West to East shuttle
Daily hop-on hop-off shuttle from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan & Sepilok
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Looking to travel overland from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and see a few sights along the way? Our River Junkie Shuttle departs daily from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan with stop offs at Kinabalu Park, Poring hot springs and Sabah Tea Plantation. We will provide you with the transport, a friendly English speaking driver and complete information about the activities on offer along the way, the rest is up to you!
Want to climb Mount Kinabalu along the way or spend longer exploring Poring hot springs? No problem, you can opt to hop-off and hop-on again within 3 days at no additional charge. |
Schedule - daily
- 6.15 - 6.45am: Pick up from your hotel in Kota Kinabalu for a 2 hour drive to Kinabalu Park
- 8.30am: Brief stop at Kinabalu Park, stretch your legs, enjoy the cool mountain air, take a short walk along the boardwalk to see the forest in Kinabalu Park and climb up to the observation deck for a photo of Mount Kinabalu (weather dependent).
- 9am: Depart from Kinabalu Park to Poring hot springs (1 hr drive)
- 10am: Arrive at Poring hot springs and explore at your own leisure - see "what to do in Poring?" below
- 12.30pm: Depart Poring to Sabah Tea Plantation (30min drive)
- 1pm: Arrive at Sabah Tea Plantation (recommended lunch stop): Take a walk amongst the tea bushes, enjoy the mountain view and visit the cafe for tea and/or lunch.
- 2pm: Depart from Sabah Tea Plantation and continue on to Sepilok / Sandakan (4 - 5 hours drive)
- 6 - 7pm: Drop off at your accommodation in Sepilok / Sandakan
Pricing
Shuttle ticket: RM250 per person
Group / family offers:
- Buy 4 tickets: 10% discount
- Buy 5 tickets: 15% discount
- Buy 6 or more tickets: 20% discount
- River Junkie mountain climbers: 20% discount*
Hop-on / Hop-off:
Choose to stay overnight in Kinabalu Park, Poring, Sabah Tea Plantation or the surrounding area and continue your journey for free within the next 3 days. Just ask us if you need help with hotel recommendations or bookings.
Choose to stay overnight in Kinabalu Park, Poring, Sabah Tea Plantation or the surrounding area and continue your journey for free within the next 3 days. Just ask us if you need help with hotel recommendations or bookings.
Want to join us along the way?
- Kinabalu Park to Sandakan (via Poring & Sabah Tea Plantation): Meet at 9am at Sutera Sanctuary Lodges reception in Kinabalu Park
- Poring to Sandakan (via Sabah Tea plantation): Meet at 12.30pm at Sutera Sanctuary Lodges reception in Poring hot springs
- Sabah Tea plantation: Meet at 1.45pm outside Sabah Tea Plantation gift shop
- Seats are limited and pre-booking is essential!
Additional info
Terms & Conditions:
- Minimum 2 people per trip, solo travellers may join existing departure dates.
- Shuttle seats are limited and if you "hop-off" then we cannot guarantee there will be availability for you to "hop-on" again unless you advise us of the next leg of your journey at the time of booking the first one.
- Failure to rejoin the shuttle at the correct time and location on your pre-booked date will result in forfeiting the rest of your journey.
Included
- Air-conditioned shuttle service
- English-speaking driver
Excluded
- National Park entrance fee: 1 entrance ticket is valid for 1 day (or 3 days for those staying overnight in any National Park accommodation) and covers entry into both Kinabalu Park & Poring hot springs. You may opt to pay the park entrance fee together with your shuttle booking or you may pay cash upon arrival at Kinabalu Park: International adult / child: RM50 / RM25, Malaysian adult / child: RM10 / RM5.
- Poring activity fees (optional, to be paid in cash at the activity counters in Poring): Fees range from RM1 to RM10 per person depending on nationality, age & activity chosen- please see our guide to Poring below for more info. Free activities include swimming in the the rock pool, Kipungit waterfall and visiting the Etnobotanical gardens.
- Food / drinks: Your driver will make a stop at Sabah Tea Plantation around 1pm, the cafe here offers an extensive choice of good value a la carte meals in a nice setting overlooking the tea plantation. There is also a restaurant at Poring hot springs (Rainforest Cafe) or you are welcome to bring takeaway food to eat along the way if you prefer.
Or use our "Contact us" form below
A guide to Poring hot springs
The real attractions of Poring lie beyond the “hot springs”. Here is a run-down of what's on offer and the approximate time you’ll need for each place.
Tropical garden & orchid garden
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Tropical Garden & Orchid Garden
Walk up the hill past the accommodations (outside of the main entry gate into Poring, our driver can show you the path to follow and visit the Tropical garden, you will need to pay a small entry fee at the gate. The Tropical garden is a 1km jungle trail with boardwalks, a small cave and tortoises along the way. You may also be able to spot a Rafflesia here in the small Rafflesia garden at the entrance to the Tropical garden. It will take you around 10mins to walk up there and another 30mins to explore the Tropical garden. If you are into Orchids then stop off at the Orchid garden on your way back to the main part of Poring. Total time around 1 hour. Entry fees: Tropical garden RM3 / Orchid garden RM10 |
canopy walkway
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Canopy Walk
Enter into the main part of Poring, walk past the hot pools (the tiled bathtubs) and follow the signs to Canopy walk. To access the Canopy walk, pay a small entrance fee and follow the trail up to the start of the canopy walk (please note this involves climbing some steps and walking approximately 800m uphill). Explore the 105m long canopy walk and get a bird’s-eye view of the rainforest. Return back entry counter via a different jungle trail. Total time around 1 hour. Entry fee: RM5 |
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Kipungit Waterfall / Etnobotanical Garden / Rafflesia centre / Bat cave
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Kipungit Waterfall / Etnobotanical Garden / Rafflesia centre / Bat cave
We’ve put all these together as they are all in the same direction. Walk past the canopy walk and follow the signs to Kipungit waterfall until you come to a small crossroads with a manned counter. To the left is the Etnobotanical Garden (complete with hobbit houses), entry is free of charge. To the right is the Rafflesia centre, ask at the counter whether any Rafflesia are blooming before deciding whether to buy a ticket. The trail to Kipungit waterfall (10min walk) & Bat cave (20min walk) is straight ahead and free of charge. Allow 30min per place Entry fee Rafflesia Centre: RM10 (if blooming) |
Butterfly Garden
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Butterfly Garden
The butterfly garden is close to the pools and on the way back from the canopy walk & Kipungit waterfall. You’ll need to pay a small entrance fee and in return will learn more about the numerous butterflies of Poring and have a chance to see a lot of them in the butterfly enclosure. On the short trail beyond, you can see stick insects and various types of (impressive!) beetles as well as butterflies. Butterfly garden & short trail - 30-45min Entry fee: RM4 |
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Rock pool & slide pool
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Rock pool & slide pool
Whilst we don’t rate the hot springs themselves, the Rock Pool and Slide pool are worth visiting if you are keen to cool down after a couple of hours sightseeing around Poring. Beware, the water is colder than you would expect in Borneo! There are changing rooms and showers onsite so you can easily change before heading back to the shuttle (please don’t wear wet clothes in the van). Swimming: 30min - 1hr Entry fee: Slide pool RM3 / Rock pool - free |
Want to take a break from the road? You can opt to stay overnight in Kinabalu Park, Poring or Sabah Tea Plantation before continuing on to Sandakan. Just hop off the River Junkie Shuttle and hop back on again the next day. Don't forget though that shuttles run based on minimum 2 people and you must advise us at the time of booking if you would like to split your journey. If you would like us to help with accommodation, please indicate this in the contact form below.
Optional add-ons
Mount KinabaluBook a Mount Kinabalu climbing package with us and save 20% on your shuttle ticket!
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Kinabatangan River safarisBrowse all our Kinabatangan River safari options from budget-friendly to luxury lodges!
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Multi-destination tripsView our East Coast wildlife trips departing from Sandakan and plan your perfect holiday.
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Contact us! |
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