Kundasang

Kundasang sits at around 1,900 metres on the shoulder of Mount Kinabalu, which makes it cold by Malaysian standards and suits temperate vegetables: cabbages, carrots, tomatoes and strawberries are grown on the terraced slopes and sold at the roadside market that runs along the main road, and dairy farming was introduced here too, with a hillside dairy that has become a photo stop for its resemblance to New Zealand pasture. The other thing here is the Kundasang War Memorial, four linked gardens - English, Australian, Borneo and a contemplative garden - built to commemorate the Australian and British prisoners and the local people who died in the Sandakan death marches, which ended near here in 1945 and left very few survivors. Kinabalu looms over everything when it is clear.

Highlights

• A roadside vegetable market - highland produce sold along the main road.
• The Kundasang War Memorial - four gardens for the Sandakan death marches.
• A hillside dairy - the pasture and cattle above the town.
• Kinabalu overhead - the mountain filling the skyline on clear mornings.

When to go

All year; early morning before cloud covers the mountain. A day.

What to expect

The mountain is often hidden by cloud from mid-morning. It is cold and wet at times - bring a layer. The town is strung along a road and lacks a centre. The dairy is crowded at weekends.

Nearby

Kinabalu Park and the Poring hot springs are close; Ranau is east.

Key facts