Enjoy Sabah's eco-treasures

Adventure seekers flock to Malaysia's Sabah State to climb Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in southeast Asia, or go scuba diving at Sipadan, one of the world's best dive spots.

Sabah is located on the northern tip of Malaysian Borneo, the world's third-largest island. Sabah's capital, Kota Kinabalu, is a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Singapore.

Known as "The Land Below the Wind," Sabah boasts some of nature's most breathtaking wonders. It has the world's oldest rainforests, and lots of sandy beaches, tropical islands and colorful coral reefs.

For nature lovers and shutterbugs, Sabah is also the place to come face to face with a diversity of wildlife in their natural habitat, such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sea turtles and, if you are lucky, the world's largest flower, rafflesia.

Forests and hot springs in Sabah

If you don't like to climb mountains, you can still enjoy the sights and sounds around Mount Kinabalu — just drive to Kinabalu Park, only two hours from Kota Kinabalu. The park is Malaysia's first Unesco World Heritage Site. It encompasses Mount Kinabalu and covers an area larger than Singapore.

From the park's headquarters, take a stroll on one of the hiking trails and enjoy the serenity, fresh air, tiny creatures and flora along the way. Go on a guided tour if you want to identify what you see. Include Poring in your itinerary if you want to try the jungle canopy walkway and hot springs. It is about 40 km from Kinabalu Park headquarters.

Sabah is also home to the rafflesia, the largest flower in the flower, but it is difficult to see because it takes nine to 15 months to bud and only blooms for about a week.

Rivers and monkeys

If you want to see wildlife, try a river safari, such as Klias Wetlands, 20 km from Kota Kinabalu. Bear in mind, however, that a river safari is not a zoo, so don't expect the animals to perch on tree branches for you to gawk at as your boat sails by.

But, if you look hard enough, you will spot them. You can see monkeys, birds, fireflies and crocodiles. Bring along your binoculars or a camera with a zoom lens. And don't forget your poncho because you never know when it might rain.

Sand, sea and seafood 

In less than 20 minutes, you can hop from city to coral life — that is how close the nearest snorkeling and diving sites are to Kota Kinabalu.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, for example, features five islands surrounded by extensive coral reefs. You can take a short boat ride from the mainland or check into one of the island resorts for an idyllic escape.

And to refuel what you have lost from all that swimming, sea walking or lazing around, hop over to Manukan Island for a delicious barbecue buffet lunch under the shade of the coconut trees.

photo credit: Daniel Kleeman via photo pin cc