Mount Kinabalu Mountain Guides and Porters Honoured at Sabah Tourism Awards
The Mount Kinabalu Mountain Guide Association and Mount Kinabalu Porter Association were recently awarded Special Appreciation Awards at the 2025 Sabah Tourism Awards, recognising their lifelong dedication and invaluable contributions to Sabah’s tourism industry.
The award honours their unwavering commitment to climber safety, guiding excellence, and the preservation of Mount Kinabalu’s natural and cultural heritage. This recognition underscores the irreplaceable role of local mountain guides and porters who safeguard both climbers and the mountain itself.
The Sabah Tourism Awards are among the state’s most prestigious recognitions, celebrating individuals and organisations whose long-term dedication has shaped Sabah as a leading tourism destination. The Special Appreciation Award is reserved for contributions that go beyond commercial success, acknowledging sustained impact, responsibility, and service to Sabah’s tourism ecosystem.
For Mount Kinabalu, this honour shines a spotlight on the people who have always been there, often quietly, ensuring that every climb is possible, safe, and meaningful.
Recognising the Guardians of Mount Kinabalu
Amazing Borneo team together with our in-house guides Danson and Zeeron
Officially known as Persatuan Malim Gunung Kinabalu, the Mount Kinabalu Mountain Guide Association was honoured for its steadfast commitment to professional guiding standards, climber safety, and the protection of Mount Kinabalu’s natural and cultural heritage.
Together with the Mount Kinabalu Porter Association, these professionals form the backbone of the Mount Kinabalu climbing experience. They are not simply support personnel. They are the guardians of the mountain, entrusted with the safety of thousands of climbers each year while operating within a protected area that is part of the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark.
Their presence on the mountain is not optional or ceremonial. It is essential.
Why Mountain Guides and Porters are Essential on Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is not a mountain that can be climbed independently or casually. Its altitude, unpredictable weather, and sensitive ecosystem demand experience and professional oversight.
Mountain guides and porters are essential because they:
- Monitor climbers for altitude-related risks and physical fatigue
- Manage pacing and rest to reduce the risk of accidents
- Respond to emergencies and coordinate evacuations when necessary
- Ensure compliance with Sabah Parks regulations and conservation practices
- Share local knowledge of the mountain's terrain, weather, and cultural significance
Most guides and porters are residents of the surrounding Mount Kinabalu region, with generational knowledge built through lived experience. Their understanding of the mountain goes beyond maps and training manuals, encompassing subtle environmental cues that can only be learned over time.
More Than Guides and Porters
For climbers, the presence of a registered mountain guide provides structure, reassurance, and accountability throughout the journey. Guides are professionally trained, certified, and entrusted with critical decision-making responsibilities, from monitoring climber conditions to responding to emergencies in a high-altitude environment.
Porters, meanwhile, play an equally vital role that extends far beyond carrying climbers’ personal bags. They are responsible for transporting essential supplies up and down the mountain, including food provisions, cooking equipment, maintenance materials, and heavy items required at base camp and mountain facilities. From sacks of rice to large appliances, most goods are moved via the mountain trails by porters themselves.
Although helicopter pads exist on Mount Kinabalu, aerial transport is rarely used and reserved for exceptional circumstances. Day-to-day operations on the mountain rely overwhelmingly on human logistics. Carrying heavy loads at altitude, often in challenging weather, requires extraordinary physical endurance and skill. Many porters have completed the ascent hundreds of times, forming the unseen infrastructure that allows Mount Kinabalu to function safely and sustainably.
Heroes in Times of Crisis
The importance of Mount Kinabalu’s guides and porters became unmistakably clear during the 2015 Kinabalu Earthquake, one of the most tragic events in the mountain’s history.
In the immediate aftermath, guides and porters assisted injured climbers, navigated unstable terrain, coordinated safe descents, and helped account for climbers under extremely dangerous conditions. Some mountain guides lost their lives during rescue efforts, a solemn reminder of the risks they willingly bear in service of others.
For many, this moment defined the profession not just as a livelihood, but as a duty. It reinforced why guides and porters are trusted with lives on the mountain.
Heroes in Times of Crisis
Beyond safety, mountain guides and porters play a vital role in protecting Mount Kinabalu’s fragile environment and cultural significance.
As frontline custodians, they help:
- Protect alpine ecosystems from damage
- Educate climbers on respectful behaviour and conservation
- Uphold cultural values tied to a mountain regarded as sacred by local communities
Their daily work aligns closely with the principles of sustainable tourism, balancing access with preservation so that Mount Kinabalu remains a world-class destination for generations to come.
A Well-Deserved Honour
The Mount Kinabalu Mountain Guide Association and Mount Kinabalu Porter Association being recognised at the 2025 Sabah Tourism Awards represent a long-overdue acknowledgment of their irreplaceable role in Sabah’s tourism landscape.
Every successful Mount Kinabalu summit is a shared achievement. It is made possible by the dedication, discipline, and quiet strength of the guides and porters who walk alongside climbers every step of the way.
At MountKinabalu.com, we recognise and honour these professionals not as background support, but as the heart of the Mount Kinabalu experience.
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