plane view mount kinabalu sabah malaysia
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Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and the Snow Mountains of Papua. This granite massif rises majestically to a height of 4,092m or 13,435ft in the Malaysian state of Sabah, at the northern tip of the island of Borneo. On a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, I had a spectacular aerial view of Mount Kinabalu from the plane window! I sat in row ‘A’ and the views of the verdant plains and the mountain were simply stupendous.

aerial-view-mount-kinabalu-photo
The view of Mount Kinabalu from the plane window.

Mt. Kinabalu (map) is a local icon and revered by the indigenous people who live in the area – the name Kinabalu is derived from the local words ‘Aki’ (which means ‘ancestors’) and ‘Nabalu’ (which means ‘mountain’). Literally translated, the name means the sacred resting place of the ancestral spirits. Mt. Kinabalu is also one of the easiest mountains in the world to climb – it’s an easy two or three day hike, and along the way, visitors will be treated to some of the richest flora and fauna in the world, including the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia.

plane view mount kinabalu sabah malaysia
Mt. Kinabalu

In December 2000, UNESCO designated the Kinabalu National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Malaysia’s first, in recognition of the area’s biological diversity. Read more about things to see and do in Sabah or about my visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary.

plane window view mt kinabalu
A close-up of the granite peaks of Mt. Kinabalu.
 

Read other Velvet Escape posts from the Plane Views series:

9 Responses

  • Clearly seen from the photos that the tallest peak of Mount Kinabalu is actually the Victoria Peak (from some other sources it’s approximately 4,1++m above sea level) instead of the Low’s Peak (4,095m above sea level)

  • An aerial view of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia | velvet escape's blog

    […] Read the accompanying post: “Plane Views: Mount Kinabalu“. […]

  • Thanks for your wonderful comment Nico. You and I are the same = a limited variety. 🙂

    Cheers,
    Keith

  • Was reading an article by a pilot columnist who was shocked by anyone who actually coveted aisle seats. I totally agreed. Window seats are where it’s at! The planet is so stunning and unique from the air, not to mention we have the opportunity to look it from a vantage point no one in history had up until our parents generation, how can someone take that for granted?

    I love the plane views series because it reminds me that ground level is not the only perspective of our wonderful planet. But I’m a geology and cartography buff. Maybe we are a limited variety.

    Thanks, Keith, for the post!

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