Kinabalu Park which covers an area of 754 sq km was gazetted a park in 1964.The basis for the establishment of a protected areas in Kinabalu were formed after a report from the Royal Society Kinabalu Scientific expedition in 1962-1964 led by Prof. Corner. It is the first Park in the Malaysian Borneo’s state of Sabah. Its main feature is Mount Kinabalu (4,095.2 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It slope is home to a rich assemblage of plants and animal species. It is a hot spot of particularly the plant biodiversity with affinities to flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malay Peninsula, as well as pan-tropical region.
The main entry point for visitors is the Park Headquarters located about 92 km on the Kota Kinabalu – east coast highway lying at an elevation 1520m above sea levels. The cool climates attracted over 250,000 visitors in 2009 with about 47,000 made the attempt to conquer the peak.
The administrative center is located in the ‘Conservation Center’ building. Also in the same building is the Research and Education offices and facilities.
