NKMT QUEST

mount

kinabalu

WORLD'S HIGHEST VIA FERRATA

3776 meters

MOUNT KINABALU

Sabah, Malaysia

Mount Kinabalu is a 4,095m/13,435ft granitic massif (6.075° N, 116.558° E), formed 15 million years ago.

Kinabalu Park

38:12

Paddy Doyle (Scottish Traveller)

30:44

Alwin GC (French Traveller)

clear drinking glass with coffee on top of white table

12:28

Adam Radcliffe (British Adventurer)

10:00

Ryan Pyle (Canadian Adventurer)

a view of a valley with trees and hills in the background

Pitcher

Nepenthes rajah

gold and black bottle on white wooden table

Flower

Rafflesia keithii

Orchid

Paphiopedilum rothschildianum

Snail

Acmella nana

Current read

Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geoparks Booklet

Current read

The Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve Database

Earthworm

Pheretima darnleiensis

Leech

Mimobdella buettikoferi

Sabah Parks

Kinabalu Park

Current read

The Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark Database

Current read

The Kinabalu WHS World Heritage Site Database

Current read

Kinabalu Park Trail Brochure

Current read

Mount Kinabalu Summit Brochure

Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark

Asmin Mudin

Sayang Kinabalu

a white car parked in front of a building

Wani Kayrie

Cak Cak Cekuk

Belle Sisoki

The Revelation

Atmosfera, Floor 88

Original Sabahan

DISTINCTIONS

UNESCO Triple Crown

Mount Kinabalu

Sabah's UNESCO Triple Crown comprises three UNESCO designations: Kinabalu Park, inscribed as Malaysia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site on 2 December 2000; the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve, designated as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on 12 June 2014; and the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark, designated on 24 May 2023.

Earth's Youngest Granitic Pluton

Mount Kinabalu

Widely recognized as the world's youngest exposed granitic pluton, formed approximately 8 million years ago through the emplacement and subsequent uplift of a large granite body that now constitutes the Mount Kinabalu Massif.

Earth's Most In-Demand Hike

Mount Kinabalu

Attracts 40,000-50,000 climbers annually, while summit access is regulated through a permit quota of approximately 160 climbers per day to safeguard the mountain's ecological integrity and visitor safety. As a result, climbing slots are frequently fully booked months in advance.

Earth's Richest Mountain Biodiversity Hotspot

Mount Kinabalu

Within an area of only 754 km², Kinabalu Park harbours one of the world's richest concentrations of biodiversity. The park supports an estimated 5,000–6,000 vascular plant species, including over 700 orchid species, more than 600 fern species, approximately 600 butterfly species, 320 bird species, and over 100 mammal species. It is also home to an extraordinary diversity of figs, wild gingers, land snails, pitcher plants, moths, reptiles, insects, spiders, and countless endemic species found nowhere else.

Earth's Most Remarkable Tropical Glacial

Mount Kinabalu

Shaped by ancient Ice Age glaciers, Mount Kinabalu preserves some of the finest and most extensive tropical glacial landscapes found anywhere on Earth. The Mount Kinabalu Massif retains extensive evidence of Pleistocene glaciation, including polished granite surfaces, glacial striations, cirques, and tilloid deposits.

Earth's Youngest Non-Volcanic Mountain

Mount Kinabalu

Unlike volcanic mountains formed through eruptive processes, Mount Kinabalu originated from the emplacement of a granitic pluton, followed by rapid tectonic uplift, exhumation, and erosion. Its summit consists of deeply crystallized plutonic granite exposed through geological uplift, making it one of the youngest major non-volcanic mountains on Earth.

Earth's Third-Highest Island Peak

Mount Kinabalu

Situated on the island of Borneo in Sabah, Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu attains an elevation of 4,095m above mean sea level, ranking as Earth's third-highest island peak after Puncak Jaya (4,884m; New Guinea, Indonesia) and Mauna Kea (4,207m; Hawaii, United States).

Earth's Greatest Centre of Plant Diversity

Mount Kinabalu

Kinabalu supports plant species from more than 200 families and 1,000 genera, representing approximately 14% of the flora of the Malesian biogeographic region and one of the highest concentrations of plant diversity known on Earth.

Earth's Top 100 Geological Heritage Site

Mount Kinabalu

In 2022, the Mount Kinabalu Neogene Granite was designated among the First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), recognizing its global scientific significance as one of Earth's most exceptional geological landmarks. The designation highlights Mount Kinabalu's unique Neogene granite emplacement, rapid tectonic uplift, and outstanding geological record.

Earth's 20th most prominent mountain

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu ranks as the 20th most topographically prominent peak on Earth. Topographic prominence measures the vertical distance between a summit and the lowest contour connecting it to higher ground, reflecting the mountain's exceptional rise and geographic independence.

Home to the World's Largest Pitcher Plant

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu is home to Nepenthes rajah, the world's largest pitcher plant, producing some of the largest carnivorous traps on Earth. Its pitchers can exceed 40 centimetres in height and hold several litres of fluid, enabling the capture and digestion of insects and other small organisms. Endemic to the ultramafic highlands of Sabah, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most iconic carnivorous plants.

Home to the World's Largest Flower

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu's surrounding ecosystems support Rafflesia keithii, one of the world's largest flowering plants, capable of exceeding 90 centimetres in diameter. A holoparasitic species, it lacks leaves, stems, and roots, and produces a carrion-like odor to attract insect pollinators.

Home to the World's Most Valuable Orchid

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu is the natural habitat of Paphiopedilum rothschildianum, widely regarded as the "King of Orchids" and among the world's rarest and most valuable orchid species due to its restricted distribution and exceptional horticultural significance.

Home to World's Most Unusual Leech Species

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu is home to Mimobdella buettikoferi, a striking highland species that can exceed 50 centimetres in length and is regarded as one of the world's most unusual terrestrial leeches.

Home to Southeast Asia's Largest Earthworm

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu supports populations of the Kinabalu Giant Earthworm, among the largest earthworm species in Southeast Asia, inhabiting the cool, moist montane ecosystems of the mountain.

Southeast Asia's Most Extensive Tilloid Deposits

Mount Kinabalu

The Kinabalu region contains the Pinousuk Gravels, regarded as the most extensive tilloid deposits in Southeast Asia, preserving geological evidence of ancient tropical glaciation during the Pleistocene epoch.

Maritime Southeast Asia's Highest Peak

Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu stands as the highest mountain in Maritime Southeast Asia. Situated between mainland Southeast Asia and the island realms extending toward New Guinea and the Pacific, it is one of the most prominent mountains between the Himalayas and the high mountains of New Guinea.