Hi all...it's time for me to continue with my recent vacation post, and this is the fifth post in this series. You can read the four previous posts here:
Family Vacation to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia) | Part 1
Family Vacation to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia) | Part 2
Family Vacation to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia) | Part 3 - Beringgis Riverside Seafood Restaurant.
Family Vacation to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Malaysia) | Part 4 - Likas Bay
In this fifth post, I will share about our trip to the most enchanting place we visited throughout that one-week vacation - Kamagi Riverside Retreat. There are so many pictures to share that I had to split this post into two. In the first part, I will talk about the place and the surrounding areas. And in the second part, I will talk about the stuff we did as a family here.
Kamagi Riverside Retreat, Kampung Kibunut (Kibunut Village)
I had never heard of this place until my bro-in-law suggested that we go there as a family and make it sort of like a 'family day' trip. My hubby has five siblings, and everyone is married. That means five families would be there with kids and spouses. We immediately agreed to his suggestion because we hardly had time to gather as one big family since we arrived almost a week ago.
Kamagi Riverside Retreat is a family-owned retreat centre located in Kampung Kibunut (Kibunut Village) in the Babagon-Moyog district of Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. It takes roughly an hour's drive from the KK city center or 30 minutes from Donggongon Town in Penampang. Since the journey is less than an hour, this place is literally just behind our backyard. I felt ecstatic because I had heard so many good things about this place from my in-laws.
We planned to go as early as possible in the morning, but according to my bro-in-law, the stream would probably be ice cold and wasn't recommended to take a dip, especially for kids. So, everyone agreed to reach the site by 10am. We packed and cooked some food, including fried noodles and rice before leaving. My in-laws bought chicken wings, sausages, patties, and so on for barbecue.
We prayed the weather would be favorable, but unfortunately, our wish was not granted. The sky was dark, and it rained heavily halfway to our destination. I was a bit worried because this was our first time going there and we might miss the junction. We could navigate our direction using Waze, but we were warned that we would lose all mobile network connections when we reached the junction.
But lo and behold, we saw a huge signboard that directed us to make a left turn. Our destination was 2km from the junction, which was about 5 minutes drive. We were told in advance to drive slowly and to respect the villagers. The locals strictly frowned upon speeding up and revving up the engines.
And this was the sight that greeted us as we reached the place.
Photo credit: Kamagi Riverside Retreat
Here is the description of the place stated from their website:
There are two clear-water rivers or streams or whatever it is they are termed – each river springs from a different origin unknown but of the deep jungle, and from the entrance of Kamagi Riverside Retreat, the smaller river is on the left, and the larger river is on the right – here at our little rustic residence.
Yup, you read that right - two streams are converging right where our rented huts would be. My bro-in-law rented the (red- roofed) huts for RM80 (USD19) per hut.
I was totally blown away by the sight I saw. This place was breathtakingly beautiful! I fell in love instantly as I laid my eyes on the gentle flowing streams. This is like heaven on earth! See it for yourself!
Two extended bridges are connected to the sides of the streams. You can see one of them here.
Some houses (villagers' private properties) are on the other side of the stream. We were told not to trespass to these privately owned lands and respect their privacy.
This was one of the views from the larger stream (on the right side) where we could swim. There were rocks and boulders strewn everywhere, and we were warned to be cautious as it could get really slippery. The water was clear, cold, and refreshing.
There was a 'jungle pool', a man-made structure where we could take a dip. I was told that the water from the fountain came from a nearby spring. This mini pool was highly popular among the younger kids. It was like a kiddy section at your typical swimming pool.
This fish pond was located further up near the chalets. I didn't manage to explore the chalets because it was drizzling, and the path was quite slippery. You could say that I was not the adventurous kind. I wish I had explored the surrounding areas more thoroughly and taken many more photos. My post just doesn't do justice to the beauty of this hidden gem.
If you want to find out more about Kamagi Riverside Retreat, feel free to check out their website. You can get more information on the available accommodation and facilities they offer. I managed to have a brief chat with the owner, and the gentleman was so kind and friendly.
In the next post, I will talk more about the activities we did, mostly swimming and having a good time. I will try to upload some videos of the kids swimming and share them on the next post.
That's it for now. If you read this far, thank you. I appreciate it so much! Kindly give me a follow if you like my content. I mostly write about making art, life musing, and our mundane yet charming family life here in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Thank you for visiting and reading my post. I hope you like it!
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