Things to do
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Kinabalu Park
Montane forest on the mountain's lower slopes protects an extraordinary range of plants, pitcher plants, rhododendrons and orchids among them, and holds short trails open to walkers with no summit permit. A canopy walkway sits nearby at Poring, alongside hot springs fed from the ground. Cloud closes in on many afternoons, so mornings show the peak.
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Mari Mari Cultural Village
Replica longhouses of five Sabahan groups, the Kadazan Dusun, Rungus, Lundayeh, Bajau and Murut, stand in forest half an hour from the city, staffed by guides drawn from those communities. The tour covers fire making, rice wine, tattooing and a bamboo trampoline, ending with a meal. Sessions run at set times and transfers are arranged with the booking.
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Mount Kinabalu
Borneo's highest summit rises to 4,095 metres out of lowland forest within sight of the coast, and the ascent is a two day walk on a maintained trail with an overnight hut at Laban Rata. Permits, a guide and the hut are compulsory and capped, so booking runs months ahead. Summit day starts in the small hours to reach the granite plateau at dawn.
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Sabah State Museum
Built as a longhouse in concrete, the state collection covers Borneo headhunting trophies, ceramics, brassware and natural history, with a heritage village and an Islamic civilisation gallery in the grounds. Labelling is uneven and some rooms feel dated. Rain makes it an obvious refuge, and the ethnobotanical garden behind is often overlooked.
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Tanjung Aru Beach
Three strips of sand run south of the airport, backed by casuarina trees and lined with stalls selling grilled corn and coconut. Locals come for the sunset over the marine park islands, and weekend evenings are crowded. Swimming is safe enough though the water runs silty near the river mouth, and the far end is cleaner and calmer.
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Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
Five islands lie twenty minutes offshore by speedboat, ringed by coral and white sand within sight of the city towers. Manukan and Sapi take the day trippers and have food and lockers, while Mamutik and Sulug stay quieter. Boats leave Jesselton Point on fixed departures, and the reef closest to the jetties has been worn thin by traffic.