Seeking Sanctuary In The Land Below The Wind

From one of the world’s oldest rainforests to the highest mountain in Malaysia, Sabah is home to a diverse punch of habitats. As a first timer in Borneo, I opted for a tranquil and authentic retreat with Sutera Sanctuary Lodges

- Daphne Ng

“Are you going to climb the mountain?” My driver Gondu asked, 30 minutes after my touchdown flight at Kota Kinabalu airport and five minutes into our journey to Kinabalu Park. I meekly shook my head, telling him I had thought about it but deciding I simply did not (yet) have the stamina. Conquering Mount Kinabalu seems to be the unspoken, unchecked box on every Malaysian’s bucket list – the closer you are to the UNESCO World Heritage Site geographically, the more you are expected to have climbed it. Born out of personal goals or nabbing bragging rights – I wasn’t sure – but what I did know was that I could barely climb Semenyih’s Broga Hill without gasping for breath (or life).

Burying mixed feelings of regret and relief, I was ushered into my accommodation for the next two nights at Kinabalu Park – a quaint little hexagonal hill lodge situated high up on a slope with a misty view of the montane alpine meadows. At the bottom of the slope sits Liwagu Restaurant, one of the two restaurants in the park. A short 15-minute walk away is Balsam Buffet Restaurant, where avid mountain trekkers would fuel up with breakfast before making their way to Laban Rata, the midpoint rest house before making their final climb to the mountain. Around Kinabalu Park where there is only one shuttle van for the plethora of guests they host, everyone is encouraged to walk – I noted as I observed a gaggle of Japanese tourists armed with visors and sunglasses making their way to the Botanical Garden.