earlytorise
Well-known member
Not a formal day-by-day account, but some pointers.
This national park has two parts. The first is the road from the entrance to Timpohon Gate. The second is the vast upland area above Timpohon Gate.
The second part is only necessary if you want Friendly Bush-Warbler and the endemic subspecies of Island Thrush. Furthermore, you can't just wander around the second part - you have to book a fancy-pants mountaineering trip in advance, with a guide following you and camping gear and all. I didn't have the money or the patience for that.
The first part is where most of the avian highlights are. Again, it is a long road from entrance HQ to Timpohon Gate. There are several trails off the side of the road, but every birder I met told me not to spend time on those - the road will suffice.
If you have a car, travelling along the road will be super easy. I didn't have a car. Luckily there are shuttle buses/vans between the bottom and the top of the road. Ask at the entrance for the office where you purchase shuttle tickets - if you want a return ticket it has to be bought at the office at the outset, not on the bus/van itself. The bus ride to the top is less strenuous than the walk to the top. You can flag the downward-bound vans at any point, as long as you have a return ticket in hand.
The main landmark near the start of the road is Liwagu Restaurant, where the meals are more expensive than outside the park proper. The main area for Whitehead's Broadbill and Whitehead's Trogon is the 1km stretch of road further up from the restaurant. The best way to tick these is to wait for someone else to locate them - it's a popular spot, there should be other birders/toggers from Malaysia.
In fact, if it is your first trip there and you wish to relax, then spend at least half your time within 1.5km of the restaurant. You'll see plenty of stuff. I remember when I spotted an Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher very near the restaurant - quite the show.
The third Whitehead's, namely the spiderhunter, I didn't manage to see in February - because flowers weren't blooming. At any rate from my chats with others I get the impression that Crocker Range would be better for this species than Mt Kinabalu.
I was too lazy to wake up early every day. More fool me. The earlier the better.
What I enjoyed the most there were a few Dark Hawk-Cuckoos near Timpohon Gate, one of which eventually sang on a visible perch - perfect for footage.
You're theoretically not supposed to walk beyond the restaurant at night, but some frog and snake and owl enthusiasts do anyway. I didn't, and I certainly wouldn't advise doing it alone.
Logistical aspects that have nothing to do with birding:
The hotel complex inside the park is expensive. It is cheaper to stay and eat at one of the hotels outside, within walking distance of the park entrance. I stayed at the Box Hotel, which is simple but clean and good enough for me. You need warm clothes for chilly nights, as well as moth photography equipment for the many many moths that are attracted to the hotel lights.
The bus from Kota Kinabalu (Inanam Bus Terminal) to Sandakan can stop at any hotel near the entrance of Mt Kinabalu. Just inform the driver. But if you want to hop on the bus at Mt Kinabalu you have to buy the ticket in advance, presumably through the internet, and somehow inform the bus company where to pick you up - I don't know how. It's a busy highway, the bus doesn't have time to spot you unexpectedly and slow down. Instead, I asked the hotel to arrange a shared minivan that goes back to Kota Kinabalu.
This national park has two parts. The first is the road from the entrance to Timpohon Gate. The second is the vast upland area above Timpohon Gate.
The second part is only necessary if you want Friendly Bush-Warbler and the endemic subspecies of Island Thrush. Furthermore, you can't just wander around the second part - you have to book a fancy-pants mountaineering trip in advance, with a guide following you and camping gear and all. I didn't have the money or the patience for that.
The first part is where most of the avian highlights are. Again, it is a long road from entrance HQ to Timpohon Gate. There are several trails off the side of the road, but every birder I met told me not to spend time on those - the road will suffice.
If you have a car, travelling along the road will be super easy. I didn't have a car. Luckily there are shuttle buses/vans between the bottom and the top of the road. Ask at the entrance for the office where you purchase shuttle tickets - if you want a return ticket it has to be bought at the office at the outset, not on the bus/van itself. The bus ride to the top is less strenuous than the walk to the top. You can flag the downward-bound vans at any point, as long as you have a return ticket in hand.
The main landmark near the start of the road is Liwagu Restaurant, where the meals are more expensive than outside the park proper. The main area for Whitehead's Broadbill and Whitehead's Trogon is the 1km stretch of road further up from the restaurant. The best way to tick these is to wait for someone else to locate them - it's a popular spot, there should be other birders/toggers from Malaysia.
In fact, if it is your first trip there and you wish to relax, then spend at least half your time within 1.5km of the restaurant. You'll see plenty of stuff. I remember when I spotted an Eyebrowed Jungle Flycatcher very near the restaurant - quite the show.
The third Whitehead's, namely the spiderhunter, I didn't manage to see in February - because flowers weren't blooming. At any rate from my chats with others I get the impression that Crocker Range would be better for this species than Mt Kinabalu.
I was too lazy to wake up early every day. More fool me. The earlier the better.
What I enjoyed the most there were a few Dark Hawk-Cuckoos near Timpohon Gate, one of which eventually sang on a visible perch - perfect for footage.
You're theoretically not supposed to walk beyond the restaurant at night, but some frog and snake and owl enthusiasts do anyway. I didn't, and I certainly wouldn't advise doing it alone.
Logistical aspects that have nothing to do with birding:
The hotel complex inside the park is expensive. It is cheaper to stay and eat at one of the hotels outside, within walking distance of the park entrance. I stayed at the Box Hotel, which is simple but clean and good enough for me. You need warm clothes for chilly nights, as well as moth photography equipment for the many many moths that are attracted to the hotel lights.
The bus from Kota Kinabalu (Inanam Bus Terminal) to Sandakan can stop at any hotel near the entrance of Mt Kinabalu. Just inform the driver. But if you want to hop on the bus at Mt Kinabalu you have to buy the ticket in advance, presumably through the internet, and somehow inform the bus company where to pick you up - I don't know how. It's a busy highway, the bus doesn't have time to spot you unexpectedly and slow down. Instead, I asked the hotel to arrange a shared minivan that goes back to Kota Kinabalu.
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