Sabah and It's Attraction

Sabah hugs the northern part of Borneo Island and shares its boundaries with Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan ( Indonesia ).

Its 1,440 kilometre-long coastline is washed by the South China Sea on the west, Sulu Sea on the east, and Sulawesi ( Celebes ) Sea on the southeast.

This second largest Malaysia state ( 73,620 sq. kilometres ) is home to about 2.4 million people comprising over 31 different races. Numerous colourful cultural and religious festivals are celebrated annually with gusto.

Sabah, which was formerly known as North Borneo, is generally mountainous and is sometimes referred to as the "Land Below the wind" because it lies just below the typhoon belt.

It is also a land of enticing beaches. The abundant marine and coral life thriving underneath the many tropical islands, which surround Sabah form a major backbone of its thriving tourism industry.

These enchanting seascapes, coupled with adequate island tours and scuba diving facilities have been luring in tourist by the thousands annually.

Without doubt, its most spectacular attraction is the 4,101 metre high Mount Kinabalu, South East Asia's highest mountain. The world's largest orang utan sanctuary is also located in Sabah.

The world's largest orang utan sanctuary is also located in Sabah.

Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah and has a population of about 350,000. It is a relatively modern city as the original one was razed during the Second World War.

Known as KK most of the time. Kota Kinabalu is well connected by air to Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, Brunei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Kuching.

Among many attractions are Mount Kinabalu, the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Poring Hot Spring, Sabah Foundation Building, State Museum, beautiful beaches and a few good 5 star resorts.

Mount Kinabalu is located East of KK and can be reached by a 2-hour drive from town.

About 43 km southeast of Kinabalu Park headquarters is the poring Hot Spring. Its major attraction is the open-air sulphur baths located in a beautiful landscapes garden. There are also refreshing hot pools for visitors to use and accommodation facilities are also available.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman, named after Malaysia's first Prime Minister, comprises five islands, which offer crystal clear water, white sandy beaches and diverse coral reefs and marine life.

The park was gazetted in 1974 and can be reached in 20 minutes by speedboat from KK. It is an excellent spot for picnics, diving and snorkeling.

A 10-minute drive form the city to Likas Bays stands the imposing Sabah Foundation Building. This unique structure is one of the few hanging structures in the world. It is a glass shrouded tower of 72 sides rising 30 storeys into the sky and is a must for any visitor's itinerary.

Traveling southwards out of KK will bring one to Papar about 32 km away. This tiny but well-planned town, which is surrounded by padi fields, is also linked to KK by rail.

The train's next stop after Papar is Kimanis – a onetime American colony set up by the America Trading Company in 1865.

After Kimanis comes Beaufort, which is a quiet little provincial town on the River Padas – which regularly floods most of Beaufort town.

Boasting a fair amount of charm, it is used more as a stopover for travellers shuttling between KK and Tenom – an agricultural district and centre of the Murut community.

The 154 km long journey Beaufort to Tenom passes through stream jungle and spectacular countryside of the Padas Gorge.

When travelling by road out of Kota Kinabalu in a southeasterly direction, the journey will take visitors across the Crocker Range and down into Tambunan.

Tambunan is home to a traditional Kadazan ( an ethnic tribe ) village where tourist can experience their "Kampung" lifestyle.

Rolling hills and padi-fields dominate its landscape, and Mob Salleh Fort is an attraction.

Lying equidistant ( 48 km by road ) between Tenom and Tambunan is Keningau. Travellers often use it as a stopover point before making excursions into the Murut district of Tenom.

Keningau is basically a lumber and agriculture town deep in the heart of Murut country.

Cattle and ponies grazing on its plains are picturesque sights. The place also boasts a fine collection of cultural heritage of the Murut people.

A good destination to stop by when travelling northwards from Kota Kinabalu is Kota Belud.

This small town, which is 77 km away from KK, springs into life every Sunday when Sabah's largest "Tamu" takes place. The "tamu" is a traditional open air fair selling a wide variety of local food, agricultural produce and handicrafts.

Kota Belud is home to the famed cowboys ( Bajau Horseman ) of Sabah. These horsemen garbed in jeweled costumes and armed with ceremonial spears during festive occasions, are mainly farmers here. During "tamu" time, they can be seen riding on buffaloes to the market to be traded.

Halfway along the coast from Kota Kinabalu to Kota Belud, lies the Mengkabong Water Village – a village built on stilts in the sea and connected to the riverbank by a network of narrow wooden planks. Transport around the village is by canoe or sampan.

Driving 161 km up country from Kota Belud to the northern tip of Sabah is where one can find Kudat – home of the Rungus, Tribal cousins of the Kadazan race.

The Rungus people still adopt a very much traditional lifestyle and are skilled in handicrafts.

The older women ear black sarongs and colourful beaded necklaces. On festive occasions, heavy brass bracelets are won as well.

Kudat, which can also be reached by sea, has some of the best beaches in Sabah.

Sandakan, lying on a bay on the north-eastern coast of Sabah and facing the Sulu Seas, is a busy port 386 km east of Kota Kinabalu.

One of the islands off Sandakan is Berhala Island, ideal picnicking and swimming and within easy reach by motor launch. A lighthouse on the highest point offers interesting views for photographers.

Off the northern coast of Sandakan lies Turtle Islands, which comprise Pulau Slingan, Pulau Bakungan Kecil and Pulau Gulisan. These islands are favourite nesting grounds for the Green and Hawksbill turtles – the peak egg-laying season being between July and September.

Selingan Island, which has accommodation facilities, can be reached in one hour by speedboat from town.

About 32 km south of Sandakan is the Gomantong Caves, home to over a million swifts lets and famous for its edible bird's nest – a jelly – like substance much sought after in Chinese cuisine.

A 20 minute's rive westwards from Sandakan brings visitors to the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Centre, the world's largest orang utan sanctuary.

This 4,440 hectare centre of virgin equatorial rainforest is also home to a wide variety of rare plants and animal life, including Red Leaf monkeys, macaques and Sumatran rhinoceros.

Travelling by road south of Sandakan towards Lahad Datu involves a ferry crossing over over the Kinabatangan River. Proboscis monkeys, which are only found in Borneo, can be seen along the riverbanks during early mornings and late afternoons.

Lahad Datu is sometimes referred to as Sabah's cowboy town. Once a bustling timber centre its landscape is now dominated by cocoa and oil palm estates.

Lying south of Lahad Datu and served by a good road is Semporna. It is an old but interesting town built on a peninsular on the east coast of Sabah. Semporna is renowed for its islands and rich coral reefs, which are ranked as among the best in the world. Semporna also has a floating restaurant-cum-motel, and the seafood here is fresh and well recommended.

An exciting new destination is the Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah's largest protected lowland forest, which is located within a 2-hour drive from Lahad Datu. Visiting this area provides the opportunity to see wildlife such as the orang utan and rainforest in various stages of regeneration in the reforestation project set up to offset greenhouse gases. The Danum Valley Field Centre, one of the foremost research and environmental education establishments in South East Asia, is located within this area. Its extensive facilities include a well-equipped laboratory, a 40-meter high canopy observation platform and fine suspension bridge over the Segama River.

With the widespread concern for the future of the world's tropical rainforests, this is a unique opportunity to see first-hand some of the problems and potential solutions in action.

Pulau Sipadan, located 30 km off Semporna is the only true oceanic island in Malaysia. Widely acknowledged as one of the best diving sites in South East Asia, it possesses unparalleled undersea scenery and marine life.

The island is actually a 600-meter high limestone pinnacle, which juts out of the seabed before "mushrooming" at the surface.

Pulau Boheydulang, which is close to Semporna, boasts a pearl farm.

West of Semporna across a fine 110 km – long sealed road lays Tawau, which is straddled at the southeast corner of Sabah and close to the West Kalimantan ( Indonesia ) border. There are frequent flights to this mini-boomtown from KK and Sandakan.

In recent years, Tawau has taken over from Sandakan as the timber capital of Sabah. This region is also known for its rich volcanic soils, which support Sabah's premier economic crop – cocoa.

The town proper has a beautiful mosque and avenues of shades shops. Timber, rubber, Manila hemp, copra and palm oil are also produced in the hinterland.

Open air stalls along the seafront serve delicious seafood.