Unique Places in State of Sabah

We had a fantastic time, we stayed at the Bilit village homestay in the jungle by the Kinabatangan - actually in one of the village family's home. Zul is the village co-rdinator (+60138913078) and he picked us up at the junction to Sukau on the main road to Sandakan.

Staying with the River People was great: food was traditional and delicious, they took us on plenty of treks and river cruises where we saw elephants, crocodile, hornbills and plenty of monkeys; it felt like individual treatment and we were helping to keep their village going. They also charge a lot less (360RM for 2 nights with all food, treks, etc) than any of the lodges. No aircon and basic toilet/washing, but it is designed not to get too hot and we had no mosquito trouble!

1 more image

Sabah is basically still depend on agriculture for own use and export. some vegetables are exported to the neighbouring countries and state like brunei and sarawak. for those who are in the agriculture line, a visit to kundasang is most remembered if you visited some farms and some nursery. you can even buy some pretty flowers home but make sure you check with your authorities regarding bringing in some plant material and check with the quarantine section of the sabah agriculture department of the list of forbidden plants to bring in our out from the state.

1 more image

From Kinabatangan Riverside lodge, it is possible to take a small boat up the Menanggul River. This area is supposed to be the best place in the world to see proboscis monkeys. We saw lots of troupes hanging around in the trees and watched their death defying leaps across the river from branch to branch. It is most exciting to spot the males with the big noses. The bigger your nose the more desirable you are apparently!
It was a great experience floating down the river. The boats are equipped with engines, but they are turned off as much as possible in order not to disturb the wildlife.

From Sandakan we too a boat up the Kinabatangan River on the look out for wildlife. We didn't know how lucky we would be! Despite their relative rarity, we saw 6 wild orangutans, including one baby and the big male shown in the picture. He was really close to the riverbank, and as we got closer, he got down from the tree and walked in to the forest. Our guide told us that this was a very unusual thing to see and we were very lucky. Now I know where the bigfoot legends came from!
By the end of our three hour trip we started to wonder whether the orangutans were actually endangered at all! We also saw quite a few proboscis monkeys; better sightings were to follow.
Our final destination was the Kinabatangan Riverside lodge. (See accommodation tips).

It's so enjoyable to be on this boat ride ust to clear your mind and hear nature sounds instead of rushing fro point A to B catching your connections. Just sit still and enojoy the breeze as you spot exotic birds and treat your aural senses to a first!

Bring Binos and a hat/cap.

And your camera :)

1 more image

besides doing the touristy thing and watching the orang utans, do spend some time listening to the conservation efforts by the UK NGO that is directly putting in lots for the reserve and rehabilitation of wild orang utans who have been caught, kept as pets etc...

There are video shows at the Sepilok National Park Centre and there are staff there to talk to, if you'd like to be involved or contribute in any way.

2 more images

During a visit to the State of Sabah you should of course visit all the major attraction that the state has to offer. But isn't it also great to visit areas where hardly any tourist goes to? If you like that idea you should go to the great little village of Kampung Pimping. It's a part of the bigger community of Membakut, between Kota Kinabalu and Beaufort.

What are the biggest attractions in Kampung Pimping? What do you think about a small suspension bridge over the river, a completely quiet beach, a private concert with traditional instruments, or traditionally prepared food? Kampung Pimping might not be in any travel guides, but it's really worth the effort of driving there!

For more information about Kampung Pimping, check out my Pimp my Kampung-page.

4 more images

If you want to see how the people in the countryside of Sabah get their fresh fish, you should go to the little town of Papar. This town is located at about 20 minutes driving towards the west from Kota Kinabalu.

If you enter the town you can't miss a big, concrete, blue building. This is the Fish Market (Pasar Ikan). If you can stand the enormous smell inside the hall you will see an enormous amount of fish, in all colours, sizes and shapes. All the salesmen are willing to show you their biggest fish for the picture.

And just outside the hall, you will see the fisherman carrying their freshly caught fish into the market. Right from the river into the market. You wouldn't tell it from the smell, but it's really fresh!