Mahua Waterfall

Mahua sits in the Crocker Range park above Tambunan at around a thousand metres, which is high enough that the water coming off the mountain is genuinely cold - a shock in Sabah - and the fall itself is a clean seventeen-metre drop into a pool that people do swim in, briefly. The walk from the substation takes about twenty minutes along a maintained trail beside the river through good hill forest, with a wild ginger garden planted along part of it collecting the species found in the range, and a canopy of tall trees over the whole route. There are basic chalets and a camping area at the substation. It is one of the easiest genuine forest walks in Sabah and consequently gets busy at weekends with people up from Kota Kinabalu.

What you actually see

• A seventeen-metre drop - a clean fall into a cold pool at the base.
• A twenty-minute forest walk - maintained trail along the river.
• A wild ginger garden - species from the range planted along the path.
• Cold mountain water - genuinely cold, unusual for Sabah.

When to go

March to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The water is cold enough that most people get out quickly. Weekends are busy. The trail is slippery after rain and leeches appear. Facilities at the substation are basic.

Nearby

Tambunan and the Rafflesia information centre are close; Kota Kinabalu is west.