Category: Wilderness

The Mountain Trekking of Kinabalu Park That Tried to Kill Me. Let me tell you about the time I paid good money to torture myself on a rock in Malaysia. It's 4:12 AM, and I'm clinging to a frozen rope on Mount Kinabalu, seriously wondering if travel insurance covers "idiocy-induced hypothermia." In this story of Travel Hub, let’s check Kinabalu Park trekking tours.  Kinabalu Park trekking tours: The Booking Hunger Games Months earlier, I'd been naive enough to think getting permits would be simple. Oh, sweet summer child. The Mount Kinabalu permit system makes getting Coachella tickets look like a leisurely stroll. I had to set my alarm for 3 AM on a Tuesday just to join the digital thunderdome when Sutera Sanctuary Lodges released new spots. The website crashed three times. I accidentally selected a date during monsoon season. My credit card got declined twice. When that confirmation email finally hit my inbox, I actually cried real tears at my kitchen table. Little did I know the mountain would make me cry much, much harder later. Gear Shaming at Base Camp I showed up with what I thought was decent equipment. Here's what actually saved me when Kinabalu Park trekking tours: Knee braces from the KK pharmacy ($8, looked medical, felt divine) Actual rain pants (not that cute North Face shell—proper waterproof fishing gear) A headlamp so bright it could signal the International Space Station A bag of gummy bears that became more valuable than gold at 3,800 meters Kinabalu Park trekking tours: The Climb That Humiliated Me The first hour was delightful. "This isn't so bad!" I chirped to my guide Jefri, bouncing along like an over-caffeinated mountain goat. Then the steps began. Endless, uneven stone steps that some sadistic trail designer clearly created after a nasty divorce.