Things to do in Kinabalu National Park

me and my husband booked onto this trip a bit last minute, just the day before. we had confirmation texts straight away, pick up times and reg details of the car that would be picking us up in the morning. it arrived a few mins early and we were driven to the nearby jetty where two guides were waiting for just two of us. we were issued life jackets and snorkels and after a 20 minute wait, we boarded our speed boat over to the first island, Manukan. it is absolutely stunning, white sand fringed by huge forest trees giving lots of shade, clear blue sea with an abundance of fish swimming around our feet. unfortunately there was also a lot of rubbish in the sea, plastic bottles and packaging everywhere, such a shame that people treat our beautiful planet like this, it’s a national park and we could see people collecting rubbish off the sand but not possible in the sea. we stayed for 3 hours and were bought lunch before going on to Sapi. Both beautiful islands and we had a lovely day.

Roy was very friendly and helpful. Since the canopy walk has been closed for the past few months, it was replaced with a trail hike to the waterfall instead.

Our family and a friend's family, 4 adults and 4 children, signed up for this tour. We were picked up at our hotel at 7:30 AM, followed by a 2.5-hour drive to the Mount Kinabalu viewpoint. The city roads from Kota Kinabalu to Mount Kinabalu were congested, but our guide was flexible and accommodated the children's restroom breaks along the way. After taking many photos at the viewpoint, we headed to Desa Farm. On the way, we made a detour to a local fruit shop. Our tour guide, Jeff, introduced us to fruits we had never seen before, and we bought and ate one or two of each. We were excited by fruits we had never heard of or seen, like apple jelly, avocado cheese, and snake fruit! The avocado cheese tasted like sweet steamed pumpkin, with a texture and flavor unlike any fruit! It was delicious. From there, we went to Desa Farm. Located at an altitude of about 1,500m, it wasn't too hot and was very comfortable! The weather was clear with few clouds, and we took many great photos with the sharp ridges of Mount Kinabalu in the background. Was that a sun halo? Jeff smoothly guided us through recommended activities like soft-serve ice cream and feeding calves and goats. Jeff, who is also a father of four, is knowledgeable about funny TikTok videos, and our children had a blast taking funny videos with him, making it a very satisfying experience. Afterward, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant and then went rafflesia watching. We were worried if we would see any, as they only bloom for 5-7 days a year, but we saw two blooming rafflesias! We also saw buds and withered ones, which was a unique experience only available locally. Nearby, there were also cacao and durian trees! I was surprised to see durians growing on such tall trees. By this point, it was past 3 PM. The children were getting tired, so we decided to change the itinerary and head back. The morning traffic jam was long. On the way back, there was a strange cloud hanging over the summit of Mount Kinabalu. Jeff told us it was a rare sight. The return journey was also a bit congested, but we managed to get back to the hotel around 7 PM. We had originally planned to be back by 5:30 PM, but the road congestion and it being summer vacation season caused delays. I recommend bringing a bit more cash, as there are places at the rafflesia site that don't accept credit cards for insect repellent, and some restaurants for lunch. Thank you, Jeff, for a fun tour! The magnificent scenery and your enjoyable assistance made it a wonderful experience. Highly recommended!

It was nice that it wasn't crowded. There were many cheap options, but the reviews weren't good, so I carefully read the reviews and chose this one, and it was definitely a good choice. Our guide diligently found all the best spots for us, and I'm so grateful. We saw lobsters, Nemo, and more.

Just finished a one-day tour of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, and I have to give a huge shoutout to our private guide, Xiaoyang (William)! 👍🏻🙋🏻‍♂️ I originally thought the long drive to and from the mountain would be exhausting and boring, but Xiaoyang was a fantastic conversationalist along the way. He shared a lot of local history and culture of Sabah, guided us on a short trek up the mountain, and even stopped to introduce us to unique plants we saw along the trail 🌴🍃. The content was engaging and fun, and time flew by. 🥹 We were super lucky to catch a glimpse of Mount Kinabalu and the Rafflesia! The guide truly put a lot of thought into arranging everything for us, ensuring the entire itinerary ran smoothly, and even treated us to Malaysian cuisine for lunch 🍱! He took such good care of us throughout the trip, constantly reminding everyone to stay safe. The biggest surprise was his photography skills 📸. His composition was top-notch, and he was incredibly patient, taking tons of gorgeous photos for us to keep as memories. There was non-stop laughter all day, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. 😆✨ Meeting Xiaoyang this time really added so much value to the whole trip! 🩷 If any of our friends go to Sabah in the future, or if we visit again ourselves, we will definitely ask him to be our guide again! 😍

Mount Sossodikon offers incredibly beautiful views and is great value for money. The ATV ride is a lot of fun. It would be safer for beginners to practice riding before setting off. There's road construction along the way with many engineering vehicles; the mountain road is steep, and there are no guardrails, making it both thrilling and a bit scary. However, the local residents are very friendly and wave as you pass by.

Everything is very well arranged and organised. Right from picked up till end of hike. The accommodation lodge at Kinabalu park was fantastic. The hike was rather tough though especially the one at 2.30am to the summit. Need to pay addition to the guide and transport back to accommodation as exceeded the stipulated time though.

Thank you so much for an incredible trip up Mount Kinabalu. Doing the Walk the Torq route was easily the best part of the climb. The views were unreal and the gear felt completely secure.As a solo hiker, I felt incredibly well taken care of the entire time. A massive thank you to both of my amazing guides! My mountain guide was fantastic at pacing me to the summit, and my via ferrata guide was professional and made me feel 100% safe on the sheer rock face.I had such a memorable experience that if I have the chance to come back, I definitely want to challenge myself with the long Low's Peak Circuit next time. 💪🏻