Duncan Murrell - A Whale of a Time

My final destination in Borneo was Kinabalu National Park but unfortunately my visit was blighted by a very debilitating virus that I contracted just before going there. I extended my stay so that I could have a few night walks into the forest, which still proved to be very rewarding. Mt Kinabalo at 4,095 metres is the highest peak in Borneo’s Crocker Range and the highest in the Malay Archipelago. The mountain and its surroundings are among the most important biological sites in the world, with between 5,000 and 6,000 species of plants, 326 species of birds, and more than 100 mammal species. One of the world’s richest varieties of orchids, 800 species, can be found on the high rockier slopes. There are also over 600 species of ferns, more than the whole of Africa’s 500 species. It also has the richest collection of pitcher plants (Nepenthes) in the world, five of the 13 found nowhere else, including the largest species, Nepenthes rajah. The parasitic Rafflesia plant, which has the largest single flower in the world, is also found in Kinabalu. The plant diversity is greatest in the lowland regions, consisting of lowland dipterocarp forests but most of Kinabalu’s endemic species are found in the mountain forests, particularly on soils which are low in phosphates and high in metals poisonous to plants, giving rise to the evolution of distinctive plant species found nowhere else. Because of it’s unique biodiversity it has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage Status.
Unfortunately Sabah Parks has privatised activities within the park and the cost of accommodation and trekking is excessively high for what is provided. Ascending the mountain is still a very popular activity, but like so many increasingly popular activities and destinations it has suffered from excessive numbers and the dilution of a genuine wilderness experience, but sadly that is becoming increasingly harder to find. I would like to return there if it’s possible to get off the beaten track.