Sunday, June 3, 2007

A Walk in the Park - Mt Kinabalu !


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Why not put your head in the clouds
for the day !
A common misconception of Mount Kinabalu is that a visit means conquering the summit which is simply not the case.

Mount Kinabalu is a comfortable 1-hour 40 minute drive from Kota Kinabalu and makes for a interesting day trip for anyone wishing to escape the city.

Today we decided to combine a day out with some exercise and climbed from the starting point of the summit ascent at Timpohon Gate (1,866m) to Layang Layang at 2,621 m.

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JO, Mat and Laura at Layang
Layang
Layang Layang is the farthest point along the summit trail climbers may ascend without a guide and summit permit charge. This makes the experience very affordable having to pay 15RM entrance to the park itself plus 10RM for the summit trail entrance( £3.70 in total).

The atmosphere on route is exhilarating with climbers descending having achieved their summit goal, full of encouragement for those beginning their two day ascent.

The 8-km round trip to Layang Layang takes around 3.5 hours so theres plenty of time to spend the rest of the day within the Kinabalu Park, visiting the botanical gardens and enjoying a nice meal in one of the restaurants, or for a cheaper option but superb cuisine - the cafe opposite the main entrance to the park.

For more information and images including accommodation reviews and advise on a summit ascent, please visit our Mount Kinabalu page.

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