Kinabalu Park, Poring Hot Springs & Desa Farm Day Tour

The Road to Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu rises to 4,095 metres, the highest peak in Malaysia, and it dominates the whole of northern Sabah. Leaving Kota Kinabalu at 07:00, the road climbs through the Crocker Range, passing hill villages, vegetable farms and roadside stalls, with the granite summit appearing above the clouds on clear mornings. The drive to Poring takes around three hours, broken by a short comfort stop.

Many visitors ask how to get to Kinabalu Park from Kota Kinabalu without a car: buses run towards Ranau, but reaching Poring, Kundasang and the park in one day is only practical by road with a driver, which is why a Kinabalu Park day trip from Kota Kinabalu with transport is the most popular choice. Bring a light jacket, as the highlands are much cooler than the coast.

Poring Hot Springs

Poring Hot Springs lies at the eastern edge of Kinabalu Park, in lowland rainforest near Ranau. Hot sulphur water rises from the ground and is channelled into open-air pools and individual tubs, where visitors soak tired legs while birds and insects call from the forest. Many believe the mineral water soothes muscles and the skin.

You spend around two hours here, with time to dip your feet in the public pools, walk the garden paths and enjoy the forest. Private bathtubs are available for an extra fee paid on site. Please note that the famous canopy walkway at Poring is currently closed for maintenance, so it is not part of the programme. Prayer rooms and toilets are available in the park.

Desa Dairy Farm, Kundasang

After lunch the tour climbs to Kundasang, a highland town on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu known for its cool air, vegetable terraces and green pastures. Desa Dairy Farm sits high on these slopes, with black-and-white dairy cows grazing on grassy hills under the mountain, a landscape that earned it the nickname Little New Zealand. It is one of the most photographed places in Sabah.

You spend about an hour walking around the farm, watching the cows and, at certain times, the calves being fed. The farm shop sells fresh milk, yoghurt and ice cream for you to buy. Is Desa Dairy Farm worth visiting? For families and photographers, yes, especially when the clouds lift from the summit in the early afternoon.

Kinabalu Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Kinabalu Park was declared Malaysia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its exceptional plant life, which ranges from lowland rainforest to mountain forest and alpine shrubs near the summit. The park headquarters stands at about 1,560 metres, where cool, misty air surrounds forest trails, a botanical garden and viewpoints over the mountain.

The tour includes a photo stop and free time here of about an hour, a good moment to breathe the mountain air and photograph the peak if the clouds allow. The best time of day to see the summit is usually the morning or early afternoon, before clouds build up, and the drier months from March to September offer the clearest views. The return drive reaches Kota Kinabalu around 18:00.