Poring Hot Springs

Poring belongs to Kinabalu Park but sits well down the mountain in humid lowland forest, which is why people come here to soak rather than to climb. Hot sulphur water is piped into open-air tubs that you fill yourself, alongside enclosed private baths and a cool pool. Behind the bathing area a canopy walkway runs high through tall trees, and trails lead on to the Kipungit waterfall in about twenty minutes and the far steeper Langanan falls in a couple of hours. There is a butterfly enclosure and an orchid conservation centre, and when a rafflesia opens on private land nearby, villagers put signs on the road and charge for a look.

What you actually see

• The open-air tubs - concrete baths you fill yourself from hot and cold taps.
• The canopy walkway - a swaying rope bridge high in the lowland forest.
• Kipungit and Langanan falls - a short walk and a hard one from the same trailhead.
• The orchid centre - the park collection of Borneo species, including slipper orchids.

When to go

Open all year and busiest at weekends, when the tubs fill with families and the canopy walkway forms a queue. Mornings are quieter and cooler. Rafflesia blooms are unpredictable and last only days, so they cannot be planned for. Heavy rain closes the walkway and makes the Langanan trail slippery enough to abandon.

Honest expectations

The public tubs are functional concrete rather than scenic, they take a long time to fill, and cleanliness varies with how busy the day has been. The canopy walkway is short, charged separately and time-limited when queues build. The road from park headquarters is winding and takes about an hour, which is more than most itineraries allow for.

Nearby

Kinabalu Park headquarters and Ranau town; the tea garden east of Ranau is on the same road.