Kundasang places to visit: farms, hot springs and the park

The places worth visiting

Kundasang is the closest town to Mount Kinabalu, with a panoramic view of the mountain, at almost 1,900 m¹. The mountain stands in Ranau district, Sabah, on the island of Borneo³, and Ranau town is 15.6 km¹ from Kundasang.

Kinabalu Park headquarters: gardens and short trails

Kinabalu Park is protected as a World Heritage Site³. It was gazetted in 1964 and covers about 754 km²⁴. The headquarters sits at around 1,520 metres, about 92 km from Kota Kinabalu⁴.

Most visitors to Kinabalu Park do not climb all the way to the peak⁵. They come for the gardens and many short jungle walks⁵ near the entrance. It suits walkers, plant lovers and families who want the mountain views without the climb.

• Park hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Sunday⁶
• Conservation fee: RM50 for international visitors aged 18 and above⁷
• Free entry: Malaysian children aged 12 and below, seniors over 60 and OKU visitors pay no conservation fee⁶
• Botanical Garden: RM5 for international adults, RM3 for international visitors aged 17 and below, RM4 for Malaysian adults⁶
• Garden times: 9 am to 4 pm, last entry 3 pm, guided sessions at 9 am, noon and 3 pm⁶
• Guided nature-trail walk: 11 am from the Multipurpose Hall⁶

Minivans from Kota Kinabalu leave when full and take about 1.5 hours⁵. Buses from the North Bus Terminal take 1–2 hours⁵. See buses and drives from Kota Kinabalu for the details.

Desa Cattle Dairy Farm

Desa Cattle Dairy Farm (Desa Dairy Farm) sits at the foot of Mount Kinabalu in the Kundasang Valley and covers 199 hectares⁸. It is the stop for families: calves to feed, a cow barn and milking you can watch.

• Cow barn viewing: 8.30 am to 12.30 pm⁹
• Calf feeding: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, with an animal break from 12.00 pm to 1.30 pm⁹
• Milking, seen through a viewing panel: 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm⁹

Adult tickets cover ages 13 and above, and child tickets ages 7 to 12⁹. Children must always be accompanied by parents or guardians⁹.

The farm is close to town: The Clover resort says it is just minutes from Desa Dairy Farm, Sosodikan Hill (Sosodikon Hill) and Kinabalu Park¹⁰.

Poring Hot Springs

Sabah does have hot springs: Poring Hot Springs sits on the park’s eastern boundary, at about 400 m above sea level, in lowland forest². Water in its five hot springs ranges from 49 to 60 °C². The sulphur baths were first developed by the Japanese during World War II².

Wikivoyage recommends Poring as a place to soak sore muscles after the climb¹¹. It is about 20 minutes from Ranau¹² and open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, with last entry at the gate at 3:00 pm².

Beyond the baths:

• The Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower, is one of Poring’s main draws; viewing is charged only when a flower is in bloom²
• The Butterfly Farm, open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm²
• Kipungit Waterfall, the closest waterfall to Poring Hot Spring, and Langanan Waterfall, the highest waterfall at Poring²

To pair Poring with the park without driving, book a guided day trip to Kinabalu Park and Poring.

Kundasang War Memorial

The Kundasang War Memorial commemorates the 2,428 Australian and British prisoners who died during World War II¹. It was established in 1962 and is made up of four gardens¹³. Visitors can watch a short video on the history of the Sandakan Death March¹³.

It suits anyone with an interest in the war in Borneo.

• Where: on a hill directly behind the vegetable wholesale stalls¹⁴, about 10 minutes from Ranau¹²
• Cost: Wikipedia calls the entrance fee minimal¹
• Next door: the vegetable stalls, a long row of wooden stalls beside the main road, trade seven days a week¹

Sabah Tea Garden

Sabah Tourism calls Sabah Tea Borneo’s only organic tea farm, and one of very few in the world¹⁵. It is a two-hour drive from Kota Kinabalu and about 20 minutes from Ranau town¹⁵.

Tour packages are handled by Sabah Tea Resort¹⁵, so contact the resort for prices. It suits tea drinkers and anyone after a quieter stop.

The climb itself

Mount Kinabalu, at 4,095.2 m⁴, is the highest mountain in Malaysia and Maritime Southeast Asia³. Climbing packages run 2 days / 1 night⁷, because a one-day climb to the summit and back has not been possible since 2015⁵.

The permit for international adults is RM400⁷. Compare the route options for a Mount Kinabalu climb and check the Sabah Parks climb fee schedule before you book.

Where they are and what they cost

Pick by who is travelling: the farm for children, Poring for tired legs, the memorial for history, the park for walkers.

Tips for a day around Kundasang

• Allow about 2 hours¹⁶ to drive from Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang.
• Pick up a rough map at the park entrance¹¹; the trails are signposted and guided tours are offered.
• Wheelchair users: the Botanical Garden is not wheelchair accessible, and the park trails are not wheelchair-friendly¹¹.
• Plan around the wet months: November and December bring rain⁵. See rain and temperature month by month.
• To see more than one stop without rushing, stay a night: browse places to stay near Kinabalu.

Several day tours from Kota Kinabalu cover the park, Poring and the dairy farm in one go.

Questions people ask