Exploring Ranau & Vicinity, Part 2

Introduction

This post continues where we left of (in part 1). It was getting too long and I decided to break it up to 2 parts. This part focuses on our time at Poring & also Kampung Tiang Lama.

Good morning Akinabalu

Story goes that the name Kinabalu actually originated from the Kadazan words Aki and Nabalu, meaning ‘the revered place of the dead‘. The best time to view this majestic mountain is early in the morning before the clouds blows in to block the view.

I promised the girls that we could lazed around in bed since they needed to sacrifice their sleep last night. Lazed in they did! We had a light breakfast before “checking out” as we would be moving out from the room to tents for the night.

Hakka Food Court at Ranau

Weather was nice and clear, and we attempted to capture the early morning beauty around grounds before departing towards Ranau to collect our laundry, en route to Poring.

As it was near lunch time, we decided to swing by the Hakka Food Court we spied yesterday when we passed through Ranau. This food court is a gem serving yummy local fare. I’m sure its a popular spot for locals too, as we saw cars overflowing out of the carpark on to the road. We had one of the best Tuaran noodles here.

On a side note, this food court really shows how truly Malaysians should be living harmoniously together. A mix of halal and non-halal stalls nestled side by side and people of all races mingled and interacted. The whole divisive narrative these days (especially in Peninsular) is really put to shame here.

Canopy Walk at Poring

Tummy filled, we picked up our laundry and drove north for the next hour towards Poring Hot Spring.
Our main purpose here was actually to experience the canopy walk, while optionally keeping our options open about getting into the hot spring.

It was a pretty humid day, and after completing the suspended rope bridges, the girls were not interested in taking a dip in the hot spring. The large holiday crowd was not helping too. We instead rewarded ourselves with an ice cream treat before departing.

Back at Hounon

Once again, time just passed so quickly and before we knew it, the sun had gotten closer to the western horizons and we needed to head back to Hounon. We enjoyed our lunch so much that we decided to stop by again at the food court to tapao our dinner. Unfortunately, some of the more popular stalls were sold out, but fortunately there were other yummy options available. (let’s see if I can get Caroline to right a post on the food we sampled throughout the trip).

First thing we needed to do was to set up our “room” for the night. We got ourselves a nice spot facing the Mount right beside the lake.

As we sat up tent, a family of frogs (or toad) welcomed us with a chorus or two. Guess they too were responsible for the lullaby as we bedded down for the night.

We wolfed down our dinner and hung around outside enjoying the cool night breeze. Annabel unfortunately was feeling a little flu-ish/chilly and couldn’t take the cool breeze. She snuck into the tent instead, to stay warm.

Lights from Laban Rata, and I believe section of the Timpohon trail could be seen as light fade. Before long, most of those lights were turned off, and it was time for us to turn our own lights off and bedded down for the night.

Adieu Hounon

Once again, my internal body clock woke me up early to catch the sunrise. Even from here, the light from the hikers heading up Mt Kinabalu could be periodically seen as it swept in our direction.

Before long, it was time to wake everyone up as we needed to start our estimated 1hr 45mins drive towards Kg Tiang Lama.

Hidden River Canyon

I was pretty curious with the ETA Google estimated, as distance wise Kampung Tiang Lama was a mere 51km away. I got my answer when halfway into the drive, I was directed onto gravel path, which was definitely more suitable for a 4WD.

We finally arrived at the the meet up point & met with our guide, Martin. Martin is partially deaf but according to the villagers hanging around the meet up point, he is their “top gun”.

Our hike to the Taralamas River Canyon would require us to first traverse more than 3km through their Kampung, rubber estates & a large swathe of bamboo grove.

There were only 2 groups hiking in that day, and the other group was using a long trail. We encountered an uprooted tree blocking our way forward requiring Marting to unsheathe his parang to clear the way forward.

Here’s a short video of our 3km+ hike to the river bank.

We finally arrived at the mouth of Taralamas Canyon. We needed to wait for the group ahead of us to return before we could go in. So, we took the opportunity to explore upstream (the longer trail that cuts into the river further upstream) and downstream (towards Widu Canyon).

Before long, the group shed their life jackets and it was our turn to enter the river canyon.

Martin tells us that the water is colder as it was dry season. During wet season, water level can rise almost all the way to the top of the ridge line.

We needed to swim some of the deeper sections as we accessed deeper into the canyon, but most of it comes merely waist deep.

Before long, we reached the end of the rope. Martin tells us this was where our path ends and we needed to turn back. Even so, he encouraged us to swim across the raging waters (the rope that used to run across snapped and has not been replaced).

The section beyond looks mesmerizing, and only then did we find out that we could actually access it if we informed the organizer earlier. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time and turned back for our swim out.

We were left wanting more, I guess we will revisit this again when we attempt our hike up Mt Kinabalu in the near future.

Compilation of our adventure at the river canyon below

After warming ourselves over a small fire that Martin started, (and more photos) we started our long hike back to the car.

On the way back, the sound of dead bamboo culms can be heard bursting as the temperature rose.

We finally arrived back at the car after what felt like a much longer hike out (though Martin assured us it was easier and not much further). We quickly washed up and gobbled down the simple lunch the locals prepared for us.

We bade our farewells and started our journey to Tegudon Tourism Village. The drive will bring us back towards Hounon, cutting through Bundu Tuhan, before finally taking the road north to Kota Belud.

TLDR

Places of Interest

Poring Hot Spring – managed by Sabah Park, it is actually part of the Kinabalu Park, located to the East of Mount Kinabalu. It houses a large cluster of open-air and indoor hot sulphur spring baths, with many nature focused attractions within ground, ie Waterfall, Canopy Walk, Bat Cave, Rafflesia Garden, etc. You will need to pay a conservation fee of RM10/adult, RM5/child (local) to enter, and further separate fee to enjoy each of the attractions. Do refer to their website for cost and details. It is located far from town, so you will definitely need to arrange transportation to/from the Hot Spring. Sutera Sanctuary Lodges also operates a resort here.

Lodging

Hounon Ridge Farmstay & Camping – They offer two different type of lodgings here. Rooms (limited) in the lodge, and a nice camping ground (controlled capacity) for those who prefer to rough it out. They do offer basic but serviceable camping equipment for rent (tents, mats, sleeping bags, etc). Book early as its a very popular location, beautiful ground offering execellent view of the southern Mount Kinabalu. While we were there, the cafe was overwhelmed, leading to slow service and many items on the menu sold out.

Misc Tips

• There are food options available inside poring hot spring. There’s a mini market selling snacks, buns, ice cream etc, and there’s also a restaurant ran by Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. Be prepared to pay evelated prices at Rainforest Restaurant. Bring your own food (or purchase it from stalls lining the road at the entrance) to avoid.
• Tables/Gazebo are also scattered near the hot spring bath/pool area. First come first serve
• To access the canopy walk, you will first need to zig-zag up to the treeline along a mix of boarded+jungle trail path. Not too hard, but do bring along water, as it can be pretty humid under the trees.
• Petrol stations gets a little more “scarce” as you head away from town. Do ensure to fill up in towns like Ranau before you head to these more secluded locations.
• For Taralamas River Canyon, recommend that you discuss upfront with the guide on the type of trail (and distance) you would like to cover. The popular one just brings you in the canyon for a short distance (<1km), totally not worth it after a 3km hike to the river. Instead, request for the longer option where you will either explore another river canyon (Widu Canyon), or go deeper into Taralamas Canyon.
• For shoes, the Kg Tiang Lama association/your guide have “Kampung Adidas” available for rent (forgot how much, I think its RM2/pair) for most sizes. Largest available is size UK10/11. Kampung Adidas is the best shoes for these type of trails. Bring along socks to avoid blisters if you are not used to it.
• There are NO restaurants/cafe open to public within 1 hour drive of Kampung Tiang Lama. Either prep your own lunch/food or talk to the guide to include it when you make your reservation. They can accomodate your tolerance level of spiciness (and its yummy too!).
• Bring along towel/change of clothes to change into as you will be wet (and cold) after the time in the canyon.