Kota Kinabalu Things to Do

2 more images

In the Nature Reserve at the Shangri-la Rasi Ria there is an hour long walk you can take with the resident horticulturist. He was very knowledgeable and explained various medicinal properties of some of the plant we were seeing.One plant is being studied for its benefits in healing HIV. The native people in Saba have used many of these plants for centuries. They relieve such things as stomach ailments , skin conditions, infections and headache. Some have powerful pain relieving properties.
Along with the medicinal plants we saw wonderful tropical rainforest plants as well .Among my favorites are the huge tree ferns and the giant alocasia It is renowned for having among largest undivided leaves of any land plant, with blades reaching up to 4 meters in length and 2.5 meters wide. The leaves are green with distinctive white waxy reverses.
A recent botanical survey of Borneo estimated a staggering 5,000 to 6,000 plant species which is more than all of Europe and North America (excluding tropical regions of Mexico) combined. It is therefore one of the world's most important biological sites.
Among these plants are high levels of endemism (i.e. species which are found only here and are not found anywhere else in the world).

We had heard there was a 5 month old tiny baby orangutan rescued by the Sepilpk reserve and now living in this reserve. We didn't know if we'd get a chance to see here as it was raining off and on all day .We were told unless the weather cleared ,she wouldn't be brought out ,for fear of her getting chilled. Even though it was very warm out to us ,baby orangutan's are very delicate.

We were in luck however, the weather broke and the ranger brought her to the discovery center. She was so tiny ,and looked so human,dressed in her diaper and baby shirt.
She was rescued from a palm oil plantation , most likely her mother was killed.

What a little doll .She was so tiny and had the most innocent eyes. Who wouldn't fall in love with baby Allison

2 more images

The Orangutans

We booked the afternoon viewing before we arrived. They only accept a reservation 72 hours before arriving incase of cancellations.

The tour begins with a short ,very informative documentary explaining the rescue and rehabilitation work done by the Nature park. Many of the orangutans are being rescued from Palm Oil plantations.

Next we trek through the rainforest to the viewing area.

The rangers place food out on a platform a short way from us and before long it attracts two young orangutans .They are about 4 years old a male and a female. They swing high above our heads like trapeze artists .We stay to the very end of our time and are rewarded when the young male who is the more brazen of the two comes near and drinks a bottle of milk and vitamin mix from the ranger.

The orangutans are so human like and we’re told they have an incredible 96% match to humans genetically.

4 more images

Lok Kawi is a very small town , more like a village , near Kota Kinabalu. You should get a cottage at a resort before going there otherwise good luck finding a place to stay!!! The distance from one resort to another can be up to 2 Kilo meters so make sure that you know where you are going and go with a cab from KK to Lok Kawi. It costs something between 25 to 30 USD dollars with a cab from Kota Kinabalu to Lok Kawi which is a 30 minutes ride.

Beaches of Lok Kawi are just fine but not as beautiful as the beaches of the islands near Kota Kinabalu. Lok Kawi is not white sand and the sea water disappears in the afternoon and you can literally walk to the islands at the opposite side of the beach!

It is not really a place for swimming , scuba diving or snorkeling but rather just a relaxing day or two from all the stress of modern life. I personally could not wait to civilization after the second night of my stay at Lok Kawi but maybe that`s just me. But let me tell you that you will not have night life so if you are a party boy or gal then forget Lok Kawi.

4 more images

Just 15 minutes drive from the very small town of Lok kawi , Lok Kawi wild life park is one of the most interesting places to visit while in Broneo! This wild life park is a conversation center for the endangered species of Broneo. In this wild life park (which is more like a huge zoo) , you can find different type of species , from rare reptile like gigantic lizards to cute but dangerous Sun bears aka Asian Black bears . Though the collection of the animals in this zoo is big probably the most popular one is Proboscis Monkey ( big nosed monkey). This type of monkey can only be found in Broneo. There are pictures of some of those animals attached to this type.

The wild life park also has a botanical garden with weird tropical trees and flowers.

The entrance as of Aug 2010 was :

5 RM ( Malaysian Ringgit) for Malaysian Children , 10 RM for Malaysian adults

20 RM for Non Malaysian adults , 10 RM for non Malaysian Children and disabled people have free admission .

The park is open daily from 9:30 am to 5:30 PM and the last entry allowed is by 4:30 PM.

Things you must take with yourself : hat or cap , sunglasses , lots of water , sun block cream , fan and a small towel to dry your sweat cause you will be sweating ! The humidity is high.

Wear very comfortable shoes as you have to walk a lot if you`d like to see this interesting park.

DO NOT forget you camera!

Rafting the Padas River a thrill of a life time. Padas River is a 3 and 4 white water rafting trip and you need to work rowing down 9KM of rapids The trip is about 12 hours from hotel and back.You take about a 2 hour bus and then train then start the river trip 9KM you are wet and have to know how to swim. After the rapids part of the river you stop to eat then go down anther 2k's then transfer to a speed boat to the train station for a 45 ninute ride back to the bus for the trip back to the hotel. It was raining the day we went so we did'nt get the video so no pictures.

We did intend to go here for a meal, (they had a good promotion on) but it took us a while to find where it was located, so the meal didn't eventuate.

The Restaurant is situated on the 18th floor of the tallest building in Sabah, the building in my photo.

The revolving restaurant and bar specialises in Pacific Rim and local cuisine.

The views should be good of Kota Kinabalu city, the South China Sea and of the Crocker Range.

OPEN.... Tues till Sun: 11am - 11pm
Closed on Mondays
Happy Hour: 9pm - 11pm

3 more images

The Museum is well worth a visit, with plenty to see indoors and outside.
The Museum Gift shop is quite good as well.

The Museum consists of the Main Building, Science and Education Centre, and the outdoors Heritage Village.
Inside are various Galleries housing Natural History, Ceramics, Ethnography and Archaeology exhibits.
You will see........ Ceramics, Traditional weapons and Costumes, Musical instruments, Tools and Ritual items, a cluster of human skulls from Sabah’s headhunting past, Totemic figures, old photographs, and ancient Pottery.

There is also an outdoors Heritage Village in the museum grounds where you can enter and experience different types of traditional houses of the various indigenous groups of Sabah, as well as their cooking utensils, etc.
Cultural activities are held here from time to time.
It is very well done, and is interesting.
ALLOW A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO VISIT ALL OF THE MUSEUM AREAS.

The Sabah State Museum is located on Jalan Bukit Istana Lama, Kota Kinabalu, 4 km or about 15 minutes from the KK City Centre.

By taxi, the fare is approximately RM12 to 15.00 for up to 4 persons.

OPEN DAILY from 9.00am till 5.00pm

ADMISSION IS 15.00 RM

NO PHOTOS ALLOWED INSIDE.................Only outside the building and in the Heritage Village.