Learn more about Mount Kinabalu
A World Heritage Site
“This heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our culture and natural heritage is both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. With the declaration of Kinabalu Park as a World Heritage Site, it has become a heritage for the whole world.”
An Introduction to Mount Kinabalu
As you fly in to Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. One of the first things you will notice (if it’s a clear day) is the jagged outline of Mount Kinabalu as it seemingly bursts high above the Crocker Range behind the city. It’s easy to see why this mountain has been held in such high esteem since people first stepped foot on the island of Borneo. Sitting at staggering height of 4095.2 meters (13,435 ft) above sea level, Mount Kinabalu has the honor of being the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and Papua New Guinea.
In 1964, The Kinabalu National Park was established, before it became a famous tourist destination, protecting 754 square kilometers (291 square miles), covering the entire mountain and much of surrounding forest for everyone to enjoy for years to come. The Kinabalu National Park was also Malaysia’s first established park and is both Borneo’s and Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designated for its "outstanding universal values" and because it is one of the most important biological sites in the world with more than 6,000 species of flora and fauna. There is a reason the mountain sits proudly on the state flag of Sabah, because of how unique the mountain is geologically and naturally and because of the huge cultural significance it holds in the hearts of the indigenous communities of Sabah.
As you fly in to Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. One of the first things you will notice (if it’s a clear day) is the jagged outline of Mount Kinabalu as it seemingly bursts high above the Crocker Range behind the city. It’s easy to see why this mountain has been held in such high esteem since people first stepped foot on the island of Borneo. Sitting at staggering height of 4095.2 meters (13,435 ft) above sea level, Mount Kinabalu has the honor of being the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and Papua New Guinea.
In 1964, The Kinabalu National Park was established, before it became a famous tourist destination, protecting 754 square kilometers (291 square miles), covering the entire mountain and much of surrounding forest for everyone to enjoy for years to come. The Kinabalu National Park was also Malaysia’s first established park and is both Borneo’s and Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designated for its "outstanding universal values" and because it is one of the most important biological sites in the world with more than 6,000 species of flora and fauna. There is a reason the mountain sits proudly on the state flag of Sabah, because of how unique the mountain is geologically and naturally and because of the huge cultural significance it holds in the hearts of the indigenous communities of Sabah.
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Geological History: How Mount Kinabalu was Created
Southeast Asia has a long and dramatic history of tectonic activity. Much of this activity has been focused around the edge of Southeast Asia, in present day Indonesia and Philippines. Sabah being located in central Southeast Asia is currently situated on a geologically stable area with little volcanic or tectonic activity but this was not always the case. To know more about how Mount Kinabalu and how modern day Sabah were formed lets go back 45 million years and look at the plate tectonic history. At this time Borneo was at lower latitude and the island was tilted on its side. During this time the tectonic plates around Southeast Asia were colliding, subduction (the place two tectonic plates collide, one sliding beneath the other and shifting into the earths mantle) carried ocean crust down into the mantle beneath SE Asia and Borneo. This collision led to the movement and rotation of Borneo to its current shape and position. Around 20 million years ago, as the collision of the plates ended, mountains started to rise in north Borneo as a result from the thickening crust. Many experts believe this rise in these mountains caused an increase in rainfall in Borneo. There is evidence of a change from a seasonal to an ever-wet climate in Borneo at about the same time, leading to the development of permanent rainforest over much of the island. Far beneath the surface the deep crust was heating up and finally the deep crust began to melt to form a giant molten granite ‘bubble’ or ‘mass.’ The granite ‘mass’ had a lower density than the surrounding rocks which allowed it to rise through the Earth’s crust to the surface and about 8 million years ago the molten granite ‘bubble’ harded or crystalised, forming what was to become the Mount Kinabalu granite pluton. After millions of years of erosion and weathering, the cover soil and rocks were slowly removed. About 2 million years ago the Earth began to cool suddenly and ice caps expanded from the poles to cover much of the northern and southern hemispheres. Mount Kinabalu is one of the very few mountains between New Guinea and the Himalayas that was capped by ice and certainly had the largest and longest-lived glaciers in the whole of Southeast Asia. From the summit a glacier flowed north down Low’s Gully, and another flowed southwest toward Ranau. The ice has left its record in striations on rock surfaces, ice shattered boulders, polished surfaces and many other glacial features that we can see today when looking at the mountains rocky peaks and gullys. |
The movement of Borneo over 45 million years.
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Natural History: The Flora & Fauna of the Mountain
Mount Kinabalu is one of the most important biological sites on the planet. Because of its elevation and location on the tropical island of Borneo, it has a wide range of habitats, from rich tropical lowland and hill rainforest to tropical montane forest, subalpine forest and subalpine scrub at the higher elevations. Recent biological studies have found up to 6,000 species of plants on the mountain, more than all the plant species in North America and Europe combined. There are up to 866 orchid species, 609 species of fern, 63 species of oak and chestnut and 14 pitcher plant species just to name a few. This great variety of plant life is home to an abundance of very interesting animal life. Seeing wildlife here is not like other parts of Sabah, mostly because the larger animals are much more rare on the mountain. So it’s a matter of keeping an eye out for smaller creature such as birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. There are up to 1000 moth species, 625 butterfly species, 326 bird species, more than 100 mammal species, 67 species of snakes and so much more. |
Culture Surrounding the Mountain
Mount Kinabalu is considered a very sacred mountain and is hugely important place spiritually and symbolically for many indigenous people of Sabah, especially for the Dusun, Kadazan and Murut tribes. It is believed that once you pass into the afterlife your soul must journey to mount kinabalu where your soul can than live peacefully for eternity. Many believe that this is the reason the name of the mountain is Kinabalu, which is derived from the Dusun word for “resting place of the dead.” Traditionally, there would be long ceremonies held after a death, in order to help guide the spirit to Mount Kinabalu, to make sure they managed to climb the steep slopes and cross the rivers (in some stories it is a lake) that flowed over the granite cliffs. There is evidence that they would break things such as knives and other useful objects so that the deceased could find them whole on their arrival to the slopes of the mountain. Once the deceased reached the top of the mountain, they are said to have lived there peacefully in everlasting life in a place that looked like their traditional land, with family and friends and cattle and pigs.
There is an account from an early European explorer who could never persuade native people to go up the mountain because it was said that a party of Dusun people had once climbed close to the top and when they reached the edge of the rock had found a lake with thousands of boats floating all lit up. Scared, the party descended quickly and never went up again.
It wasn’t until 1851 that Sir Hugh Low, an English government officer working in Labuan, made the first recorded ascent to Mount Kinabalu's summit plateau but not to the highest peak, ironically now named Low's Peak. The highest point of Mount Kinabalu was not reached until 1888 by a zoologist named John Whitehead.
Many early climbers had reported that to appease the spirits of the mountain and ancestral spirits who live there, that their guides would perform ceremonies upon reaching the summit. Sir Hugh Low wrote that his guide carried an assortment of charms, pieces of wood, human teeth and other things up to the summit. Others wrote that eggs and chickens were sacrificed and other reported that much of this was done with load prayers, banging of gongs and sometimes gunshots.
Now days, a ceremony is conducted annually by the Parks officials, guides and porters. Also, before each climb, many of the guides will ask for permission and say a little pray before they begin.
Mount Kinabalu is considered a very sacred mountain and is hugely important place spiritually and symbolically for many indigenous people of Sabah, especially for the Dusun, Kadazan and Murut tribes. It is believed that once you pass into the afterlife your soul must journey to mount kinabalu where your soul can than live peacefully for eternity. Many believe that this is the reason the name of the mountain is Kinabalu, which is derived from the Dusun word for “resting place of the dead.” Traditionally, there would be long ceremonies held after a death, in order to help guide the spirit to Mount Kinabalu, to make sure they managed to climb the steep slopes and cross the rivers (in some stories it is a lake) that flowed over the granite cliffs. There is evidence that they would break things such as knives and other useful objects so that the deceased could find them whole on their arrival to the slopes of the mountain. Once the deceased reached the top of the mountain, they are said to have lived there peacefully in everlasting life in a place that looked like their traditional land, with family and friends and cattle and pigs.
There is an account from an early European explorer who could never persuade native people to go up the mountain because it was said that a party of Dusun people had once climbed close to the top and when they reached the edge of the rock had found a lake with thousands of boats floating all lit up. Scared, the party descended quickly and never went up again.
It wasn’t until 1851 that Sir Hugh Low, an English government officer working in Labuan, made the first recorded ascent to Mount Kinabalu's summit plateau but not to the highest peak, ironically now named Low's Peak. The highest point of Mount Kinabalu was not reached until 1888 by a zoologist named John Whitehead.
Many early climbers had reported that to appease the spirits of the mountain and ancestral spirits who live there, that their guides would perform ceremonies upon reaching the summit. Sir Hugh Low wrote that his guide carried an assortment of charms, pieces of wood, human teeth and other things up to the summit. Others wrote that eggs and chickens were sacrificed and other reported that much of this was done with load prayers, banging of gongs and sometimes gunshots.
Now days, a ceremony is conducted annually by the Parks officials, guides and porters. Also, before each climb, many of the guides will ask for permission and say a little pray before they begin.
Mount Kinabalu Now
On 5 June 2015 at 07:15 am, the area around Mount Kinabalu was damaged by an earthquake. Then
On 5 June 2015 at 07:15 am, the area around Mount Kinabalu was damaged by an earthquake. Then
How to Travel Mount Kinabalu & What You Need to Know
The first thing you need to know is that once you reach the summit of mount kinabalu, you will feel such a strong sense of accomplishment quickly followed by awe as you look out across Borneo being lit up by the early morning sun. This mountain is quite simply spectacular, is all senses of the word. It’s beautiful, grand, powerful, unique and very special. There are often struggles getting to the top, physically or mentally, so just remember that it will all be worth it. Your memories will be about the amazing experience, the incredible sights and the fun you had and not much else.
The first thing you need to know is that once you reach the summit of mount kinabalu, you will feel such a strong sense of accomplishment quickly followed by awe as you look out across Borneo being lit up by the early morning sun. This mountain is quite simply spectacular, is all senses of the word. It’s beautiful, grand, powerful, unique and very special. There are often struggles getting to the top, physically or mentally, so just remember that it will all be worth it. Your memories will be about the amazing experience, the incredible sights and the fun you had and not much else.
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