Kinabalu Park is Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kinabalu Park, which covers an area 754 sq. kilometres, is one of the greatest attraction of Sabah. The Park is visited yearly by thousands of tourists who come to enjoy its climatic, scenic, floral and fauna splendours.

Among other things, it also contains the granitic massif of Mt. Kinabalu. At 4,093 metres, it is South East Asia’s greatest challenge for climbers. Mt. Kinabalu is the highest mountain between Northern Burma and New Guinea, it is part of Sabah’s beautiful Crocker Range and the 2,572 metres Mt. Tambuyukon.

Having an altitude which varies from 152 metres to 3,952 metres above sea level, the vastness of the Park enables the preservation of tropical lowland forest and wildlife, as well as the alpine-like associations of the summit zone.

Preserved for posterity, the Kinabalu Park is one of the world’s Mt. Kinabalu most unique ecological systems: having beauty, splendour and charm to delight any category of visitors. From the tired businessman in need of a rest to the restless mountaineer and the nature lover who is eager to study and enjoy its natural treasures.

The park opens at all seasons. It is self-contained with all the facilities for the casual visitors as well as campers. Those who wish to have a longer stay, nearby hotel or park’s chalets are available.

The weather here is temperate in nature. With its refreshing inherit attractions, and beautiful environment, the Kinabalu Park is certainly a must for the visitors to the State.

History
Kinbalu Park An Ordinance of 1962 established the Sabah Park Trustees with the purpose of conserving the scenic, scientific and historic heritage of Sabah for the benefit and enjoyment of its people. The first obvious choice for inclusion in a park system was Mt. Kinabalu, and the Kinabalu Park was gazetted in 1964. This is followed by a century of interest in the mountain by naturalists, collectors and adventurers after the first recorded ascent made in 1851 by Sir Hugh Low, a government officer from Labuan Island. Since the Park’s formation, its popularity has increased rapidly, and it attracts many visitors from overseas as well as the locals.

People
Kadazan Girls Mt. Kinabalu is intimately connected with the folklore and local traditions of Sabah. In particular is its slopes are the home of hill Dusuns or Kadazans, belonging to the largest racial group in the State. Noted for their basketry and other handicrafts, they live in small kampongs or villages scattered throughout the area and are still using traditional methods of farming on shifting cultivation basis. Their steep fields, planted with dry rice and other crops are thickly clothed in secondary jungle while lying fallow, reach right to the Park’s boundaries.

With development and greater prosperity, more Kadazans are now practising intensive cultivation: using terracing, fertilizers and pesticides. For them, Mt. Kinabalu is the resting place of their spirits of deceased ancestors and as such, remains sacred to the Kadazan people. The name Kinabalu is probably derived from the Kadazan words Aki and Nabalu, meaning The Revered Place of the Dead.