Tag Archives: Ranau / Kundasang

The Most Beautiful Thing (Ultra Trail Run)

The Most Beautiful Thing (Ultra Trail Run)

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It’s probably my boldest, but right decision to participate in 50 KM Ultra Trail Run of The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) in Kundasang on 15 Sep, a marathon that most people think is for masochists only. Unlike ordinary marathon, which is carried out on nice road and constant environment, ultra trail runners are exposed to various adverse factors such as extreme cold/heat, challenging terrain and uneven road surface, thereby making the race more difficult.


Pic: group photo with runner friends in the briefing the day before the race. It’s me at the left.


Pic: lady runners can’t wait to start the grueling run of 50 KM / 100 KM. From the left: Velerie, Georgina and Hana. What is more beautiful than being fit?

Though this is only the second time Sabah Adventure Challenge organizes this race, this year we have 470 participants running in 25KM, 50KM and 100KM categories. Due to lack of training, I’m very apprehensive on the race day. To make matter worse, I find that my hydration bladder leaks. Though uncertainty is more thrilling, I don’t expect this sort of surprise. >.<
As Sabah is at the “tail” of approaching Philippines typhoon, it rained heavily in the previous night. It’s a windy, cloudy and chilling morning but perfect as a race day. The high-spirited runners gather at an abandoned soccer field opposite to Kundasang War Memorial, and we started to run at 7.30am.


Pic: trail map of 50 KM category (WS = Water Station)

The trail map above shall give you a good idea of the 50KM-route and terrain that I’ve gone through. The 1st KM is downhill paved road, a very relaxing start. Most runners are smart not to run at this point. Soon we come to a steep slope where I sweat profusely before 3rd KM. “So tiring.. Can I make it?” I already worry in early stage. Luckily, we reach a flat gravel road and my “engine” starts to warm-up.


Pic: a nice runner I meet along the way. Later I know from the organizer that he is Kevin Loh. He suffers a terrible back spasm later, so painful that he can’t stand straight. He struggles for 50% of the race course and manages to complete his 100KM before cut off time. Such strong persistence is what we call the spirit of true athlete! Double Thumb-up!

The scenery is beautiful along the way, and I can’t help to stop occasionally to take snapshots. The weather is great, so is the mountain view, and I see the majestic Mt. Kinabalu up-close half of the time. The reason they name this race as The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) is because the runners will see beautiful people, villages, forest, farm, garden, mountain, etc. during the marathon. I wish to photograph all of them but too bad I’m in a hurry and later so tired to move even my fingers. Stopping too often will affect my stamina too.


Part of our trail is next to vegetables plantation. The villagers and farmers are very friendly and very generous for their smiles. I wave back countless time to the local people and children. I love everything I see, from the picturesque village farm, to the cute puppies and goats. I’ve been consuming vegetables from Kundasang, but that’s the first time I see the plantation.


FYI, due to landslide in the original route at Kiau Village (Kota Belud), the organizer changes the route to Kundasang this year.


Fortunately, the countryside road here is quite flat and the soil path is soft, so my legs can rest a bit. However, I still have to maintain a fast pace in order to finish my 50 KM run within 15 hours (cut off time).


For 50 KM race course, there are 5 Water Stations (WS), which is about 10 KM apart and where we can refill our water. It is like taking me a century to reach the 1st Water Station at 10th KM, 4 more to go… The sunlight is getting harsh, so I apply sun-block lotion to prevent sunburn.


After this, it’s a long and steep paved road, even cars find it difficult to speed. I felt so heavy walking on it.


Pic: a pine tree corridor. Some runners still have the energy to collect and carry the pine fruits here.


Pic: Mt. Kinabalu with lush forest of Kinabalu Park


Though most forest in Kundasang is clear for agriculture, the forest reserve of Kinabalu Park is still intact, as witnessed in photo above.


Pic: the 2nd Water Station & Check Point at 18th KM.
I had power bar and drink water mixed with rehydration salt here. I feel energetic again in minutes and move on.


After 2nd check point, I’m walking on open gravel road. Without any tree around acting as windshield, the wind is so strong. Furthermore, the wind works against me by blowing dust toward my face, causing me to slow down.


Finally, I reach the 27th KM Check Point & Water Station. 50KM runners must complete 27 KM within 7.5 hours to be qualified. I sign-in there at 1:50PM, before the cut-off time at 3pm. Feeling relief, I have my lunch break there. A runner sitting next to me can’t continue because he suffers from severe knee pain, so sad..


I only stay briefly at Water Station 3, because I have less than 5 hours of daylight for my remaining 23 KM trail. After this check point, I come to open gravel road again. 30 or more percent of my race course is on gravel road. Now the runners are split quite far apart, so I’m alone looking anxiously for next trail marker. The time is pressing so I can’t afford to lose my way.


The sky is clear and the scorching sunlight shines on me, but I don’t feel warm in the cooling breeze of Kundasang highland. The long walk on descending gravel road takes its toll on my knee. I can feel my knee pain is getting intense after every Kilometer. I rely a lot on my walking pole to shift my weight to reduce the impact on my knee. My heart sinks when a village boy tells me that the next Water Station is still very far ahead, and he is right.


Oh gosh, my knee is biting me.. Thanks Daniel (at left in picture above) saves me by sharing his pain killer pill.


Thinking that I would run on soft and muddy surface, I make a huge mistake by choosing “Adidas Kampung”, a water-proof rubber shoes without cushion. The 10+ KM gravel road is a stony carpet of undesirable reflexology for my feet. I have to walk cautiously on clear ground to avoid stepping on small stones. However, my socks still wear out and I can feel blisters are forming on my feet. Some runners look at my shoes and ask, “how could you survive that far with such shoes?” Well, I take it as a compliment. 🙂


Anyway, I can’t recall how many times I swear in my mind before I see the 4th Water Station at 38th KM at last. A medic team is there to treat my blisters. Though this is the second last check point, my nightmare is far from over yet. Now fatigue is a smaller problem compared to my knee pain. I have doubt if I can make it but I don’t want to give up.

The next 5 KM between 40th and 45th KM is an upward and straight jungle path flanked by dense shrubs. It is quite a horror to see this trail is leading “infinitely” to the hill. Good news is – the night falls, so I’m no longer seeing the dreadful way far ahead. I almost can’t feel my legs like a walking dead. Being very near to my breaking point, negativity kicks in and I become so frustrated of this whole thing. Without any target to avenge my anger, I blame the organizer (sorry, sorry, sorry!) for making the last few KM so miserable.:-p


Pic: me, at finishing point, after nearly 14 hours of trail run.

Finally, I see the dim light of last Water Station at 45.5 KM. I’m overjoyed, not because of the free water, it means I’m less than 5 KM to the Finish Point! I’m so happy that it’s a flat road to the ending point. And yes, I complete my 50 KM trail at 9:08pm, before the 15-hour cut off time. I know my completion time is not impressive but I’m glad I have set a personal record for myself, with a happy soul and painful body.


Pic: shortly after my arrival, Jiri Vjistein from Czech Republic finishes his 100 KM and wins 2nd place. Goodness, he is not a human!


Pic: in contrast, this is how I look, due to lack of training.

My face and body is covered in dust, as if I walk out of a grave. I even got a few messages from friends asking if I survive. Whatever, my family will hear me moaning while walking up and down the staircase for the next few days.


Pic: my 50 KM Finisher Medal, a reminder of my little victory and big pain.

You may notice the phrase “We are with you Rainty” on the certificate. Rainty Teoh is a local runner who signed up for TMBT 50km and has been training hard for it. However, she has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and has to withdraw from this event. Get well soon Rainty and best wishes to you.

Below is a 1-min video that I took during the ultra trail run:

Click Here for wider video

So anyone wants to test his physical and mental limit? You don’t need to wait one year for this ultra trail run. Sabah Adventure Challenge will organize another ultra run in different location in 2013. Just visit their website at www.sabahadventurechallenge.com for more info. Good Luck! For more photos and stories, you may check out their Facebook.

Photos taken in Kundasang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Night walk in Poring rainforest

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It was an exciting night in Poring rainforest. I finally found the insect that I had been looking for years. Many friends are also very impressed with this insect. Please read on to see it.


I suppose Poring rainforest is an ideal site for night walk due to its rich flora and fauna. Surprisingly, no tourist asks for a night safari in Poring, so I had to hire a nature guide to start one at 7pm. The fee is about RM70-100 (?USD20-30) per hour. We have a happy start when we spot a white wolf spider with red mouth.


Above: A litter frog that has big head, cute..


Then we saw a giant river toad, which is endemic to Borneo and famous for its foul smell. I didn’t smell anything though. There is a myth that this toad will laugh if you tickle its belly.

We rub its belly gently with a twig. You may watch the 1-min video below to see if it laughs:


There are quite a number of big spider around, like the leopard spider above. It is easy to spot them coz their eyes reflect our torchlight.


Small spider waits for prey in fungus cup.


A very long stick insect. The guide says the village kids are used to eat the eggs of stick insect because its eggs are big and look like chocolate.


Fat stick insect on tapioca leaf. Seem like stick insect loves tapioca leaf coz I found a few more.


Here comes the highlight of my night walk. Can you spot anything in the photo above?

Can’t see it? Below is the answer. It’s a Leaf mimicking Grasshopper (Chorotypus gallinaceus) that perfectly camouflaged as a dead leaf.

I had heard about this insect. I’m so glad to see one. When I was busy taking its photo, suddenly it just played dead and dropped itself to the ground. The guide and me shouted, “Oh sh*t!” because it would be very hard to spot it among the foliage. Luckily we located it again.


We also saw a big snail near Kipungit Waterfall. So far it’s the largest forest snail that I’ve ever seen.


Above: Giant bent-toed gecko on tree trunk.


There are some tiger leeches lurking in the bush. They were so excited when they sensed our heat.

Another highlight is the mating of two tiger leeches. It lasts for quite a long time and both leeches caress each other like crazy. You may see their action in the 1-min video below:

Click Here for bigger video

Our night walk ended at 11pm, just before the heavy rain came. I can’t wait to go back there again one day. If you love such activity, Poring is highly recommended for night safari.

More Photos

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

Related posts:
Night Walk in Miki Camp
Night Walk in Crocker Range Park

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

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

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Waterfalls of Poring

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How does it feel to stand in front of the majestic 120-Meter Langanan Waterfall in Poring? Langanan Waterfall is one of the tallest waterfalls in Sabah. On the way to this huge waterfall, you will pass by the smaller Kipungit Waterfall and a bat cave, and enjoy nearly 4 Kilometers of nature trail in rainforest. Below is a walk-through for you.


Above: this is the signage at park entrance and where you start your jungle trekking.
As you can see, your first stop Kipungit Waterfall is only 665 Meters away. Please register at the Ticket Counter before you go to Langanan Waterfall.

Kipungit Waterfall

Just follow the path and you will reach Kipungit Recreation Area after 20 minutes. It’s only a relaxing short walk and you are not really in a forest yet.


You would see some tourists playing with water near the Kipungit Waterfall. This is an area for picnic and swimming, and there are a toilet and camping ground nearby. As you are near the river and under the tree shade, the air is more cooling and refreshing.


Kipungit is the most accessible waterfall of Poring. I saw a few girls soaking their feet in calm water, giggling and pull their feet out of water. I tried to do the same and saw many tiny fishes nibble the skin of my feet. Kind of fun, haha.


With a height of only 10 or 12 Meters, Kipungit is nothing if compared to the 120-Meter gigantic Langanan Waterfall. Most tourists are happy with this little waterfall, but I decide to see the bigger Langanan 3.3 KM away.

You may watch the following 40-sec video of Kipungit Waterfall:


One of the birds you would see here is White-crowned shama (see photo above), which is endemic to Borneo and considered as the best singer of rainforest. You could see a dozen of them around the park in early morning. The surrounding rainforest of Poring has over 300 bird species and great for bird watching. Personally I had seen Asian Fairy-bluebird, Yellow-rumped flowerpecker (endemic) and a few types of bulbuls in Poring. Prevost’s Squirrel is also common here.


You will see the signage to Langanan Waterfall near Kipungit Waterfall. At normal walking pace, most people can reach Langanan Waterfall in 2 hours. Before you go, you should have registered first at the Ticket Counter. For safety reason, the Park won’t allow you to go to Langanan Waterfall after 2pm. Do bring water (600-1,000ML), raincoat and snacks (e.g. chocolate, cereal food bar) with you. There are leeches on the jungle trail, so you better put on your anti-leech socks.


After this point, you enter the rainforest and the surrounding won’t be tourist-friendly. The jungle trail to Langanan is quite steep in the first half. Poring is about 400-500 Meters above sea level, and the forest is mainly lowland rainforest and mixed dipterocarp hill forest, characterized by tall and dense tropical trees (20 to 70 Meters high), warm and humid air, and abundant liana and strangler fig tree.

Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

After walking for 360 Meters, you will see Bat Cave next to the trail.


There is a broken warning notice sign reads “Visitors are not encouraging to enter the cave” (the grammar sounds funny).


Actually the cave is a deep crevice formed by a few huge boulders that stacked together. The dark and humid space in the cave becomes the ideal roosting spot for bats. You can smell guano from outside.


I tried to go deeper inside the cave. The rock surface is covered with green moss and very slippery, so I don’t recommend you to go in.


There are hundred of bats clinging on the rock wall. The smell of guano was getting stronger so I only stayed shortly.

To see what’s inside Bat Cave, you may watch the 1min-27sec video below:

Rainforest of Poring

I continued my jungle trekking after visiting Bat Cave. The first 1.5 KM of the trail is steepness with 20 to 40 of inclination, like climbing a hill. There is no boardwalk, hand-rail and shelter hut. Part of the trail turned muddy after rain.


You can see some bug along the forested trail, like the 9-inch long millipede above.


I played with a pill millipede that foraged on forest floor.

You can watch the 46-sec video below to see why it is called “Pill” Millipede:


Strangler fig tree is a common sight in Poring rainforest. The host tree is killed by parasitic strangler fig tree that wrap around it.


There is a small stream to cross. The water is shallow with some rocks above water, I can walk on them to cross the river without getting wet.


I saw many burrows on the exposed soil of the slopes. I think they are belong to hornet or wolf spider.


Animal dropping next to a water hole, probably belong to small mammal such as civet.


Shed skin of cicada, can be used as cooling agent for Chinese medicine.


Above: daddy longlegs (harvestmen spider) are everywhere.

Surprisingly, I only saw 3 leeches, far less than I expected. Probably the Park clear the trail twice a month, and leech dislikes ground surface that has no grass and foliage. The buzzing deer flies are more of a concern. They cut a small wound on your skin to suck your blood. The bite will become very itchy for next few days.

Langanan Waterfall

The milestones along the trail have worn out and I had no idea how far I walked. On the way, I saw 2 groups of high school students and 1 group of tourists returning from Langanan. I was dismayed by their answers “the waterfall is still very far away” when I checked my progress with them. 🙁


Anyway, I just kept walking and felt relief to see the signage above. Though I was only half-way there, the trail is not steep anymore from this point on and there are more descending trail.


After long hours of jungle trekking, I heard the thundering sound of Langanan Waterfall not far away. I speed up and finally I reached Langanan Waterfall!!!


This 120-Meter Langanan Waterfall is the tallest waterfall that I’ve ever seen. Before that, the tallest fall I saw was the 38-Meter Takob-Akob Waterfall in Maliau Basin. The huge water volume creates a micro-climate, it was windy there and I was shower by the droplets from splashing water high above.


It’s such a rewarding experience. This huge waterfall really worth my long hours of hiking.

You may watch the 1-min video of Langanan Waterfall below:

Btw, before you leave the Park, don’t forget to sign-off at Ticket Counter to inform the Park that you are back from Langanan safely. Otherwise they will send a search and rescue team to look for you.

More Photos

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

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

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

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Jackie, orangutan who owns a house

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Jackie is a superstar of Poring. Everyone in Poring knows her. She is the most “human-like” orangutan that I’ve ever seen.


The “house” of Jackie really makes me laugh. There is a hammock for her and Jackie sleeps in this house after 7pm every day. She is not locked inside a cage so she is free to leave anytime, but she has called Poring Hot Springs her home for over 2 decade (I wonder if she had tried the hot sulphur bath, haha).


A friendly staff told me that I can see Jackie between 2pm to 4pm around Orchid Garden. I saw her the 1st time near Tropical Garden and she was drinking a big bottle of something like milk coffee. According to the tour guide, she was moody that day so every tourist kept a distance from her.


Jackie didn’t finish the drink in one go. She just lazed there and enjoyed sipping her drink slowly. She didn’t show any sign of stress when we walked closer to her. Obviously, she is very used to human. In fact, she grows up with human.


According to the staff, Jackie was found injured on her head in a nearby village 24 years ago. Her mother was missing so Jackie became an orphan orangutan. The villager sent her to Poring so Sabah Parks could take care of her. Normally, we send orphan orangutan to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, where orphan orangutan is kept and trained. Probably the facility was not ready that time, so Jackie ends up staying with human until today.


Jackie is free to move around. Sometimes she goes into the forest nearby. She always come back home in the afternoon. She looks fat but still quite agile in her movement.


Next day I saw her again in Orchid Garden. This time she was drinking fruit juice. Jackie takes fruit as well as rice. The staffs say she always tries to imitate human behavior, so they try to avoid smoking in front of her, LOL.


97% of orangutan gene is similar to human. Jackie looks like a gentle old lady. When she is moody, she would grab your hand and don’t let go, then the staff has to force her to free you. But she never causes any major problem in the park. Anyway, I would advise you to keep a distance with this babe which is 3 times stronger than human.


Above: Jackie eating betel nut

You may watch the following 1-min-20-sec video of Jackie:

Update (21 Mar 2013): Jackie has been transferred to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park for rehabilitation. She is healthy but severely obese, so she is on strict (healthy) diet and under the care of Sabah Wildlife Department. If she is fit and ready, she will be sent back to the wild (though she really loves to stay close with human).

More Photos

You may check out my photo album for more pictures:

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

  1. Poring Hot Springs bath
  2. Poring Canopy Walkway
  3. Gardens of Poring
  4. The Most Expensive Orchid in the world
  5. Accommodation at Poring
  6. Waterfalls of Poring
  7. Night walk in Poring rainforest

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Accommodation at Poring

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Poring Hot Springs is a popular attraction, but most tourists only come here for day trip. However, there are many other activities in Poring that you may need to stay a few days to try them all. This is not a problem and you have a choice of expensive and cheap options like following.

Accommodation in Poring Park

You can stay inside the Poring park (Resort Name: Poring Hot Spring & Nature Reserve Resort) and there are a few options that cost you hundred or thousand per night (Online Booking available):


Above: Palm Villa 1 & 2 (Premier Chalet)
Price: RM4,400.00 (≈USD1,333) nett per day (max 6 persons)


Above: River Lodge
Price: RM 972.00 (≈USD295) nett per unit (max 4 persons)


Above: Jungle Lodge
Price: RM 648.00 (≈USD196) nett per unit (max 2 persons)
Note: this lodge is next to the walkway to ticket counter (left), so it’s quite noisy in daytime.

The hostels below may be more affordable:


Above: Serindit Hostel


Above: Kelicap Hostel

Though this is an expensive option, the environment, amenities and services there are good. If you want the CHEAPEST option to stay inside Poring park, camping is available if that’s what you like. The accommodation in Poring is managed by Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. You can book their accommodation online.

Below is a Site Map of Poring for you to see where these accommodation located inside the park:

You may click the picture above to see bigger map.

Round Inn (???-?? in Chinese)

For budget guys like me, I only can go for cheaper option. I was staying at Round Inn, which is less than 20 Meters away from the gate of Poring Park. The fee per night is RM50 – 78 (≈USD15 – 24) per room, breakfast not included. Though it was school holiday (peak season), luckily they still have room for me.


As the name implies, everything is round in Round Inn. The owner, Mr. Lee is from Hong Kong and he loves deep sea fishing, so the design of Round Inn is based on fishing boat.


Even the signage is round shape.


The ground floor is a restaurant and the rooms are on 1st floor. The check-out time is 11:30am – 12pm.


The window is also round.


Above: I got a standard room for RM50. The room is basic and not the luxurious type. Anyway, I only need a bed so I don’t really mind, as long as the room is clean. Towel, soap and toilet paper are also provided. The only things I want to commend are: (1) the towel is old, and (2) the wall is thin, so I can hear movement and talking next door. Overall, I’m happy with what I get for that price. I saw many European backpackers also stay here.


As you can see, the room has air-conditioning, heater for shower, and attached bathroom cum toilet. There is a small TV but it’s not working.


Above: The restaurant at the ground floor has good variety of local and western food. The food tastes good too. You can order beer here.


Above: Restaurant of Round Inn


Round Inn is just opposite (slightly to the left) the gate of Poring Hot Springs across a road. A very convenient location. Below is the contact of Round Inn:
Telephone: +60 88-879 584
Mobile Phone: +60 19-802 0898 (Mr. Lee)

Ernah Laundry & Lodge

Ernah Lodge is also a famous accommodation among backpackers, though I haven’t stayed there before. Their room rate starts from RM60 (≈US$19) per night. The Lodge is only 20 Meters away from Poring Hot Springs.


Pic: Ernah Lodge is at the right. You can see the entrance of Poring at the left, not far behind.


Pic: banner with room rates. You may click the photo to zoom in.

Below is the contact of Ernah Laundry & Lodge:
Telephone: +60 88-876421, +60 14-8555543
Email: ernahlodge@yahoo.com
Website: ernahlodge.blogspot.com
Facebook: Ernah-Lodge

There are other accommodations near Poring Hot Springs Park. Please share with me here if you know any other cheap and nice hostel around Poring.

More Photos

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

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

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

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

The Most Expensive Orchid in the world

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Do you know Sabah has the most expensive orchid in the world?

Come meet Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid (species: Paphiopedilum rothschildianum) from Kinabalu Park. This orchid is sold for USD5,000 per stem in black market.


There are 3 reasons why Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid, “the aristocrat of all slipper orchids”, is so expensive:

  1. It’s a rare and endangered species, endemic to Kinabalu Park.
  2. It takes 15 years to grow and bloom.
  3. It’s beautiful!


It’s also locallly known as Sumazau Orchid, because the long sweeping side petals of flower look like the outspread arms of dancer of Sumazau, the most popular traditional dance of Sabah (see photos below).

The stem of Sumazau Orchid can hold up to six flowers, but usually it is only 3 to 4 flowers. Someone told me that the flower of Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid in the wild has brighter red color.


Due to its high value, it also earns the nickname “Gold of Kinabalu”. Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid only grows on the slope of Mt. Kinabalu between 500 and 1,200 Meters in altitude. Most local villagers and orchid smugglers know this and steal the flower, making them vulnerable to extinction. I know a ranger in Sabah Parks once fined a tourist RM1,000 for stealing orchid from the national park.

Orchid Conservation Center of Poring


Well, though I can’t afford to buy Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid, I can afford to see it at Orchid Garden of Poring Hot Springs park for only a few dollars (Ticket Fee: RM5≈USD1.50 for Malaysian adult, RM10≈USD3 for foreigner adult).


You can buy the ticket from Poring Conservation Center (see photo above) not far away from the Orchid Garden. The Orchid Garden of Poring is open daily from 9am to 4pm.


Besides the famous Sumazau Orchid, there are 600 orchid species in this garden, which includes other famous orchid such as Renanthera bella, Phalaenopsis gigantea, Phalaenopsis labukensis, Dimorphorchis rossii and Bulbophyllum species.


Most of the native orchids have tiny flowers so you have to search carefully. The garden is quite big, orchid lovers could spend a full day here just to look for different orchid flowers.


Above: Coelogyne rhabdobulbon orchid species


There is an estimated 2,000+ orchid species in Borneo, and you can find over 700 species (belonging to 121 genera) in Kinabalu Park alone, which is over 30 percent of Borneo orchid species.


Above: Green Orchid

More Photos

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

Related posts:
The largest orchid leaf in the world
The longest orchid leaf in the world

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

  1. Poring Hot Springs bath
  2. Poring Canopy Walkway
  3. Gardens of Poring
  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

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.

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Rafflesia pricei & tengku-adlinii
Biggest flower in Sabah

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo