Authentic Holiday Experiences in Sabah

Our series “Top 20 things to do in Kota Kinabalu” is complete and in summary it’s been a huge amount of fun! Let me know your favourites and what else I should have included!

You probably haven’t come to Sabah to go shopping but there’s one opportunity that you shouldn’t miss and that’s shopping for local products. Stuck for ideas on what to take home to family, friends and colleagues? Read-on!

The largest non-indigenous ethnic group in Sabah are the Malaysian-Chinese. Many of the Malaysian-Chinese practice Buddhism and that’s the background of our visit today to Pu Tuo Si Buddhist Temple.

Today we’re relaxing at Kota Kinabalu’s Waterfront. Comprising of around 20 adjoining bars and restaurants, all of which have seating in the open on an adjoining wooden boardwalk, next to the water. It’s a great place to relax and watch the sunset.

Kota Kinabalu is fortunate enough to have a number of islands near to the mainland often referred to as pulau (Malay for island) and for nearly all visitors to Sabah, spending a day on one of these islands is quite rightly on the ‘must-do’ list.

Cocoa Kingdom is much more than just a chocolate shop, rather a destination where you can learn about the ‘bean into bar’ process, view hand-make chocolates being made and sample delicious chocolate with exotic flavours!

One of Blue Kinabalu’s favourite parts of KK is Kionsom. Strictly speaking it’s not part of KK but a small kampung (village) around 30 minutes from downtown KK on the edge of the rain forest that contains a beautiful waterfall.

Today we’re exploring three markets (Handicraft, Filipino & Night Market) which are actually just one market!

in 2014 Huffington Post named Kota Kinabalu in their article ‘Eight Great Places in the World to Watch the Sunset’. We agree and suggest Tanjung Aru as the very place to enjoy a KK sunset!

Today we’ve travelled a few kilometres north on the coast road out of KK to take a look at one of the city’s iconic landmarks, the cylindrical-shaped Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation Building) that is located on the coast overlooking Likas Bay

Housed in a building of striking architectural design, the Sabah Art Gallery is well worth a visit to enjoy work created by local Sabahan artists.

One thing you really should try whilst you’re in KK is durian, the ‘King of Fruits’ - to say this unusual fruit, with its pungent aroma is an ‘acquired taste’ is something of an understatement but it’s a real local experience that you shouldn’t miss!

Known to all locally as ‘Likas Floating Mosque’, this is an opportunity to enjoy some stunning Arabic architecture together with a fascinating visit inside the mosque.

Visiting Mari Mari Cultural Village is a fun way to learn about Sabah’s many indigenous peoples and their rich heritage, traditions and festivals.

We’re at the highest point in KK enjoying the view from Signal Hill Observatory Tower – there’s 267 steps up the Signal Hill Trail from the town but feel free to take a Blue Kinabalu van if you don’t fancy the walk!

Sadly, very few buildings in Kota Kinabalu survived World War II. In this blog we concentrate on one of the fortunate survivors, the Atkinson Clock Tower which is also KK’s oldest building dating back to 1905.

The Sabah State Museum is a great place to learn more about Sabah’s diverse peoples, culture and traditions and also its fascinating history over the last couple of centuries.

The Sunday morning market at Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu. Locals come from 6am onwards and many bargains can be had, especially if you enjoy haggling!

One of the great joys of visiting exotic destinations is the opportunity to sample authentic local food and KK with it’s eclectic mix of influences won’t disappoint.

After the ‘Heritage Walk’ why not relax on the North Borneo Sunset Cruise - it’s the best way to see the KK waterfront and nearby beautiful pulau (islands).

Where better to start our series of ‘20 Fun Things to enjoy in KK!’ than with the excellent ‘Heritage Walk’ organised by Sabah Tourism Board.

Today were in the heart of Kinabalu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where one of the great attractions is an opportunity to get ‘up close and personal’ with pristine rainforest on the Poring Canopy Walkway.

It was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to visit Sandakan in Eastern Sabah to attend the 11th annual Borneo Bird Festival. This two day event is the biggest bird festival in Malaysia.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Sandakan in Eastern Sabah to attend the 11th annual Borneo Bird Festival. The highlight was the opportunity to enjoy three guided Bird-Watching Walks in the grounds of the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) where the festival was hosted.