Kinabalu Park & Kundasang

A highland town at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia's highest peak, with Desa Dairy Farm (“Little New Zealand”), Poring Hot Springs, and the climb up the World Heritage-listed mountain.

Kinabalu Park and Kundasang are in western Sabah, Malaysia, about 90 km east of Kota Kinabalu, a highland resort area at the foot of Mount Kinabalu (4,095 m). The town of Kundasang sits at about 1,500–1,900 m, with year-round temperatures of roughly 15–25°C, much cooler than the coast, so bring a jacket for the evenings. February–April is the driest period and the best time to climb; October to January is wetter. Activities fall into three groups. The first is Kinabalu Park headquarters and its botanical garden, along with the two-day, one-night summit climb (mountain hut and guide must be booked in advance). The second is the Kundasang highlands, including Desa Dairy Farm, the World War II memorial park, the vegetable and fruit market and sunrise at Mount Sosodikon. The third is Ranau and Poring to the east, including Poring Hot Springs, the canopy walkway, waterfall hikes, the Sabah Tea plantation and the Luanti fish spa. On Sundays you can go to the market at Kota Belud. Getting there: about 2 hours by self-drive or chartered car from Kota Kinabalu airport; there are also buses from Kota Kinabalu's north bus terminal toward Ranau and Sandakan, and you can get off at the park gate. We suggest 2–3 days, plus 2 more days if you climb the summit. Mountain weather changes quickly: usually sunny in the morning, with fog and rain in the afternoon, so plan mountain views and photos for the morning.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries