect weather the next the clouds will roll in.
Reply to this I just want to add - "do it" 😊
It was an awesome experience and reasonable fitness will be enough - but don't expect easy 😉
Reply to this I ended up hiking the mtn with 10 high school students....if they can do it I betcha you will be okay. Most were unprepared physically and they all made it. One girl did get altitude sickness and had to go down. The last part is a bit sketchy in my opinion. They give you ropes to hold onto, which are totally not necessary (ie my guide just scrambled up the mountain like a monkey) but I preferred to hold tight to them. It is an INCREDIBLE experience. Weather, hit or miss. The day before I went it was totally rainy for like 4 days and no one went up. Then, for fear that there would be no sunrise, I ended up going up for sunset on the first day. This was actually a REALLY cool experience bc there was NO ONE on the mountain. DEFINITELY do it!!!! Such a cool and rewarding experience!!!!!
Reply to this And take your own head torch - with new batteries - the ones that you can rent on the climb are terrible.
Reply to this Thanks for all the tips! I read somewhere that the last part of the climb, which you mentioned was 'a bit sketchy,' is not ideal for those with a fear of heights. Were there any cliffhanger-like parts? Thanks again!
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