Sabah Travel Guides & Itineraries

Discover a land of natural wonders and rare wildlife in the Malaysian state of Borneo! Sabah.

I remember waking up on the first morning of a trip to Kinabatangan River in Sabah. Mist hung low over the rainforest, and the noise of the dawn chorus was phenomenal. Almost deafening.

And that kind of sums up what you find in Sabah. Malaysian Borneo doesn’t do anything quietly or halfway. There’s no gentle build up to nature. It just plunges you into nature loudly and proudly, obviously in the best possible way.

Sabah sits on the northern tip of Borneo. It is a state of Malaysia but entirely its own experience. After three visits, I’ve learned that this state offers something special. Wild places that are genuinely wild. Best of all is they are now protected wild places, protected by communities who now understand what there is to lose. And as many times as you may visit you will learn, see and do things you never thought you would.

Mount Kinabalu: Climbing Into the Clouds

No overview of Sabah should start anywhere else. Mount Kinabalu rises 4,095 meters above sea level and is the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea. I must be honest I have never attempted a summit climb. I have done several of the smaller climbs and some of them were challenging enough. I am assured by friends who climb that Kinabalu is awesome and a must do experience. I will take their word for it.

The climb itself typically takes two days. Most visitors overnight at Laban Rata before pushing to the summit for those sunrise images. What struck me on the climbs I did do wasn’t just the physical challenge, though that’s real. It was the number of habitat you travel through.

You’ll climb through dense rainforest then into stunted alpine scrub to weedy shingle to bare granite. Scientists have recorded over 6,000 plant species on this mountain alone. And nine of those are pitcher plants that only grow here, nowhere else.

You’ll need a permit for the summit. They have a limited number each year and they are very sought after.  So my advise is don’t just show up thinking you’ll buy one at the gate. This is an adventure you need to book well in advance.

Orangutans and Second Chances

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre changed how I think about wildlife tourism entirely. As you know I’m not a fan of “lets go watch the domesticated or drugged animals looking sad in their tiny cages” places. Sepilok is nothing like that. It restored my faith in humans. So much so, that if there is a next life it wouldn’t be bad coming back as a Sepilok orangutan.

Founded in 1964 Sepilok has rehabilitated hundreds of orphaned and injured orangutans. They prepare them gently and ethically for release back into protected forest. Visiting at the feeding sessions is fantastic. I sat and watched as one by one they made their way through the canopy and out onto the platforms. Wary but not scared. Intelligent – absolutely.  And one of the males – huge. I didn’t realize how big they are.

Sepilok isn’t a zoo. The orangutans aren’t performing for visitors. Instead, guides explain the center’s conservation work and their research on orangutan behavior. You’ll learn about ongoing efforts to fight habitat loss, the main threat being palm oil plantations.

Borneo has lost a massive amount of forest cover in past few decades. But hearing about the rehabilitation efforts firsthand gave me hope.

Nearby is the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. And it deserves equal attention. Sun bears remain the least studied bear species globally. The center provides a sanctuary for rescued sun bears, those that were kept as pets, or in zoos, as well as those that have been abused or sold on the black market.

Watching these small and shy bears forage in their semi-wild enclosures was a great reminder that positive conservation success stories exist. These guys might not be as famous as their orangutan neighbors but they are doing an equally stunning job.

The Kinabatangan River:

There is very little that compares to floating along the Kinabatangan River at dusk or dawn. The Kinabatangan river has one the highest concentrations of wildlife anywhere in Southeast Asia. Wildlife you are likely to see while on the river are birds of every persuasion, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, wild orangutans, and huge saltwater crocodiles.

The dawn and dusk tours are all guided. And that’s a good thing. Without the guide we wouldn’t have spotted half the animals that we did. You’d be cruising along and suddenly the guide would cut the engine approaching a bend in the river. We hadn’t seen anything. He had. And suddenly the forest came alive.

We had a troop of Macaques moving from the branches down onto to the riverbank to chew grass and have a drink. The next cutting of the engine was to show us hornbills leaving their roosting trees. And the next was a herd of pygmy elephants wading through the shallow water. I asked the guide if it was still exciting for him to see them. His response was awesome. He said even though he sees them most days, every time is like the first and it has never lost it’s impact.

Lodges along the Kinabatangan operate with varying degrees of environmental commitment. I check first and I encourage you to research operators carefully. I have named the places I like at my detailed Sabah post.  The better lodges limit group sizes and follow strict wildlife viewing policies. They also reinvest heavily in local education and conservation initiatives. Most also offer night walks into the rainforest. Make sure the lodge you book does, as the experience is incredible.

Semporna and the Underwater World

Sabah’s reputation extends well beyond its rainforests. The waters around Semporna, particularly Sipadan Island, are u[p there among the best diving locations on the planet. I’m not an experienced diver. But I enjoy it and the diving here was amazing.  I intend to do more.

Sipadan’s isolation is what protects it. It is in a marine protected area, so to dive you’ll need a dive permit. They, like Mount Kinabalu, are strictly enforced, and numbers are limited. I get that, as it reduces our impact on coral reefs and the marine life.

During my dive I was stunned by the variety of marine life. We  encountered two green turtles, one of which wouldn’t  leave us alone and was almost stalkerish. You’d turn around and it was there…looking. We also saw huge schools of barracuda, and a couple of reef sharks. The sharks just passed by with absolute indifference. Thinking about it I am pleased it was the turtle who showed the most interest and not the sharks.

The local dive guides were fantastic. They were open, honest and knowledge rich. They emphasized the importance of no-touch, no-collect policies and that impressed me. Plus we gained some great tips about buoyancy control to avoid damaging the coral.

Nearby islands like Mabul and Kapalai offer excellent diving and snorkeling for various skill levels. We didn’t get to those islands on our visit but they are definitely on the list for next time.

Danum Valley: Borneo’s Ancient Forest

If a fight for the Sabah crown jewel was between Mount Kinabalu and the Danum valley, I’d argue it’s Danum Valley. This conservation area protects one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. It has trees that have stood for centuries. And are older than those walked through by dinosaurs. Walking through Danum Valley is very different and very special.

There is a great deal of research happening in the Danum valley.  Stations support everything from clouded leopards to canopy health. Plus visitors are able to join night walks led by trained naturalists. They’ll point out the creatures easy to miss, like slow lorises, flying squirrels, snakes, poison dart frogs and a range of insects that look like leaves.

Getting into Danum Valley requires advance planning. The easiest way is to stay at one of the licensed lodges within the protected area. There are only a handful so this is another place to book early. I really recommend this experience to anyone with an interest in rainforest conservation and ecology. And yes, it’s still great for wildlife and forest hikes.

Sabah is an amazing destination. It boasts unique animals, ancient customs, tribal communities, rescued orangutans, stunning landscapes, and much more. You’ll experience nature in its most raw and wild form.