RIDZWAN A. RAHIM tried canopy walking for the first time at Sabah’s Poring Hot Spring and Nature Reserve. It was a terrifying yet magical moment.

The hardest segment of the walk.

THE next time you are in Sabah, do not miss Poring Hot Spring and Nature Reserve.

Located near Ranau which is some three hours’ drive from Kota Kinabalu, Poring is famous for its hot water springs.

There is a widely held belief that Mount Kinabalu was once a volcano and the remnant of that is the water at Poring, which comes from deep under the fertile ground of the mountain and is hot enough to boil an egg.

First developed by the Japanese during World War II, Poring Hot Spring now features hot water piped into open-air Japanese style baths, outdoor tubs, rock pool with slides, indoor baths and even a jacuzzi.
All in all, a nice place to dip and relax after taking a hike up Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia’s highest mountain.

But what I really would like to share is my recent experience with Poring’s other attraction: the canopy walk.

If you have never been on a canopy walk, I can tell you one thing: it can be scary.

Prior to visiting the place, I had little idea what a canopy walk is about. All I knew was it had something to do with walking from treetop to treetop.

When tour guide Edmundo Cafe Jr told our group of media people from Kuala Lumpur that we would be walking on narrow walkways some 40m above the forest floor, my heart skipped a beat and my palms started to sweat.

You see, I have acrophobia. My motto is ‘If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you’.

“I once had a visitor who wetted his pants during the walk,” said Edmundo. It did little to calm my nerves.

Another incident involved a couple on a honeymoon. Edmundo recalled that he was walking in front with the woman behind him and her husband last.

At some point, Edmundo spotted a pair of giant squirrels and pointed them out to the couple. The woman refused to look because she was busy concentrating on her walk.

To her horror, the squirrels jumped on top of her head, one after the other. She became hysterical.

“It was a nerve-wrecking experience,” said Edmundo. “My only fear was that she might jump off the walkway.”

In order to ensure her safety, the husband decided to knock his wife unconscious. In the end, everything was well.

We soon arrived at Poring. The canopies as well as the hot spring are located in the jungle.

To get to the first canopy station, we had to trek for about 600m.

That’s 600m up a series of stairs, not flat on the ground. Some in our group said the trekking part was more difficult than the canopy walk itself.

By the time we got to the first station, everyone was huffing and puffing and drenched in sweat. Seeing this, Edmundo cracked a joke. “There is one facility that we forgot to mention in our brochures,” he said. “Free sauna.” We just laughed.

So this was it — the start of the canopy walk. I said my prayer and started walking carefully, all the while holding tightly to the ropes and trying hard to ignore what I was seeing at the lower corners of my eyes.

After a while, I made it to the second station and was rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views of Sabah’s world’s oldest rainforest jungle.

The hardest part of the walkway was the third segment. Here, there were few branches underneath the walkway to camouflage the view below. You get a very good idea exactly how high up you are from the ground.

At this juncture, Edmundo who was walking in front of me stopped me dead in my track.

“Let me teach you how to overcome your fear,” he said. “If you do this, you won’t have fear in your life ever again.”

He demonstrated letting go of the ropes and leaning against the safety netting. Gaa! I told him I would try that maybe next time. Emphasis is on the word “maybe” here.

Edmundo just chuckled. “It’s all in the mind. You must trust that the netting won’t give way.”

By the fourth and last segment however, I was more relaxed and had finally got the hang of this (no pun intended).

So yes, I conquered my fear! The whole walk including the 2km trek took about 30 minutes.

Edmundo said he was as scared as anyone else too when he first tried the canopy walk as a trainee tourist guide. But after so many years, it had become second nature.

At some point during our walk, he was even running on the walkway!

The hot spring and canopy walk are not the only attractions at Poring. There is a butterfly farm, an orchid garden, jungle trails and a tropical garden where you can see deer and Orang Utan.

If you would like spend more time here, there are various types of accommodation available. Ever since the place came under the care of Sutera Sanctuary Lodges, these facilities have been given a thorough makeover.

From the semi-luxury Jungle Lodge and River Lodge to the Rajawali Lodges to the Kelicap Lodge and Serindit Hostel, Poring is perfect for everyone — honeymooners, families and backpackers. They are equipped with air-conditioning and Astro, too.

For more information, visit www.suterasanctuarylodges.com.my.

* NOTE: Entrance to the resort is RM3 for MyKad holders and RM15 for foreigners, while the canopy walk (with guide) costs RM3 for MyKad holders and RM5 for foreigners. The canopy walk opens from 9am to 4pm.