Sabah Weekend Getaway 2017 - Day 3: Kundasang

3^rd day – 19^th August 2017
Location: Kundasang

Right after 8 am and checked out, S picked us up at the hotel with his Avanza and stopped by 7-eleven to stock our breakfast. We’re going to eat in the car so we can save time and head straight to Kundasang. (You may use google maps or waze to get there).

It took about two hours to reach our destination and we did pass by Rumah Terbalik Tamparuli but since we already know that we couldn’t take pictures inside the building, we decided not to go. If you’re interested, the entrance fees is RM 10.00 / pax.

At Nabalu Lockout Point, there is a platform for the tourists to get a good view of the magnificent Mount Kinabalu. Make sure to get there before 11am because the mountain is visibly clear only in the morning. After 11am, heavy fog would surround the mountain and it will be hard to see the top.

Since we reached there at 9.30am, it means we got a real view of the majestic mountain.

You can imagine how many selfies we took

There is also a lot of souvenir shop at the Nabalu Lockout Point, and personally I would suggest to start buying your souvenirs (like T-shirts, bags, or keychains) here because it is much cheaper than in Filipino Market.

the view along the road

Continued our way to the hotel so we can put our bags before we start our Kundasang adventure. We booked three rooms at Skyville Zen Resort.

To get to the accommodation is easy. Along the way to Kundasang, past Kinabalu Park, you will see a sign that said “Skyville Zen Resort” on the left side of the road. Drive up the hill slowly until you reach the resort, and when you park, the reception is on the left building.

Our check-in this time run smoothly with no problem, Alhamdulillah (but that’s probably because we already contacted them a day before so we don’t have the same problem like our previous accommodation). At first we just wanted to put our luggage at the lobby, but then the staffs gave us the keys to our rooms because the rooms were already cleaned and empty. So that’s a plus.

I will put my full review on my next post, because it deserves a post of it’s own. We booked two twin rooms for the ladies and a triple room for the boys.

Twin room = RM 140 / night GST included.
Triple single room = RM 120 / night GST included.

Phone: +60 14-329 8895

Of course, when in Kundasang, the first place to go is the Desa Cattle Farm. About 45 minutes away from the resort, we have to drive up quite a steep hill to get to the farm. Be careful and drive slowly and you will have no problem. The ticket booth is located right before we drive up into the farm.

Desa Cattle Farm entrance fees = RM 5.00 / person
Open from 8am - 5pm
GPS Coordinates: 6°00’59.0″N 116°35’28.9″E (see Location Map)

Green and more green, with spots of black/white cows scattered around the foothill of Mount Kinabalu, this is why it is called “New Zealand of Malaysia”. It is exactly like we’re in different world, problems melt away in an instant as we happily skipped to the nature.

By the way, the parking is limited but you can park along the way of the road after you paid at the entrance.

If you start your tour inside the building, there is no doubt you will be greeted by the foul smelling of cows. Don’t fret, because you can always enjoy the good air outside. You can see the milking process of the cows from inside the building, but unfortunately we couldn’t see it because the process starts at 3pm in the evening. There is a small souvenir kiosk that sells fridge magnets, keychains, mugs and t-shirts, and a booth selling milks and cheese, and another booth selling gelato. There will be a long queue but no need to worry because you will only wait for 15 minutes at the most. We went there during peak hours on weekend and we only had to wait for 5-10 minutes.

Yup, no cows

Though note that the weather is not as cold as you imagine. None of us we wearing any jacket because it is still quite warm up here in Kundasang. Though still, don’t forget to bring one because night time is an entirely different story!

The famous chocolate milk. Delicious!

The scenery is great for photoshoot, just saying. You can also get your wedding photoshoot here, only you have to pay an extra RM 106.00 Source: Sabah Tourism

It's only 11.30 am and see how thick the fog was? We can barely see anything anymore. Oh well.

enjoying the scenery and the delicious milks

we also bought the gelato

After spending about 2 hours here in Desa Cattle Farm, we moved to our next destination that is Kundasang War Memorial. By the way, when you drove up to the farm you will see the entrance to here on the way, so it’s not that hard to find.

Source: wikipedia

Kundasang War Memorial entrance fees = RM 2.00 /person for MyKad holders

It is a memorial dedicated to the fallen British and Australian soldiers in the Sandakan POW Camp. That is why the gardens and concept of the place is English or Australian-style.

This place is perfect for aesthetic photoshoot. By the way if you ignore my awkward pose, the view of Kundasang from the top is one you will never forget. 

Note that if you climb the stone border like I did to take an aesthetic photo, be careful because it is a long fall down there.

After an hour, we walked out of the memorial and right beside it, is the famous chicken wing. If you visit Pekan Kundasang, don’t forget to buy some of these delicious spicy chicken wings. It is located right behind Restoran Nasi Ayam Antarabangsa, a halal-certified chicken rice restaurant.

Source: thesmartlocal.com

Our next stop is the Poring Hot Spring, which is located about an hour away from Pekan Kundasang. When we reach there, it was getting a bit cloudy, and since we didn’t bring any spare clothes, we just dip our legs into the natural hot spring while enjoying some chicken wings. Please note that there are a lot of wild dogs and cats around so do take cautious of your surroundings.

The public bathroom and changing room is relatively clean, so don’t worry about the cleanliness of the place.

It was getting late and since it was raining, we barely stopped by the Sabah Tea Garden just to buy the tea before we hopped back into the car (besides it's about to close) and go back to the resort. It took another 45 minutes to reach Sabah Tea Garden from the hot spring. We also stopped by Pekan Ranau to get some food and drinks for dinner.

A packet of Sabah Tea = RM 7.00 - RM 15.00 /depending on the quantity.

Note that we used Google Maps or Waze for the whole journey to get to all the places.

Night life in Kundasang is pretty quiet since most of the shops closed at 9pm and all the attractions place closed at 4pm or 5pm.

After solat jamak and maghrib, we huddled in jackets and sweaters and brought all our food to the table outside for some hearty dinner and chats. The mountain night air is cold, but our hearts are warm.

That's all for our 3rd day adventure at Kundasang. Click on below links if you want to see our adventure in Kota Kinabalu and island day. Subscribe to this blog if you want to see when I post a new story (cheeky wink)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

See you soon, lovelies!