MY · Sabah · 5.98°N 116.57°E

kundasang

Dairy cows with a Kinabalu backdrop, cabbage farms and cold misty mornings.

Best time
Any time; it's cool all year and cold at night. Early mornings give the clearest mountain views before the clouds roll in. School holidays and weekends get busy.
How long
1–2 days
Getting there
Fly from KL to Kota Kinabalu, about 2.5 hours, then drive about 2 hours up into the hills. Most people rent a car or join a tour.
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MY · Sabahkundasang5.98°N 116.57°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Dairy cows with a Kinabalu backdrop, cabbage farms and cold misty mornings.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKundasangMY, Sabah
KLkundasang
≈ 1,679 km from KL, as the crow flies
Mount Kinabalu as seen from the due south. Taken from Kundasang.

Photo: Jason Thien from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia · CC BY 2.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A hill town almost 1,900 m up in Ranau district, just down the road from Kinabalu Park. It's cool, green and full of farms, with vegetable terraces, a dairy farm and some of the clearest views of Mount Kinabalu, which is why people call it the New Zealand of Borneo.

Makan

  1. Fresh dairyMilk, yoghurt and ice cream at Desa Dairy Farm.Map ↗
  2. Sabah teaTea grown on the plantations around Ranau, good with the cold air.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Desa Dairy FarmCows grazing with Mount Kinabalu behind them, plus fresh milk and ice cream.Map ↗
  2. Kundasang War MemorialGardens remembering the prisoners of war who died on the Sandakan death marches.Map ↗
  3. The vegetable marketRoadside stalls piled with cabbages, carrots, fruit and local snacks.Map ↗
  4. Kinabalu ParkEasy forest trails at the park headquarters, a short drive away.Map ↗
  5. Poring Hot SpringsHot spring baths and a canopy walkway, about an hour's drive away.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Pack a warm jacket. Nights are cold.
  • Get to Desa Dairy Farm early for the clearest view of the mountain.
  • The roads are winding. Bring motion sickness pills if you get carsick.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.