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Tourists taking picture next to a Rafflesia flower

Rafflesia flowers of Sabah

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I have been waiting for the blooming of Rafflesia flower. I went to Tambunan Rafflesia Information Centre in August last year, but came back empty-handed (I mean no photograph). Rafflesia is the biggest flower in the world and out of 15 species, only 3 species are found in Sabah. You also can find rafflesia flower in Sumatran, Peninsular Malaysia, Java and Philippines.

Rafflesia display at Rafflesia Information Centre in Tambunan

Rafflesia arnoldii species, with 90 cm in diameter, is the biggest flower in the world. Too bad it does not live in Sabah. I am tired of hearing tour operators advertise we have the biggest flower. Just to get the fact right.

Rafflesia pricei is the second largest rafflesia species of Sabah

Tambunan’s Rafflesia Information Centre is about 80 KM away from Kota Kinabalu city. However, you will be driving on a long and winding road on the hilly area. Unless you own a powerful 4-wheel, otherwise you will need about 2 hours to reach there. There is an exhibition hall that shows some info of rafflesia species. The centre opens at 9am daily and close at 5pm every day. So don’t be late.

Information panel on different species of rafflesia flower

Only Rafflesia pricei, about 30 cm in diameter (max. 45 CM) and second largest species in Sabah, is found in the Tambunan forest reserve about 1,200 – 1,400 Meters above sea level. Daily sighting is not guaranteed and in fact consider rare. many small brownish protuberances (bud) of rafflesia can be seen on the forest ground. The seed will need 6 to 7 months to grow! Rats and other animals would feed on this juicy bud thereby adding the rate of fatality. It is difficult than bearing a human baby.

Close up of rafflesia pricei

Rafflesia is a parasite plant that hosts on the vine of Tetrastigma. Rafflesia is a single flower with no stem, leaf, or root; it is smelly like rotten meat. Rafflesia pricei is not as stinky as Rafflesia keithii. But when I get very close and sniff, I still can smell the unpleasant odor. Rafflesia relies on this smell to attract insects, such as flies, to carry on pollination.

Buds of rafflesia pricei

The photo above shows the reddish-brown cabbage-like protuberances of rafflesia. As you can see, they grow on a vine. A few months later, their flower will bloom at night, showing their fleshy petals (perigone lobes) like the picture of Rafflesia price below. The whole plant is a bit soft and looks like a plastic flower. I like its beautiful white patchy pattern. I was excited because this was my first time seeing a blooming rafflesia.

The Rafflesia Azlanii species featured on the RM10 Malaysian banknote was first discovered in the Royal Belum Forest Reserve of Perak. It looks quite similar to our Rafflesia pricei (left).

Last Saturday there were two blooming of rafflesia pricei, one was 3 days old, another one 6 days. I was very lucky because one of the blooming rafflesia is only 10 minutes walk into the forest, and there was no forest leech due to the dry season now. The worst experience will be walking in the trail for an hour and get annoyed by the little blood sucking slimy leeches throughout the trekking. The extra water, raincoat and leech sock that I carried were needless.

Follow the guide into the forest to look for the blooming rafflesia flower. If you are lucky, it’ll be a short walk.

When I was busy photographing the rafflesia, the park ranger kept on asking if I would use the photos for filming. If the photos are for commercial use and I photograph it for very long, I would have to pay RM3,000 (USD900) for such purpose. According to him, a Korean even paid RM2,500 (WOW!) to picture this magnificent flower. Rafflesia pricei is pricey to photograph then. Well, I drove here for 2 hours and paid RM50 entrance fee, there was no way I would take two shots and left. I was done with the priceless moment anyway.

The blooming of the rafflesia flower lasts about six days. Days 2 and 3 are the best viewing times. The flower would turn dark and show signs of withering from day four onward.

Just for your info, the blooming flower will last only 1 to 5 days. On 6th day, the petals will dry up, and the whole plant will wither in the next few days. By the time you read this, the pretty rafflesia flower I saw last week should have gone. Before you visit, please call the center to see if there is any blooming. When I left, two tourist buses had come in; the travel agent was quite well-informed. When there is no blooming, the whole place is like yours.

For other two species, Rafflesia keithii, with 80cm in diameter, is the biggest species in Sabah. You can see them in Poring, Crocker Range Park, Sabah Agriculture Park (Tenom), and Lohan. If I am not mistaken, Keith, the person that discovered Rafflesia keithii, is the husband of Agnes Keith, the author who named Sabah “The land below the wind.”

Models of different rafflesia flower species from other regions

Rafflesia tengku-adlinii, with 20cm in diameter, is the smallest but the rarest rafflesia that can only be found in eastern slope of Trus Madi range and Lutong Mountain (of Maliau Basin) in interior Sabah. If you are able to show me its blooming, I will not hesitate to pay you handsomely!

Rafflesia tengku-adlinii is the rarest and smallest rafflesia species of Sabah.

Due to forest clearing for logging and agriculture, sighting rafflesia depends on luck. I hope we can grow them in the nursery. Some villagers are unhappy to see Rafflesia flowers. They would remove it to prevent their land is gazetted as a protected forest reserve. I also hope Sabah Parks can create a web page that announces the blooming of rafflesia so more tourists will come to the sighting. I have no doubt the interest is strong.

Blooming Info

Sighting of blooming rafflesia needs luck. To avoid disappointment, before you visit Rafflesia Information Centre in Tambunan (see Location Map), you can check for blooming information with Sabah Forestry Department:
Facebook: sabahforestrydepartment (they will update their Facebook if there is blooming)
Tel: +60 19-5383992 (mobile), +60 88-899589 (office)
Mobile Phone: +60 11-33912760, +60 16-8878110, +60 11-26883441, +60 16-8346396, +60 11-31445985, +60 14-8694419
Email: rafflesia.info@gmail.com

VisitorAdultChildGuiding Fee
MalaysianRM5RM3RM50 for 5 people
ForeignerRM15RM7RM100 for 5 people
Please note entrance fee applies. To see rafflesia flower, you need to pay guiding fee (can be shared by 5 people). Rates as of Mar 2024

Related posts
Biggest flower in Sabah
Twin blooming of rafflesia

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Gardens of Poring

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Besides the popular Hot Springs and Canopy Walkway, there are a few “Ex-Situ” gardens in Poring nature park. Ex-Situ means “off-site conservation”, which is a process of taking special plant or animal out of its natural habitat and place it in another location such as garden, for conservation, research, tourism and other purposes. Visitors also can have close-up experience to observe them all in one place, without going into the wild.

These gardens are more like the “secondary” attractions of Poring. A few require entry ticket and they may or may not worth your time and money. I will let readers to judge after reading this blog.

Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Garden or Butterfly Farm is the most-visited garden of Poring and open from 9am to 4pm (close on Monday). One reason is that it is just next to Hot Springs, and everyone loves butterflies.


Separate entry ticket is required. Just look at the photo above for ticket price. FYI, you also can purchase 2-in-1 ticket (Butterfly Garden + Canopy Walkway) there, which is RM1 cheaper.


Once enter, you will see an open garden. Probably attracted by flowering plant in this garden, there are many butterflies flying around. Butterfly is active from morning to 3pm during good weather, so don’t come here after 3pm.


The butterfly garden is also an excellent place for bird watching. During fruit season, many species of birds will forage around here in early morning. I even saw two flying lizards once.


When I was busy chasing and shooting butterflies, a nice guy told me that there are more butterflies in the Butterfly Enclosure and he is right.


Above: Butterfly Enclosure of Poring Butterfly Garden


In the enclosure, I was surrounded by hundred of flying butterflies in different colors.


However, most of the butterflies in Enclosure have broken wings. The green and blue butterfly above is my favorite photography target, too bad it’s wings are not perfect.


Anyway, there are still some perfect butterflies there. Like the bird-wing butterfly in photo above.


Look at this butterfly! It looks like a dry leaf.


The garden even has a few feeding platforms for the butterflies. You can get very close to them when they are busy feeding hence less vigilant.

You may watch the 1-min video below to see Poring Butterfly Garden:

Tropical Garden

Tropical Garden is more like a mini-zoo that shows some animals of rainforest. This garden is poorly-maintained and most of the captivities are empty. The park will tell you there is nothing much there too, so don’t waste your time and money (as ticket required).


Above: the gate of Tropical Garden


You will see a rafflesia plot at your left before the gate. I saw a few rafflesia buds that are about to bloom after a few months. You have to be very lucky to see blooming rafflesia.


There are a few private rafflesia gardens near Poring park. If there is any blooming, the owner will put up a banner or signage, like the Vivian Rafflesia Garden at entrance of Poring, shown in photo above. You may Click Here to know more about rafflesia gardens.


You will be disappointed with the aviary of Tropical Garden. No bird chirping at all, so quiet that as if nothing lives there. I only saw a pair of Bulwer’s pheasant, a rare Borneo bird which has beautiful white tail. I tried to get a photo of them but they played hide and seek with me. Too bad..


The Tropical Garden is a wood area with a 700-Meter trail. Just follow the trail and you will see some cages, captivities and enclosures along the way, but most of them are empty, not even any bone left. 🙁



Ok, at least there are one or two that are not empty. I saw two Borneo Blood Pythons (or Borneo Short-Tailed Python) sleeping in enclosures.

Ethnobotanical Garden

The Ethnobotanical Garden of Poring displays some useful and medicinal plants as well as jungle fruits. No ticket required.


Above: the entrance of Ethnobotanical Garden


Above: small pond of Ethnobotanical Garden


Honestly, I’m not a botanist, so this area is not interesting to me. Unless you have a plant expert going with you, this garden offers little or no entertainment value to ordinary tourist.


If you go deeper, there is an orchard with jungle fruit trees.

Bamboo Garden

The Bamboo Garden is strongly related to Poring because the name “Poring” means Bamboo (species Gigantochloa levis) in the dialect of Dusun people. The locals were using bamboo pole, which is abundant in Poring, to build their bamboo houses.


It is a small open garden (no ticket required to enter) not far away from park entrance. If you look carefully, they are a number of bamboo species planted there.


Poring Visitor Center is just next to bamboo garden. Besides introduction of flora and fauna in Kinabalu Park, the exhibition hall also shows some info on bamboo. They have video presentation scheduled daily at 10am, 12pm and 2pm.


Btw, I saw a headhunter legend about the bamboo, which is quite interesting:

“Long time ago, there was an area which was covered with the growth of unusually huge bamboo. The hollow inside the bamboo was big enough to accommodate a child. The bamboo grove was known to be a resting place and shelter. During the bygone age of Misangod (headhunting spree), male infants were targeted by enemies as it was feared that they will grow up to be warriors. Whenever adults went out to tend their farms or involved in war, the babies were hidden inside the bamboo hallow and were retrieved on their returns.

One day a thirsty hunter stopped by the bamboo grove and slashed a pole to get water. He was greatly shocked when blood spurted out of the bamboo and found a lifeless child inside the bamboo. He was greatly moved at the sight. Suddenly a poisonous snake called Mantakag appeared from the bamboo grove and licked the wounds of the child. The wounds magically healed and the baby came back to life, and grew up to be a great headhunting warrior of the village.”

Source: The late Gambakon Bin Gondou (1983) Kg. Poring Ansow Gunsalam, Kg. Bundu Tuhan

Site Map of Poring Hot Springs
Below is a Site Map of Poring for you to know the location of each garden:

You may click the picture above to see bigger map.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album on Poring gardens for more nice pictures:

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

  1. Poring Hot Springs bath
  2. Poring Canopy Walkway
  3. The Most Expensive Orchid in the world
  4. Accommodation at Poring
  5. Jackie, orangutan who owns a house
  6. Waterfalls of Poring
  7. Night walk in Poring rainforest

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Blooming Rafflesia, biggest flower in the world!

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It’s a lucky moment that I have been waiting for. Blooming rafflesia! Not one flower but two, which is very rare.

On the way to Poring Hot Springs, there are a few families which have rafflesia grows on their land. Whenever there is any rafflesia blooming, they will erect a banner next to the roadside to announce it. However, rafflesia has no predictable blooming season and its flower can last only 6 days, so the tourists need luck for such amazing sight.


Above: another rafflesia garden in Poring. Most gardens are only a few minutes walk to the blooming spots.


Last week there was a twin-blooming of rafflesia keithii (the largest rafflesia species of Sabah) in Hamilin Rafflesia Garden near Poring. You need to pay an entrance fee (RM20 or USD6 for locals, RM30 or USD9 for foreign tourist) to see the rafflesia.


Here you go, the blooming rafflesia. The rafflesia takes 6 to 9 months to bloom from bud (like human baby isn’t it?). See the big cabbage-like bud under the rafflesia? It blooms on next day!


Twin blooming is already rare. And one of them has 6 fleshy petals (normal is 5)!!! That was one time they have 3 rafflesia bloomed at the same time. The flower usually opens at night and the petals take about 24 to 48 hours to fully extend.

You may watch the video of twin-blooming below:


Another angle of the blooming. The flower is about 73 CM in diameter. Rafflesia keithii can grow up to 80 CM.


The flower of rafflesia can last about 6 days. The best viewing time is from day 1 to 3. On 4th day, you can see that the flower turns darker and not that pretty. It’ll wither faster if the weather is bad or the flower is exposed under direct sunlight. That’s why there is a netting on top to protect it from rain and sunlight.


They fence the area so the tourists only can see the flower from a distance. The over-excited tourists always want to take photo next to rafflesia flower and they will step on the fragile rafflesia seedling under the soil.


If you look carefully, you will see vines and buds in the garden. The vine is tetrastigma, the host plant of rafflesia. Rafflesia is parasitic flower that absorbs all the nutrients from its host. Please note that rafflesia has no leaf, stem and true root.


Ms Hamilin started this garden with only 2 or 3 rafflesia buds. After 10 years of conservation, now her garden has about 30 rafflesia buds! During my visit, I saw over 40 tourists paid to see this flower in a day. If you do good to the environment, it’ll repay you handsomely. Another good thing is – their rafflesia seeds will spread to nearby houses so other villagers can benefit from extra income as well. I wish I have rafflesia grows in my house too. They even have dogs protect the rafflesia at night to prevent someone stealing the flower.



Above: close-up of rafflesia


Rafflesia is also known as “Corpse Flower” because its flower smells like rotting flesh. They say the smell is the strongest from 6am to 7am (early morning).


The odor of decay will attract insects such as fly, which transports pollen from male to female flowers. I saw a number of flies busy around.


Since flies love stinky rafflesia, I draw a comic for that. Yeah, I know my drawing s*ck..


Above: the life cycle of rafflesia. In first stage, it emerges like a swollen stem about as big as a thumb, and bloom after 9 months.


Rafflesia flower is totally wither after a week of blooming, but this doesn’t mean that it’s dead.


Instead, it starts to bear fruit (if fertilized), become ripen after 6 to 8 months, then ready to be dispersed. The germination will take more than 3 years and very little is known about the reproduction process.

Rafflesia Gardens of Sabah (rafflesia keithii)

There are a few sites in Sabah where you can see rafflesia. The place with best chance is the area around Poring.

As I said, you need luck to see the blooming. Below are the numbers that you can call before you visit, or Facebook to check for blooming update. Upon request, most of them are keen to sms or text you to inform you about the blooming. However, the following phone numbers may have changed. If one number doesn’t work, just try another:

  1. Adenna Rafflesia Garden (Poring): Tel (mobile): +60 19-8011602, +60 13-8754254. Facebook
  2. Vivian Rafflesia Garden (Poring): Tel (mobile): +60 19-8935751
  3. L&J Rafflesia Garden. Facebook
  4. Mt Kinabalu Bongol Rafflesia Garden. Facebook
  5. Parul Rafflesia Garden (Poring): Mobile: +60 13-5539537 (Parul), +60 19-8014743 (Julineh), +60 13-3317840 (Chalyn)
  6. Heavennie Rafflesia Garden (Poring): Tel (mobile): +60 14-5674398, +60 12-9857753
  7. Kampung Kokob (Ranau): Tel: +60 17-8380878 (mobile), +60 88-875114 (house)
  8. Hamilin Rafflesia Garden (Poring): Tel (mobile): +60 13-5482314, +60 19-8707963
  9. Esther Rafflesia Garden (Poring): Tel (mobile): +60 14-5576201
  10. Napalus Rafflesia (Poring): Tel (mobile): +60 13-8742681
  11. Poring Hot Springs: Tel: +60 88-878801 (sometimes blooming is announced in Facebook of Sabah Parks)
  12. Crocker Range Park (Keningau): Tel (mobile): +60 19-809 8683

If none of the sites above have blooming rafflesia, you may check with Sabah Agriculture Park and Perkasa Hotel in Tenom (but the chance is slim).

Rafflesia pricei, the second largest species in Sabah, is in Tambunan. You may read this blog for more info or check the Facebook of Sabah Forestry Department for update on blooming.

Related Posts
Rafflesia pricei & tengku-adlinii
Biggest flower in Sabah

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Tambunan, Switzerland of the East

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If you ask the locals about their impression of Tambunan town, most will answer, “a hilly and tranquil place with beautiful rice fields and surrounded by lush forest.” To me, Tambunan is like a pretty but introvert girl who is shy away from strangers. Only when you care to know her better, you will uncover her hidden gems and fall in love with her.


Above: traditional vs modern houses in Tambunan.


Indeed, Tambunan is so quiet that it gets the least attention from tourists. Tambunan is about 80 Kilometers from Kota Kinabalu city. I went there with a group of friends earlier this month, for a 1-day-1-night homestay program in Tambunan.


There was a twin blooming of rafflesia in Rafflesia Information Center so we dropped by to have a look. You need pure luck to see the blooming of rafflesia coz it has no predictable blooming period and its flower only lasts 6 days. Twin blooming is very rare.


15 Kilometers before Tambunan town, you will see a balustrade at the left of the road, that’s a nice view point of Tambunan Valley with lush paddy fields. By now, you should understand why some calls Tambunan as the “Switzerland of the East”.


Then we come to Timbou Village (Kampung Timbou), which is a homestay venue a few Kilometers away from Tambunan. Datuk Joanna, the coordinator of Tambunan Homestay, introduces us to the guides and villagers of the local community.


They are celebrating Rainforest Festival here, so there is a traditional food competition in their community hall.


We are so lucky that we can sample all traditional dishes prepared by their local best cooks. Frankly, I didn’t have high expectation about those indigenous food coz they are mainly vegetables. But I was wrong. The fresh vegetables taste so delicious that we finish them within 10 minutes and everyone is hungry for more!


To appreciate the traditional music, we are also invited to learn to play gong. It is not as hard as it looks. In 5 minutes, we form a new gong team, haha. You may watch the video below to see our new band in action:

A grandpa and grandma also joined the fun by playing Sompoton (a traditional music instrument of Sabah). Look at the video below. They are so cute.


What I like most is the tree planting program with the community of homestay. Not only they learn the importance of trees, tourists are also welcome to participate in this environmental project, so they can leave something good behind after the visit.


Above: we plant the trees then harvest their fruits in next minute. Just kidding..

Tambunan is also a land full of legend. Every village has its own stories. Like the “pregnant woman” stone (named as “Watu Monontian” in Dusun language) below in Timbou Village. Our guide (and local historian), Regina (right), says, according to local legend, the God turned a pregnant woman into a stone. More on this story later.


As you can see in photo above, the stone really looks like a pregnant woman. I believe this story coz my mom told me that I came from a stone. 😛 This stone was used to be in standing position. But the buffaloes rubbed their bodies on this stone to ease the itch, so it fell one day.


To explore more about the legend of pregnant woman stone, we visit the site where the curse of God started, Wasai Kiukad Waterfall.


However, to reach Wasai Kiukad Waterfall, we need to walk more than 1 hour in a dense secondary forest in Timbou Village. Our destination is a sacred spot with spiritual power, so we are advised not to shout or litter during jungle trekking, or we will be penalized by flood, and only the Bobolian (local priest) can appease the spirits.


The jungle trail is not tourist-friendly. Due to rainy month, part of the trail is really muddy and we need to cross a few streams. Like the photo above, it looks like a grass land, but it has become a “marshland” after heavy rain. At first, I tried to avoid getting wet feet. After my feet sank into deep mud a few times, well, I just forget it. Nobody can stay clean and dry anyway.


When we move deeper into the forest, we see more shrubs and bamboo. There are brown leeches around and some of us are bitten by these little blood suckers. The trail is not challenging but quite tiring. In my heart, I already say, “it’s better to be something really good or I’ll bash the guides.”


After 70 minutes, we reached the site. I didn’t know I had arrived because nobody cheered after the end of long trekking. Everyone avoid making noise to anger the God, as if we are walking into a church. Then I saw a stone “table”. In fact, we also see other stones that look like furniture around this area.

Ms. Kimoi Rugasa (you had seen her in Sompoton video above), a 76-year-old senior from Timbou Village, told me the story about this mysterious site. In the old headhunting era, there was a longhouse situated here. The villagers got really drunk during a festival, so they made fun of animals. They made their dogs and cats danced. Such action angered the God so he sent a heavy storm to flood the longhouse and turned everything into stone. Though a pregnant woman escaped and ran to Timbou Village, she was also turned into a stone, the one that I mention earlier.


Above: a stone that looks like Gong (named Batu Gong). To me, it looks like the shell of a giant snail though. Don’t beat it or do anything funny to it, or you will be penalized by flood, the locals say.


Behind them is the Wasai Kiukad Waterfall.


Above: Wasai Kiukad Waterfall. This place is considered sacred and nobody is allowed to swim here. The water is so clean that you can drink it.


Above: a pile of boulders that locals believe was once a longhouse. That reminds me of Batu Punggul which shares the similar story.


Above: a weird rock in the stream. Look like a snake head?


As it starts to rain, we didn’t stay long, so we leave the forest ASAP. We are transferred to a local family in Keranan Village of Tambunan. Tonight we call it our home.


The “real” homestay of Malaysia is NOT a cheap accommodation with bed & breakfast only. You will stay with a local family house, which is certified by Tourism Malaysia to participate in homestay program. Tourists will live with the family like a friend, not a hotel guest, though the family provides food and bed. The family will make friend and interact with the tourists too, sometimes teaching them farming or making handicraft.


Giro and his sister Katherine are our host. They are really kind and make us feeling at home. Their house and room are very clean too. After having dinner and a couple of rice wine with them, we have a good sleep.


Next morning on our way back to Kota Kinabalu, we drop by a roadside stall (10 Kilometers from Tambunan) to buy some local fruits and fresh vegetables.


FYI, the famous product of Tambunan is Tuhau (pronounced Do-How), a type of sour appetizer made from plant of ginger family. You can find it everywhere in Tambunan.


Tuhau is the favorite food of indigenous people. Actually I dislike it in first try coz it tastes like stink bug. After trying Tuhau a few more times, I can accept it. Well, you should try it at least once, who knows you will like it.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album if you want to see more nice pictures:

Related posts:
Rafflesia Information Center
Mount Trus Madi, the second highest mountain of Malaysia
Mahua Waterfall
Batu Gong (Music Rock)
Kipandi Buttrefly Park

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Crocker Range Park (part 1 of 4)

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Crocker Range Park (Taman Banjaran Crocker) is the largest terrestrial park of Sabah. The Park spreads over 139,919 hectares of densely forested terrain, mainly lowland, hill and montane forests, and covering an area of 1,399 sq. Kilometers, which is twice the size of Singapore! As Crocker Range Park has many species of flora and fauna endemic to Borneo, I had a 4-day-3-night tour there last month.


Crocker Range Park is approximately 75 KM in length and 15 KM wide, run along northeast-southwest axis in west coast of Sabah. The altitude of the Park is 100 to 2,076 Meters at the peak of Minduksirung, with temperature ranges from 18°C to 26°C (64°F to 79°F).


As shown in the map above, Crocker Range Park spans across 8 districts. The Park is so big that it has 10 substations, such as the Rafflesia Information Center and Mahua Waterfall in Tambunan. Sabah Parks manages this Park since 1984 to protect its ecosystem of forest and watersheds of rivers.


Being a significant biodiversity site, the Park is also an important water catchment area as the sources of 12 major rivers. These rivers supply clean drinking water to the people in west coast and interior of Sabah. If I pee in these rivers, half of Sabah people will have a taste of my urine. Just kidding..


The headquarter (HQ) of Crocker Range Park in Keningau district is 105 KM from Kota Kinabalu city and very accessible. Just drive on the new Kimanis-Keningau road to Keningau town, in less than 2 hours (about 14 KM before Keningau), you will see the Park office is just next to the road side. I reached there at 9:30am by a bus and it only costs me RM15 (about USD$4.50) one way.

You may watch the 30-sec video of Crocker Range Park entrance below:


Compared to other substations, Crocker Range Park HQ (main station) has better facilities and is more “tourist-ready”. In contrast to our noisy and overcrowded Kinabalu Park, this Park is very quiet, when my visit was on Sunday of Muslim fasting month, and I was the only tourist (I like it though). Just remember the Administration office building in photo above, because EVERYTHING (i.e. booking, registration, check-in/out, operation, activities) is done there.


The Sabah Parks staff, Ms Ridianna, was expecting my arrival coz I had booked the room by phone earlier. I registered in the reception office and got my room key from a boy (just joking, he is the son of Ridianna). For 16-bunk-bed dormitory room in Kayu Manis Cabin (Asrama Kayu Manis), it costs only RM20 (about USD$6) per night, quite affordable if compared to the minimum RM100 (USD$30) per bed per night room rate of Kinabalu Park, under the blood-sucking management company named Sutera Sanctuary Lodges.

I also got a layout map of Crocker Range Park. You may click the map below to download it.

Actually I modify the original map and translate the Malaysia language terms to English and add more details to it. Other park maps you find on the Internet are outdated. You may need to refer to this map when you read the rest of my articles.


After checking in, I face my first problem. My accommodation is 3 KM away from the administration office and I didn’t bring my car. For you who plan to stay in the Park, please take note that you need to drive to your hostels/chalets at Gate No. 2 (refer to map).


Above: Kayu Manis Cabin
Luckily Sabah Parks has office vehicles move and work around the Park, and they are very keen to give me a lift to my cabin. FYI, there is a Celcom telecomunication tower nearby so my mobile phone got nearly full bar of signal anytime.


Instead of one room key, they hand me all the keys which allow me to access all the rooms in this cabin, include the better rooms.


Anyway, being an honest traveller (cough…), I stay in what I pay for, the cheaper dormitory room with 16 bunk beds. Guess what? I own the whole room/cabin as there was no other tenant during fasting month.


Then came the second problem, I was informed that the water pump was malfunction so there was no water. Fortunately, I managed to collect two buckets of water remained in the pipes. The plumber fixed the pump on next day.


Third problem, there was no restaurant in the Park and the only canteen in front of the Park was closed for fasting month.


Above: I only brought a small amount of food such as biscuits, oatmeal, instant noodle cups, creamy soup, can, 3-in-1 Nescafe and some chocolate bars, which are not enough for 3 days. Again, luckily Ridianna lives in Keningau and she helped me to buy some food supplies such as rice. The Sabah Parks staffs there are “naturally” friendly and helpful. Thanks for their help, all my problems were no longer the problems.

Crocker Nature Center (CNC)


Now everything is settled, I start to tour inside the Park. Crocker Nature Center (CNC), which is 500 Meters away from accommodation zone, is the second most important building you should remember, as it’s the Exhibition Center and the starting point of most activities. You may Click Here to see its opening hours.

Crocker Nature Center exhibits some information, specimens and photographs about the flora & fauna of the Park. Some traditional farming and fishing tools are also on display.

You may watch the 2-minute video of Crocker Nature Center below:


Above: the direction signage near CNC. It is in Malaysia language. You may Click Here to see them in English.

Insectarium (Kebun Serangga)

Crocker Range Park is famous for its rich variety of insects, so I checked out the Insectarium, just behind CNC.


The ranger told me that an Asian Paradise Flycatcher (a beautiful bird with long tail looks like paradise bird) nested here before and attracted a lot of bird watchers. I saw magpie robin, buff-rumped woodpecker, bulbul, sunbirds, and flowerpeckers around this area. Besides, I also spotted hornbill, white-breasted waterhen (Ruak in Malay), Cuckoo doves, Emerald doves, green pigeon, white-breasted woodswallow, yellow-vented bulbul, orange-bellied flowerpecker, Pacific swallow, Barn swallow, pied fantail and chestnut munia near my cabin.

The walk in Insectarium takes less than 30 minutes on cement or paved walkway inside a wood, which used to be a farm land. There are shelters, pond and some flowers, but too bad I didn’t see any interesting insect. Instead, the most common insect here is mosquito, and a lot of them. Do take insect repellent with you if you come here. However, this place will turn into a party ground of various bugs and insects at night. More on this later.


FYI, if you see a field like photo above, you can turn left to follow the trail to the Administration Office, which is about a 10 minutes walk (500 Meters).


Above: junction to Insectarium and Fern Garden


Reed Snake (Calamaria grabowskyi) spotted at the junction. It’s neither venomous nor aggressive.

Fern Garden (Kebun Paku Pakis)


55 species of ferns can been found in Crocker Range Park. These includes the endemic and newly described species of Adiantum lamrianum, found near the Mahua waterfall.


You can find hundreds of fern plant, in different sizes and shapes, in the Fern Garden of Crocker Range Park. Many would look familiar to you as they are commonly used as ornament plant in local gardens. The huge elephant fern is also in their collection.

Rafflesia Plot

About 100 Meter behind the Administration Office is a Rafflesia Plot area for the biggest rafflesia species of Sabah, rafflesia keithii. There were about 4 rafflesia buds during my visit. The biggest bud is still 3 months away from blooming. You can Click Here to see the blooming rafflesia.

Rafflesia flower doesn’t have predictable blooming period and the flower lasts less than a week, so you need luck to see the blooming flower.

Click Here for Next Article (part 2)

More Photos

You may check out the photo album of Crocker Range Park for more nice pictures:

All Articles

Part 1: Crocker Nature Center, Insectarium, Fern Garden & Rafflesia Plot (this article)
Part 2: Crocker Trail, Pine Trail & Observatory Tower
Part 3: Night Walk
Part 4: Accommodation in the Park

Photos taken in Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Rafflesia – the Biggest flower in Sabah

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After the hunt for rafflesia pricei in Tambunan, this time I targeted at the biggest rafflesia in Sabah, rafflesia keithii, which grows in elevation of about 400 Metres. The rafflesia garden of Kg. Kokob (Kokob Village), which is only 9KM away from Ranau town, is my most recommended site, coz it is more accessible and save me the trouble of hour of jungle trekking. To get there, just take a mini-bus in bus terminal of Ranau town, and the ticket is about RM2 to 3 one way. Every driver knows where is Kokob.

Usually they will put up a banner at the roadside if there is any blooming. The blooming time of rafflesia is unpredictable and the flower can last less than a week. In fact, it starts to show sign of withering in 4th day. You should ask the bus driver to drop you right in front of the garden. I was dropped in the village function, so I had to walk 500 M uphill, where the fierce village dogs roamed. They didn’t seem to welcome tourist, so it was quite scary. At the end you will see a “Y” function, just take the one at the right and you will reach the garden shortly.

Surprisingly, the sign pointing to a house. The moment I stepped in, Pauline, the daughter of the owner (Mr. Kundong Ransiki), came out of the house for me, as if she always kept an eye at the door. Before that, I was told that the villager cut the rafflesia and plant it there. As a matter of fact, the rafflesia garden behind the house is a natural habitat certified by Sabah Parks in 2006. She brought me to the garden behind the house and introduced a bit about rafflesia. Entrance fee is RM10 for Malaysians, RM20 for foreigner (someone said you can try to negotiate for RM15). At the entrance, you can see some Tetrastigma vines, the host of rafflesia.

Rafflesia flower blooms here, in average, once every 1 or 2 months. Before you go, you can call +60 17-8380878 or 088-875114 to confirm if there is any blooming. On the guest book, I could see many names of foreigner tourist$. Wow, I hope rafflesia can grow in my backyard too, so I can “goyang kaki” (doing nothing) and collect money. Actually they also take care of the rafflesia, like watering them in dry season. I saw an umbrella in the garden. She said she used it to cover the flower when raining. Even so, sometimes the flower can’t make it.

Their garden is very small and grown with many bamboo. You can smell something like dead rat and hear flies flying around. That’s the bad smell of rafflesia to attract flies to transport its pollens for pollination. That’s why it has a nickname “corpse flower.”

Just look around, you would find some reddish-brown cabbage-like buds on the ground. Those are what will turn into rafflesia flower, after 9 to 15 months, even longer than bearing a human baby! However, the wildlife such as rodents would eat this juicy bud and kill it. Moreover, the logging also pushes rafflesia to extinction. As rafflesia is protected species in Sabah, you could be jailed for cutting it.

Boardwalk is built to prevent the flowers from eating the tourists. Just kidding, the boardwalk prevents the over-excited tourists will come to the flower and crush the fragile buds under the soil. You know lah, Malaysians got very itchy hands and they love to touch thing even if they don’t plan to buy it. The petal is also sensitive to touch that causes it turns black.

Here you go, the photos of blooming rafflesia keithii, which is about 80cm in diameter and biggest flower in Sabah. Rafflesia keithii was named after Henry George Keith. When he discovered this magnificent and stink flower, he gave it to his wife, Agnes Keith. The flower was so smelly that she couldn’t bear it. So she moved out of the house and spent a few months living in upwind. Later she wrote a book that called “the land below the wind.” Yeah, not a funny joke.

Rafflesia keithii also can be found in Poring, Crocker Range and Tenom Agriculture Park. But Kokob is the most accessible place. When I enjoyed watching the flower, some Japanese tourists and locals started to flow in. Some came with big travel bus.

Beauty doesn’t last forever, so is rafflesia. After a few days, it will wither and dry up totally. Anyway, no worry, I saw 2 to 3 buds that would bloom in next 1 or 2 month.

Damn… the chee-bye raining days are coming again. don’t know if I can go outing again. 🙁

Related post:
Rafflesia Pricei
Twin blooming of rafflesia

Photos taken in Ranau, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo