Ulu Legong Hot Springs

The springs at Ulu Legong come up in the forest north of Baling at temperatures over ninety degrees and are channelled into a set of tiled pools of graded heat, from a top pool that will scald down to ones that are merely very hot; the water is sulphurous, smells accordingly, and has the local reputation for skin complaints and aching joints that hot springs collect everywhere. What makes this one distinctive is the hours - it stays open into the night and much of the traffic is late, with people coming after dark from Baling and further afield and soaking under lights with the forest around. The site is basic: concrete pools, changing rooms, stalls, no polish. Weekends and the nights around public holidays are busy enough that the pools fill.

What you actually see

• Graded sulphur pools - from scalding at the source down to bearable.
• Night soaking - the site stays open late and much of the use is after dark.
• Forest surroundings - the springs sit in woodland north of Baling.
• Basic facilities - concrete pools, changing rooms and food stalls.

When to go

All year; evenings are the local habit. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The hottest pool genuinely burns - move down the sequence gradually. The sulphur smell is strong and stays on skin. Facilities are plain and it gets crowded on holiday nights.

Nearby

Gunung Baling is south; Pedu Lake is north.