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.
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.
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.
Read other Velvet Escape posts from the Plane Views series:
- Himalayas and Mount Everest
- Innsbruck
- Lisbon
- Mauritius
- Swiss Alps and Lago Maggiore
- Rio de Janeiro
- Santiago to Punta Arenas (Chilean Andes & Patagonia)
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia
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)
[…] ft). This stunning mountain, an ancient volcano, forms an unforgettable backdrop for the city. See Mt. Kinabalu from the air. Water villages, Gaya […]
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Beautiful views! Great airplane photography.
I’m proud to say I’ve hiked up Mt. Kinabalu’s peak!
[…] Plane views: Mount Kinabalu […]
it’s simply amzing! Have to go there…and there…and there…
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!