Tag Archives: climbing

Zip Borneo, the longest zipline in Borneo

Zipline (Flying Fox)

Zipline is the highlight of Zip Borneo and no vigorous exercise is required for the extreme excitement, so I tried it first. The zipline is double-cable system with a total length of 320 Meters (about 1,050 feet). If you do it, you have more gut than 40% of population, because about 3 or 4 out of 10 participants chicken out, when they see the enormous height.

Pic: zipline over Kiulu River

The zipline has two sections. First, you zipline 210 Meters from the tall tower to cross Kiulu River, then use another 110-Meter zipline back to Zip Borneo.

Pic: view from top of 18-Meter-high zipline platform

I peeked from the edge and the height made me sweated. My legs turned weak and I sat down. I knew it’s perfectly safe but it took me some times to convince my restless mind that I’ll be ok.

The staff fastened the carabiners of my harness to the zipline and asked “Are you ready?” I blurted, “NO! Not yet…” He understood that I was struggling, just like most other participants, so he waited for me patiently to get myself mentally ready.

That took me a lot of courage to say, “Ok, I’m ready.”

When I was gliding on zipline, it’s not as scary as I thought. Everything was moving so fast. The view of forest and river from above was so breathtaking that I wished the ride could last longer.

Then my zipline came to a halt and I proceeded to second zipline. The feeling during preparation was still like being on a gallow though, lol.

Pic: ready to zipline to back to other side.

Pic: photo of river and forest taken during the flight. Nice huh?

Pic: ending point of second zipline

The ziplining took last than a minute in total. I estimate the highest speed is around 35KM/Hour. It’s a blast and no regret (I want more actually..).

You may watch the 1-min video below to see what I experienced:

“If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never realize what you can become.”

High Ropes Challenges

For next activity after zipline, I purposely went for the most frightening one, the high ropes challenges, which is 10-16 Meters above ground. High rope is not for the weak-hearted, you may go for climbing or abseiling, if high rope is too much for you. In fact, I hesitated at first because it looks like something far exceeding my comfort zone. High Ropes consist of 6 challenges with varying degree of difficulty and require different balancing skills.

The first challenge is Spaghetti Walk. I needed to walk on a foot cable and used the hanging ropes to cross to other pole. During high rope challenges, participant is attached to an overhead cable with two carabiners so it is very secure.

I thought it was easy. After a few steps, the foot cable wobbled like mad and I had problem to balance. The guide shouted, “you have to keep moving, the longer you stop, the more it wobbles!” Oh dear, I already got nervous in first section.

The second challenge is Burma Bridge. This challenge is the easiest one. Probably I’m so used to suspension bridges of Sabah and both are similar.

Just keep calm and go on. Don’t think too much. All these activities aren’t challenges at all if done at floor level. However, when I was 16 Meters above the ground, my subconscious keeps telling my body that I was in danger, making every move so hard.

Then I proceeded to Swinging Steps, the third high rope challenge.

This section requires you to cross with series of swinging wood planks. Not too hard if you have long legs but a misstep won’t be fun.

Pic: you can almost read “Thanks God I Survive” on her face lol.

Ok, here comes the most challenging section, the Tension Traverse. It has two long ropes from both sides at an angle. I had to hold both ropes to balance and move to other side. It doesn’t even look possible.

Honestly, I was freak out. It’s hard to balance and my body kept leaning back and forth, and the foot cable wobbled. My heart raced, mouth turned dry and my legs shivered. I fought very hard to overcome my fear and to stay focus. I was kind of stuck in the middle and the ropes were heavy. Luckily there were pretty girls watching so I didn’t want to act like a wuss. I moved inch by inch, and completed this challenge without a fall.

Pic: this is how it looks when you try Tension Traverse, a nerve wracking experience that will definitely trigger your survival instinct, as if it’s a dead or alive matter. My advice? Don’t give up.

Postman’s Walk, the fifth challenge. You only have two cables to hang on.

The last challenge is Cargo Net, which looks like one of the obstacles in military training, but we do it high in the air. It’s quite tiring.

Next time I’ll appreciate more what those action figures do in the movie, to save the world, and whatever. To Watch and to Do are two different stories, but you only learn to handle fear by doing things.

Fees & Types of Activities

Zipline costs RM40 (≈US$11.50) per ride. Zipline Combo package costs RM100 (≈US$29), for one ziplining and one activity of your choice (High Ropes, Climbing or Abseil). You only pay RM180 (≈US$51) to try all 4 activities of Zipline Ultimate package. Please visit their website for updated pricing and follow their Facebook for latest promotion (10% to 50% off sometimes). Recommended age for children is 6 years and above.

Zip Borneo also conducts other outdoor activities such as white water rafting, biking and jungle trekking. Do bring sunblock lotion and insect repellent with you.

Pic: Adventure Centre of Zip Borneo in Kiulu. It is surrounded by beautiful forest and river.

Pic: Dining area. Toilet is behind this building.

They also provide BBQ lunch and return transportation for a fee.

Pic: located next to Kiulu River, this is also a nice place for camping (only available as part of activity program).

Pic: you also can enjoy a swim in the river after the activity, if you are not in a hurry to go home.

How to get there

Zip Borneo is located in Kiulu (see Location Map), about 41 Kilometers away from Kota Kinabalu City. When you approach Tamparuli Bridge, enter the road with brown signboard that says “Kiulu Water Rafting”.

Pic: junction to Zip Borneo

The road of Kiulu is paved road with two way lanes. The condition is ok but watch out for potholes, uneven surface and landslide.

Pic: you will see about 3 neon yellow Zip Borneo signs along the road

After about 7 KM of driving in Kiulu, you will see the last sign at a junction. Turn into it and drive 300 Meters on a cement road in a village and you will reach Zip Borneo.

If the weather is good, you would see Mt. Kinabalu on the way.

More Info & Contact

Operation Hours: Tue – Sun, 9am – 5pm
Phone: +60 13-8088075 or +60 88-269289
Fax: +60 88-258289
Email: fly@zipborneo.com
Website: www.zipborneo.com
Facebook: ZipBorneo

For more photos, you may check out the photo album:

Year 2014 is full of bad happening, but we also learn that we really need a lot of courage to pull through different hardships. Hope the challenges at Zip Borneo will take you to a new height. Happy New Year!

Photos taken in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Sport Climbing on Mt. Kinabalu, the Highest Mountain of Malaysia

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Every year more than 50,000 tourists climb Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain of Malaysia. Among the climbers are kids, ordinary adult and even old people. Mt. Kinabalu is so conquerable that I think “climbing” is an overstatement. To keep you away from trouble, the park has turned the summit route into something like a super long stairway that is easy to hike.

The majestic Mt. Kinabalu has over 30 peaks, a paradise for rock climbers who thirst for adventure. Isn’t it a “waste” to open the mountain for hiking only?

The good news is – Mountain TORQ sees the potential and starts Alpine Sport Climbing Course on Mt. Kinabalu in 2012. Alpine means the high altitude region above tree line (In Malaysia, only Mt. Kinabalu is high enough to have Alpine zone).

To experience true climbing, I joined their 4-day training two weeks ago. Fred is my trainer. He gave me an introduction and overview of sport climbing on day 1. He is professional, humble and humorous, so the class is kind of fun. When asked what if all safety measures failed, he replied, “Don’t worry. You will fall only ONCE.” So funny. 😀

I also learnt about various climbing gears such as protective helmet, harness and lanyard. In contrast to traditional rock climbing that we always watch in action movies, sport climbing prioritizes maximum safety so adrenaline junkies can enjoy extreme adventure under safe environment.

Rope management is a key part of the course. It is no easy task to run 50 Meters of rope between my fingers inch-by-inch, to detect the damage inside a rope. Sport climbers need a great deal of patience for preparation. I’m a slow learner so I practiced a lot of time making figure of 8 knot and rope coil.

We were supposed to practice rock climbing on day 2, but too bad it was a rainy day. Our climbing site became a valley of giant waterfalls. 🙁

The Climb

Luckily, the weather on day 3 was good. The morning was so cold that both of my ears were numb. We geared up and departed to our climbing site at 6:30am.

After 30 minutes, we came to the starting point. We then proceeded to our climbing site by Via Ferrata (or “iron road” in Italian). Via Ferrata is a protected mountain path comprising a series of rungs, rails and cables embracing the rock face. It’s not sport climbing but I’m excited to have a taste of the highest Via Ferrata in the world, a 2-in-1 climbing experience!

Climbing Via Ferrata doesn’t require special skill, all you need to do is just fasten your carabiners to the cable and move along with climbing aids such as iron pins, hand hooks and carved footholds.

Mt. Kinabalu is such a nice place for rock climbing because the peaks are free of snow and ice, and the temperature is cooling (about 10-25°C or 50-77°F during daytime), and of course the breath-taking view of landscape from the top.

Some sections are quite steep and slippery, but the support from Via Ferrata makes the climb a lot easier.

Pic: the cable bridge of Via Ferrata, a nightmare to height phobia but we love the feeling of hanging in the air.

Pic: taking a break and enjoy the scenery that is available to sport climbers only. The temperature was pleasing when the sun showed up.

After an hour, we arrived our rock climbing site and got ready to climb.

Pic: our climbing site is 3,773 Meters above sea level (below Donkey Ears Peak, see the yellow arrow), about 2 KM away from our accommodation.

Pic: the graph of four climbing routes for us to try, i.e. The Arete, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and The Forgotten, with different grade of difficulty.

After hearing enough talking and theory in the classroom, we were so eager to be on the field.

Pic: our Belayer. Belayer is the rope man who holds and controls the safety rope connected to climber. He will act upon the instructions of his climber, e.g. climbing, resting, lowering.

After pre-climb check and fastening the rope to your harness, you can ask the belayer, “Am I on Belay?” You can start climbing if he replies, “You are on belay, climb when ready.” He might not respond if you say, “Excuse me, can I climb?” LOL

Pic: the view of our “playground” from the bottom. Trust me, the climbing route is not as simple as it seems.

The climb involves vertical wall, crack, corners, overhangs, slabs, roofs, etc. Each route has its own set of challenges. It’s time to put our skill into test. Albeit the challenging climbs, it’s my happiest moment in the course.

To impress others, I tried to climb like a Spiderman, but I ended up crawling slowly like a frog. Part of The Ugly route was quite tricky and steep that I stuck a few time because I couldn’t find any hole or crevice to grip on, in order to move over the protruding boulders. The route is only 30 Meters but I was so tired and called for a rest once. You can’t grab the rope to move up, which defeats the purpose of rock climbing. You only can climb with hands and feet.

Pic: reaching the end of rope. Safe!

What I really like about the climb on Mt. Kinabalu is the coarse and hard rock face of its granite, which has no slippery soil and loose rocks. And climber is not exposed to extreme weather and natural disaster here.

Pic: abseiling was quite nerve wracking when I had to descend in an upright position to the rock.

“The best climber in the world is the one who’s having the most fun.” — Alex Lowe

To have the greatest fun, just have total faith in your gears and belayer. After all, we want to have some fun during the adventure, right?

I really love the climbing shoes, as it needs only a very small contact point at the tip, to keep climbers stay firmly on the rock. Spiderman probably got one of this.

The mountain turned foggy around noon, then followed by heavy rain. We had to stop climbing. The goal of sport climbing is for satisfaction and enjoyment. I think I have achieved it. And I respect Mt. Kinabalu even more.

More Photos

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Pendant Hut

During the course, sport climbers stays in Pendant Hut, which is 3,289-Meter above sea level and only 100 Meters away from Laban Rata (where ordinary tourists stay). To attend the training, your first challenge is to hike 6 KM to this hut on day 1 (normally take 4 to 6 hours).

Pic: Pendant Hut is one of the accommodations on Mt. Kinabalu

Pic: Pendant Hut and Mt. Kinabalu

Pic: lounge area of the hut. We play board games and have breakfast here. This turns into a classroom during training.

Pic: the view through the window is beautiful, as if our hut is above the cloud.

Pic: our room is basic and dormitory-style. Sleeping bag is provided.

There is no heater in the hut. I visited in the coldest and wettest month (4-6°C / 39-42°F), so I had to keep warm in 3 layers of clothing. In warmer months (around mid-year), the temperature here ranges from 12°C to 20°C (53-68°F) during daytime, which is not too bad.

Pic: Every day I need to use this steep staircase to “climb” to my bedroom, a good training, haha..

Pic: toilet & bathroom in basement, the coldest area of the hut.

The tap is never short of freezing cold water. The shower water is heated by solar power. You get hot water in sunny day. In cloudy or rainy day, it isn’t enough sunlight to power the heater, so at most you will get lukewarm water.

Btw, you will earn a certificate if you complete the course successfully. Besides climbing and practical tests, we need to pass a written test (sorry, no multiple choice), which is not hard as long as you pay attention during the course. Now I’m a “Certified” Beginner Sport Climber. ^_^ I’m quite keen to go for their Advanced Sport Climbing Course.

Be a Sport Climber

You may contact Mountain TORQ (see contact below) if you are interested in sport climbing. The minimum age of joining is 10 and you need to be reasonably fit (super fit does help but not necessary).

Company: Mountain Torq
Address: Unit 3-36, Asia City Complex, 3rd Floor, Jalan Asia City, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia (see location map).
Tel: +60 88 268 126
Office Hours: Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm (Time Zone: GMT +8)
Website: www.mountaintorq.com

Photos taken in Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mt. Silam with Sabah Crabs

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After enjoying the nice view of Darvel Bay on Tower of Heaven, I went to climb Mount Silam. With a height of 884 Meters, Mount Silam is one of the highest mountains in Lahad Datu. Plant and animal enthusiasts will find that a hike on Mt. Silam is filled with pleasure surprises, due to rich variety of unique and endemic flora and fauna here. Thanks to Sabah Forestry Department, who keeps this mountain pristine in its 698-Hectare Sapagaya fully protected forest reserve.

Pic: Mt. Silam and its Tower of Heaven (Menara Kayangan)

Mt. Silam is classified as an Ultramafic Coastal Mountain. In layman’s terms, the soil in Ultramafic environment is reddish brown in color and formed by ultrabasic rock. The soil has high concentration of heavy metals such as magnesium, iron, nickel, chromium and cobalt, but poor in plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The ultramafic substrates are “toxic” so the plants which can survive here are very different from other vegetations. That’s what makes Mt. Silam so special.

The Summit Trails

Climbing a 884-Meter mountain may sound taxing. But no worry, I started the climb at 620 Meter elevation (near the Tower of Heaven), so going up and down Mt. Silam took me less than 6 hours. Do bring raincoat, water and energy bars with you, as there is no shelter and water station along the way. Wear comfortable hiking shoes, and a trekking pole would help, though the climb is not tough.

Pic: the start of the summit trail is just behind the Tower of Heaven.

Pic: the trail signage. The dig-a-hole instruction makes me laugh. There is no toilet on the mountain.

As shown on the signage above, there are two trails to the summit, i.e. the easy but longer Kalung-Kalungan Trail (estimated 2.5 KM), and the shorter but difficult Kayangan Trail (estimated 1.5 KM). To get the most out of this climb, I did a “loop” climb by ascending via easy Kalung-Kalungan Trail and descending via Kayangan Trail.

The Kalung-Kalungan Trail is fairly easy and I spend most of the time walking. Kayangan Trail is steep and narrow, a bit challenging and it is quite slippery after rain, you need to climb and get dirty, so I only recommend Kayangan Trail to experienced hikers.

Pic: the paved walkway and lower montane forest (cloud forest) at the start of summit trail.

My climb starts at the lower montane forest zone (altitude: 540M – 770M asl), the trees here have relatively shorter and thinner stature than lowland forest. They get even smaller (but denser) when you move up to higher altitude.

Silam Crabs

If you pay attention to the forest floor near the tower, you will see some cute and orange-red Silam crabs foraging among leaf litters. This land crab is endemic to Sabah and only confined to ultramafic forest of Mt. Silam. Personally I call it the “Ruby of Mt. Silam” or you can call it the Sabahan Crab, haha, whatever.

Pic: Silam Crab (Species: Geosesarma aurantium)

Silam Crab can be found up to the peak of Mt. Silam. Isn’t it weird to see seafood living on mountain? The red-orange shell (carapace) of this crab also reminds me of the color of steamed crab served on dish. Most of them are shy and flee to crevices before I can photograph them. A few are bold to face my lens. When threatened, they tap the ground with legs, making sound to warn the invaders.

Pic: boardwalk under construction, watch your steps.

Mt. Silam is open to public in year 2012 so it is still new. Sabah Forestry Department is busy improving the amenities and accommodation.

After 100 Meters of paved walkway and boardwalk, I came to the nature trail, no more man-made structure and support after this point. The air is as cooling as air-cond and I was wearing a thin T-shirt, but I still sweated a lot due to the long hike. The trail is well-maintained and the route is clear, so you won’t lose in the jungle, even without the trail markers. There was no forest leech during my visit. Though the trail is not tourist-friendly, most people won’t find it too hard to hike Kalung-Kalungan trail.

The Animals

Besides Silam Crab, there are some wildlife living in Mt. Silam. However, most of them are small animals.

There are 23 mammal species such as Sambar Deer, Banteng (Wild Ox), Giant Flying Fox, Slow Loris and Bornean Gibbon on Mt. Silam. Bearded pig (wild boar) is the easiest one to spot as they seem to eat day and night. I saw a few groups of macaques on the trees too.

Pic: forest snail that looks like a trumpet

Pic: giant millipede

If you like birdwatching, there is a mix of lowland, sub-montane and coastal birds in this area. A few noteworthy birds are Black-backed Kingfisher, Rufous Piculet, Chestnut-crested Yuhina and Red-bearded Bee Eater. I saw Emerald Dove, Leaf Warbler and Blyth’s Hawk Eagle.

Pic: Black and yellow Broadbill

“Hi!” from a curious warbler.

Pic: Tiger Beetle that looks like an ant

Tiger Beetle is the Olympian runner of insect world. If human is as fast as a Tiger Beetle, he can run at 770 KM per hour, meaning he can run from LA and reach New York within 6 hours on feet.

Pic: an unknown spider

The Plant

The plant biodiversity of Mt. Silam is amazing, as there are 374 tree species in four main forest types on different altitudes of this small mountain, each has its unique characteristics:

200M – 300M: Lowland ultramafic forest
330M – 540M: Upland ultramafic forest
540M – 770M: Lower montane ultramafic forest
770M+: Upper montana ultramafic forest (Mossy Forest)

Keep your eyes on the grass, flowers, bamboo, trees, etc., they can be endemic plant of Sabah and Borneo.

Pic: strange leaves

Pic: (left) Poisonous berries of Flax Lily, (right) Bangkau-Bangkau, the Enigmatic Bornean Tree endemic to Sabah.

Orchids

Orchids are everywhere, especially around the ridge area at 800M and above. Many orchids here are epiphytic, which means they live on trees that provide them support and more sunlight on higher spot.

They grow on the tree, mossy carpet, slope… Too bad I didn’t visit during the blooming months of orchid, which usually occurs in Feb and Mar after rainy season. Anyway, a few were generous to give us a showtime.

Pic: this orchid grows high on top.

Unlike the flamboyant big commercial orchids, native orchids are generally very small and not easy to spot.

Pic: this heart-shaped Jewel Orchid (Species: Corybas serpentinus) is only found in Sabah and the one I want to see the most, but sadly no blooming.. So I only can show its photo from poster. Another tiny orchid that I want to see is Porpax borneensis, which is also endemic to Sabah.

Pitcher Plants

Pitcher plant is abundant on Mt. Silam, you have to be blind to miss it. Some species such as Nepenthes reinwardtiana, Nepenthes tentaculata, Nepenthes macrovulgaris and Nepenthes stenophylla are endemic to Sabah or Borneo.

Pic: pitcher plant in the garden near the Tower of Heaven.

Pic: The top of Mt. Silam is blanketed by this small Nepenthes tentaculata, the most common montane species in Borneo. Note the hairs on its lid.

Pic: the upper pitcher of Nepenthes macrovulgaris (endemic to Sabah)

Pic: the lower pitcher of Nepenthes macrovulgaris in red color

Pic: just to show you how big is the pitcher plant on Mt. Silam.

Pic: some frog species live and grow inside the pitcher plant. Scientists still try to find out why.

Upper Montane Forest (Mossy Forest)

Mossy forest is normally found from 2,000M up to 2,700M above sea level, but you can find Mossy Forest after 770M elevation on Mt. Silam. Mt. Silam is experiencing Massenerhebung effect, a natural phenomenon that different vegetation zonation “compressed” on a small and isolated mountain.

Pic: the mossy forest of Mt. Silam on higher altitude.

The Mossy Forest is characterized by small pole trees and mossy ground. Cushion moss is important for the water balance of ecosystems in the forests by storing large amounts of water. Such wet environment is important for orchids.

Pic: Vivian, our guide standing next to the the trees full of epiphytes.

The ground, tree trunks and branches of Mossy Forest are covered by thick humus layer and enveloped with mosses.

Pic: a mossy stick insect blends into the mossy environment perfectly.

Pic: walking on the ridge near the summit. You can see the exposed reddish-brown ultrabaisc soil. The fern in the photo is Dicranopteris curranii (local name: paku resam), the most abundant fern species, it is ecologically important for moderating harsh surface temperature environment.

For more reading on natural wonders of Mount Silam, you may download the pamphlet below (published by Sabah Forestry Department):

Personally, for hikers in Sabah’s East Coast, I think Mount Silam is the best mountain for an enjoyable half-day climb, because it is easy and rich in flora and fauna. For more info (accommodation, direction, etc.) about Mt. Silam, you may read my earlier post about Tower of Heaven.

Photos taken in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Treasure Hunt on Skull Hill (Bukit Tengkorak) of Sabah

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Semporna town is Sabah’s gateway to world-class dive sites such as Sipadan. Every year ten of thousand of tourists come to Semporna, but most head straight to the islands and never visit Bukit Tengkorak (literally means Skull Hill), without knowing that they miss an attraction which is an ancient volcanic rim and the largest pottery making site in Southeast Asia during the Neolithic period. From its top, you also can enjoy a breathtaking view of Semporna and its islands.

Pic: you can see Bukit Tengkorak from Semporna town

Pic: archaeological museum (left) and coconut stall (right) at the entrance of Bukit Tengkorak

Bukit Tengkorak is only about 10 Kilometres away from Semporna town and the tour takes less than 2 hours, so I can’t find any reason not to drop by. The archaeological museum is a gallery with prehistoric artefacts. The entry is free. For a better experience, you would need a tour guide who can tell you the interesting features of this place.

The admission is free, but you need to register before entering the archaeological heritage site.

Pic: this is the wooden staircase to reach the top of 500-feet-high Bukit Tengkorak, where the excavation site is located. According to my tour guide, Kenneth, it is exactly 610 steps one way. Sound taxing but I went slow and didn’t feel really tired. There are some hungry mosquitoes around foothill, so please bring your insect repellent.

As you will walk under hot sun, you may apply sunblock lotion in advance. Bring some water with you, and raincoat, just in case. There are 4 shelters along the way, where you can rest and enjoy the beautiful view.

In the shelter, you may read the interpretation board (written in English and Malay) about the history of Bukit Tengkorak.

Bukit Tengkorak is one of the largest pottery making sites in Southeast Asia during the Neolithic period (about 3,000 years ago, between 4340 BC and 50 BC). Not only that, research also shows that people traveling between Borneo and New Britain in Melanesia (near Papua New Guinea), which was one of the longest trade routes (3,500 KM) in the world during that period. Archaeologists believe such long-distance sea trade and migration route left behind what is known as the Lapita culture of pottery, tools and ornaments. The old pottery manufacturing technology is still being used by the Bajau community in Semporna today.

Pic: before reaching the highest point, you already can see Semporna town. Seafest Hotel is clearly visible. Human has existed in Semporna since Paleolithic Period (about 10,000 years ago).

Pic: due to the volcanic soil, the vegetation on this hill is different from other parts of Sabah.

Pic: granite embedded in volcanic rock, an interesting geological trait on this hill.

You will find many pottery sherds along the way. It is estimated that more than 6 million prehistoric potsherds can be found all over this hill. Researchers also find large number of seashells covering Skull Hill. Some says they are washed up to the hill by super Tsunami, some says these are leftover discarded by ancestors.

Pic: the third shelter with open and wide view

The third shelter has an observatory platform, where you can have a panoramic view of Semporna and its surrounding area. In clear day, you can see Mabul Island.

You may watch the 1-min video below for the nice view:

Pic: The “Sleeping Old Man” islands, which is officially known as Semporna Islands Park or Tun Sakaran Marine Park, the largest marine park of Malaysia so far. It is a remnant of a huge volcanic explosion about 5 million years ago.

Pic: a huge limestone boulder next to shelter. I could sense that “something” was watching us.

Pic: we were moving toward the top. The last half of the hike is under the tree shade, so it is not too bad.

Finally, we were welcome by a congratulatory signboard on the top. Now we are 500 feet (152 Metres) above sea level. It takes only 30 minutes for anyone reasonably fit to get up here. FYI, there is no restaurant and toilet on the hill top.

I’m curious why ancestors want to live so high up on the hill. Some says high ground is more secure and this foothill has large clay deposit for making pottery.

Archaeological Heritage Site

Bukit Tengkorak is an important archaeological site in Southeast Asia because artefacts discovered here supports new hypothesis on ancient human migration.

Pic: Historians unearthed thousands of prehistoric pottery with various types of decorations in layers of ash here. This cave was probably a remnant of open kiln for firing pottery.

Pic: the excavation in year 2008

Pic: the items found on Bukit Tengkorak. I snapped these pictures on info board. They say the best pieces were transferred to Sabah Museum.

Pic: fragments of decorated pottery made using fingernails, shells and wood materials.

Besides hundreds of thousands of pieces of prehistoric pottery decorated with intricate patterns, another unique discovery from this hill is stone tools made of chert, agate and obsidian. Food remains comprising animal and fish bones and shellfish are also found.

Ancient Volcanic Rim

Ok, let’s close the boring history textbook and let me show you the opposite side of this hill. Now, open the geography textbook LOL.

Bukit Tengkorak is actually part of the exposed rim of an ancient volcanic crater about 2 KM in diameter. The rock formation at Bukit Tengkorak consists of volcanic breccia, mostly andesitic rocks, and is believed to be the remnants of past volcanic eruptions which occurred during the Pliocene Period (5.3 to 1.8 million years ago).

Pic: Kenneth showed us a totally different world behind the hill

Pic: the last shelter

As Bukit Tengkorak is not a popular destination, there were only 9,000 visitors in year 2010. Anyway, because of its nice scenery (and quietness), Bukit Tengkorak has become a hot dating spot of local couples. Our visit may have interrupted a lot of intimate interactions there. Just kidding.

This forested hill is covered by grassland and surrounded by numerous isolated hills and mountains. I really love the green view (though the oil palm plantation spoils the view a bit).

I’ve travelled in most part of Sabah, but this place is so different. Though I didn’t find any treasure, the picturesque scenes are for me to keep in memory forever.

See the ridge dotted by dark boulders at a distance? It is the rim of a huge ancient volcano.

The dark boulders are volcanic rocks which are formed million years ago.

Pic: close-up of a volcanic rock

Pic: the huge boulder reminds me of Ayers Rock in Australia

I think geologists would be very interested in Bukit Tengkorak, as they can find volcanic rock, limestone, sandstone and granite in this hill.

Archaeological Museum of Bukit Tengkorak

For scuba divers who have enough of Nemo and corals deep underwater at islands of Semporna, a visit to Bukit Tengkorak is a great way to see Semporna high on a hill during long wait of preflight surface interval. For bird watchers, you have a good chance to spot Hooded Pitta.

How to Get There

Bukit Tengkorak is located at Jalan Tampi-Tampi (Tampi-Tampi Road), only 10 minutes drive away from Semporna town. When you approach SMK Agama Tun Sakaran school, look for the wooden arch next to the road. Just turn to that junction and you will reach the site in a few minutes (See location map).

Opening Hours: 9.00 am – 5.00 pm daily
Correspondence Address: Bukit Tengkorak Archaeological Site, C/O Muzium Wilayah Pantai Timur, 2nd Floor, Wisma Warisan, 90000 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: (+60) 089–222679
Contact Person: Mr. Juanis Ogak (East Coast Museum Curator)
Email: Juanis.Ogak@sabah.gov.my, Muzium.Sabah@sabah.gov.my

More Photos

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Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Top 10 Adventures of Sabah

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Ssshhhh…. below is the list of Top 10 Adventures in Sabah, don’t tell your mom you will do it. Anyway, you can call yourself a true man if you are able to complete all these hardcore activities. 🙂

Sabah is really a land of Borneo adventures. Adventurers can choose to ~~die~~ explore in our ancient rainforest, high mountains, deep ocean, biodiversified wetlands, etc. :-p

Vote or Recommend your Favorite Adventures

Your vote and comment will perfect the list, so please feel free to contribute to this open list.

[listly id=”2AB” layout=”full”]

You are welcome to add new item to this list too. However, please allow me to remove item that is irrelevant or unfit for this category. Thank You~

Other Sabah’s Top 10

Hiking to Bukit Gundul (Bukit Botak), the Bald Hill

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If you are on the way to Sepangar, you would notice a beautiful green hill with “bald” top. That’s why the locals call it “Bukit Gundul” (or Bukit Botak), which means Bald Hill. As Gundul Hill is so different from other surrounding hills with lush trees, I joined a hiking trip to explore it last month.

Above: view of Gundul Hill from the road

There are two starting points to climb Gundul Hill, one from UiTM campus, another from a construction site, the one that we used. Since both points are inside private land, you need to ask for permission from owner to enter. The hill is a state land (owned by government).

Above: the starting point of our climb from a construction site. You can see our cars parked very far below.

There are very few shades along the trail so we started our hiking at 7:30 early in the morning, before the scorching sun rising high.

At first we walked 15 minutes in a wood at the foothill. Watch your steps as snake might be lurking around here. No, there is no forest leech.

Very soon we walked out of the wood and exposed to hash sunlight. It’s a good idea to bring an umbrella with you. At least put on your sun block.

The hiking trail is mild in steepness. The length of trail is about 1.5 Kilometers and takes less than an hour. It is not challenging but can be tiring. The main problem is the heat. Do bring 1 Litre of water with you to fight the dehydration.

Beware of sun stroke too. We take a rest whenever we find a shade to cool off our bodies. Despite the hot day, breeze is here to comfort.

We already can see the sea of Sepangar Bay and UMS mosque from the slope. The grass land looks like flat area. In fact, the elephant grass is as tall as our chest. Nobody can explain why there are so few trees on Gundul Hill. We saw pitcher plant, which grows on soil with poor nutrients. May be that’s why.

The view near the top is one of my favorite. It looks like a meeting point of blue sky and green hill, lovely.. Such scene is so unlike Sabah.

The last 500-Meter path is on a double-humped knoll.

Above: see the little bamboo tree in front? That’s the highest point of Gundul Hill.

Above: turn around I can see the Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain of Malaysia.

Bukit Gundul really lives up to its name (Bald Hill). There is no tree except a small bamboo tree on top of hill. All of us try to squeeze into the little shade offered by that small bamboo tree.

The view from the top of Gundul Hill is impressive! The hill is surrounded by forest, hills, sea, lake, mangrove and housing areas. We can see the port and navy base of Sepangar Bay. The height of Bukit Gundul is only 200 Meters, quite a small effort to get such a beautiful view.

To mark our “conquer” of Gundul Hill, we installed Sabah & Malaysia flags and plaque on the hill.

After a few rounds of group photo taking, we left Gundul Hill at 10am. Bukit Gundul is really a good place for a short hike. It is only known among a small group of local hikers. However, no travel agent offers tour package to climb this hill, so you have to organize the trip yourself.

You may watch the 40-sec video below to see the surrounding of Gundul Hill. You will see Malaysia Tourism Minister checked us out in a helicopter too:

More Photos

You may check out my photo album if you want to see more nice pictures:

Photos taken in Sepangar, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mt. Tambuyukon (part 5 of 5), the 4th highest mountain of Malaysia

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Continued from Part 4…

(You may start reading from Part 1)

This article tells you how to organize a climbing trip to Mt. Tambuyukon. You may skip this if you don’t plan to climb the mountain. Please note that planning and preparation for Mt. Tambuyukon trip is tedious and time-consuming. If you have little spare time, getting a tour operator to arrange everything is a good option, but the cost will double or even triple.

Planning & Preparation for the Climb

Step 1. Gather the Climbers

First, you need to decide the number of climbers and the climbing date. Prepare a name list (with Full Name, MyKad/Passport No. and Phone contact) and confirm a date with all the climbers. Usually May to July are dry months and best time to climb. However, the global climate has gone haywire, for example, the La Nina or El Nino phenomenon would change weather pattern. Nobody can predict the weather, so you better be prepared for the worst. But try to avoid Dec and Jan, which are the wettest months.

Normally, you need 5-day-4-night to complete the climb. For experienced and fit climbers, 4-day-3-night is possible. If you are unsure, just plan for a 5-day climb.

Step 2. Book the Date with Sabah Parks

You need to book the climb with Sabah Parks at least 1 month in advance. All the paperwork and registration are done with Sabah Parks office in Kinabalu Park (Tel: +60 88-889888). Later, you will still need to communicate with Sabah Parks back and forth on various arrangement, more on this later.

Under Sabah Parks policy, only a maximum of 9 climbers (exclude Sabah Park rangers and porters) are permitted in one trip. Inform Sabah Parks your climbing date and submit your name list. They will mark the date for you if no other group climbing.

Step 3. Plan the Itinerary

Once the climbing date is confirmed, you may plan your itinerary.

Below is the summit trail map of Mt. Tambuyukon. Click it for bigger picture:

Below is a standard 5-day schedule (for reference only. You may adjust it):

Day 1
6:00am	Depart from Kota Kinabalu to Kinabalu Park
8:00am	Register at Kinabalu Park. Fill up climber & Indemnity forms. Pay for climb permit & insurance. Collect climber tags.
9:00am	Transfer into 4WD to Monggis Substation
10:30am	Register at Monggis Substation. Meet porters & Briefing by guide.
11:00am	Start trekking to Wuluh Camp (KM6)
4:00pm	Arrive Wuluh Campsite for camping overnight
Day 2
7:00am	Breakfast
8:00am	Trekking 4.8KM to Musang Camp (KM10.8) for camping overnight
3:00pm	Arrive Musang Campsite
Day 3
3:30am	Breakfast
4:00am	Trek up to summit of Mt. Tambuyukon
10:00am	Reach the Summit (KM14)
5:00pm	Back to Musang Campsite for dinner & overnight
Day 4
7:30am	Breakfast
8:30am	Descend 13 KM (via old trail) to Monggis sub station. Overnight in Monggis Sub Station
Day 5
8:00am	Breakfast
9:00am	4WD transfer back to Kota Kinabalu
1:00pm	Arrive KK

Below is a 4-day itinerary (for very tough climbers only):

Day 1

Depart to Kinabalu Park

Go to Monggis substation by 4WD

Overnight in Monggis

Day 2

8am: Breakfast

Start climbing to Musang Camp (13KM old trail recommended)

Overnight in Musang Camp

Day 3

Breakfast

Climb to the Summit (KM14)

Back to Musang Camp for overnight

Day 4

Breakfast

Back to Monggis via 13KM old trail

Go to Ranau (by 4WD)

Back to Kota Kinabalu

Of course there are other variations of itinerary, depends on your needs.

Step 4. Working out the Budget

This part is not easy… You only know the exact amount spent after the trip.

Mandatory Expenses

Climb Permit: RM100 for Malaysian, RM200 for foreigner
4-Wheel-Drive (4WD) Transport (Ranau-Monggis Substation return trip): RM400-500 per car
Sabah Parks Ranger Guide Fee: RM70/day (Policy: 1 ranger is required for every 3 climbers)
Conservation Levy: RM3 for Malaysian, RM10 for foreigner
Insurance: RM7 per day (you must insure the porters & rangers too)
Camping Fee: RM10 per pax
Food: estimated RM20/day per pax

Optional Expenses

Tour Guide: RM100-150 per day. Besides guiding, they can cook & setup camp for you.
Porter: RM70/day (carry up to 20Kg)
Cooking service: extra charge if you also want tour guide to cook for you
Accommodation (Monggis Substation): RM10/pax per night (not so sure the rate)
Use of cooking facilities (e.g. gas) in Monggis Substation: RM50
Certificate: RM5

Misc. Expenses

Individual / group may purchase the items below:

Camping tent
Portable cooking stove & utensils
Cooking gas cylinder, RM5 each (for portable cooking stove)
Personal medication (e.g pain-killer, anti-septic cream) & 1st Aid Kit (for minor cut & injury)
Insect repellent, mosquito coils (anti-sandfly)

For example, there are 3 Malaysian climbers who would like to hire one 4WD and two porters for a 5-day trip. The budget will look like table below (all fees in Malaysian Ringgit (RM), USD1 = RM3.3):

Item	Price	Qty.	Total (RM)
Climber Permit*	100	3	300
4WD Transport	500	1	500
Sabah Parks guide fee (RM70 x 4 day)	280	1	280
Camping Fee	10	3	30
Conservation Levy*	3	3	9
Porter (RM70 x 4 day)	280	2	560
Insurance (RM7 x 4 days x 6 pax)	28	6	168
Food (RM20 x 5 day)	100	3	300
Accommodation (Monggis)	10	3	30
Certificate	5	3	15
GRAND TOTAL:			2,192

*Malaysian rate

So the basic fee is about RM731 (=RM2,192/3 pax) per climber. Please note that optional, individual and misc expenses are not included in this calculation, so the final cost will be more than this.

Step 5. Physical Training

Very Important! Ask your climbers to start physical training. Climbing Mt. Tambuyukon is a few times harder than Mt. Kinabalu, and it is no joking matter. Climbers who never exercise regularly is almost guaranteed failure. You just can’t hide your weakness from Mt. Tambuyukon. The climber must jog at least 15KM per week for consecutive 3 months, the more the merrier. The more pain you get in training, the more relaxing your climb will be. The most suitable training track is the hilly trail. Do exercise the muscles of arm and waist, because the extra strength will help you a lot on carrying bag and free climbing.

For elder climbers, you may advise them to take glucosamine daily supplement before the climb. That can help preventing serious knee pain after climb.

Step 6. Briefing & Discussion with Climbers

Have at least one meeting with all the climbers and do the following:

Briefing: Tell them what they should prepare (see “Things to Bring” below) and what to expect (better if you can show them my blog about Mt. Tambuyukon, haha).
Give them a copy of the itinerary and trail map.
You may start collecting money from all climbers, so you can start purchasing food & supplies for the group, also as a non-refundable “deposit” to avoid inconsiderate people withdraw in last minute.
Get the mobile phone number of everyone to keep in touch.
Assign one or more members to help you on food preparation.

Step 7. Booking Porters & 4WD Transport

Though it’s possible to carry the bags and supplies yourselves during the climb, hiring porters will greatly reduce your burden and the climbers will have better chance of reaching the summit. During emergency situation, porters will be the extra hands that save life. Besides your personal backpack, do not forget you also need someone to carry your camping tents, food & supplies, portable cooking stove, cooking utensils, etc.

You can contact Kinabalu Park to arrange for the porters and 4WD transport. Each porter can carry up to 20Kg of stuffs. Just call Kinabalu Park about 1 week before the climb and tell them how many porters you need. Most of them are villagers from Monggis Village near to the Substation. Usually they will wait for your group at Monggis Substation.

Step 8. Guidelines for Food

You may start buying food 1 or 2 weeks before the climb. Below are some tips:

Light & dry food is preferred: e.g. noodle, creamy soup pack, dry vegetables, cabbage, cucumber, onion, dried anchovy fishes (ikan bilis), salted fishes, dried shrimps, salt, pepper, sugar, instant oat meal, sausage, dried meat, chocolate bars, 3-in-1 drink (Tea/Coffee/Milo)
Our warm and humid climate causes food to spoil quickly and you can get food poisoning. Avoid bringing “wet” food (e.g. fresh meat & fish), which is prone to growth of bacteria.
Avoid food that needs a long time to cook coz it will consume more cooking gas.
You don’t need to prepare food for porters and rangers.
Instant noodle is a poor choice for breakfast (before the climb) coz the excessive salt dehydrates you. Personally I highly recommend Oat meal coz it releases energy for many hours. You may mix oat meal with sugar & milk powder to make it tastes better.
Avoid heavy or canned food. You also can’t dump the empty can in the camp. No, you can’t bury them.
You may bring frozen meat so you can have meat in day 1.
Remove food packing to reduce weight & size.
Every day the climb starts from morning and ends at evening, so you can’t stop to cook lunch. You need to prepare packed lunch in the morning.
Ration, organize, pack and label the food nicely in plastic bags (prevent getting wet).
Store all the food in a proper backpack for porter to carry.
Hang the food on air to prevent rats and civets having a buffet.
Prepare food menu list so you knows what to cook each day. It is taxing if you only start sorting out what to cook, after a long tiring climb.
You can refill water at the rivers / streams (KM5, KM6, KM8 & KM10.8), but bring a few bottles just in case.
Bring a few garbage bags for disposal of leftover food.
Please find out if anyone has any food preference (allergy, vegetarian and religion).
Control the weight of your food. Don’t bring tons of food!

Step 9. Final Check

To make sure everything is in place, you should do the following a few days before your climb:

Pack and weight your food to check if you have hired enough porters to carry it.
Remind Kinabalu Park again on the climbing date and number of porters you need.
Sabah Parks may send their Ranger from Poring. Confirm with them if the ranger will wait for you at Poring or Monggis.
Confirm with 4WD driver on the pick-up date & time.
Send a friendly reminder to all the climbers (e.g. date of departure & gathering time).

Things to Bring

MyKad/Passport: required for registration at Kinabalu Park
Camping tent
Sleeping bag (the temperature can drop to 10°C at night)
Floor mat / ground sheet
Clothing (jean, shirt, underwear, fleece/jacket, pant, socks)
Leech Socks
Raincoat / Poncho
Lunch box, spoon & cup
Backpack (with rain cover)
Toiletries (e.g. toilet paper, tooth brush & paste, soap)
LED Head Lamp & extra batteries
Camera & spare batteries
Water bottle
Personal medicines (e.g. allergy, pain killer)
Cash
Walking stick: some swears by it
Optional: energy bars, hand glove, pen & notepad, lighter, camping light

Tips & Advices

Keep your backpack light. I repeat, keep it LIGHT!
The temperature of Mt. Tambuyukon ranges from 6°C – 30°C (43°F – 86°F). of course, the higher the altitude, the colder. It’s quite windy near the summit.
If you hire a porter to carry your bag. Don’t let him carry everything. He might be very far ahead. Bring raincoat and water with you in a small bag.
If you plan to overnight in Monggis Substation in last day, you may leave a set of clean clothing (and some food) in their storeroom. Pointless to bring unused stuffs up and down the mountain.
Don’t bring too many clothing. Keep 1 set of clean clothing for bedtime
One of the best shoes for trekking in wet tropical forest trail is “Adidas Kampung” rubber shoes, available locally for RM6–7 a pair only and water-proof.
Hygiene: wash your hands before meal and try to drink only boiled water.
Drinking unboiled river water is quite unavoidable. Prepare some water purification tablets to sterilize river water. Available in outdoor shops.
Trim your fingernail & toenail before the climb.

Potential Problems / Dangers

Below are a list of issues you should prepare to prevent/rectify:

Diarrhea: use handwash sanitizer for cleaning before meal. Bring medicines just in case.
Leech Bites: wear leech socks
Wasp / Bee / Hornet: bring medicines if any climber allergy to bee stung
Deer Fly / Sandfly: apply insect repellent with DEET formula or burn mosquito coils
Thorny rattan & poisonous plant along the trail: look before you grab anything for support
Snake: just watch out under the rocks / log
Dehydration: bring enough water. Rehydration salt is useful.
Fall / Slip: be extra careful at slippery or steep trail
Sprained ankle: watch your steps
Blister & small cut: use anti-septic cream
Losing way: stick with the group
Falling tree branches: pray!

Tour Packages

Now you can see that it’s a lot of work and preparation. If you don’t want to do the tedious planning, you may hire TYK Adventure Tours (Tel: (6088) 232821, 238702 Email: tykadto@gmail.com) to arrange everything for you, from transport, meals, registration, porters, guides to camping tents. Of course it’ll be more costly.

More Photos

You may check out the photo album of Mt. Tambuyukon trip for more nice pictures:

References

Mandalam, Ravi, “Mount Tambuyukon – Sabah’s Mystery Mountain”, Sabah Society Journal, 2002, Vol. 19, 65-77
Clarke, Charles M., “The Nepenthes of Mount Tambuyukon, Kinabalu Park”, Sabah Parks Nature Journal, Jan 1998, Vol.1, ISSN 1511-1121

All Articles:

Part 1: Day 1. From Starting Point to KM5
Part 2: Day 2. From KM5 to Musang Camp (KM10.8)
Part 3: Day 3. To the Summit!
Part 4: Day 4 & 5. Going Home
Part 5: Planning & Preparation (this article)

Related Posts:

Mt. Kinabalu (highest mountain in Malaysia)
Mt. Trus Madi (second highest in Malaysia)

Photos taken in Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mt. Tambuyukon (part 4 of 5), the 4th highest mountain of Malaysia

8 Replies

Continued from Part 3…

(You may start reading from Part 1)

After spending 3 days of camping inside the forest, we go back to Monggis Substation (starting point of the climb) today. Please refer to trail map for the location.

DAY 4. Back to Starting Point

Descending to Monggis Substation

We are going home. When we worried that we needed to go through the same dreadful 10KM undulating trail again, Maik said we would use the old 13KM trail (some says 15KM), which is longer but mostly flat and descending route. We packed our stuffs and left Musang Campsite at 7:30am.

Maik was right, the walk on old trail is a heaven compared to previous 3 days. We only climbed over a few mildly steep slopes and hardly called these a challenge.

In contrast to the dim new trail, there are more sunlight came in from the open canopy.

You may watch the 2.5-min video below to see the jungle trekking via old trail:

Track marks and footprints of wild boars and deers are found along the way. I could hear hornbills flied over the canopy too.

Above: hole dug by wild boar

Camp 1

By 11:30am, we arrived Camp 1 (altitude 578M), a large flat ground that can accommodate 6 camping tents and under a canopy of tall oak trees. There is a stream nearby for refilling our water. We had some fried rice as lunch there, rest a while then moving again.

Above: Camp 1 on old trail

Not a single signage is found along this 13KM old trail, so we had no idea how far we went. After Camp 1, the trail is narrower and nearly unrecognizable. The old trail is poorly maintained and flanked by dense undergrowth. During rainy season, the climbers will harvest dozens of leeches while walking and brushing through the dense shrubs. On the way, we saw a wild Agarwood (gaharu) has been cut and left to dry by thief. Gaharu is a highly precious fragrant wood, which can fetch for RM5,000 per Kg.

Above: Agarwood cut down by thief

By 2:30pm, we reached the Kinabalu Park boundary which means we are only 2-hour away from Monggis Substation.

Above: Boundary of Kinabalu Park

After this point, we were walking on private land and passed through rubber plantation, farm land and orchards. The trail is inside private land and not maintained at all. We trekked inside bushes and occasionally moved around the fallen trees that blocked our way. All of us made it to Monggis Substation around 4:30pm, right before the pouring heavy rain.

Above: heavy rain coming

Overnight in Monggis Substation

Most of us have been wearing the same trekking outfit since day 1 and didn’t take shower, so everyone smells funny. We took a shower in Monggis Substation and put on clean clothing.

We are also glad that we can sit on a proper chair to rest our exhausted legs and bodies. After I settled the payment for porters and guides, I submitted the name list of climbers to Justin, manager of substation, for printing of certificates.

You may watch the 40-sec video below to see Monggis Substation:

Monggis Substation is a two-storey administration building and accommodation of Sabah Parks. In ground floor, there is a bathroom, toilet, park office, kitchen, living room (with TV) and a bedroom.

Above: standard room with bunk beds

In first floor, there is a living room (with TV), 3 bedrooms with bunk beds and one VIP room with two beds. Electricity is only available from 6pm to 11pm and powered by generator. The accommodation can accommodate up to 20 visitors for a small fee. My room has a ceiling fan, wardrobe and bunk beds come with pillow. To us, this is a 5-star accommodation compared to camping. By the way, you better close the windows, otherwise your room will be full with hundreds of insects attracted by the room light.

Above: VIP room of Monggis Substation

No, there is no restaurant here and neighborhood, so you need to prepare your own meals. The kitchen in substation is quite well-equipped, common items such as refrigerator, cooking stove, gas, cooking utensils, dining table and tableware are available. Visitor is required to pay a fee of RM50 for using the gas and cooking facilities. We had rice, chicken, curry, sardine and mixed vegetables as dinner, reminisced about our experience, then crawled to our beds.

Above: kitchen

DAY 5. Going Home

Back to Kota Kinabalu

Last day is a happy day for everyone. Climbers are happy that they will be back to civilization soon; guides and porters are happy to receive their tips. After a few rounds of photo sessions, we say good bye to Monggis and Mt. Tambuyukon. Despite the muddy road caused by heavy rain last night, it was a smooth ride to head back home.

Bye bye Mt. Tambuyukon!!!

Above: Exhausted climbers. Better not showing their faces or I’ll be skinned alive. :p

Mt. Tambuyukon Vs. Mt. Kinabalu

Many ask me, “Mt. Kinabalu and Mt. Tambuyukon, which one is harder to climb?”
I can tell you, though Mt. Tambuyukon is about half the height of Mt. Kinabalu, it’s 3 times harder (multiply 2 if the weather is bad) to climb. IMHO, “Mt. Kinabalu is for kids, Mt. Tambuyukon is for men.” After the climb, whenever I see online travelogue that says climbing Mt. Kinabalu is “extremely challenging”, I laugh my ass off. One advice – do not try Mt. Tambuyukon if you think climbing Mt. Kinabalu is hard!

You may watch the 5-min video below to see our climb from the start to the summit:

In contrast to Mt. Kinabalu, Mt. Tambuyukon is a forested mountain. The climbing route is pure nature trail, full of leeches and no boardwalk, rope, hand rail and other support. In our team, one member stung by wasp, two got swollen finger/arm caused by poisonous plant, one suffered altitude sickness, and one got sore knees. Overall, it’s impossible to came back from Mt. Tambuyukon without any cut, wound, bruise, pain and leech / sandfly bites on our bodies.

Above: Now I have climbing certificates of Malaysia’s top 3 mountains. From left to right: Mt. Kinabalu, Mt. Trus Madi & Mt. Tambuyukon.

Click Here to read Next article…

More Photos

You may check out the photo album of Mt. Tambuyukon trip for more nice pictures:

All Articles:

Part 1: Day 1. From Starting Point to KM5
Part 2: Day 2. From KM5 to Musang Camp (KM10.8)
Part 3: Day 3. To the Summit!
Part 4: Day 4 & 5. Going Home (this article)
Part 5: Planning & Preparation

Related Posts:

Mt. Kinabalu (highest mountain in Malaysia)
Mt. Trus Madi (second highest in Malaysia)

Photos taken in Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo