City: Sabah
Top Things to do in Sabah
Top Hotels in Sabah
- 1. Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu
- 2. Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu
- 3. Hotel Grandis
- 4. The Pacific Sutera Hotel - Sutera Harbor Resort
- 5. Hilton Kota Kinabalu
- 6. Cititel Express Kota Kinabalu
- 7. Hyatt Regency Kinabalu
- 8. Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu
- 9. The Magellan Sutera Resort
- 10. Promenade Hotel Kota Kinabulu
Countries
The 10 Best Things to Do in Sabah, Malaysia
Sabah (Malay pronunciation: [saˈbah]) is a state of Malaysia located on the northern portion of Borneo Island. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest, and Indonesia's Kalimantan region to the south. The Federal Territory of Labuan is an island just off the Sabah coast. Sabah shares maritime borders with Vietnam in the west and the Philippines to the north and east. Kota Kinabalu is the capital city, the economic centre of the state and the seat of the Sabah state government. Other major towns in Sabah include Sandakan and Tawau. As of the 2015 census in Malaysia, the state's population is 3,543,500. Sabah has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal and plant species. The state has long mountain ranges on the west side which form part of the Crocker Range National Park. Kinabatangan River, second longest river in Malaysia runs through Sabah and Mount Kinabalu is the highest point of Sabah as well as of Malaysia.
Restaurants in Sabah
1. Sipadan National Park
Overall Ratings
5 based on 317 reviews
Reviewed By James H - Noosa Heads
I know the boat is not the best but if you want to dive Sipadan every day as opposed to the very average Mabul it's your only choice.
Boat aside the service on the Celebes is fantastic. The diving is efficient and the food very good. A nice bunch of guys on the boat and Tony the dive master was perfect. On top of that the boat is very spacious (there were only six of us though)
As for the diving. It is of the highest order and as good as any place in the world.
Absolutely recommend but don't stay on Mabul. Imagine coming this distance and only diving this amazing place for one day.
When you dive every day you maximise your chances to see the highlights and even though we dived the same spots a few times each time was different. And you get to dive Turtle Cavern (awsome!)
2. Sandakan Memorial Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 620 reviews
3. Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 848 reviews
Reviewed By TravelingJ2014 - Toronto, Canada
The sanctuary is conveniently located close to Sepilok Nature Resort, so we arrived there by 9am to view a film about orangutans, followed by observing an adult male relatively close up, and then the nursery.
The sanctuary rehabilitates baby orangutans who have gotten lost or their mother’s died, and successfully had returned about 60% to the wild. Older animals are also sent to the sanctuary for rehabilitation if they are unable to care for themselves in the wild.
It was a very educational 2 hours, and we were also able to watch the feeding time (10am)
4. Tip of Borneo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 294 reviews
Reviewed By PXM055 - Parramatta, Australia
If you are traveling form Kota Kinabalu don’t waste your time. The road is single lane, bumpy, with many local’s drive rust buckets. If they don’t drive rust buckets, they drive with the speed of 40 to 50 K/H. We got stuck behind slow drivers all the way and it took us 4 hours to get there. We could not find a toilet there.
It is Ocean view like anywhere else. I could not understand what the fuss was all about. I would never visit this place again!!!
5. Labuan War Cemetery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 122 reviews
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery which contains a total number of 3,900 burials. The cemetery lies on the Jalan Tanjong Batu road which leads from the airport to the town. It is less than a kilometre from the airport and about 3 kilometres from the Island's town; Victoria. Within the Cemetery will be found the Labuan Memorial and the Labuan Cremation Memorial.
Reviewed By Darkness L
Labuan War Cemetery (Malay: Tanah Perkuburan Perang Labuan) is a Commonwealth World War II graveyard in Labuan, Malaysia. Many of the personnel buried in this cemetery, including Indian and Australian troops, were killed during the Japanese invasion of Borneo or the Borneo campaign of 1945. Others were prisoners of war in the region, including a number of those who perished on the infamous Sandakan Death Marches.
This graveyard was erected by Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Among those buried are Jack Mackey (1922–1945) and Tom Derrick (1914–1945), each of whom received the Victoria Cross.
6. Shangri-la Rasa Ria Nature Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 300 reviews
The Rasa Ria Nature Reserve was established by Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu in collaboration with the State Wildlife Department of Sabah. This protected ecological space aims to facilitate rehabilitation programmes for endangered species of animals as well as those endemic in Sabah. The Rasa Ria Nature Reserve provides a home until they ready to be rehabilitated into their natural habitat. *Following 20 years of joint management between Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa (RRR), the Orangutan Rehabilitation and Conservation Programme has ultimately reached a successful conclusion. The wildlife conservation programme at the Nature Interpretation Centre continues, with expanded conservation education and activities. Visitors can now trek deep into the nature trails with rangers to learn about exotic plants, native to the area and found throughout the in the 64-arce Nature Reserve.
Reviewed By kl1316 - London, United Kingdom
A great couple of hours spent walking through the forest which included a fab view of Mount Kinabalu . Our guide, Eric, was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information about the trees and plants. We were even lucky enough to see monkeys.Thank you very much, we have conveyed to Eric and he indeed was very pleased with your feedback.
7. Turtle Island Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 598 reviews
Reviewed By Marek J - Poland
This was an unforgettable event, very interesting and informative.
You can book it directly in the Crystal Quest office to get the best price. It is no more than 15 mins walk from town and you can hike a bus for 1RM on the way back.
On the island you can buy water and some snacks, but it's better to buy it in Sandakan.
8. Kinabatangan River
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 330 reviews
Reviewed By linaaite - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Kinabatangan River is a great place to get a good overview of the wild life of Borneo. Taking a motorized long boat down the river one can see pigmy elephants (if you are lucky!), orangutang, proboscis monkeys as well as many species of hornbills and other bird species. Best way to experience is by booking a room with one of the lodges, B&Bs or homestays along the river and taking two to three cruises during the one or two days you are there. Cruises are usually early in the morning, later afternoon and evening after nightfall. This gives the best opportunity to see all the different types of animals that come out at different points of the day.
We stayed with Sukau Greenview B&B which is a great mid-priced option. They have both private cottages and dormitory accommodation. The common area perched right on the river is a great place to spend the evening or afternoon chatting with travellers or Reading a book while enjoying the nature around you. Our guide was Rosman - a very knowledgable guide (as well as the manager of the B&B). Would highly recommend!
Some of the other options around are the Sukau Rainforest Lodge (a Natural Geographic Lodge which aims for high levels of sustainability) if you are looking on the luxury end and Osman's Homestay on the shoe-string spectrum. All depends on what you are looking for! Going with an eco lodge will ensure you are in a facility that has sustainable practices and first rate guides while a homestay will give you an opportunity to experience life with locals.
Have been researching this area a bit so ping if you would like any further recommendations!
9. Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By traderdad - Stuttgart, Germany
Went there in the afternoon and got lucky. It was feeding time and the sunbears were real close to the viewing platform. We watched them eat corn cobs and then playing around in the enclosure. We got to take a lot of really great pictures of them. The bears seemed very content and were very active. What we really liked was the friendly staff (they are also keen birders!), who seemed passionate about what they do and happy to share their knowledge with us. This was in stark contrast to the folks over at the Orang Utan Center. The movie was also very interesting.
This is a cause well worth supporting and the MYR 30 entrance fee for foreigners, although 6 times the local fee, was definitely worth it.
10. North Borneo Railway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 607 reviews
The North Borneo Railway runs two weekly return departures (Wednesday, Saturday) from Kota Kinabalu to Papar, year round. Lasting approximately 4 hours, passengers experience the lush landscape of the coastal and rural regions of Sabah. A typical 'tiffin' colonial lunch will be served on the return trip.
Reviewed By ThePaul068 - Scunthorpe, United Kingdom
A terrific journey on an old, but exotic, steam railway. The carriages are something from the past but they are kept immaculate with their historic charm. My wife I travelled in relative comfort, each having our own 'two-seater' comfortable bench seat either side of our dining table, while our friends had the same on the opposite side of the carriage. The late breakfast was different, but enjoyable, as was the hot meal on the return leg.
The train made a few short stops en route and a longer one at the end of the outward journey. Due to the hot weather all the carriage windows were open which allowed some of the engine smoke to enter the compartments on the odd occasion. However, this only added to the charm of this lovely experience. Oh! There was a short tunnel towards the end of the outbound journey (and return of course) which allowed a good deal of smoke to enter the carriage, but this soon dispersed as we emerged. The staff were extremely helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and, of course, professional.
This trip is a must, even for those who are not train enthusiasts, because there is so much to see that cannot be seen by road journeys.
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