About Kota Kinabalu
The second largest state in Malaysia is Sabah; at the northern part of the paradise island Borneo. The beautiful blue ocean with its fantastic underwater world, the mighty mountains, and its green forests with wild orangutans are just a few attractions on this beautiful island. Sabah has so much to offer and the most famous landmark is the mighty Mount Kinabalu, 4095 metres high, with a green flowered National Park surrounding! Why not try to climb the mountain? Perhaps scuba diving or white water rafting fits you better? The Gomantong Caves, the largest cave system in Sabah with millions of bats, are also worth a visit.
The capital of Sabah is Kota Kinabalu at the west coast, an amazing place, go there and you will find that here dreams come true! There are a lot of things to do and see here. Tropical island just in front of the city centre, and just around the corner tropical rain forests. The city itself is a mix of colonial and modern buildings.
The second largest city in the state of Sabah, East Malaysia, is Sandakan on the north-eastern coast of Borneo. It was the former capital of British North Borneo. Sandakan is the perfect starting point for ecotourism destinations in eastern Sabah; here you are not far from the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, Kinabatangan River, Turtle Islands Park, and Gomantong Caves.
Another interesting town to visit is Beaufort, a town at the Padas River, where you also can go for white water rafting. Beaufort is situated 90 kilometres south of Kota Kinabalu, with shophouses built high above the roads to avoid the periodic floods of the Padas River (Sungai Padas).
Sabah used to be a British colony, but not anymore. Today it’s, as said before, part of Malaysia. In Sabah, tourism is very important and here are a lot of things to do. You’ll be occupied with something different every day. Don’t miss this chance to experience the richness of this northern state of East Malaysia. The exotic fauna, flora , mountains and diving equipment are all waiting for you.
Mount Kinabalu
When you are in Kota Kinabalu, you have to visit the Mount Kinabalu area, even if you are not going to climb all the way to the summit. Up here, you will find Malaysia’s first world heritage, Kinabalu Park. The Mount Kinabalu area is easy to reach, it takes only a two hours drive by car.
Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain on the island of Borneo. The summit Low´s Peak has a height of 4.095 metres (13.435 feet) and is the third tallest in South East Asia. Low’s Peak can be relatively easily climbed by a person with basic fitness and requires no mountaineering equipment, but other peaks along the massif require rock climbing skills. It is really worth a visit, when you stand there at the highest summit, you can see the splendour of Sabah in all directions.
Mount Kinabalu area is well-known worldwide for its tremendous botanical and biological species biodiversity; with high levels of endemism (i.e. species which are found only within Kinabalu Park and are do not grow anywhere else in the world). The Mount Kinabalu area has one of the world’s richest orchid flora with over 800 species, over 600 species of ferns (more than the whole of Africa’s 500 species) of which 50 are found nowhere else.
For more information on Sabah Tourism: http://www.sabahtourism.com