Ranau

Ranau is located in Sabah, Malaysian part of Borneo.

Understand
Ranau is associated with the infamous and tragic Death Marches which occurred at the end of WWII in 1945. Over 2500 Australian and British POWs died at Sandakan and on the forced death marches to Ranau.

Get in
Ranau is accessible by road and is approximately 2 hours by car from Kota Kinabalu.

See

 * Ranau War Memorial, a cairn erected at the end of the Sandakan-Ranau death marches. 5km from Ranau town. It is located down a driveway on the main road and not well signposted.

Do

 * Sungai Moroli Fish Spa is located next to the Tea Garden. It is a community venture, in which you walk into a river armed with fish food, and allow some very big fish to nibble at your toes for 15 minutes. Not as relaxing as a posh fish spa in Europe, but interesting, nonetheless. Not for the faint-hearted or thin-skinned!
 * Sungai Moroli Fish Spa is located next to the Tea Garden. It is a community venture, in which you walk into a river armed with fish food, and allow some very big fish to nibble at your toes for 15 minutes. Not as relaxing as a posh fish spa in Europe, but interesting, nonetheless. Not for the faint-hearted or thin-skinned!

Buy
Ranau is a small dusty road junction of a small township servicing the local community. So you as a tourist can eat and wander around the small Tamu (market) the ride away. The Tamu has a good supply of local produce. All the fruit was available at a deep fry kedai (Stall/shop) We had fried banana, extremely hot. There was a "touristy" stall but it was dusty and dirty but cheap!

Eat
Open air local eateries are available in the township. Be prepared to sit on plastic chairs inside or on the outside walkway.

Drink
Menarik teh (pulled tea) is really tea flavoured liquid held up high and poured in to a lower glass. Beware the tea and coffee is served VERY sweet with a lot of sugar, so ask first or say "tiada gula"( without sugar) when ordering, pay before leaving.
 * Beer is available at restaurants but may not be written on the menu.
 * Traditional local alcoholic drinks include bahar (coconut sap liquor), montoku (rice wine) and lihing (sweet rice wine).

Sleep
An assortment of accommodation options exist between Mount Kinabalu Park turn off and the township of Ranau, mostly situated on the main road.



Go next

 * Kundasang War Memorial is a short distance (10 mins) from Ranau.
 * Mount Kinabalu Park is located approximately 20 km from Ranau.
 * Poring Hot Spring is a short distance (20 mins) from Ranau.