Hospital Ranau – Emergency Department
Hospital Ranau
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2
Jalan Hospital, 89300 Ranau, Sabah
Mount Kinabalu Climb · Checked October 2026
Mount Kinabalu Climb emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, 999 and altitude
How to get help on the mountain, the nearest hospital for each of the 2 stages, altitude sickness, and the Sabah Parks rules: permits, the compulsory guide, the Sayat-Sayat cut-off and what is not refunded.
In an emergency tell your guide at once: guides carry radios and call Sabah Parks, whose rangers and the Mountain Search and Rescue team bring injured or sick climbers down to Timpohon Gate. Also call 999 from any phone (112 from a mobile) for police, ambulance and Fire and Rescue. If you lose your guide and the white rope in cloud or darkness, stop where you are and blow your whistle. Say which part of the trail you are on: the nearest km post, shelter (pondok) or Sayat-Sayat.
Emergency numbers
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 999 | Malaysia Emergency Response Services: police, ambulance, Fire and Rescue and Civil Defence, free from any phone, 24/7. |
| 112 | From a mobile phone: reaches the same 999 centre, even without credit. |
| 994 | Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) direct; it leads mountain rescues on Kinabalu with Sabah Parks. |
| +60 88 875 266 | Ranau Hospital, the nearest emergency department, about 25 km by road from Kinabalu Park |
| +60 88 523 500 | Sabah Parks headquarters, Kota Kinabalu (office hours) |
| +60 19 939 2121 | Sabah Tourism Emergency Hotline for visitors |
On the mountain your guide is your link to help: guides carry radios and call Sabah Parks rangers and the Mountain Search and Rescue team. Mobile signal is patchy on the trail and at Panalaban, so save your booking QR code and indemnity form offline, tell someone at home your plans and carry a whistle. Travel insurance that covers trekking to 4,100 m and medical evacuation is strongly advised; the RM10 park insurance covers only accidents up to fixed limits.
Rules to know
- Permit and bed: you can only climb with a Sabah Parks climbing permit and a bed booked at Panalaban. The permit costs RM400 for international adults (RM200 for 17 and under) and RM100 for Malaysians. Sabah Parks hostel packages are sold online only at reservation.sabahparks.org.my (2026: RM1,043.25 for international adults, with permit, insurance, one night and three meals); Laban Rata Resthouse and Pendant Hut are sold as Sutera packages. Dates sell out months ahead.
- A licensed Sabah Parks mountain guide is compulsory: RM350 per guide for up to 5 adults (or 2 climbers aged 15 and under), paid in cash at the park. Stay with your guide all the way up and down.
- On top of the package: conservation fee RM50 for international adults (RM25 for 17 and under), the KOKTAS shuttle to Timpohon Gate (RM15–35) and porters at RM14 per kg. Bring enough ringgit in cash.
- Timing: register at Kinabalu Park between 7:00 and 10:30 am on day 1. Show your permit tag at Timpohon Gate, Laban Rata and Sayat-Sayat. Pass the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint by 5:30 am on day 2 or you will be turned back, check out of Panalaban by 10:30 am, and be back at Timpohon Gate before 4:00 pm (later arrivals pay RM15 per person per hour).
- Only the Timpohon route is open; the Mesilau trail is closed. Above Panalaban use the Ranau Trail; the Kota Belud Trail needs special permission. Climbing off the official trails is trespass: in 2026 a climber was fined RM25,000.
- Hold the white rope on the granite above Panalaban, both up and down. If you lose it in cloud or darkness, stop and blow your whistle; do not look for your own way.
- Health: Sabah Parks advises people with heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic asthma, severe anaemia, diabetes, epilepsy or obesity not to climb, and everyone to see a doctor first. Spend a night at Kinabalu Park or Kundasang before the climb to acclimatise.
- No refunds: cancellations, and climbs stopped by weather after Timpohon Gate, are not refunded. One date change in the same year is allowed with at least two weeks' notice and a fee (RM410 for international adults); names cannot be changed.
- Wear hiking shoes with good grip (sandals and slippers are not allowed), and carry a head torch, warm layers, a waterproof jacket, gloves and a whistle. Summit temperatures before dawn are about 0 to 5 °C.
- Kinabalu Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: do not pick plants (including pitcher plants and orchids), feed animals or leave rubbish. Recreational drones are not allowed in Sabah Parks areas.
Nearest hospital for each stage
| # | Stage | Hospital (24/7 emergency) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timpohon Gate → Laban Rata | Hospital Ranau – Emergency Department |
| 2 | Laban Rata → Low's Peak | Hospital Ranau – Emergency Department |
Hospitals
Queen Elizabeth Hospital – Emergency & Trauma Department
Hospital Queen Elizabeth
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2
Jalan Nurse Quarters, Taman Fortuna, 88576 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu – 24-hour A&E (private)
- 24/7 emergency
- Stages 1, 2
Jalan Mentari, Sutera Harbour, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Pharmacies, cash and supplies
- Pharmacies:
- ATMs:
- Shops: Timpohon Gate
- Bus stops:
There is no pharmacy at Kinabalu Park or on the mountain, and Malaysia has no duty-pharmacy rota. Kundasang, 6 km away, has a small pharmacy; Ranau and Kota Kinabalu have more. Buy painkillers, blister plasters, rehydration salts and any prescribed altitude medicine in Kota Kinabalu before you go, and bring a head torch with spare batteries.
Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.
Have the nearest help on your map, offline
Outest shows these hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs and stops on the Mount Kinabalu Climb map, offline, together with the route, water and places to sleep.