There are lots of things to do in Kundasang. Located at the distinct Ranau in Sabah, Kundasang has a variety of popular attractions that are worth visiting. Ranging from enjoying lush greenery and cattle at Desa Dairy Farm, to indulging in hot spring, visiting the cute alpaca, enjoying tea at Sabah Tea garden, Kundasang gives you all these.
If you want to have a relaxed and meaningful Sabah trip, try to spend at least 4 days and 3 nights in Kundasang. If you are traveling here, it is best to rent a car so you can travel around the tourist attractions.
We have got you covered with 25 things to do in Kundasang.
- Get a Switzerland green pasture feeling in Desa Cattle Dairy Farm
Located at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, Desa Cattle Dairy farm provides most of Sabah cow milk and dairy products.
Visiting this farm gives you the idyllic scenes of Switzerland borderless grassland where you can see cows scattered around. To make your journey here smooth and steady, it is recommended to book your ticket one day in advance. If you are coming here by car, it is best to come earlier as there is plenty of free parking.
You will first arrive at this spot so it is best to take pictures first. Then, you can continue your journey to visit a small sunflower garden. There is also a suspension bridge where you can grab some good photos.
Besides, you can also see the milk carton lines where milk products are packaged. It will take around 1.5 hours to complete the tour and buy milk products.
Before leaving this farm, you can grab some fresh affordable milk products such as yoghourt, ice cream or milk.
- Alpaca Club
Located at the Mersilou, Alpaca Club is a new popular tourist spot for families. It is just 7 minutes drive from the Desa Cattle Dairy Farm. Currently, there are 11 alpacas here and all of them are imported from Australia. These furry creatures enjoy the freedom to roam around and be pampered by visitors. You can also feed these furry creatures with dried grasses and interact with them closely. You can also enjoy the Mount Kinabalu view from the Alpaca club. You can just walk into this place as there is no booking required. Normally, people spend around 30 minutes here to relax and unwind.
- Spring Garden Mersilou
If you want to find a place full of flowers blooming all year round, this is the right place. If you come to the right place, you can also enjoy the magnificent view of Mount Kinabalu. There is also a river nearby where you can hear the water flowing through, which helps you release all your stress. It is perfect to find serenity and peace here.
- Poring Hot Spring
Poring is known for its hot sulphur spring bath. These hot waters are provided into public and private pools. If you want privacy, you can opt for private pools which require charges. There are multiple public pools that you can explore, thus you can spend around 3-4 hours at the hotspring. There are also public bathrooms available. It is best to bring a towel, sandals and some toiletry.
Besides the hot spring here, you should not miss the breathtaking treetop walk on the 43m tall canopy walkway. It can be challenging for people who are afraid of heights. But it is worth trying.
The rafflesia garden is also worth visiting and depends on your luck as there is a season for Rafflesia to bloom.
If you want more than the hotspring and garden, you can also have a jungle trekking and visit two famous waterfalls, namely Kipungit waterfall and Langganan waterfall. It will take around 2 hours of trekking but the 120m waterfall is worth the trip.
Besides, there is also a butterfly farm, Poring Orchid Conservatory and bat cave. It is worth spending 1 day here and definitely a great stop-over place while visiting Mount Kinabalu.
- Sabah Tea
Located 2,000 feet above sea level, Sabah tea produces tea that is 100% free of pesticide. You can enjoy a sip of Sabah tea at a quiet and serene place. Besides, there are some great spots for photo taking.
Sabah tea has introduced 8 variations of tea packages where you can bring them as souvenir or gifts for friends.
They also introduced 6 variations of fruit tea.
- Ride an ATV
Always want a thrilling scenic ride through the Kundasang highland, the ATV gives you enjoyment. There are 2 ATV routes, the earthquake history site and Sosodikon hill. The earthquake route was made after the Kundasang earthquake in 2015 and is the longest route. You get to see the fragments of rocks from Mount Kinabalu that were brought down by the earthquake. Another route, Sosodikon hill gives you a quick ascending feeling.
Rest assured that both routes are family friendly, you just need to make sure your child is by your side while going for an ATV ride. There will be a technical and safety briefing before the ride.
- Visit the Upside Down House of Borneo
The Upside House of Borneo is the first of its kinds in Malaysia. You will be able to see a traditional Sabah house that comes with a kitchen, living rooms, bedrooms, toilet, veranda and garden, all in a brand new perspective. It is a fantastic place to bring your family. You can spend a memorable 1 hour here. Do note that you are not allowed to take photos in some parts of the house.
- Kundasang War Memorial
Want to stop by the garden for a stroll while paying respect to the heroes that fought during World War II, Kundasang War Memorial is the right place. There are 4 gardens in Kundasang War Memorial, Australian garden, English Rose garden, Borneo garden and the Contemplation garden.
You can see an Australian flag and a bronze plaque written with Kinabalu Kundasang War Memorial with Australia.
For English Rose garden, you can a black plaque with an English flag.
Borneo garden is made to remember the Borneo victims that have helped rescue prisoners of wars and got themselves killed. You can see rare orchid species grow in this garden.
Contemplation garden is a passage linked to a pond. All marble panels here are installed with the names of victims.
10. Get your stock up in Kundasang Market
If you want to get fresh products, come to Kundasang market early. Keep your car boots empty and fill them with fresh products. You can literally get anything here, ranging from vegetables, fruits, brown rice, wild honey, tapioca chips, spinach chips and flowers. During durian season, you must come here early to hunt for cheap and good quality durian as they are sold out quickly. While shopping here, you can also enjoy the magnificent view of Mount Kinabalu. People here are friendly and if you buy a lot, they tend to give you some free gifts.
11. Go for a tandem paragliding
The best way to capture the whole scenic view of the mountain is to go for a paragliding journey. Depending on the wind, weather and the clarity of the sky, you get to capture mesmerising views of paddy view, mountain view as well as enjoy the fauna and flora beneath you. You will normally take off from a high point in Lohan, you will fly in the sky for a few minutes and there will be the time you enjoy those scenic views. Definitely worth the journey. There will be some safety briefing before the journey starts.
11. See Milky ways at Stars Observation Deck
If you want to enjoy stargazing and enjoy the milky way with naked eyes, Star Observation Deck is the right place to go. It is best to go anytime from March to September. You have to go on a night with clear sky and no moon. Since it is hard to predict the clear sky, it is best to spend at least 3 nights here. The night time here can fall below 20 degrees and with wind, it can go down to 14 degree, so it is best to bring your sweater here.
12. Climb Sosodikan Hill
If you want to find a place with beautiful scenery and secluded, Sosodikan hill is the best. It takes less than 10 minutes to reach the peak. It is best for the beginner hiker. Normally, people come here before noon. If you want to see the sunrise here, it is best to come before 5.30am. You need to pay for the entrance fee. Since the weather here will be sunny most of the time, it is best to bring an umbrella. While walking the trail, you can enjoy the beautiful flowers planted. Even though it is a 10 min walk, the route is treacherous so make sure you are dressed up while hiking here.
13. Hike Maragang hill
This is another pretty easy hiking place. The whole journey will take around 1 hour plus. Even though it is pretty steep to hike here, there is a pondok or resting place available along the trail. Hiking here requires early reservation. Maragang hill is a gigantic stairway for climbers to grasp the Mount Kinabalu magnificent view. There are two types of trails here, so you can either choose the normal trail or loop trail. You can grab some local bites before starting your hiking journey.
14. Play with cats at Cat Nature Park
Located in Ranau, this is a perfect place for a cat lover. The road condition to this park is a bit challenging but that does not stop the cat lover’s heart. While dropping here, try to provide some donations as some of the cats here are sick. There are a variety of cat breeds here where you can play with them. You can spend around 1 hour plus with the cats. Definitely a meaningful place to drop by.
15. Pose at Magical Garden
It is a nice place for lots of photos. Some must-take photo spots are Tori Gate, Piano, Stairs and Emoji stand. The weather here can be hot so it is best to bring an umbrella. Admission is required. It is near a rabbit village, cat village and the floating garden.
16. Enjoy Fauna at Botanical Garden
Located at Ranau, it is an excellent botanical garden full of fauna and flora within Mount Kinabalu. You can find lots of wild orchids and unique species here. You can park your car near Dewan Kundasang. The whole journey here will take 30 minutes. The environment here is calming and tranquil. If you want to know more about the plant, you can get a tour guide.
17. Harvest Strawberry at Mesilou Highland Strawberry Park
Special callout to all strawberry lovers, you can eat all strawberries here. It is best to give them a call to check whether it is strawberry season so you can harvest the strawberry yourself. After finish visiting the strawberry garden, you can relax and enjoy strawberry products such as their strawberry ice cream and cake. The strawberry ice cream is pretty good and worth trying.
18. Play with Rabbit at Rabbit Village Ranau
There are many fluffy and friendly rabbits here where your children can play with them. Your children can buy some rabbit food to feed them. If you want to bring one home, you can also purchase the rabbit here. There are around 100 rabbits here with all the species. It is best to come earlier as there is limited parking available.
19. Kawa Mangrove
You can spend around half a day in this mangrove. Since there is a policy in place to limit the number of visitors per day, it is best to make reservations earlier. You will be on a boat for a river cruise along the mangrove and mangrove forest reserve to search for proboscis monkeys, long tail macaque monkeys, silver leaf monkeys and other interesting wildlife. If you come at night, then you can see thousands of fireflies lit up at the river bank. It is a very amazing view!
20. Tanjung Aru Beach
Located at Kota Kinabalu, Tanjung Ara beach is awarded as one of the best and most beautiful sunset places in the world. This is exactly the place where you watch the crimson sun dips slowly into the horizon, having the sky turn into whole red. You can do kite flying here, picnics, team building or just lay down on the beach to relax and snack.
21. Try foot massage at Tagal Lunati village
If you are looking for natural fish spas, you can sit at the bank of the pool dipping your feet underwater. There are hundreds of tiny fish rubbing skin. It is located at the entrance of Sabah Tea Garden and it was originally an effort from government and local communities to preserve the environment and river ecosystem. Every visitor has 15 minutes here and you can feed the fish the pellets. The village can attract up to 50,000 visitors a day during the peak period.
22. Kinabalu Park
Known as a world heritage park, Kinabalu park attracts its visitors with its four climatic zones and more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna. There are a few activities you can do in Kinabalu Park, such as trekking, climbing Mount Kinabalu, birdwatching etc.
If you love hiking Mount Kinabalu, there is a Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon where it is a race to the summit and back. Every year, it will attract mountain runners from all over the world. All runners have to complete the journey within 4 hours where most people take 2 days and 1 night to complete the journey. Even though this competition has been stopped in 2017, but it is still on the bucket list of most people to hike mount kinabalu once in their life.
23. Bukit Kimondou Hiking Kundasang
Bukit Kimondou is one of the latest hiking spots in Kundasang. The trail is about 1km so it is suitable for people from all ages. Most people love hiking here as they can enjoy sunflower views at the summit. Since there are plenty of sunflowers here, there might be some small and harmless bees around.
24. Langanan Waterfall
You will need to hike 3.5km to the waterfall which takes around 2 hours to reach the waterfall. Even though the trail is considered medium level, there are leeches everywhere. The waterfall here is known as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Sabah, full of fauna and flora. Along the journey, you will pass by Kopungit fall and a bat cave. It is best to be in a proper suit to come here.
25. Poring Kipungit Waterfall
The water here is chilly and clear. It is a 10m high waterfall and just a short and easy walk from Poring hot spring. It is truly a hidden gem with a beautiful landscape, you can grasp the Mount Kinabalu view. There are many small fish in the base of water where you can enjoy free fish therapy.
