Month: July 2012

Gunung Kinabalu Resort – A Wonderful Place for a Holiday

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Gunung Kinabalu Resort is one of the most wonderful and full of splendor places that you can ever go to. Many people who have been there, walked away amazed of the wonders and beauty that this place has to offer.

Where It Is Located

Gunung Kinabalu Resort is a gorgeous location for an abroad holiday of a lifetime. It is located in the Mount Kinabalu, a splendid and full of marvelous places in South-East Asia. Situated in one of the highest peaks of Kroker Range, Mount Kinabalu will blow you over with its rare and plenty of plant and bird species. You can find here a collection of famous plants that have been awarded the World Heritage Status by UNESCO.

What You Can Do

Why not relax in a wood café, take a tour with the horse or on foot, play golf, suntan on the peak of the mountain or just stay close to the children’s playground and watch the splendor of nature?!

If you still think that this would be boring for you, you can take a bus ride or just ride a horse. Also, you can admire the great views that the mountain has to offer and have some of the local snacks.

Capture the magnificence of a mountain adventure, cool down in the waters of Puteri Falls and stay in a chalet in the magnificent forest setting. Discover a lively world and the nature finest!

Gunung Kinabalu Resort and people offer you single, couple or family activities that you will never be able to forget.

Services Provided

There are many services that other resorts offer worldwide, such as room service, travel, car rental, ticket sale, conference and party room, business centers and so on.

Gunung Kinabalu Resort has the location near Suria Sabah and Wisma Merdeka, important commercial centers where you can buy clothes, jewelry and other local items that you can bring home to your friends and family.

Also, if you are a sporty person, you can play different sports like and go swimming in the pools. It is a gateway that offers you the challenge of the outdoor activities which enables you to develop personally and emotionally.

The inciting nature, history, legends, flora, fauna and all nature offers you the perfect base for beginning a mountain adventure on the Mount Kinabalu. It is a heavenly retreat that you will offer yourself in order to be able to enjoy raw nature at its best.

A mountain climb will become a metaphor for enabling you to embrace life with enthusiasm and optimism, to be comfortable with yourself, and to become more adventurous in whatever activities you engage yourself in.

The skills, knowledge and experience that you will learn here will enable you to understand and appreciate more nature and the environment. These places seem like a dream, a dream that is possible to achieve, an exhilarating piece of nature with its raw and seemingly untouched places. Gunung Kinabalu Resort will offer you all these and much more!

Gunung Kinabalu Park – Damp, Muddy, Tired… Happy!

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Gunung Kinabalu Park is a world renowned Asian Natural Reservation and refers to an area mostly formed by Mount Kinabalu, the highest point on the island of Borneo, north of Java, Indonesia and the surrounding valleys and rainforests. In 2000 UNESCO accorded Mount Kinabalu National Park a World Heritage Site listing due to its amazing beauty, scenic views and super vast biodiversity.

How Do I Get Damp and Muddy?

Borneo is mainly mountainous, with large areas of rain forest, one of the oldest in the word besides the ancient rainforests from Australia and the Amazon rainforest.

The weather of Borneo is a little more peculiar than most tourists are used to. During the day it can get extremely hot, rather sunny with warm bright late afternoons. But during the night, things radically change with heavy mists and temperatures down to 12°C.

The best time of year to visit Borneo is in January, before the festival of the Chinese New Year.

Between October and March the island gets hit by monsoons and the last quarter of the year is rainy, including between January to February. If you’re not squeamish and can deal with some humidity and mud, this is the best time when you should visit Gunung Kinabalu Park, since now you can spot wildlife at its best.

Exactly How Tired Besides Wet?

Gunung Kinabalu Park within its 75, 400 hectares has everything for everybody. For average climbers, it offers Low’s Peak that can be climbed quite easily by anyone in a decent physical condition. For the most experienced ones, the park has other peaks, which require mountaineering equipment on the main route or the secondary ones. And of course there are places along the massif, where serious rock climbing skills are required.

And Finally Happy, Why?

If you are used to hold your breath long enough to get an overexposed picture of a stupendous butterfly, you’ll know. If you have trembled just for once divided between fear of the wild and excitement of seeing and capturing a once in a life time shot of a wild animal, you will definitively know.

Gunung Kinabalu Park gained the reputation to have the most ecologically diverse wild life from all the mountains in Southeast Asia with more allegedly biological treasures still waiting to be discovered.

It is the home of a rich variety of endemics belonging both to flora and fauna. Here dwells one of the world’s largest varietyof wild orchids and the famous Rafflesia flower also called the corpse flower.

There are almost 326 species of birds including the interesting Rhinoceros Hornbill and the thing is that from 29 species of birds unique to Borneo, 17 of them can be found here.
The park also hosts almost 100 mammalian species most of them living in the jungle trees including the orangutan as well as the rare clouded leopard on the ground.

Other species endemic to Gunung Kinabalu Park are the black shrew, the Thomas’ pygmy squirrel as well as many small reptiles, spiders, moths and insects.

Gunung Kinabalu Package – Active Holiday in Borneo

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Book a Gunung Kinabalu Package and you’ll have the most astonishing experience in a tropical paradise in Sabah state, Borneo, the 3rd largest island of the world in the South China Sea.

Borneo, the Remote Tropical Paradise

Borneo was in ancient times a prosperous trading center between India and China and controlled one by one, by British, Dutch and Japanese. The area’s unsettled and harsh history, as a disputed land, has influenced everything on the island, from the architecture to culture, religion, food and people’s life.

Be aware that the climate of Borneo is mostly hot, wet and extremely rainy especially when the monsoons take over the island annually from October to March.

Mount Kinabalu – Modern Tourism and Ancient Spirituality

Mount Kinabalu, part of the Gunung Kinabalu Park, rises at 4,095 m above the sea level and offers breathtaking landscapes, silently guarding its surrounded rice fertile valleys. You can book a Gunung Kinabalu Package in October to participate to the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon race. You never know, maybe you earn some money to cover you trip costs, since the first prize is around 250 US dollars.

Mount Kinabalu annually attracts thousands of mountaineering lovers from all around the world.

The native population of Borneo is named the Kadazan-Dusun people and they honor Mount Kinabalu, believing that within its cloudy misty peaks dwell their immortals forefather spirits. Also this could be one of the two etymological origins of the name Kinabalu, since in Kadazan language Aki means “ancestor”, and Nabalu means “mountain”.

From 1851 since Sir Hugh Low, a British colonial administrator and naturalist in the Malay Peninsula, made the first recorded climb on Kinabalu with a truckload of charms and chickens ready to be sacrificed to appease the spirit of the mountain, few have been allowed to ascend it, also with the set of ritual artifacts and purifying ceremonies before start.

Don’t worry, a nowadays climb doesn’t mean you have to go through that, the locals are very tourist friendly, but there still is an annual ceremony held for the forefathers spirits hosted by the park guides. This is meant to be fun, because after the traditional ritual the tourists are invited to a joyful party.

Gunung Kinabalu Package – What To Expect

Usually, when choosing a Gunung Kinabalu Package, you should know that most of them are a few days buffet breakfast and dinner and packed lunch packages, which include one ascension of the Mount Kinabalu, with one or two night accommodation at a mountain hut. All the trekking trips are attended by a local English speaker mountain guide. Sometimes, when the package is one or two nights longer than usual, it comes with an extended accommodation in Poring Hot Spring, a tourist resort nearby, with sulfurous water springs, appreciated for therapeutic properties.

If you feel that a Gunung Kinabalu Package is your choice for a tropical holiday search the Internet, there are many offers available on the market and you’ll find plenty of trip packages to choose from.

Mount Kinabalu Climbing Package – Exotic Fun on a Budget

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A Mount Kinabalu Climbing Package sounds like an ideal holiday for those who want a super exotic experience at the tropics and instead of just lying in the sun getting tanned, they want outdoor activities, a little challenge and keeping themselves in good shape. But when it comes to the costs, there is always room for some savings, especially nowadays and once in a life time exotic adventure comes with its price.

Save Some Money For Your Lodging!

The first step is booking a flight to Borneo in the South China Sea in Kota Kinabalu, state of Sabah. As usually, the best method is comparison shopping, search the Internet, getting offers from various flight companies, until you find the most convenient one. Don’t forget about the last minute flight deals or on the contrary, the early booking flight discounts.

For taking a Mount Kinabalu Climbing Package, you have to find accommodation in one of the many tourist resorts in Kota Kinabalu city. Again, comparison shopping is the key. There are hundreds of tour operators or travel package operators, you should easily find the most suitable solution. Of course the cheapest accommodation can be found in hostels, plenty in the area. Be careful, many tour operators include the flight in their offers, maybe you find a much cheaper deal.

Take care of the medical insurance, also save some money here by choosing the right insurance provider, but be aware that you’re going to do some serious climbing, so make sure you get coverage for trekking injuries.

Make sure you have complete equipment for the climb: good shoes, rubber sandals, cap, sun-glasses, sunblock cream, insect repellent, high energy food like chocolate, energy bars, glucose. The climbing is during warm and sunny weather most of the time, but don’t forget your raincoat, just in case of a downpour. Try to pack everything in a waterproof backpack and limit the weight up to 10 kilograms. Don’t forget your camera or video camera with enough memory cards because in a Mount Kinabalu Climbing Package you will have the opportunity to make some close to Discovery Chanel photos and videos.

Save Money Close to Mount Kinabalu!

When arriving in Kota Kinabalu International Airport, you can save the taxi money by pre-arranging with your hostel operator for free airport pick-up drive. In Kota Kinabalu, you can enjoy yourself visiting and sightseeing by foot or with public transport. When going to Kinabalu Park, you can take the bus instead of a taxi and you should know that some hostels even provide low price shuttle bus to Kinabalu Park Headquarters.

Right in the Middle of Mount Kinabalu National Park and Still Saving!

Here begins your Mount Kinabalu Climbing Package! Choose it wisely, there are many choices, one night or more nights tours accommodation provided, some tours take you to further places with additional accommodation such as Poring Hot Springs, a small sulfurous water springs resort in the area. According to your physical condition, you can walk, track climb or even try rope ascending.

An exotic holiday shouldn’t force you to make a loan in order to have one and if you do some research in advance and choose the best opportunities, a Mount Kinabalu Climbing Package could easily fit into a medium budget.

What Should I Expect from a Mount Kinabalu Climb?

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Borneo is one of the most exquisite places in the world for a holiday, and a Mount Kinabalu climb will probably make your vacation something to remember for the rest of your life. Nevertheless, there are so many things to do in Borneo that you may feel like climbing Mount Kinabalu is not worth the effort and find other activities. Before making a schedule for your holiday, you should know what to expect if you pick a mountain climb, what you will find on the way and why it is such a good idea to try to reach the summit.

Day climb to Mount Kinabalu

Your Mount Kinabalu climb consists of two sections, one taking place during daytime and one at night. The day climb follows a path called the Summit Trail, so this is your starting point in the effort to conquer Mount Kinabalu. You will need to wake up early and make time to have breakfast; the high altitude and physical effort will wear you down quickly if you are not strong enough. The next step is to register at the Kinabalu Park HQ and get a guide and a climbing permit. A bus will then take you to the park entrance, where the climb actually starts.

The first part of the Mount Kinabalu climb is divided in smaller sections, since there are seven shelters on the way to Laban Rata, your night stop. It will take you approximately five hours to reach Laban Rata, but the time spent in the shelters along the way is up to you or your group. This is why you will not reach the summit on the first day, but spend the night at the complex. If you are not climbing with an organized group of tourists and you are on your own, make sure that you have made reservations for Laban Rata, otherwise you may discover that you have no place to sleep.

Night climb to Mount Kinabalu

After a few hours of sleep, you will have to wake up at approximately 2:00 AM and start your climb to the summit. This part of the Mount Kinabalu climb is a little more difficult, since there is no sunlight, but the effort is totally worth it. If you stay close to the rope and try to keep up with the group, you should not encounter any problems. You will most likely reach Low’s Peak, the highest point on Mount Kinabalu, at sunrise, when you will have the most wonderful feeling to see the outstanding view of Borneo. Then you can descend to Laban Rata, being very careful not to hurt yourself, since most of the accidents happen while getting back, due to weariness.

When you reach the Kinabalu Park HQ, your guide will sign the certificate to prove the fact that you have reached the summit. This, along with the pictures you take and the wonderful sight you have on top of Borneo will make the Mount Kinabalu climb one of your most memorable adventures. You can book your climb here

How Strong Should I Be for a Mount Kinabalu Climb?

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When you choose to go on your holiday to Borneo, a Mount Kinabalu Climb should definitely have its place on your activities list. The fantastic scenery and the exquisite view on the summit will stun you and you will earn memories for a lifetime.

However, if you are not an experienced climber, you should make sure that you are strong enough and physically prepared to do the climb, otherwise you could find yourself unable to reach the summit and get very disappointed. Before you plan climbing Mount Kinabalu, you should take a few elements into consideration.

Am I ready for this if I am not a professional sportsman?

A Mount Kinabalu climb is not an Olympic challenge, but it is not a walk in the park either. You should not encounter problems if you have been practicing sports on a regular basis, like playing tennis or basketball every week, jogging every few days or going to the gym 3 times a week.

However, if sports have not been on your schedule in the last months and you are completely untrained, you may find yourself unable to do this. On your way to the summit, you will find steep hills and stairs and many obstacles, along with the long trip and other physical and mental challenges.

If you have had some simple physical training and you really want to try a Mount Kinabalu climb, then you should not have any serious problems. Many groups of tourists reach the summit every year, with or without a guide, and many of them are teenagers or even elderly people who have not given up sports and movement, in spite of their age.

What problems and obstacles will I encounter?

If you take this climb unprepared, one of the things that could happen is physical exhaustion. The worst thing that can happen is to be very close to the summit and realize that you are unable to take even one more step.

Another thing that you should pay attention to when preparing for a Mount Kinabalu climb is your state of health. Do not try to go on this trip if you feel the slightest physical discomfort or pain. A climb on Mount Kinabalu is a challenge for your body and any illness that you have is very likely to get acute during this physical effort.

The high altitude could also cause you some problems, if you are not accustomed to climbing. You should not walk too fast, because your body takes a while to accommodate to the altitude change. If you feel that the nausea and breathlessness have become extremely uncomfortable, it is better that you return to lower altitude and even abandon the climb. Health is always more important than any adventure.

As you can see, you do not need to be a professional in order to climb Mount Kinabalu, but this may be too risky if you have not trained enough. A Mount Kinabalu climb is a truly beautiful experience when you are ready for such an adventure.

What Kind of Gear Do You Need For a Mount Kinabalu Climb?

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Borneo is a wonderful place for a vacation and, if you are the sporty type, looking for adventure and new experiences, a Mount Kinabalu climb is what you need in order to make the best out of your exotic trip. Mount Kinabalu is a very friendly place to go climbing, so you should not worry about getting professional equipment. Nevertheless, you are going into the wild, so it is a good idea to pack a few things and not go completely unprepared. If you are not sure about what to take with you on your trip, here are a few things that you should know.

Choose your outfit wisely

When you go on a Mount Kinabalu climb, the first part of your journey will be during daytime and the climate in Borneo is warm and sunny, so it is all right if you wear a T-shirt and shorts, along with sport shoes, if you do not go for professional climbing gear. Do not forget sunglasses and a cap, because the effort and heat could easily make you feel sick and dehydrate. For the second part of your climb, which will most likely take place at night, get warm clothes, such as a long sleeved shirt, thick trousers, a jacket and a raincoat, because you never know when the rain is going to start.

Bring proper food and drinks with you

If you have decided to do a Mount Kinabalu climb, you should know that the lack of nutrients and hydration could turn your Borneo adventure into an unpleasant experience. Bring chocolate, biscuits and other snacks that you can eat even while climbing. You should also know that there are a few shelters on the way, where you can buy some warm food and have some tea. You can as well stop for a few minutes and eat something that you have brought with you but could not take out while travelling.

Do not forget about water on your Mount Kinabalu climb; take at least a one liter bottle, which you can refill when you reach one of the shelters. Dehydration is a serious concern while climbing, so do not forget your bottle on the way.

Extra elements for safe climbing

You should definitely not leave without putting on some sunblock and taking with you an emergency kit for the basic problems that could come up, such as cuts and bruises or painkillers and anti-vomit tablets. Torchlights may as well turn out to be great help at night, so remember to take one with you and make sure that you have an extra set of batteries for it.

Your camera should also accompany you on your journey, since memories are the dearest things we own. Grab an extra set of batteries for it as well and get ready to photograph and record one of the most beautiful landscapes that you have ever seen, on the beautiful trip that your Mount Kinabalu climb will be.

Embark on a Mount Kinabalu Tour and Prepare to Be Awed

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There is nothing like a trip to Malaysia if you want to enjoy life to the fullest, and among the treasures it has to offer a Mount Kinabalu tour is exquisite indeed.  This 4095 meters high mountain is full of delights for the eye, body and soul. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, this place is a testimony to what nature can create when man allows it.

A little bit of history

The mountain also has quite a long history, although the first documented ascent was made in 1851 by Hugh Low. The world’s first woman to reach the top of Kinabalu was Lilian Gibbs – in February 1910. The Kinabalu National Park was created in 1964.

What you will see there

While on a Mount Kinabalu tour provided by any of the local operators, visitors will stand witness to the astounding diversity of plant and animal life. The number of plant species is greater than that of North America and Europe together!

More than 6000 types of plants live here and many of them are endemic, which means they cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Orchids, ferns, conifers and much more can be found here.

And the number of exotic animals is astonishing as well: 326 species of birds, over 100 species of mammals have their home here. Apes, felines or different kinds of deer can all be found on and near the Mountain. All these can be easily seen while on a Mount Kinabalu tour, although it will take a lot of time to cover everything. So be sure to book as many vacation days as possible.

You really want to do that, because the region is very rich in attractions. There is so much more to do and see that a novel as big as the Bible can be written and still leave some bits of information out. Suffice to say that the city of Kota Kinabalu is splendid, the sea is very welcoming, the hot springs are waiting just for you and the local culture will simply enchant you and make you feel you are in heaven. Needles to say everything is included in the Mount Kinabalu tour.

Very important warning

A warning must be given so that all possible tourists prepare themselves and have an approximate idea of what awaits them. When visiting this beautiful region, the danger of not wanting to ever return home and begin the insidious task of working will sneak up and grab them. Consider yourselves warned!

Leaving all this aside, every effort must be made to come down to Borneo and enjoy the spectacular views and endless possibilities to have fun and relax. Nature has been very generous with this place and the locals are very friendly too. When these two factors join hands, you are bound to have the best vacation of your life. Do yourself a favor: get to Borneo ASAP and join any Mount Kinabalu tour available – you will regret not doing so.

Gunung Kinabalu Trip – An Once in a Lifetime Exotic Experience

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A Gunung Kinabalu Trip could be the most dashing exploration of a lost paradise you could ever endeavor in a lifetime. You fly to the ultimate paradise of the earth, Borneo, the world’s third largest island situated in center of the Maritime Southeast Asia. Gunung Kinabalu is the island’s symbolic and most prominent mountain, the heart of Mount Kinabalu National Park listed in 2000 by UNESCO on the World Heritage Site due to its amazing beauty, scenic landscapes and vast biodiversity.

When Is the Best Time to Go?

The best time of the year to take a Gunung Kinabalu Trip is in January, before the festival of the Chinese New Year, when the park is visited by fewer tourists and you can enjoy uncrowded wild sites, privacy to admire the breathtaking landscapes and of course cheaper accommodation than in the rest of the year. You should know that this is the time of the year when the monsoons are still hitting the island, so the afternoon downpours are daily and ordinary. But this is when nature is at its best and those who love wild live and photography should not get scared of muddy boots and wet rucksacks.

Location

Mount Kinabalu, situated in Sabah state, imposingly guards the northern domain of Borneo in the Crocker Range, a mountain range that forms the backbone of the of Sabah state. The closest inhabited areas are the nearby towns Kundasang and Ranau from which the mountain can be easily seen offering great photographic views. Of course, the outstanding massif can be spotted by further than this, including Kota Kinabalu at 90 km far.

Gunung Kinabalu Trip – Witness Nature’s Amazing Beauties

Mount Kinabalu gained the reputation to have the most ecologically diverse wild life from all the mountains in Southeast Asia with more allegedly biological treasures still waiting to be discovered. Those of you who love nature will have the occasion to witness some of the most spectacular sunrises and take wild life pictures worth of publishing in National Geographic.

You should know that the mountain is sacred for the local people who believed that the spirits of the dead ancestors dwell on its highest peaks.

You can visit the Mountain Torq, the first railroad in Asia and the highest in the world standing from 3,200m to 3,800m above sea level.

When taking Gunung Kinabalu Trip you climb the Kinabalu, but also you can explore the luxuriant rainforests and lush jungles, also part of the national park including Poring Hot Spring, a small tourist resort with open-air private cabin baths with sulfurous water, well known for therapeutic properties. You can make jungle trekking trips in Danum Valley and Maliau Basin, one of the less explored areas of Borneo or go in Kokob to search for Rafflesia, the largest flower on Earth.

Remember when you’re doing researches for accommodation during your Gunung Kinabalu Trip, that it is cheaper to stay in one of the hotels and resorts outside the park. There are lodges and hostels in the park, of course, but much more expensive since the privatization of Kinabalu Park.

Discover the Beauty of Nature during a Mount Kinabalu Tour

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There are numerous people worldwide who have taken a Mount Kinabalu tour and all state that it is one of the most amazing things they have done in their life. This natural treasure of Borneo is a source of wonder and attraction as well as a little piece of heaven on earth for wildlife enthusiasts.

The beautiful landscape is bound to amaze anyone, from simple tourists to zoologists and botanists. A solid contribution to this is the general lack of human interventions in this habitat. Thank God we haven’t found petrol here or anything similar worth exploiting, and destroying the environment in the process.  The world would have missed on some very important natural treasures. If you ever find yourself in a position to embark on a Mount Kinabalu tour you will surely feel the same.

This mountain has been awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status thanks to its staggering biodiversity.  Thousands of species of plants and hundreds of species of animals call this place home, including the orangutan.

The mountain has peaks that are easily climbable without any experience or serious equipment, like Low’s Peak. On the other hand, you can find a whole range of more challenging peaks to climb. Caution should be exercised, however once you arrive at your destination an incredible view and feeling will be your reward.

Anyone taking a Mount Kinabalu tour should just take their time doing it. There is so much to see here and vacations are usually so short!

Climbing the mountain requires you to be accompanied by a guide. This is mandatory, because of safety regulations. But look at it this way, professional help will be with you all the time. So, in case of an accident the guide will be there to make sure everything will be alright; or, if you have some unanswered questions regarding the amazing things you see along the way, he will promptly provide the details you need.

You should know that you can choose from two main starting points at an altitude of nearly 1900 meters. Both paths eventually meet near the Laban Rata resting point, at almost 3300 meters. From here on, the last part of the trip will take a couple of hours until Low´s Peak and will be done on granite rock. This is, of course, the most simple and easy route to take. As mentioned before, this hike requires no special skills to do this. A piece of advice for those suffering from pulmonary issues: don’t climb to the peak, as the high altitude may cause you problems.

For that specific reason the Mount Kinabalu tour operators include much more than just climbing the mountain. The Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is there to entertain you, or, if you want to relax, you can visit the hot springs at Poring. A great thing done by the Japanese during World War II was discovering these hot springs, a real blessing for everyone. And it is acknowledged that these springs have therapeutic properties. Taking a dip in the water will make you come back home healthier than ever – that’s what I call a really good investment!

Naturally, a Mount Kinabalu tour includes even more, but we don’t want to spoil the surprises for you, so you can find out the rest for yourself at http://www.climbingmountkinabalu.com/!