Our first time hiking at Botak Hill, Sepanggar.

A couple of years back, both of us realized that we've made pretty bad choices in terms eating habits, etc and had become a tad bit overweight.😂 That surely scared the heck out of us so we decided to take control of our lives and officially started our weight loss journey together!

We took our first step by joining health classes at a local studio here in Kota Kinabalu. Doing zumba, hiit & the occasional yoga sessions every evening from Monday to Friday. Sometimes even going on hikes with other studio members on the weekends.

We'll elaborate more about our first time hiking up Bukit Botak a.k.a Bukit Bonggol a.k.a Teletubbie Hill on this post. It's located in Sepanggar, around 10-15 minute drive from One Borneo mall(depending on traffic) and is quite visible even from Likas bay. You can't miss it, it's the hill that has this 'hobbit' like aura when viewed from afar. Magical to look at too!

The group gathered around the foot of the hill at about 6 a.m and started our journey up after a 15 minute warmup. Since it was our first time doing this sort of slightly intense level hike, we have to make sure that we're ready physically & mentally for it too. So skipping warmup is a big no no for first timers! There are 2 paths that can lead hikers to the top, we took the 2nd one which included a lot of going up & down narrow bushy paths. Even passed through a graveyard during the first few hundred steps of the hike.

It was hard for us first timers, took us nearly an hour and a half just to get to the top of the hill! But all tiredness & soreness will soon be forgotten once you reach the top! And even though Mr. Sun was already shining brightly at that time, the breeze up top was suprisingly cool & refreshing. The clear, magnificent & unhindered view of the ocean & surrounding islands is to die for!

It was surely a memorable day, we never thought that we would actually get to hike & conquer this hill in KK. And a little bit of pride gained in the process too! If you're planning on conquering Botak Hill, make sure to bring enough water for hydration, a group of friends for company, a camera to record your journey, and also an adventurous & grateful heart!