Things to do in Sabah
Below are all the things we were able to visit while in Sabah:
KOTA KINABALU
Sabah State Mosque, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
Monday-Sunday - 8am-12pm & 2pm-5pmFriday - 2pm-5pm, but try to avoid it as it is their day of prayer.
Sabah State Mosque is a beautiful place of worship in the city’s centre. There are plenty of Mosques in the area, but this one is the most accessible in location, accommodating thousands and is relatively modern.
When we visited the mosque, it didn’t seem open to tourists. This may be due to the time of day we arrived (during prayer time) or that it is not a tourist attraction. We suggest looking for an information stand or a clothing collection to check this. Otherwise, you will just have to look from the outside. Either way, we appreciated the architecture and enjoyed the coming and going of people.
Sabah State Museum, Jalan Muzium
9am-5pm
15MYR per person
Sabah State Museum is small, but packed with information about animal species, traditional hunting techniques, cultural clothing, and much more. The most impressive aspect is the giant whale skeleton, while the most interesting part is learning about previous headhunting tribes. The experience is even better because you are guaranteed to encounter hardly any other people.
Sabah Art Gallery, Jalan Shantung
Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday-Sunday - 9am-4pm
15MYR per person
Sabah Art Gallery is a beautifully spacious three-storey building that houses an impressive collection of paintings. The building itself is a piece of art—an octagonal shape splaying outward with four decorative panels wrapping around it. A staircase weaves up the building, drawing your attention to the octagon skylight. The gallery exhibits an array of artwork from local and international artists, displaying a variety of mediums. I noticed that the common theme in most works was the artists’ culture and observations of daily life.
SANDAKAN
Kinabantangan River Cruise
River Junkie 8am-5pm
The Kinabantangan River Cruise is a phenomenal experience and the number one reason we came to Borneo. In a nutshell, it is a boat trip that highlights the island’s incredible rainforest and wildlife. It is so surreal being amongst families of macaques, watching as they eat and swing from tree to tree, seeing a solitary pygmy elephant take a bath and a crocodile villainously vanish in seconds - it felt like we had fallen into a geographic programme.
There are plenty of companies who offer tours for this. We chose River Junkie, which was 495MYR per person or around £190 for two. This included two afternoon cruises, two night walks, one day trek, two morning cruises, two breakfasts, one lunch, two dinners, two nights accommodation and transport to and from.
For more details on this specific tour and an itinerary, click the link below.
We visited in mid-January, which is, unfortunately, their wet season. It rained 70% of the time, which was not ideal, but it meant there were fewer people on the tour. For about 50% of the time, it was just the two of us and a French man. Luckily, the rain didn’t get too much in the way and didn’t scare off much wildlife.
Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sepilok
8am-5pm
30MYR per person
Rainforest Discovery Centre is a hub for wildlife conservation and the education of youngsters. This area is teeming with a diverse array of birds, which are best observed from the skywalk and viewing towers.
The skywalk is 620 metres long, 1.5 metres wide, and 27 metres above the ground—the drawcard for most tourists. In addition to the skywalk, the centre features a plant garden, several trails, and an exhibition hall. With all it has to offer, its other purpose is to provide environmental education to youngsters.
Sepilok Orang-utans Rehabilitation Centre, Sepilok
Open only during feeding times 10am & 3pm
30MYR per person
10MYR per camera
Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre is a plot of land used as a safe haven for this beautiful endangered species, ensuring their conservation. Unfortunately for the orangutans, their home was perfectly positioned on palm oil land, resulting in its devastation and destruction. This centre provides protection and prides itself in having a free-roaming approach, where there are no cages, allowing them to come and go as they please. The main event for tourists is the feeding times. This is the best chance of seeing the orangutans. Here, they are provided with a daily mundane supply of food - an encouragement to forage for themselves - to aid their diet. Although the centre is for orangutans, a whole heap of macaques invite themselves along for the feast - and they are wild!
After feeding times, I would recommend sticking around and reading all the fascinating facts, as well as reading the information on what this centre is doing to help provide these creatures with the best chance in the wild.
Do note that if the fruit is in season, it is very unlikely that you will see any orangutans, as they would be able to find these for themselves.
However, this place, along with Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, has caused considerable controversy online. People have highlighted that these animals have almost been forced into these tight areas because of deforestation and now they are being profited off. The Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary has caused significantly more backlash amongst people due to the maintenance of the area, the diet provided for the monkeys, lack of information and, most damning, apparently, the owner also being a palm oil plantation owner - individuals who are directly responsible for the destruction of these animals’ habitats.
OUTLAND SEMPORNA
Island Hopping
Semporna is located on the east coast of Sabah and is a segway destination for Tun Sakaran Marine Park. This is Sabah’s largest marine park (ocean-protected area) and home to a diverse ecosystem. What made this area so tempting for us was the photo after photo of the stunningly clear blue ocean, and I can confirm it is just as beautiful in real life. There are a handful of islands in the marine park, with the most popular being Bohey Dulang Island, Mantabuan Island and Sibuan Island. Here, you can spend your time lapping up the sun, reading a book and snorkelling.
We booked a tour through Klook, costing £43.90 per person, to explore these three islands, and it was only okay. The islands were beautiful, but the schedule was strict, and the company was extremely late picking us up. We would suggest spending more and staying on one of the islands like Pom Pom Island, Mabul Island or Kapalai Island.
Accommodations are as follow:
- POM POM Island Resort
- Scuba Junkie Mabul Beach Resort
- Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort
SUGGESTIONS
With a little more time dedicated to Kota Kinabalu, you can visit the following:
KOTA KINABALU
Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, Kampung Likas
Monday-Sunday - 8am-12pm, 2pm-3:30pm & 4pm-5:30pm
Friday - CLOSED
5MYR per person
5MYR per person per rental of appropriate clothing
Kota Kinabalu City Mosque ‘appears to float above the artificial lagoon and offers a beautiful motif, especially with Mount Kinabalu rising above it in the distance.’
Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Centre, Likas
Monday - CLOSED
Tuesday-Sunday - 8am-6pm
Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Centre is an area of ‘lush mangroves and natural surroundings that provide a calming environment, making it a great spot for those who love to reconnect with nature.’
Accommodation in SABAH
During our two weeks in Sabah, we did not have the best luck with our accommodation. Below you can read our opinions on these places:
KOTA KINABALU
Lazy Elephant Airbnb, Jalan Pantai - GOOD
Pros - Personal space and kitchen facilities
Cons - Location best ONLY for market and small
= £20.95 per night
SANDAKAN
For 1 day of our stay in Sandakan, prior to our river cruise, we stayed in OYO Lady Anne Hotel. We have not recommended this accommodation as it was a total and utter shambles. It looked absolutely nothing like the photos. Cobwebs, dust, dead bugs, dripping air con and an intense smell of smoke – overall grotty!
For another 4 days of our stay in Sandakan, after our river cruise, we stayed in Sepilok Jungle Resort. We have not recommended this as it was very disappointing considering its price. The bathroom had a permanent open window, meaning we had a constant flow of bugs, the bedroom walls were stained and it wasn’t the cleanest either.
SEMPORNA
For the 4 days of our stay in Semporna, we stayed in Perfect Hub. Although the hostel/hotel was nice, we will not recommend it as we felt the surrounding area was unwelcoming and uncomfortable. As I said previously, we recommend staying at one of the island's resorts.
To conclude, either expect to pay a lump sum of money or accept that this part of Malaysia is still very much under development with little choice of accommodation.
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