Whenever I am lazy to plan my own itinerary, I will book a day tour with a local travel agency. During a recent trip to Kota Kinabalu, I booked a Kota Kinabalu Day Tour with Excellence Eco-Tours Services Sdn Bhd.
Kota Kinabalu Day Tour
A young tour guide, Xing Ling, came to pick us up at our hotel in a mini van at 8.30am. We didn’t have time for breakfast, thankfully I still had the corn cakes and fermented glutinous rice cakes I bought the day before.
The journey to our first destination takes around 2 hours. During the 2 hours, we ate breakfast while our tour guide gave us some background information about the the first destination.
Kinabalu Park
I didn’t have enough time (nor the physical capacity) to actually climb Mount Kinabalu so I opted for the lazy way out – visiting Kinabalu Park.
The car park is right next to the viewing point which makes it really convenient. Three guys in black and gold uniform performed traditional Malay tunes with traditional Malay instruments.
I had a great time taking many beautiful photographs with the majestic Mount Kinabalu in the background.
Poring Hot Spring
I love soaking in hot springs but Singapore only has Sembawang Hot Spring Park. I am so glad we chose this day trip which includes a visit to Poring Hot Spring.
Poring Hot Spring is a full-fledge hot spring park with clean toilets and shower facilities. Adults can enjoy soaking in the Rock Pool and there are also shallow pools for kids. Ill-equipped tourists like myself can still enjoy soaking my feet in the Leg Soak area.
Another attraction worth exploring in Poring Hot Spring is the Canopy Walkway. You will need to climb many steps to reach the start of the Canopy Walkway. The 373.6m canopy walk is made of a series 5-meter rope and steel cable suspension bridges that zig-zag through the tallest and long-lasting trees. The suspension bridges sway left and right as you step on them, it’s test of courage.
Poring Hot Spring is also the place where you can visit the infamous Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower.
Lunch
After Poring Hot Spring, our young guide Ling Xing brought us to a small restaurant opposite the entrance of Poring Hot Spring for lunch.
It’s a small restaurant by the name of Poring Station Restaurant. This restaurant only accepts tour bookings, they don’t accept walk-in customers.
The dishes include chicken in soy sauce, mixed vegetables, curry, white rice, a cup of tea each and a thick chowder for dessert.
Desa Dairy Farm
Desa Dairy Farm is located at the top of a mountain, so the air is much cooler than in the city. The cool air, foggy surroundings and highland landscapes reminds me of Pyin Oo Lwin in Myanmar.
The farm occupies around 199 hectares of land. Most of the milking cows are of the Holstein Friesland breed which produces 900000 liters of milk per year.
Desa Diary Farm is ideal for the whole family as there are petty of activities to entertain the young and old. You can observe the milking process, feed the goats, feed calves with milk bottles or join an educational tour. There is also a small garden perfect for taking photographs and relaxing.
Before you go, don’t forget to try their famous gelato ice-cream. You can also pick up some local-made products such as fresh milk, yogurt and cheeses.
The tour is supposed to end at 3pm back at your hotel but there may be delays due to traffic conditions.
If you are interested in this Kota Kinabalu Day Tour, please contact me at [email protected] and I will help you to make the arrangements.
