Review Author: Bill Faries

Review Date: 21 Apr 2024

Review Body: The experience with Olivia and the Seek Sophie team was first class from start to finish. They responded quickly to all my questions and prepared us well for what was ahead. My son and I did the hike with our guide and porter, Jabadi. It's not an easy round-trip, but it was well-worth the work. One piece of advice that I got from a friend and which was a big help: take multiple changes of clothes. Even if it doesn't rain on you, you'll get extremely sweaty on the hike up and will want to get into something dry, perhaps twice. Take a Camelbak-style water bladder so you keep your hands free from carrying water bottles. And be prepared for near-freezing temperatures at the top, especially if you arrive early and are sitting to wait for the sunrise. But what a trip!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Michael

Review Date: 13 May 2026

Review Body: The entire experience was well organized as there is a certain amount of logistics involved. Olivia was very responsive. The hike itself was challenging but not super difficult. Thin path, lots of steps, smooth rock closer to the top. I added the walk to torq which was excellent. My only complaint is going down was a bear but that’s on me for not bringing my best hiking boots.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jazmine

Review Date: 10 Sep 2026

Review Body: The most incredible experience with the most amazing people. My guide was so attentive and helpful and supported through each step of the experience. From start to finish it was run so well and the team were so accommodating for my dietary requirements- they went above and beyond. Honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Would highly recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Felix

Review Date: 14 Mar 2025

Review Body: The trip was very special, well organized and every person involved was extremly friendly. It was obvious that they are working with a lot of passion. Seek Sophie is therefore the perfect place to book a trip to the sumit of mount Kinabalu. The climbing can be demanding, especially the descending, but it is so worth it. We can recommend this trip!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jamie

Review Date: 05 Jul 2026

Review Body: Amazing trek! Jiro was a really great guide allowing me to go at my own pace, which made us make it to the camp and summit in good time! Walk the Torque was a fun addition. Good quality accomodation and food as well. It's a hard climb, but definitely worth it!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Fred

Review Date: 08 Apr 2025

Review Body: Olivia was very friendly and patient in responding to our enquiries, overall trip was smooth without any major hiccups. Summit to Mt Kinbalu was enjoyable and our mountain guide was fantastic as well

Review rating: 5

Review Author: MelC

Review Date: 08 Jul 2026

Review Body: Everything was perfectly arranged. Great Communication, experienced guides, all Services delivered as described. Definitely recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jay

Review Date: 11 Jun 2026

Review Body: I loved how convenient everything was. Since the transport from hotel was provided, it made my whole trip super seamless and easy.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Kylie

Review Date: 23 Jun 2026

Review Body: We loved our trip. We had excellent communication from booking until the day of the trip, a good driver and smooth operations. Pp

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Benedict

Review Date: 19 Jun 2023

Review Body: Amazing climb, we had a wonderful time. Jiru was our guide and he was very helpful with the pace and advice during the climb.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sasa

Review Date: 24 Jul 2026

Review Body: It wS everything perfectly organised. Olivia took care that everything works and mountain guide was really great.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Nadja Ellerbæk

Review Date: 31 Mar 2026

Review Body: Very nice and unforgettable experience. Highly recommend! Bring a lot of warm clothes to the top if you have to wait for the sunrise like us. We were freezing a lot. Consider to go slow to the top so you don’t reach too early.

Review rating: 4

Review Author: Amy B

Review Date: 10 Aug 2026

Review Body: This was a mixed experience for me. Olivia is very organised and will respond to any questions within 12 hours which is great. The guide was also very experienced, but he did often hang back to talk to his other friends/guides/ message on his phone. Getting up the mountain was relatively easy on the first day and was able to get to the hut ok. The second day, you start early (about 1:30am), but a niggle that had arrived on the first day in my knee developed, especially after the final 150m steep climb to the top. As I descended, the pain got much worse and although I could hobble, my pace meant that I would either be walking for over 20hours that day (assuming that the pain did not get worse) or I would need to be rescued. I was told to be rescued, I would have to pay £430 to the guides and they and the porters were swarming around me (I'm guessing so they could get a slice of the action). Due to being in a vulnerable position, I agreed to pay. Don't get me wrong, the guys who took part in the rescue were great and got me down in one piece. However to this day, I am not confident that I was not completely scammed when I was in a vulnerable state. One of the guide's friends shouted at me "Thank you for giving us more money" as I was being taken down and my guide just laughed which didn't feel great. Would I recommend this tour? Uncertain. Will you get to climb Mt K? Absolutely. However, I as I cannot say for certain that I wasn't completely scammed, I can't think of what this tour offers that another doesn't.

Review rating: 3

Review Author: Celina Schmidt-Petersen

Review Date: 09 Apr 2026

Review Body: Our hike up Mount Kinabalu was an unforgettable experience and easily one of the highlights of our trip. From start to finish, everything was incredibly well organized, and it really showed in the quality of the infrastructure and accommodation on the route. The lodge was comfortable and well maintained, which made a big difference after long hours of hiking. There are showers at the lodge, but only cold water though (to be expected 😊). Towels and soap is provided, so no need to bring this. We also had a wonderful guide, Johny. His English wasn’t great, but he was incredibly kind and paced the hike well. And then there are the views - absolutely breathtaking. As you ascend, the landscape changes dramatically, and reaching higher elevations rewards you with stunning panoramas that make every step worth it. The sunrise from near the summit is something we’ll never forget. That said, it’s definitely a strenuous hike and shouldn’t be underestimated. A good level of fitness is important to fully enjoy it without feeling overwhelmed. Also, it gets surprisingly cold near the peak, so bringing proper warm clothing is essential. Overall, we loved every minute of it. It’s a challenging but deeply rewarding adventure that we would highly recommend to anyone considering it.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Zhou Xue &Wing

Review Date: 17 Apr 2026

Review Body: Our first stay at the Pine resort is wonderful, i would like to bring my parents come to this place again! Though the hiking is a bit rough, we still made it to the summit. Kudos for Seek Sophie to arrange a really patient and professional mountain guide for us, without him (His name is Jiro!) we probably cannot reach the summit and to see the splendid view of Mt.kinabalu. For the stay at the mountain, it's really clean and cozy, as a hiking dormitory, they even have the warm water for showering(if you are lucky enough). we also joined the short walk the torq, amazing view at the steepy rock wall with reliable equipment to make sure you are safe. For beginner climbers, i think doing some jogging exercise twice a week for at least one month before the hiking will really make some difference, you will feel much better at the journey to 4092.5 summit, it will reduce the chance of altitude sickness also. Personally, i didn't do the jog that often so i was a bit nausea and feel light headed due to my heart beat too fast on the way to the top.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Nicole_L0w

Review Date: 15 Jul 2019

Review Body: Title: challenging experience and great services. Highly recommended (tour guide, Sylvester and Andrew) HiKing mount KK was a very memorable and the most challenging experience in my life.

I went to Kota kinabalu in few days ago. Our tour guide, Sylvester and Andrew was very helpful and take care of us, specially Sylvester. At first i thought i not able to complete this challenge due to i thought my stamina has reached the limit and almost plan to give up in half way. Sylvester give me a lot of supports , motivation and helps to reach the peak. He is a very patient and good experience guide. He also help to take many nice photos of me and my team.

I highly recommended Sylvester and Andrew as they are really very very responsible mountain guide. They accompanied my friend and myself going down the mountain slowly and safety even though there's heavy raining in that moments. They also carry about 25kg++ on their back but they still accompanying and motivating us under the raining on the descend route. So...

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Lauren Abston

Review Date: 28 Sep 2024

Review Body: Climbing to the top of Mt. Kinabalu was the coolest experience I've ever had, and I think the price and experience booking through Seek Sophie were well worth it. The hike is definitely not to be underestimated; you need everything listed on the packing list, especially warm clothes. Once I booked the trip, Olivia reached out to me to give me more details and collect all the information needed. She was extremely knowledgable and also helped give advice for the rest of my trip on Borneo! The driver for my trip, Rashid, was fantastic. And my trail guide, Jiro, was amazing. It was just me so it was a very different experience than it would be if you were with a partner or a group. Everyone was very professional, and I always felt taken care of. I wouldn't highly recommend adding on the night at the Poring Hot Springs, but it was nice enough since it was in the area. I went the day before my hike, but it might have been better to have it the day after. Highly recommend this excursion!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Richard Selby

Review Date: 07 Aug 2025

Review Body: I booked a 3 day 2 night trip for 4 people on Mt Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Seek Sophie were perfect. Their friendly driver met us at the airport, unbothered by the flight delay. I was expecting to be consolidated with other people arriving but we had the minibus and driver all to ourselves, also on return trip to town. This meant we could stop off on request for snacks. All handovers to other parties - hotel, mountain lodge, mountain guide, Via Ferrata, were flawless. The first night hotel, Pine Resort, was a great way of settling in before the 6 hr hike to the mountain refuge. Recommend stay here rather than start super early from Kota Kinabalu which is 2 hr 15 mins away. Extra hours sleep are what you need. We booked the extra Via Ferrata activity near the summit. In the end, only 2 out of 4 of us did it. The lazy ones decided the extra 2 hrs rest meant more to us, and went back to rest in Pendant Hut refuge. The energetic ones hung off iron ropes and loved it.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: nliondaris

Review Date: 26 Nov 2018

Review Body: Olivia helped us to organise a 3D2N mount kinabulu Climb, followed by 2D1N Kinabatan river cruise and finished off on 3D2N Tabin wildlife safari excursion. Olivia helped to organise this trip for us wonderfully and all our driver and guides were superb! Everything flowed amazing and she was absolutely fantastic at answering all my many questions over whatsapp, in terms of professionalism I couldn't have asked for more. The climb was beautiful with some great views - also very challenging at times and you're pretty knackered by the time you get to base camp but there is lots of food to refuel you. The Kinabatan river cruise was excellent for spotting wild animals however the rooms were a but infested with insects. Tabin wildlife was lovely area to stay in and our guide was fantastic. Overall an amazing experience and beautiful part of our honeymoon.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: kungfunc

Review Date: 14 Aug 2019

Review Body: Don’t look anywhere else for My Kinabalu. I called Olivia on a Sunday and the day before a holiday. I also Contacted two other tour agencies. Olivia responded that same day and the other tour operators took two days. She also had the best price for better service and same experience. She provided me with complete information and was just all-around awesome communicating with me on WhatsApp. she was very thorough and i felt confident going into my trip. Sylvester was very helpful especially on day 2 when it matters. He took great pictures of me on his phone that I didn’t even ask him to. They were better than ones that I took! Then Olivia was kind enough to send them to me that night. You can trust this company and I would absolutely use them again in a heartbeat

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Mt Kinabalu Summit Climb

Itinerary Description: 0630 am – Proceed to Kinabalu Park traversing the Crocker Range with panoramic views of the surrounding hills, the focal point of which is Mt Kinabalu. 8 - 8:30 am - Arrive at Kinabalu Park. Upon arrival at Kinabalu Park, collect your packed lunch, proceed to the Park Registration office to register for your Mt Kinabalu summit climb and meet your Mt Guide. Thereafter you will be transferred to Timpohon Gate (1,829m), from here you will begin your climb to Pendant Hut (approx. 3300m) where you’ll spend the night 9 am - 9:30 am - Begin your climb. 12:30 pm - Lunch break 3 pm - Arrive at Pendant Hut and settle in 3.30pm - Attend the mandatory via ferrata familiarization in Pendant Hut and meet your Mountain Torq trainer 6-8 pm - Dinner then lights out to get as much rest as possible before your early start the following morning.

Itinerary Day 2

Itinerary Summary: Today you will summit at sunrise, and climb a 10m hanging ladder off the side of the mountain

Itinerary Description: 1.30 – 2 am - Wake up for early morning supper 2.30 am - Start hiking up to the summit with your Sabah Parks’ mountain guide 5.40 am - Catch the sunrise on Low’s Peak 06:00 am - Descend Low’s Peak to meet your Mountain Torq trainer 07:15 am - Meet your via ferrata trainer at Sayat Sayat Hut @ 3,668m for Walk the Torq via ferrata experience 09:30 am - Return to Pendant Hut for breakfast 11:00 am - Check out of Pendant Hut and descend to Timpohon Gate 5 -5:30 pm Arrive at Timpohon Gate and depart Kinabalu Park 6:30 – 7:30 pm Arrive back at your hotel in Kota Kinabalu