slothis · English

Desa Dairy Farm: A Kid-Friendly Spot in Kota Kinabalu

2018-01-14 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

On the way to our next destination, the farm, everyone was quiet. The driver felt bad because he got paid but the cloudy weather meant his clients couldn't see the mountain, and we were just bummed about missing the view. After a long silence in the car, "Despacito" started playing, and everyone started grooving and getting their spirits up. They say the lyrics are dirty, but we couldn't care less right now. The unique, explosive energy of Southeast Asians, especially Filipinos, made the drive to the farm fun again.

At first glance, Desa Dairy Farm looks just like Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (in Korea). Actually, even if you look closely, it's just like Daegwallyeong. The only difference is that while Daegwallyeong only has Korean kids, this place has kids of all skin colors, like they gathered children from all over the world. Regardless of skin color, kids are all the same and equally adorable. Of course, they all cry and poop just the same... Please stop snatching things out of my hands ㅠㅠ

Many visitors walking around the plaza in front of the milk processing plant building
Arrived at Desa Dairy Farm. Surprisingly, there are a ton of people.
People walking along a trail with green meadows and blooming flowers
Dairy calves resting or eating grass inside a wooden fence and people watching them
The only thing to do here is feed them. But it's incredibly fun.
A black calf with a yellow ear tag sleeping face down on hay
Some just refuse to eat and sleep sprawled out like this,
A child feeding a milk bottle to a dairy calf over a wooden fence and people taking pictures
and some are super popular with all the local kids and their parents.
A sign showing the prices of milk and grass for the calf and goat feeding experience
Milk and grass are on the cheaper side. The only thing to watch out for is that the babies might try to chew the grass themselves before giving it to the cows.
A child wearing a hat looking at a calf eating grass over a wooden fence
A person's hand holding out a milk bottle to a calf over a pasture fence
Offering grass to a black and white spotted calf inside a fence
I'm on a diet.
A child wearing a pink hat holding out a milk bottle to a calf inside a wooden fence
A little child in a red dress feeding grass to a calf
A little child wearing a red hat feeding a milk bottle to a calf
The kids own this farm. It's almost like a space that exists purely for taking pictures of babies.
A black calf sucking on the nipple of a milk bottle held by a person
Two brown and white spotted goats inside a wooden fence
A goat sticking its head through a wooden fence and eating grass
The unpopular ones play with adults who came alone.
Two white baby goats standing inside a wooden fence
A white goat sticking its head over a wooden fence
Such a charmer.
A boy feeding milk from a bottle to a white goat inside a wooden fence
Aren't you doing this a bit half-heartedly?
A man wearing a hat feeding grass to a goat inside a wooden fence
Jin..., what are you doing over there...
A black and white spotted calf with a yellow identification tag on its ear
A girl handing grass to a black cow over a wooden fence
A pasture landscape with a herd of dairy cows grazing on a green meadow and flags planted
The weather cleared up and the sun came out once we got to the farm. Still, it's that annoying kind of weather where the rain comes and goes.
A man sitting on a wooden bench looking at a pasture landscape with a green meadow and a herd of dairy cows
Two people sitting at a wooden table with fluttering flags against a backdrop of green meadows and mountains.
Is this a trendy pose in the Philippines these days...
A pasture landscape with green meadows and buildings under a cloudy mountain

Since Desa Dairy Farm raises dairy cows, they naturally sell milk. This is where they milk the cows for the brand we often saw in the city. It was hot and muggy, so we decided to get some ice cream, but we ended up waiting a whopping 30 minutes. The ice cream wasn't even frozen enough—it only looked like ice cream and tasted terrible. Unless the line is short, there's really no need to eat it. It's common here for one person to order enough for ten people at once, so don't get too worked up about the wait. I recommend just chugging some milk and heading back down.


An employee wearing a black apron organizing items in front of a large refrigerator with the Desa logo on it.
Many people waiting in line in an indoor store with red pillars.
You can basically count one person as a whole package deal.
Employees in red shirts operating an ice cream machine under a wall with the Malaysian flag hanging on it.
Two employees in red shirts wearing blue gloves handling an ice cream machine.
Frustrated staff...
A menu board showing the prices and topping options for chocolate and yogurt flavored gelato.
The price is one thing, but it comes out like melted sherbet instead of gelato.
Dark brown chocolate gelato in a blue paper cup with a clear plastic spoon.
A hand holding a blue paper cup that says Desa Gelato.

Expenses (calculated conservatively, multiply by 300 to get the amount in KRW)

Daily expenses: RM 273.95

Total trip expenses: 2,875,000 KRW + RM 1324.78


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