Poring Hot Spring

Poring Hot Spring lies about 40 km southeast of Kinabalu Park's headquarters and 136 km east of Kota Kinabalu, within the lowland dipterocarp forest of Kinabalu Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The sulphurous geothermal water, which surfaces at up to about 60°C, is channeled into open-air soaking tubs and pools set at around 400 meters above sea level. The site is said to have been used by Japanese troops during the World War Two occupation and was developed as a formal visitor facility by Sabah Parks in the 1960s; today it also features a 41-meter-high canopy walkway, tropical gardens, a butterfly farm, and an orchid conservation centre. The name Poring derives from a local bamboo species in the Kadazandusun language.