Q: I’m planning a trip to KK with my gf and her family (6pax). We will be going on the 11th Dec -14th Dec. We’ll be staying at marina court apartments for the 1st & 3rd night. We planned to stay at kundasang or at mesilau on the 2nd night. Do you have any suggestions or tips to recommend? I’m looking for 1 day trip packages to walk around Mt kinabalu park.

Answer by a4trip Kota Kinabalu Travel Guide writer:

Thank you for your email. There are a lot of accommodations in Kundasang, i.e. Zen Garden, Kinabalu Pine, Kinabalu Rose Cabin and even Perkasa Hotel. You can get their information from around the net as they are all quite established. For Mesilau, you only have Mesialu Nature Resort which is run by Sutera Sanctuary Lodges, and it is further away from Kundasang and the altitude is also higher.

I would suggest that you stay in Kundasang as it is nearby Kinabalu Park HQ, if you plan to spend a day trip there, walking the jungle trail. There are a lot of things to see.

Check out the trail map here

Q: Thank you all for all your advice & tips. We have decided to stay at D’villa Dina Lodge for one night. We are for tour groups that can transfer us (6pax) from Marina Court Apartments to D’villa Dina Lodge and have a day tour around Kundasang town, Kinabalu Park, Poring Hot Springs, Rose Garden, Sabah Tea Plantations. I’m not sure whether this plan is possible to complete in one day.

Answer by a4trip Kota Kinabalu Travel Guide writer:

All those places in one day? It is possible if you spend about 15 minutes on each place, as traveling from one place to the other will take some time. It will also be tiring for you to rush to get to all the places in one day. With feedbacks from around travel forum, Poring Hot Spring can be a disappointment. Kinabalu Park HQ is the best place for nature lovers, Kundasang War memorial is best for history lovers and Sabah Tea Garden & Rose garden if you love the flora.

Have a nice journey.

Kota Kinabalu (KK) is the state capitol of Sabah. Supposedly area around KK is full of exciting outdoor activity destinations. These included white water rafting, mountain climbing, biking, etc. KK is sandwiched between Crystal Clear Blue Ocean and the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia - Mount Kinabalu. The mountain is the third tallest in Southeast Asia behind Hkakabo Razi of Myanmar (Burma) and Puncak Jaya of New Guinea (Indonesia). In other words, Mount Kinabalu also the tallest in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo.

The best time to come to Mount Kinabalu is during the dry season from February to April. Dryer periods of several days also often occur in the inter-monsoon season, between August and September. Kinabalu Park HQ is the good place for you to start and enjoy climbing moment. To gain access to the park you need to get a permit. However, this is not available at the park entrance, you only can be get it in KK.

Refer to Ruhaizad Daud, there are two most important things that you have to do before you go to Kinabalu Park HQ are accommodation and fees and equipment preparation. It is important to book well ahead of time. The distance from Kota Kinabalu to Kinabalu Park HQ is about 90 kilometers. For a proper appreciation of your climb, it is essential for you to spend 3 days and 2 nights at the mountain. So, the first thing you have to do now is try to make reservations for your stay on the first night at Kinabalu Park HQ with Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. They have various types of accommodations from a 28-bedded hostel to an exclusive lodge for you to choose. Most of the climber chooses the hostel because it is cheap and usually they will only stay there for only one night. You will start your climb on the next morning.

The next thing that you have to do is to book a place in Laban Rata, a place for you to stay on the second night. There are also various types of accommodations in Panar Laban for you to choose. Because of the limited availability, heated rooms are only available at Laban Rata Resthouse. You will start the next continuation of your climb (Summit Trail (night climb)) to the summit early on the next morning. You will not be allowed to climb if you do not have a place to stay in Laban Rata. You are not allowed to camp there.

Last of all, enjoy the journey of attempting conquer Mount Kinabalu. I believed that it might be the best trip and memorable experience that you ever been.

Kota Kinabalu Travel Guide