2D1N Mount Kinabalu Climbing
From $920 per person
- Length2 days
- Starts fromKota Kinabalu
- Run byBorneo Calling
- LanguageEnglish
- Minimum booking2 travellers
- On the mountain1 night on the mountain, at Laban Rata
- CancellationNon-refundable
Permit, licensed mountain guide, park entry, insurance and your mountain hut bed are all inside the price — non-refundable, so fix your dates first
Only your own group on the mountain
A private departure, so the pace is yours rather than a stranger’s.
Every park charge already paid
Entry, the climbing permit, the mountain guide fee and climbing insurance are inside the fare.
A bed at 3,272 m
One night in the Laban Rata unisex shared dormitory, with dinner from half past four.
Five meals across two days
Packed lunch and dinner on day one; supper, brunch and a late lunch on day two.
The lowest fare of the guided climbs here
And the one with by far the most reviews behind it.
Your two days on Borneo’s highest mountain
This is the standard way up Mount Kinabalu and the one most climbers book. You are collected from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu at six, driven two hours inland and up, registered at Park Headquarters, and walking from Timpohon Gate before mid-morning. Six kilometres and about 1,400 m later you reach the huts at 3,272 m, eat early and try to sleep.
Then the part you came for. Supper at half past one, out of the door at half past two, and three hours of climbing by head torch to reach 4,095 m before the sun does. You come back down the same trail, collect a certificate, and are back in Kota Kinabalu by evening.
What makes this one worth the fare over booking the pieces separately is that the pieces are the hard part. The permit is capped, the mountain guide is compulsory, the hut has a fixed number of beds, and all three have to line up on one date. Compare it against the rest of the Mount Kinabalu booking and the difference is format rather than what you get.
Timpohon Gate to Laban Rata, hour by hour
- Hotel pickup in Kota Kinabalu at 6am
- Two-hour drive to Kinabalu Park HQ
- Registration - passport or ID required
- Meet your guide, collect packed lunch
- Transfer to Timpohon Gate
- 6 km trek up to Laban Rata
- Overnight in the Laban Rata dormitory
Times are the operator’s own. Day two starts in the dark and finishes with the descent, which almost everybody underestimates.
Who this suits
Fit first-timers who want the standard route, their own group and the lowest fare that still carries the permit and the guide. It is the right choice if your dates are tight, if you are travelling as a pair, and if the summit itself is the point.
Who should book something else
Travelling alone? This one takes a minimum of two, so look at the three-day climb, which books at a single traveller. Want a night to acclimatise before you start walking? That is the same page. Want more than a walk-up? The Walk The Torq climb adds the via ferrata.
What the fare covers, and what it does not
Included
- ✓ 1 night's accommodation in the Laban Rata unisex shared dormitory
- ✓ All ground transportation, return
- ✓ 5 meals: day 1 packed lunch and dinner, day 2 supper, brunch and late lunch
- ✓ Park entrance fee
- ✓ Climbing permit
- ✓ Climbing insurance
- ✓ Mountain guide fees
- ✓ Certificate
- ✓ English-speaking coordinator
Paid on the mountain
- ✗ Porter fees
- ✗ Optional tipping
- ✗ Sabah Parks mountain guide overtime, MYR 15 per group per hour after 4pm
- ✗ Transport overtime if you descend after 7pm, MYR 80 per transfer
- ✗ Outskirt pickup surcharge of MYR 30 per person from Rasa Ria, Karambunai, Kinarut, Papar or Ranau
Where you are collected, and when
Pickup is from any hotel inside Kota Kinabalu city, at six in the morning. Hotels in Rasa Ria, Karambunai, Kinarut, Papar or Ranau are outside that zone and add MYR 30 per person. Registration happens at Kinabalu Park Headquarters, where a passport or original identification is checked before anyone is allowed through the gate.
Know before you go
- It is non-refundable. Fix your dates before you pay, and book flights around the climb rather than the other way round.
- Confirmation takes up to 48 hours. Do not treat checkout as a confirmed bed until it lands.
- Porters cost MYR 14.00 per kilogram, paid on the mountain. Send up the dry clothes; carry water and a shell.
- Guide overtime after 4pm is MYR 15 per group per hour. Keep moving on the descent and it never applies.
- Ages 17 to 80, and the listing is not recommended for back problems, pregnancy or heart conditions. Check before you book for a mixed group.
- Bring a head torch, gloves and a hat. You start the second day at half past two in the morning above 3,000 m.
What climbers say about this climb
“Climbed it with my thirteen-year-old and never once felt we were being rushed. The organisation on Mount Kinabalu held from the pickup to the drop-off, and every question got answered before we set off. Plenty of food, and our dietary requests were handled without fuss. Our guide Shukki made the whole thing.”
Jennifer G. · Parent and teenager · October 2024
“Johnson was patient, thorough and, on the descent, genuinely a safety net. We came down far later than planned and he kept the office updated the whole way, so the transport waited, the meals were held and our certificates were there at the end.”
Eric C. · Solo climber · September 2023
“A hard climb and an unforgettable one. Our private guide thought ahead for us the entire way. Standing on the Mount Kinabalu summit is not something we are going to forget.”
Benthe B. · Couple · September 2023
Questions about this climb
What time does the pickup happen?
Six in the morning, from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu, followed by a drive of about two hours to Kinabalu Park. A hotel outside the city centre adds MYR 30 per person.
Can I add the via ferrata to this climb?
Not to this one. If you want the iron road as well as the summit, book the Walk The Torq climb instead — it sleeps you at Pendant Hut, which is where the briefing happens.
What does the price not cover?
Four things, and you settle all of them on the mountain rather than at checkout. Porter fees run at MYR 14.00 per kilogram and tips are at your discretion. Mountain guide overtime after 4pm is MYR 15 per group per hour, and transport overtime if you descend after 7pm is MYR 80 per transfer. An outskirt hotel pickup adds MYR 30 per person.
Is this really a private climb?
Yes. Only your own group takes part, at your own pace, from a minimum of two travellers. Your mountain guide is still assigned by the park.
What happens if the weather turns?
You are offered a different date or a full refund if the operator cancels for bad weather, or if a minimum number of travellers is not met. Cancelling yourself is not refundable.
How fit do I need to be?
A moderate physical fitness level is enough, which is the gentlest wording of any climb here. Several weeks of hill walking beforehand is the usual preparation.
Other ways up the mountain
- 2d1n Mount Kinabalu Via Ferrata - Walk The Torq — From $1,020 per person, 2 days
- Mount Kinabalu Climbing 3 Days 2 Nights — From $1,200 per person, 3 days
Or see All Mount Kinabalu Tours and compare every climb side by side.
Two days, one night, and Borneo underneath you
The permit, your licensed guide, park entry, insurance and the bed at Laban Rata are all in the fare.
Book This Climb