These mountains are often used a good source of income for the locals. I think it's forbidden to do it on your own, but you could try of course. We had to pay $270,- to do the trip. Malaysians were allowed to do it for $135,-. Although we had guides, I barely saw them on our way up because they sticked with the "slower" people of the group. The trip is worth it though, everything is well arranged and the guides have a lot to tell about the mountain and its history :-)!

Thanks for reading btw!