Top 20 fun things to enjoy in Kota Kinabalu! (No. 15 – Visit Kionsom Waterfall)

One of Blue Kinabalu’s favourite parts of Kota Kinabalu is Kionsom. Strictly speaking it’s not part of Kota Kinabalu but a small kampung (village) around 30 minutes from downtown Kota Kinabalu on the edge of the rain forest that contains a beautiful waterfall.

Getting to Kionsom Waterfall

First you need to head towards the industrial part of Kota Kinabalu known as Inanam. There are a number of small factories here along with car showrooms, repair shops and car spares retailers. From Inanam take Jalan Kionsom (Kionsom Road) and you’ll notice that the traffic thins out considerably and the road starts to climb into the hills known as the Crocker Range, another reminder of British Colonial days as William Maunder Crocker (1843-1899) was a former Governor of British North Borneo.

The road to Kionsom Waterfall is just under 10km long and climbs from sea level to around 240 metres (just under 800 feet) and the vegetation visibly changes to bracken and ferns as the surroundings start to take the appearance of rain forest. Near to the top of the climb you pass Mari Mari Cultural Village and Kionsom Waterfall is just another 500 metres where the road comes to a dead-end.

Visiting Kionsom Waterfall

From the small car park pay your admission fee (International RM10 / Child RM5) or (Malaysian RM3 / Child RM1) and start to climb the steps to the series of waterfalls with the sound of the rushing angry water increasing with every step. The locals have done a great job ensuring that the walkways are safe and contain hand-rails but take notice of the signs in English and Malay warning the visitor that the pathways, and stones beyond the pathways are very slippery! There are around five different vantage points to enjoy different views of the falls together with photo opportunities. Speaking of photos some great pictures may be possible if sun is breaking through the lush rain forest as the water glistens in sunlight.

Very popular with local visitors, but much less well known to International and Peninsula visitors to Sabah, the waterfall(s) cannot be described as spectacular but it’s a beautiful and peaceful location in the rainforest. There are clean tandas (bathrooms) here. Enjoy your visit!

Top Tip for Visitors:

Wear walking shoes / trainers with good tread as the pathway is often very slippery.

Buy some snacks and a bottle of water / can of soda etc. at the small shop here – you’ll be putting money directly into the friendly and welcoming local community.

About Martin

Martin is a British expat living in Kota Kinabalu who arranges tailored tours within Sabah primarily for British and Western tourists on behalf of Blue Kinabalu Travel Agency. Please help spread the word about beautiful Sabah and share this post using the social share buttons below.