Poring Hot Springs

Poring Hot Springs is a rainforest park located about 40 km away from Kinabalu Park, near Ranau Town in Sabah. This beautiful park is famous for its sulphuric hot springs, channelled into Japanese-styled 'onsen' baths for the benefit of visitors. Besides the hot springs, the park is a rich repository for lowland species of flora and fauna in Borneo. Visitors often head to Poring for a dip after a gruelling trek up Mount Kinabalu.

The boiling water springs from the ground into man-made rock pools and pipes that connect to a series of thatched open-air baths. Each hut has four baths arranged in a circular fashion. Cold or hot spring water is fed into these baths by taps that you can turn on and off. It takes about an hour to fill the 1-meter deep bath as the tap funnels water very slowly. There are also outdoor pools fed by a river and one with slides. These require additional costs on top of the entrance tickets. Near the hot springs are some chalets, several of which are run by a premier resort in Borneo, making their facilities top notch despite being in the middle of a jungle.

Other than the hot springs, visitors should head to the 41-meter high canopy walk located on a 400-meter hill which will give you a view of the jungle from on top. The canopy walk is considered one of the best in Malaysia, but not the longest. After paying entrance tickets (again), you can then walk on the bridge, which is suspended by thick ropes and wire cables attached to trees.

The bridges connect to various observatory platforms where you can appreciate the view of the jungle surroundings from high-up. If you're lucky, you can spot wildlife such as birds, monkeys and squirrels making their way. The canopy walk may be accessed during the night through a special arrangement with the park authorities.

From the canopy walk, one can then visit the Butterfly Farm or Tropical Garden, where wild animals are kept for display. Tickets are chargeable once again. The park officers also conduct a tour to see wild Orang-Utans in the forest. You can enquire at the office if you're interested or wait for them to approach you. Then there's jungle-trekking; there is one main trail which leads to two waterfalls.

The first one, Sungai Kipungit, may be reached in half-an-hour. This small waterfall offers a cooling stop that's popular for weekend picnics. Continue on the trail and you will reach the Bat Cave, a small limestone cavern that's filled with hundreds of tiny bats. Visitors are warned not to venture too deep into the cave without proper equipment, as there are steep drops and sharp outcrops as well as slippery rocks caked with mud. Another 45 minutes more and you will reach the larger Langanan Waterfalls. Poring Hot Springs may be reached from Kota Kinabalu by using the road towards Kundasang, and then turning off at a junction after Ranau Town.