Kinabalu National Park Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Air-con express buses (RM15, three hours) leave from Kota Kinabalu for the national park around 7.30am daily. Check the schedule and book on weekends. Buses and minivans going to Ranau or Sandakan will drop you off at the entrance road, 100m from the park headquarters. Returning, you can flag down any transport passing the turn-off; traffic is most regular between 8am and noon.

Tamparuli is where the road up the coast to Kudat branches for Kota Belud and Ranau. From Kota Belud to Kinabalu National Park (RM10, two hours), first go to Tamparuli and take a minivan heading to Ranau.

Minivans leave park headquarters for Poring Hot Springs (RM15, 45 minutes) three times a day. You can hire a minivan for RM60, or go to Ranau and take a van or taxi from there.

Air-con express buses to Sandakan (RM25, four hours) pass the park headquarters several times a day. Minivans heading to Ranau (RM5) are more frequent but usually dry up by 5pm.

Mesilau is 20km from park headquarters and there’s no public transport going there. The road to the resort turns north off the main highway at Kundasang. It’s 10km to the resort from this intersection. A taxi or minivan to Mesilau costs RM65 from Kinabalu park headquarters.

Morning bus and minivan services operate regularly from Ranau. Minivans to Tambunan (RM12, two hours) and Keningau (RM18, three hours) traverse a hazardous mountain road. Express buses leave Ranau for KK (RM15, 3½ hours) from 7am to about 1.30pm. Minivans (RM15) and share-taxis (RM20) leave Ranau daily until about 5.30pm. The morning runs are more frequent.

All bus services to KK pass the entrance to Mt Kinabalu National Park (RM5). If you get stuck, you can take a share-taxi (RM20) or charter a minivan to park headquarters for RM50.

Air-conditioned express buses are the best way to travel, and these leave Ranau for Sandakan between 7.30am and noon (RM30, four hours). Minivans go throughout the day but can take a while to fill up. All transport passes the Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre; ask to be dropped off.

On weekends it’s easy and cheap to get to the hot springs from Ranau. The price is RM5 per person and the transport leaves when it’s full. On weekdays it isn’t quite so easy, especially if you arrive in Ranau during the afternoon – you may have to charter a minivan or taxi for RM20.

Poring is 19km north of Ranau along a sealed road and can be reached by minivan, taxi or hitching. Access is generally from Ranau, but minivans run from the park headquarters at Mt Kinabalu to Poring three times a day (RM15).

Leaving Poring can be tricky. Minivans depart for Ranau from outside the park office at the springs at around 6.30am, and then at roughly 10am and 2pm, depending on demand (RM5). On weekends there are nearly always share-taxis parked near the office; the fare is by negotiation but with a full load it should only cost RM5 per person.