Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden
Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden
Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden
4
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden and nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
572 within 3 miles
Attractions
69 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
166 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
74
Average
26
Poor
6
Terrible
5
avril w
Northamptonshire, UK177 contributions
Jun 2023
We visited the botanical gardens in the Mount Kinabalu National Park. There was a small additional charge for this on top of the 50 ringgit park entrance/conservation fee. It was worth the extra as the gardens were a lovely cool oasis. You can expect to spend between 15 minutes and an hour here, depending on how interested you are in plants.
Written 25 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlwiHafiz
Singapore, Singapore55 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
The gardens can be covered within around an hour with a good guide at a nice leisurely pace. An interesting collecting of native flora set within the Kinabalu Park World Heritage site. No frills, and in my view a must visit to get a good summary about some of the unique aspects of vegetation in the area.
Written 26 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
roaming_kiwi58
Christchurch, New Zealand2,816 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
We visited here on a day trip from a cruise docked in Kota Kinabalu. You have to enter the National Park to get to the Botanical Gardens. We were disappointed. But it maybe did not come up to expectations because we were part of a busload of people, some of whom walked incredibly slowly. There were a few interesting plants, but not really that much to see. Not worth the couple of hour drive up here.
Written 1 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WorldGlutton
London, UK23,195 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
From Garden Lodge at Kinabalu Park, it’s a 3 mins drive to Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden. After parking at Dewan Kinabalu carpark , we walked to the Ticket Counter to pay Rm4.00 for entrance fee.
Amidst the flowing stream which cut across this huge Botanical Garden, it has concrete & boardwalk walking trails for visitors .
It is well organised into Section Zones, with Information Signboards on different species of wild plants , trees, local herbs, fruits & flowers.
Ferns ,palm trees ,wild ginger & banana species are aplenty, also pitcher plant as well as Kinabalu most prominent Pink Medinilla plant.
Lots of information to take though, need at least 1-2 hours walk, but it is a great hands-on education on Kinabalu’s plants and trees with lots of photography opportunities. !!!
Amidst the flowing stream which cut across this huge Botanical Garden, it has concrete & boardwalk walking trails for visitors .
It is well organised into Section Zones, with Information Signboards on different species of wild plants , trees, local herbs, fruits & flowers.
Ferns ,palm trees ,wild ginger & banana species are aplenty, also pitcher plant as well as Kinabalu most prominent Pink Medinilla plant.
Lots of information to take though, need at least 1-2 hours walk, but it is a great hands-on education on Kinabalu’s plants and trees with lots of photography opportunities. !!!
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kengsoon
penang223 contributions
Jul 2022
We are so glad that we did not miss this place. It host beautiful orchids indigenous to this place. There was even one which was supposed to be the second smallest orchid species in the world. It would be nice to have a tour guide for the short trip into the garden in order to discover the variety of interesting & unique plants, unless one is very familiar with the botanic species. Give yourself at least about 1 to 2 hours for the entire place.
Written 11 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CMSoon
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia146 contributions
Apr 2022
Is a very small nursery but termed as botanical garden. About an hour to complete the round with photo shoot included and time searching for the species advertised. Not recommended but if you have nothing to do to kill time, then spend a small token for entrance fee to go in.
It is only interesting for people into plants and nature. There is nothing or flowers that are spectacular that must see for common people.
It is only interesting for people into plants and nature. There is nothing or flowers that are spectacular that must see for common people.
Written 14 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
username1199
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia30 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
Its a must-go-place when you visit Kinabalu Park. However, I wish the park could introduce more plants. I read somewhere there is a guided tour at 9am but i missed it. Overall, its better to go there with a guide so that you can get to know more plants or else you will be dissapointed!
Written 7 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wildcat7400
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia1,179 contributions
Nov 2022
We arrived quite early. Feeling hungry as we had skipped breakfast, we sat down at a small café & ordered some food. While my half-boiled eggs weren’t up to my expectations, the hot cup of Horlicks did wonders for my stomach. The fried mee mamak & mee hoon soup that my 2 friends had ordered were absolutely delicious. I wished I had ordered either one instead.
While we were busy eating, all of a sudden, it started to rain which prompted my partner to purchase ponchos for everyone at RM6.00 each. Ten minutes to noon, we put them on & started walking to the Botanical Garden Ticket booth. Tickets were priced at RM4.00 each. There were 2 other time slots, if you want to participate in a guided tour at 9:00 am & 3:00 pm if you can’t make it to the 12:00 pm one. However, if you decide to roam on your own, the botanical garden is open daily from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Our guide was a local named Nora. She was close to retiring. Nora was knowledgeable & was very patient with us throughout the 1-hour guided tour. The garden is 1.4 hectares in size & has a combination of concrete & boardwalk trail for visitors. I remember seeing a stream that cuts across the botanical garden too.
There were many wild & ornamental plants, trees, local herbs, fruits & flowers within the vicinity. Nora explained that the different coloured tags pinned to the plant or tree highlighted its status. They could be an endangered species, endemic or found in abundance in the locality.
We saw the carnivorous pitcher plant & the most prominent plant in Kinabalu which is the bright pink Medinilla. It fruits all year round making it a focal source of food for birds & squirrels. Apparently, there are 17 Medinilla species in Kinabalu.
Nora told us that there were many species of wild orchids & some only grew in the area which led to the building of an Orchid Research Centre. In addition, we saw loads of ferns, palm trees, wild ginger & banana species. Her keen eye made it possible for us to see a stick insect.
This garden tour could be boring for some as there’s a lot of information to take in. However, at least you get a hands-on education on Kinabalu’s plants & trees.
While we were busy eating, all of a sudden, it started to rain which prompted my partner to purchase ponchos for everyone at RM6.00 each. Ten minutes to noon, we put them on & started walking to the Botanical Garden Ticket booth. Tickets were priced at RM4.00 each. There were 2 other time slots, if you want to participate in a guided tour at 9:00 am & 3:00 pm if you can’t make it to the 12:00 pm one. However, if you decide to roam on your own, the botanical garden is open daily from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Our guide was a local named Nora. She was close to retiring. Nora was knowledgeable & was very patient with us throughout the 1-hour guided tour. The garden is 1.4 hectares in size & has a combination of concrete & boardwalk trail for visitors. I remember seeing a stream that cuts across the botanical garden too.
There were many wild & ornamental plants, trees, local herbs, fruits & flowers within the vicinity. Nora explained that the different coloured tags pinned to the plant or tree highlighted its status. They could be an endangered species, endemic or found in abundance in the locality.
We saw the carnivorous pitcher plant & the most prominent plant in Kinabalu which is the bright pink Medinilla. It fruits all year round making it a focal source of food for birds & squirrels. Apparently, there are 17 Medinilla species in Kinabalu.
Nora told us that there were many species of wild orchids & some only grew in the area which led to the building of an Orchid Research Centre. In addition, we saw loads of ferns, palm trees, wild ginger & banana species. Her keen eye made it possible for us to see a stick insect.
This garden tour could be boring for some as there’s a lot of information to take in. However, at least you get a hands-on education on Kinabalu’s plants & trees.
Written 20 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dimple958
New York City, NY57 contributions
Dec 2022
Although we went during the rainy season was still worth seeing. The drive is a bit far, but once you get to Mount Kinabalu its beautiful. The garden has many varieties of fauna and flowers, some spices as well. It's a wonderful natural park with a lot to see and can hike as well if you have plenty of time. Pretty much the main attraction of Kota Kinabalu.
Written 17 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Naweed R
52 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
I guess this is more a reflection of my ignorance and lack of understanding in that I decided to visit the garden in what you would call Malaysia's winter.
In short. Everything. Is. Dead.
I mean no exaggeration, there was nothing really to see and it was a wasted trip.
If only I had researched earlier...May in the summer it's different. However, I have no idea about the authenticity of the reviews who also visited in January...I would've expected the same.
Regards, Naweed.
In short. Everything. Is. Dead.
I mean no exaggeration, there was nothing really to see and it was a wasted trip.
If only I had researched earlier...May in the summer it's different. However, I have no idea about the authenticity of the reviews who also visited in January...I would've expected the same.
Regards, Naweed.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
أحمد
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
How much price to enter the park and climb the mountain
Written 13 September 2018
Hi
How much did you pay for the guided tour and is it available at any time of the day?
Can I book the guided tour on site, as I am going free and easy?
Written 8 July 2018
Hi Mel Yeo,
We rented a car and drove up because we also visited other attractions other than the garden. There’s Poring Hotspring and other stops you can make on the way down. I suggest you get your hotel concierge to give you reliable driver to take you up and you can do self guided tour at each attraction.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Emily
Written 8 July 2018
Can you see much of the breathtaking mountains from walking this trail?
Written 3 November 2017
We did this as a daytrip from Kota Kinabalu. We had pre-arranged a tour via Borneo Eco Tours. I guess local agents can arrange this trip or alternatively rent a car yourselve. It is a easy to drive and daytrip. You can hire a guide at the park entrance if you wish.
Enjoy your trip!
Written 7 November 2017
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing