RANAU: Foreign tourists are repeatedly entering community-managed hiking trails around the foothills of Mount Kinabalu without permission or guides, with villagers claiming intrusions occur as often as twice a week despite warning signs telling visitors not to do so.
The problem has persisted since 2021 at Aki Aki Trail, a community-managed hiking trail.
According to its Deputy Chairman Hanson Juhili, the community now wants tourism authorities to intervene before an unauthorised hiker gets lost or seriously injured.
This comes in the wake of the recent rescue of Croatian climber Mauro Persic, 46, who was believed to have entered Mount Kinabalu through a village trail outside the official route managed by Sabah Parks.
The incident highlighted the difficulties and risks faced by rescuers when hikers venture through unofficial routes and their exact locations cannot be immediately established.
Hanson said what villagers were experiencing at community trails showed the problem was not isolated.
“Every week, there will usually be one or two incidents. Sometimes it is one or two people and sometimes they come in groups,” he said.
He claimed most of those entering Aki Aki Trail without permission were foreigners, including tourists from Europe, the United States and Australia.
Local and domestic visitors, he said, rarely did so because they generally understood that such attractions were developed and maintained by communities and provided livelihoods for local guides.
“We opened this trail ourselves. We clean it, maintain it and look after it using our own manpower, without assistance from any party.
“Our sweat, energy and time go into this place. This is how people here earn an income,” he said.
Hanson said large warning signs had been put up to make it clear that unauthorised entry was prohibited, but these were being ignored.
Guides accompanying registered hikers had on several occasions encountered unauthorised visitors already inside the trail.
“We approach them properly. We explain the situation and ask them either to turn back or register and pay according to the package provided,” he said.
However, not everyone cooperated.
Hanson estimated that about half would comply when confronted while others would argue with the guides and insist that access to the area should be free.
“Some refuse to pay and tell us it should be free. Some say the charges are too expensive for them as foreign tourists.
“But the charges are the same. We do not impose a higher rate simply because they are foreigners,” he said.
In some cases, he said, the visitors only agreed to leave after being told that the matter could be referred to the police.
For Hanson, the issue goes beyond people avoiding a hiking fee.
He said guides are required because unfamiliar hikers could take the wrong route and become lost, while guiding itself provides an important source of income for villagers. The guides involved are experienced mountain guides familiar with the terrain and trained to deal with hikers and emergencies.
“When people enter on their own and something happens, it becomes a safety issue. They may not know exactly where they are, and rescuers may then have difficulty locating them,” he said.
Hanson said visitors should understand that entering community trails without permission could involve more than simply ignoring an operator’s rules, particularly where customary land and community-held areas are involved.
He said unauthorised entry could potentially raise issues under Sabah’s Native Court system where intrusion involved areas held or managed under native customary rights or customary tenure, depending on the circumstances and applicable laws.
“Just because visitors see a forest or a trail does not mean it belongs to nobody and everybody can enter freely.
“There are communities, customary rights and livelihoods behind these places. Those rights must also be respected,” he said. He stressed that the community was not trying to prevent tourists from enjoying the area.
“We welcome visitors. Tourism provides opportunities for our people. What we are asking is very simple — respect the community, register properly and use a guide,” he said.
Hanson said greater intervention and awareness were now needed, particularly as Sabah continues to promote rural and community-based tourism.
He urged tourism authorities and associations, as well as homestays, hotels and other accommodation operators around Kundasang and Ranau, to inform guests that village and community-managed hiking trails are not necessarily open-access areas.
Visitors, particularly foreigners unfamiliar with local arrangements, should be told beforehand that some trails require permission, registration, payment and a guide.
He hoped Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister and Sabah Tourism Board Chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai would look into the recurring problem and help communities find a solution.
Hanson said tourism agencies could assist by disseminating clear information through accommodation providers, tourism operators and other platforms used by international visitors.
“This has been happening for years. We do not want to wait until something serious happens before everybody starts asking why people were allowed to enter without a guide. We want visitors to come. But tourists must also respect the people who protect, maintain and depend on these places,” he said.