Mountain that's home to ghosts

At 4,092 meters, the stunning St. Johns Peak is only three meters shorter than Mount Kinabalu's true summit, Low's Peak. It was named after Spencer St John, the former British Counsel in Brunei who joined the second and third documented climbs of Mount Kinabalu in April and July of 1858.

Day one of the hike to the summit of Mount Kinabalu is a slow and steady five-hour ascent through the lower mountain rainforest along six kilometers of reinforced carved steps.

The canopies of Mount Kinabalu National Park are among the most biologically diverse places on earth, home to 800 species of orchids and 600 fern species -- around 50 of which are endemic.

On day two, trekkers rise at 2 a.m. for a 3 a.m. start. The final 2.7 kilometers takes two to four hours to complete in the dark. Roped supports are anchored into the cliff's steepest positions to assist trekkers.

The sun rising over Sabah as seen from the summit at Low's Peak, named after former British Colonial Administrator Hugh Low, who made the first documented ascent of Mount Kinabalu's summit plateau in 1851.

The sunrise changes throughout the morning. Here, it's illuminated in steaks over the Crocker Range, a mountainous spine with an average height of 1,800 meters that divides the west and east coasts of Sabah.

By 9 a.m., clouds begin to ascend over the summit plateau. Rain follows shortly after.

The aim of the 2 a.m. wake-up call is to make it to Low's Peak for sunrise. These trekkers, spotted post summit, didn't succeed.

Porters earn only 128 Malaysian Ringgit ($40) for two-days' work on Mount Kinabalu. Nevertheless, the positions are highly coveted among subsistence farmers living at the foothills of the mountains.

Nepenthes villosa, the largest and most beautiful of 13 species of carnivorous pitcher plants, found at Mount Kinabalu National Park.

• UNESCO-listed Mount Kinabalu is one of Malaysian Borneo's most popular tourist attractions


• Mount Kinabalu climbers are required by law to have a guide and hiking permit


• Dry season of March to August are the best months to climb

(CNN) -- Before Christianity and Islam became the dominant religions of the island of Borneo, Animist beliefs dictated that when a person died, their spirit rose to the peak of Mount Kinabalu.

At 4,095 meters above sea level, it's the highest mountain in Southeast Asia.

Today, UNESCO-listed Mount Kinabalu National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo, with visitors forced to book two to three months in advance to secure one of 196 daily allocated hiking permits.

Though Sabah is developing at pace, villagers living at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu continue to perform Animist rituals to appease spirits residing at the cloud-ringed peak so no harm comes to those who scale it.

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The above images were taken on the rock-strewn 8.7-kilometer trail to the summit with Evan Conrad, a guide with Amazing Borneo Tours who first climbed Mount Kinabalu 20 years ago.

Porters earn 128 Malaysian Ringgit (US$40) for two days' work on Mount Kinabalu.

"I've climbed the mountains maybe 100 times," Conrad said.

"But I never get bored of it. Every time I see something new that excites me, and the view at sunrise is never, ever the same."

More information is available from the Mount Kinabalu Official Climb & Booking Information Centre, which says March to August are the best months to visit as it's the dry season.

There are multiple options for those wanting to hit the summit, ranging from from one-day to two-night climbs.

The pros recommend beginners do the three-day, two-night option. It allows them to acclimatize to the altitude. Only the super fit should try to get to the summit in a day.

Guides and permits are required by law.

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Getting there

From Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, a number of flights to Sabah capital Kota Kinabalu are available. The flight time is about two and a half hours. The drive from Kota Kinabalu to Mount Kinabalu takes about two hours.

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Ian Lloyd Neubauer is a Sydney-based freelance journalist specializing in adventure travel. He has reported extensively across East Asia and the South Pacific and is the author of two travel novels, Getafix (2004) and Maquis (2006).