National Park Vacation at Poring Hot Springs

Another interesting natural wonder fit for a wonderful national park vacation is the Poring Hot Springs, located approximately 47 km from Kinabalu National Park passing Kundasang and Ranau towns. Poring is situated on the Kinabalu National Park's boundary at the edge of the Mamut River. The name Poring, stands for the tall bamboo plant that is abundant in that area.



Since it is only 456 metres above sea level, Poring offers a different type of national park experience - humid lowlands environment compared to the cool mountain surrounding at Kinabalu National Park.

Poring's main attraction is undoubtedly its natural spring where hot sulfurous water emit from the ground. There are open-air Japanese Baths or or enclosed tubs where you can soak yourself and be invigorated by the sulfurous water. Many climbers, after conquering Mount Kinabalu, tend to visit Poring to take a dip in the hot spring. The therapeutic sulphur baths will stimulate, soothe and relieve your aches and pains after a hard climb.

But for a national park leisure vacation, there are many activities to do at Poring besides the hot spring. One of the must-do activity is to explore the lowlands forest (a 500 metres trek) on your way to the popular Canopy Walkway, where suspension bridges are suspended at the top of the tropical jungle canopy from tree to tree (built about 40 metres high and 155 metres in length). From the top of the canopy walkway, you will have a bird's eye view of some wildlife including birds and butterflies down below.

Speaking of butterflies, don't forget to check out the Butterfly Farm where you can watch some rare butterflies. There is also an Orchid Conservation Center which boosts a wide variety of lowland orchids, and a Tropical Garden within the Nature Reserves. For those lucky fews, you may even may see a Rafflesia, the world's largest flower, in bloom. There are also several trails where you can do a guided trek through nature trails of the lowland forest.

On top of this, there is a Gallery at Poring Hot Springs, one of the latest addition to the hot spring area. Constructed in 2004, it displays a range of photo exhibitions.

There are so many fun-filled activities to do at Poring Hot Springs that most likely, you will want to spent a night at Poring. But just one dip inside the hot sulfurous pool will relax your body so much that you do not feel like leaving anyway. Luckily, there are accommodations at Poring, although limited. So, reservation is advisable to be made in advance to avoid any disappointment.