Reaching Panalaban Base Camp is one of those moments you don’t forget. You have completed the long ascent. Now, it’s about resting, refuelling, and preparing for the summit push. Here is what it is like staying at Panalaban Base Camp.
Table of Content
⇾ Arriving at Panalaban Base Camp – Registration & Check In to Panalaban Hostel
⇾ Staying at Mokodou Room, Panalaban Hostel
⇾ Dinner at Base Camp – Food and Grocer at Laban Rata
⇾ Sunset & Stargazing at Panalaban Base Camp
Arriving at Panalaban Base Camp – Registration & Check In to Panalaban Hostel
You will arrive at Panalaban helipad and notice the temperature difference the moment you step out into the open. Right in front, stands the prominent red Panalaban sign made from a repurposed helicopter blade. It is hard not to feel a wave of relief when it finally appears in front of you. Behind it is the iconic white building of Laban Rata, the heart of the base camp feeding close to 50,000 climbers that pass through Mount Kinabalu each year.
The next thing you will realise as you enter Panalaban Base Camp is you are not done with stairs yet. The entire base camp is built on a hill so you will be climbing to get everywhere. We climbed up to the sub-station for registration, thankful that our accommodation will be in the same direction. Registration was quick. We waited briefly and were shown to Mokodou block of Panalaban Hostel.
Staying at Mokodou Room, Panalaban Hostel
If you are staying at Panalaban Hostel, prepare to be genuinely surprised. Impressively clean, well-maintained and far more comfortable than you would expect for a hostel up on a mountain at 3,272m. Mokodou Room 2 came with 13 single beds with warm blankets, a small pantry with a kitchen sink, heating kettle and cups, and a common bathroom with 2 toilets and a separate shower. Though there was no heating, the building was well-insulated from the wind so the indoor temperature is manageable as long as you keep the doors shut.
After dropping our bags and taking off our boots, the fatigue set in instantly and so did the cold. We quickly arranged our shower sequence. The water was freezing as expected and water pressure was low. We all started off with a filled bucket and kept the water flowing while using the smaller pail to shower. Also, the walls are thin so the reaction from everyone’s shower ordeal quickly became communal entertainment. Cold as it was, it felt genuinely refreshing. I had zero muscle aches after the climb and thought the “cold bath” might have contributed to it. If you choose to shower, do so before the sun sets. The temperature drops sharply when the light goes out and you do not want cold hair in the wind outside. If not, bring wet wipes – also recommended to bring during dry season in case of water shortage at base camp.
Right outside Mokodou room is the filtered water dispenser. I refilled my bottle and made some hot ginger tea with my thermal flask to keep warm – a small luxury making all the difference.
Note: We booked directly through Sabah Parks and spent less than MYR 700 per person for the climb permit, Panalaban Hostel stay and 3 meals at Laban Rata. We also managed to effectively select the beds and ended up having the whole room to the 12 of us. See: The Ultimate Guide to DIY your Mount Kinabalu Trek under S$500
Dinner at Base Camp – Food and Grocer at Laban Rata
Unless you’re staying at Pendant Hut, all meals at Panalaban Base Camp are served at Laban Rata with fixed service hours – Dinner Buffet 04:30-7:00pm, Supper Buffet 02:00-03:30am, Breakfast Buffet 7:30-10:30am.
Dinner at Laban Rata was easily one of the best parts of the evening. Less than 2min down from Mokodou, stepping in to the dining hall from the cold outside is like entering another world – warm, cosy and full of life. The simple mountain lodge setting, kitchen staff moving briskly between buffet trays and trekkers digging into their meals created an unspoken camaraderie; everyone has gone through the same long ascent up and earned their place here.
Soup, spaghetti, rice, fried noodles, baked chicken, braised beef, stir fried vegetables, scrambled eggs, and a few more vegetarian options plus hot coffee and tea. The night we were there it was pumpkin soup and I grabbed a bowl before I looked at anything else. I also had more spaghetti than I’d like to admit – it was either really good or I was just very hungry. Probably both.
At the back of the hall is a small grocer and souvenir shop. You can find snacks, beverages, cup noodles and simple souvenirs like postcards, magnets, beanies etc. I grabbed a couple of postcards. More about the postbox in Part 3. Payment is by cash only and things cost a little more here. Understandable, everything is carried up by a porter.
Sunset & Stargazing at Panalaban Base Camp
Before the sun sets, head out to the balcony to catch the view looking down over the forest you just hiked up. It will be one of those quiet moments that stays.
As dinner service ended, we retreated back to our room to ready our summit daypacks. Hariz came by later to confirm the plan – supper will be at 2:00am before the summit push. Predictably, nobody could sleep. At 9pm, equipped with our cold gear and headlamps, we snuck out looking like we were ready for the summit.
We went back to the balcony at Laban Rata to stargaze and lasted 20min before the cold sent us back inside. Earplugs. If you do not have them, you will wish you did. Snoring at altitude is a phenomenon and the walls carry sound generously. Eventually the snoring fades into white noise, the body gives in, and sleep comes.
(Up Next in Part 3 – Summit Push)
This is part of the Mountain Stories from Our Ultimate Guide to DIY your Mount Kinabalu Trek under S$500.