Current status
At our last check (October 2026), Google Maps marked the hot spring as permanently closed, and Tripadvisor lists it as reported closed. Google reviews show it still taking visitors in late 2023: a September 2023 reviewer paid RM5 and found only warm water in a small pool, and a November 2023 reviewer found the facilities run down. From March 2024 reviewers reported it shut, an April 2024 visitor said it had been left as it was, and in July 2024 several wrote that it had closed for good. There are no Google reviews after July 2024.
The operator's Facebook page is still up, but we could not read recent posts on it, so we cannot say why the site shut. If a longhouse tour lists the hot spring, ask the operator whether the pools are open. For a soak near Kuching, two community-run springs take day visitors: Kampung Panchor Hot Spring off the Kuching–Serian road and Paku Hot Spring near Bau.
The pools (when open)
The Borneo Post visited in 2011, shortly after the pools were finished; an inscription dates them to 12 January that year. It described two pools on the far side of the river, one bigger than the other, edged in cement made to look like granite slabs. Tiny gas bubbles rose from the pebbly riverbed, and you could feel small jets of hot water coming up. On that visit the water felt too hot, so a visitor poured river water into the bigger pool to cool it.
A 2023 guide described a main pool across the river and a second, smaller pool downstream in the middle of the river, slightly hotter than the first. A 2017 article put the water at about 40°C. No mineral analysis has been published.
Facilities
When it operated, a wooden building with a "Welcome to Annah Rais Hot Spring" signboard stood by the road, with a few outdoor showers, changing rooms and a toilet. From there visitors climbed down the bank and waded across a fast but shallow stretch of river to the main pool. A 2019 reviewer found it slippery underfoot in the water, and a 2022 reviewer advised watching for crocodiles. There was no food stall; visitors brought picnics or barbecue gear, as the nearest shops are far away.
Entry was last reported at RM5 per person (September 2023), covering the spring and the river, and a 2023 guide gave the hours as daily 8am–5pm. A 2017 reviewer said weekends were crowded and weekdays better.
Background
The Borneo Post reported that early settlers of the Annah Rais longhouse kept the spring secret for about 250 years and treated it as a holy place to seek blessings and cures.
Getting there
From Kuching, take Jalan Puncak Borneo from 10th Mile on the Old Penrissen Road to the Annah Rais longhouse. From the longhouse, the 2011 directions were: cross a Bailey bridge, follow about 1 km of gravel road to a second Bailey bridge, cross it, and look for the wooden building with the hot spring sign on the right. The map pin is the hot spring's Google Maps location, about 2.5 km south of the longhouse as the crow flies. There is no regular public transport, so you need a car, taxi or tour.
Before you go
- Don't drive out for the hot spring alone: Google Maps marks it permanently closed and 2024 visitors found it abandoned. Visit the longhouse instead.
- If it ever reopens, wear river shoes with grip for the fast, shallow river crossing.
- Feel the water first; in 2011 it was hot enough that a visitor poured river water in to cool it.
- Bring food and drinks, or buy bananas at the longhouse as a 2017 visitor suggested; there were no stalls at the spring.
- The pools are on private land: a 2019 reviewer asked visitors not to pick fruit from the trees.
- Watch the river as well as the pool; a 2022 visitor advised looking out for crocodiles.
Questions people ask
Is Annah Rais Hot Spring open?
No. Visitors found it shut from March 2024 and abandoned by July 2024, Google Maps marked it permanently closed at our October 2026 check, and we found no reopening news.
How hot is Annah Rais Hot Spring?
A 2017 article put the water at about 40°C. The smaller pool downstream was described in 2023 as slightly hotter than the main pool.
How much was the entrance fee at Annah Rais Hot Spring?
It was RM5 per person, covering both the hot spring and the river, last paid by a reviewer in September 2023. The spring has been closed since March 2024.
Do you need to cross the river to reach the pool?
Yes, when it was open. The main pool sits on the far bank, and visitors waded across a fast, shallow stretch that one reviewer found slippery.
What can I visit instead near Kuching?
Kampung Panchor Hot Spring on the Kuching–Serian road and Paku Hot Spring near Bau are both community-run pools.
Other springs within 150 km
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources. Prices and hours change; confirm with the operator before a long drive.
- The Borneo Post: Hot spring in a river (4 September 2011)
- Borneo di Hati: 4 kolam air panas di Sarawak (September 2017)
- iloveborneo.my: 4 hotspring yang popular di Sarawak (February 2023)
- Google Maps: Annah Rais Hotspring
- Tripadvisor: Annah Rais Hotsprings (reported permanently closed; reviews 2017–Sept 2022)
- OpenStreetMap: Kampung Annah Rais
- Nominatim (OpenStreetMap): Annah Rais Longhouse, Jalan Puncak Borneo
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