Still thinking about where to head to for your next holiday? Consider Kota Kinabalu as it offers enough things to make an interesting trip even if you don’t love mountain-climbing.
Today, we will continue from Part 1 of our Kota Kinabalu trip and make a 2 hours drive to Kundasang, the place where many would visit to climb the popular Mount Kota Kinabalu.
But we won’t because we are not into such hardship, especially not during the wet season. And the opportunistic pricing turned us off. :)
Read on and see how we made our way to the mountainous town, which is like Cingjing to Taiwan or Hakone to Tokyo (yeah, magnificent panoramic views everywhere you go).
>> MUST-READ: Things to do in Kota Kinabalu for 10 Days (Part 1)
Starting the day right in Kota Kinabalu
Sumptuous dim sum breakfast
Today would be the day to drive to Kundasang. Prior to leaving our nice hotel in KK, we decided to visit yet another dim sum outlet in Kota Kinabalu.Â
A short drive brought us to Lok Tien Dim Sum (see location) which seemed popular among the locals. Once again, we were amazed at the big portion per basket and the generous seafood ingredients – think lots of prawns!
Our sumptuous first meal of the day costs us less than rm70 for what you see here (plus egg tarts for takeaway) – which was a lot of stuff for two pax!Â
Hilton KK Swimming Pool
Back from our breakfast, we thought we should check out Hilton KK’s swimming pool. Though it doesn’t boost a good view like MBS, we love the decor – nice and abundant sitting areas.Â
The size was decent too and we managed to exercise our lungs a bit.Â
Driving from Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang
Our trusty rental car
(1.20pm)
Happy with our morning itinerary, it’s time to make our way to Kundasang, via our trusty rental car. Once again, the initial ride out of KK town was via a scenic drive by the coast.Â
Transport Options: Prefer not to drive. This day tour can bring you from KK to Kundasang and let you experience a few family-friendly attractions.Â
Tamparuli Suspension Bridge
(2.30pm)
About an hour’s drive from the hotel, we reached our first “on-the-way” attractions – Tamparuli Low Bridge and Tamparuli Suspension Bridge (see location).Â
Watch our car drive through the low bridge, flanked on both sides by the river. See how close we were to the water level. You can also see the suspension bridge hanging above.
We alighted and walked through the Wednesday Farmer’s Market. But we arrived too late and many stalls were closed.
Soon, we were on top of the shaky Tamparuli Suspension Bridge (access from here). My heart nearly dropped when a group of mischievous foreigners started shaking the bridge violently. Gosh, that was scary as I tried to balance myself.Â
When the bridge was not disturbed, I took in the panoramic 360 degrees view of river and clear blue sky. It’s worth a stop if you have the time.
Thereafter, our simple lunch was at a nearby Wun Chiap Restoran. He ordered Fried Bee Hoon while I went for the local specialty known as Tuaran Noodle (Egg noodle). Even though the latter was said to be a dish that represents “Sabah”, we preferred the fragrant Fried Bee Hoon.Â
Done with our meal – time to continue our journey up the mountain. Unfortunately, it began to rain (again)!
TIP:Â Best time to travel to KK or Kundasang is January to April. Otherwise, you can expect frequent and heavy rainfall like you’ll see in this KK series.Â
Two Scenic Viewpoints: Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang
(4.20pm)
We were supposed to enjoy a magnificent mountainous view at Peranggi View Point (see location). But the gloomy weather meant this was just a toilet stop for us.
Similarly, we also skipped Mt Kinabalu Viewing Platform (see location) located about 10 minutes away. We consoled ourselves that we would have a chance to revisit on our return trip to KK.Â
Check out our scenic resort in Kundasang
(5.15pm)
Finally, we arrived at JR Resort, our accommodation in Kundasang for the next two nights.
Mind you, it wasn’t an easy drive getting to this resort. Our car had to make several sharp turns and steep climb up narrow mountain roads. Not for the faint-hearted.
The reward – fabulous view!Â
But the rest was below-par. LOL! Musty room with smelly wardrobe and dated toilet. Water was also not warm enough and there was no hairdryer.
It has some plus points though such as decent food that operated throughout the day and night and photo-taking props at the premises.
And not to forget being able to enjoy the view of Mt Kinabalu while having local breakfast. I’ll show you my experience in next-day’s post.Â
INFO: Most accommodations in Kundasang are very basic. So, don’t set your expectation too high. :)
Nighttime at Kundasang CentralÂ
(7pm)
There isn’t a lot to do in Kundasang at night. We drove to the “central” and found an SS Chinese restaurant that opened till late. But sadly that was our worst meal in the entire KK 10-day trip. Should have eaten at KFC (see location).
After dinner, we “shopped” at Batarise Supermarket (see location), and I bought some snacks and an air freshener for the musty room.
One memorable experience was eating ice cream outside the supermarket, beside a large trash bin. :)
By 8.30pm, we retreated to our resort and called it a day.
Map Location For Day 4 (KK to Kundasang)
Hilton KK >> Lok Tien Dim Sum >> Tamparuli Low Bridge >> Tamparuli Suspension Bridge >> Wun Chiap Restoran >> Peranggi View Point >> Mt Kinabalu Viewing Platform >> JR Resort >> Kundasang Central
That’s all to Day 4 post. Stay tuned to the next post as it would be a fun day – I will share 12 things to do in Kundasang, other than climbing Mt Kinabalu.Â
Don’t miss: Things to do in Kota Kinabalu for 10 Days (Part 1)
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Related Posts:
- Day 1 – 3: Things to do in Kota Kinabalu
- Day 4: From Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang (this post)
- Day 5: 12 things to do in Kundasang
- Day 6: From Kundasang back to Kota Kinabalu
- Day 7: Exploring Gaya street & Best night market experience
- Day 8: Gaya Sunday Market & Hiking in Kota Kinabalu
