kundasang in 2 days, 1 night
Fly into Kota Kinabalu and drive up past Kinabalu Park, then an early start at Desa Dairy Farm for the clearest view of the mountain before the drive back down.
Day 1 Up to the hills
- Morning
- Take an early flight from KL to Kota Kinabalu, about 2.5 hours. Pick up a rental car and drive about 2 hours up into the hills.
- Lunch
- Stop for lunch on the way up. The road winds as it climbs, so a break helps.
- Afternoon
- Kinabalu Park headquarters, just before Kundasang, for easy forest trails below the mountain.
- Evening
- On to Kundasang, a few minutes up the road, and browse the roadside vegetable market for cabbages, carrots, fruit and local snacks.
- Night
- Dinner in town, with a hot cup of Sabah tea against the cold.
Day 2 Dairy farm and back down
- Morning
- Get to Desa Dairy Farm early, a short drive from town, for cows grazing with Mount Kinabalu behind them before the clouds roll in. Have fresh milk, yoghurt or ice cream there.
- Lunch
- Lunch back in Kundasang town.
- Afternoon
- The Kundasang War Memorial, gardens remembering the prisoners of war who died on the Sandakan death marches. Then drive back down to Kota Kinabalu, about 2 hours, for the flight home.
Good to know
- Pack a warm jacket. Nights are cold.
- The roads are winding. Bring motion sickness pills if you get carsick.
- Add a night to fit in Poring Hot Springs, about an hour's drive away, for the hot spring baths and canopy walkway.