Kiau View Trail

Kiau View

Kinabalu Park Trail

The Kiau View trail head is located along the road just before the park entrance. It's a favourite among tour guides for its pleasant scenery and accessibility while being easy on most knees. From the opening, the trail leads up a mild uphill slope till you reach the first view point that overlooks the Kampung Kiau Village and vegetable fams south of the park. The path then continues along a ridgetop, passing through layers of slender chestnut-oak trees, ferns, scrubs and a few large overhanging rocks. A few sections of the trail, which have a muddy foundationl, have been conveniently layered with wooden boardwalks. Eventually, it reaches the final view point, which on a clear day, provides a magnificent view of the Kiau Valley that brims with lush greenery. The trails then descends down to the Power Station road, just a few minutes on foot after the Hill Lodges or 4 km before Timpohon Gate.

Directly opposite the trail end across the road is an opening to explore the Silau-Silau Trail (actually its trail end if you start from near the Kinabalu Park entrance). Kiau View takes roughly between 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on how fast you go and what you do along the path. The mostly level terrain along the hill crest makes it suitable for children or seniors to hike on without jeopardising their safety or ruining the experience with tiredness. The Pandanus Trail, which starts from along the road facing the Rock Hostel, connects with Kiau View at midway. It's a breezy 10-20 minute hike which provides a detour for those already on Kiau View to exit the trail back to the main road, or those on Pandanus to continue their exploration. Insects and birds are just about the only wildlife to spot in these parts. If you aim to look for more animals, it would be better to take the less traversed Bukit Ular or Liwagu trails.