Our designated nature tours will be to Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Springs, about an hour's drive from the hotel.  Passing through typical Malaysian rural scenery - a blend of rustic charms with signs of progressive development.  The small town of Ranau has branches of 2 main commercial banks which handles standard banking transactions, a well equipped government hospital, post office and general stores.  The road from Kota Kinabalu to Ranau is a busy commercial and tourism route as it links to the east coast of Sabah, namely to Sandakan - famous for its Orang Utan Sanctuary, Proboscis river-ride explorations and the Turtle Islands, then the road further links east to Tawau - where the divers' underwater haven are located.  From here the road links to neighboring Kalimantan, a brisk barter trading border town.

The Kinabalu Park Tour : 4 June 2008 & 9 June 2008

Located at 1,585 metres above sea level, Kinabalu Park showcases an interesting ecological system.  Approximately 1.5 hours ride from Kota Kinabalu, the park covers an area of about 754 sq. km with varying altitudes up to the summit of Mount Kinabalu at 4,095.2 metres. Popular for its cool climate, the park promises to enchant visitors with its rich flora and fauna. It carries lowland, mountain and alpine vegetation on a scale that is not seen elsewhere between the Himalayas and the New Guinea (adapted from Sabah Parks guide book).

The Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon is endorsed by the Federation of Sport at Altitude as one of the seven official races for the Skyrunning World Championship Circuit.  Previous champions include runners from Great Britain,  Germany, Spain and Mexico, with wide participation from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Venezuela, U.S.A. and European countries.  During the competition, runners complete the 21-Km trail in 2 - 4 hours time, scaling the 4,095.2 metres high Mount Kinabalu.

For the Kinabalu Park tour, we will visit the Visitor's Gallery, followed by a briefing and video show conducted by the Park Naturalist. We will have a buffet lunch at the Liwagu Restaurant terrace.  The Souvenir Shop has a fairly good selection of Sabah books and souvenirs. A guided walk with a Park Botanist or Naturalist through selected park trails is optional.

Our training will be conducted within this park at the spacious outdoor Hall.  The park roads will be busy during mornings as mountain climbers prepare for the climb and evenings as the coach buses wait for climbers to descend.

On the way back to the hotel, we may stop at the local fruit stalls and sample fresh local sweet oranges (limau) bananas, jackfruit, mangosteen, mangoes, lychee, rambutan, and other exotic tropical fruits in season.

The Poring Hot Spring Tour: 5 June 2008 & 10 June 2008

An hour's drive from our hotel will bring us to Poring Hot Spring.  We will be passing through the town of Ranau, so do be sure to inform in advance if you need to visit the bank, post office or get sundry supplies.  The weather is warmer at Poring compared to the Park, so gear up comfortably and with proper walking shoes for the Canopy Walk.

At Poring, we will first gather for Slide show conducted by the Park's Ranger.  A few minutes walk will bring us to cross a hanging bridge across the Mamut river, to lunch at Kalibambang Restaurant.  The restaurant terrace overlooks nearby pools where hot sulphur water from a bubbling spring has been piped into a series of tiled tubs.  There is also a cold water swimming pool.

After lunch workout is a trek to the Canopy Walk, constructed 150 metres high above the lowland dipterocarp forests. The giant parasitic flower Rafflesia also occurs here.  There is an abundance of wild fruit trees meaning more large animals can be seen such as Flying Lemurs, Red Leaf Monkey and the elusive Orang Utan.  Numerous butterflies flitting over flowering shrubs are also another special feature of Poring.  The trek will take about a round hour. Those not keen on the trek may relax at the natural hot spring, perfect to soothe tired and aching muscles.  Optional trekking leads to the spectacular Langganan waterfall, passing through gigantic bamboo groves, rattan creepers and dim bat caves!

* We will have two opportunities to visit Poring Hot Spring, that is once during the Intensive Chikung Course and again during the Shaolin Seventy Two Chin-Na Techniques course.  For those who braved the Canopy Walk on the first visit, may on the second trip, just relax in one of the natural hot water tubs!

The Mesilau Nature Resort Tour: 11 June 2008

A visit to the MESILAU NATURE RESORT is on our tour itinerary!  Nestled at the foot of the magnificent Mount Kinabalu at 2,000 metres above sea level within the World Heritage Site.  This resort leads to a second, more challenging trail up to Mount Kinabalu.  It is popular with repeat climbers or Hash Runners from all over the world. Because of its higher elevation, the plant and animal life is a rich contrast to Kinabalu Park or Poring. The world's largest pitcher plant, the "Nepenthes Rajah" grows in abundance here. Several nature documentaries have been filmed here. The Chalets are specially constructed to sit between the trees with minimal cutting and inter connected by boardwalk system.

* Our tour will be on the 3rd day of Course and we start directly after the morning training session.  We have two nature trail options .  Shall we take a vote?

Trail (1) is a "sample climb" of the Mount Kinabalu Trail up to a viewpoint at KM 0.7.  The return walk is about an hour.  We may earn a honorary Climbers Certificate!  Trail (2) is a walk to the Nepenthes grove with an experienced Park Naturalists.  We may be lucky to get the legendary Mr. Ansau who has been a mountain guide for more than 30 years and is one of the few locals to join the Low's Gully Expedition.  The return walk is about 1 hour 30 minutes.

During the last Intensive Kungfu course, we opted instead to go for a leisurely walk down to the Mesilau stream through the boardwalk, followed by a relaxing lunch!

Optional Tours

The MOUNT KINABALU GOLF COURSE : A mini golf course (10 holes) , but overlooking spectacular highland views and towered over by the mountain in close-up view.  Our Irish classmates enjoyed a round of play here during the last Intensive Chi Kung Course. If you are interested, please let us know in advance for arrangements. 

The AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL : A simple memorial is located in Kundasang town, about 20 minutes from our hotel.  It marks the end of the infamous Death March of the POWs from Sandakan during World War II.

FLOWER GARDENS : About 30 minutes from the hotel are several tropical flower farms run by locals.  They provide bright and vibrant splashes of colors along the road side. Along the way, you will see highland vegetable terrace farming and mushroom cultivation.

Own Leisure time

There is ample space at the grounds of the ZEN GARDEN RESORT itself for relaxing in between classes.  Frequently students can be seen training and revising at the grounds.  Some students choose to spend the break between morning and afternoon classes at Kinabalu Park.

Your Sabah Guides

Note:  If you plan to visit Sabah longer, please visit Sabah Tourism for more details.