Coisas para fazer em Kota Kinabalu

Our family and a friend's family, 4 adults and 4 children, signed up for this tour. We were picked up at our hotel at 7:30 AM, followed by a 2.5-hour drive to the Mount Kinabalu viewpoint. The city roads from Kota Kinabalu to Mount Kinabalu were congested, but our guide was flexible and accommodated the children's restroom breaks along the way. After taking many photos at the viewpoint, we headed to Desa Farm. On the way, we made a detour to a local fruit shop. Our tour guide, Jeff, introduced us to fruits we had never seen before, and we bought and ate one or two of each. We were excited by fruits we had never heard of or seen, like apple jelly, avocado cheese, and snake fruit! The avocado cheese tasted like sweet steamed pumpkin, with a texture and flavor unlike any fruit! It was delicious. From there, we went to Desa Farm. Located at an altitude of about 1,500m, it wasn't too hot and was very comfortable! The weather was clear with few clouds, and we took many great photos with the sharp ridges of Mount Kinabalu in the background. Was that a sun halo? Jeff smoothly guided us through recommended activities like soft-serve ice cream and feeding calves and goats. Jeff, who is also a father of four, is knowledgeable about funny TikTok videos, and our children had a blast taking funny videos with him, making it a very satisfying experience. Afterward, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant and then went rafflesia watching. We were worried if we would see any, as they only bloom for 5-7 days a year, but we saw two blooming rafflesias! We also saw buds and withered ones, which was a unique experience only available locally. Nearby, there were also cacao and durian trees! I was surprised to see durians growing on such tall trees. By this point, it was past 3 PM. The children were getting tired, so we decided to change the itinerary and head back. The morning traffic jam was long. On the way back, there was a strange cloud hanging over the summit of Mount Kinabalu. Jeff told us it was a rare sight. The return journey was also a bit congested, but we managed to get back to the hotel around 7 PM. We had originally planned to be back by 5:30 PM, but the road congestion and it being summer vacation season caused delays. I recommend bringing a bit more cash, as there are places at the rafflesia site that don't accept credit cards for insect repellent, and some restaurants for lunch. Thank you, Jeff, for a fun tour! The magnificent scenery and your enjoyable assistance made it a wonderful experience. Highly recommended!

Viagem muito satisfatória! Consegui ver a Rafflesia, como eu queria, e as outras atividades também foram boas. O guia Calvin foi muito atencioso ao explicar o programa e dirigiu com cautela, o que nos deixou muito seguros. Torci o tornozelo e ele inchou, precisava de um médico. Ele me indicou e me levou à clínica, onde fui rapidamente atendido e fiz um raio-X. O médico confirmou que não havia fratura, o que me deixou muito aliviado, e o custo foi razoável e não caro. Agradeço novamente a ajuda do Calvin. Este passeio de um dia, apenas com atividades, tem muitos programas e o almoço também foi bom. Considero o preço deste passeio justo.

Enjoy a safe and fun stand-up paddleboarding experience at Tanjung Aru Beach, home to one of the world's most famous sunsets! We highly recommend stand-up paddleboarding in Sabah! First, a big shout-out to our coach! The coach was very responsible, dedicated, and humorous in their teaching. They provided careful guidance throughout the process and paid attention to everyone's safety, making our first stand-up paddleboarding experience completely stress-free and incredibly fun! After placing our order, the travel agency promptly contacted us to confirm the itinerary. The staff were friendly and patient, and the pick-up was very punctual. The entire process made us feel very reassured. The biggest fear when traveling is not being able to reach someone after booking an itinerary or uncertainty about pick-up, but this time, we had none of those issues. From booking and communication to pick-up and the on-site experience, everything was very reassuring. Stand-up paddleboarding is truly a blast!

We had such a great time on this tour, and a big part of it was thanks to our tour guide, Kelvin! Kelvin was our driver, tour guide and also our photographer for the day. He was very knowledgeable and made the mangrove and fireflies tour really enjoyable. He introduced us to the different animals we saw, including the proboscis monkeys, and shared interesting facts about what they eat, their digestion and their behaviour. It was really interesting to learn about them along the way. He was also very entertaining and took great care of us throughout the whole trip. He definitely went above and beyond, especially when he took the time to help us take photos at the sunset spot. We really appreciated how attentive and thoughtful he was. Also, a big shoutout to his co-tour guide, Gary, who was equally helpful and made the experience even better. Thank you, Kelvin and Gary, for such a memorable day!

Experiência de ilhas muito agradável e acolhedora. O passeio de barco foi tranquilo e ventoso, o tempo estava muito bom naquele dia. As ilhas Sapi e Manukan tinham praias muito bonitas. O guia turístico, Nanak, é muito simpático e respondeu a todas as nossas perguntas, além de ajudar a todos a cuidar de suas malas e pertences. O banana boat e o mergulho com snorkel são imperdíveis. Conseguimos ver algumas espécies de peixes, o mergulho com snorkel é limitado às áreas perto da costa, mas é possível avistar muitos peixes. O sol é muito forte, então é preciso aplicar protetor solar para evitar queimaduras. O tempo também foi suficiente e terminou bem cedo, às 15h.

We participated in the company trip with 8 people. We were the only Japanese, and most of the other tourists on Mantanani Island were Chinese. Our guide, Xiao Zhong, was particularly excellent. We were initially concerned because the tour was primarily in Chinese and English, but he used a translation device to explain everything to us. The snorkeling, proboscis monkeys, and fireflies were wonderful. Although we had to wait for over 30 minutes due to a sudden downpour, it was an amazing experience overall.

Experiência cinco estrelas! Viagem cinco estrelas! Uma viagem perfeita! A guia turística Sue nos contatou via WhatsApp na noite anterior e respondeu a todas as nossas perguntas com muita paciência. Ela nos ajudou a tirar fotos durante toda a viagem sem recusa. Havia alguns membros do grupo com altas exigências de fotografia, e Sue os ajudou com extrema paciência. É importante notar que naquele dia vários grupos se juntaram, mas os guias de todos esses grupos se conheciam, então eles sabiam como criar um ótimo ambiente. Um guia estava constantemente tocando música em um alto-falante grande, criando uma atmosfera fantástica, e a música combinava com o tema. Por exemplo, ao ver os vaga-lumes, eles tocaram "Dao Xiang" de Jay Chou! Realmente profissional! É preciso ter cuidado com os mosquitos locais, que são muito agressivos e não têm medo de repelente ou água. Este é um ponto a ser observado. O pôr do sol local é deslumbrante! Tivemos bastante tempo livre para atividades e fotos. Meu primeiro mergulho com snorkel foi incrível. A única pena é que talvez houvesse alguém no grupo com medo de água, e tivemos que cuidar dessas pessoas, o que nos impediu de ir a mais pontos. No final, ficamos em um único ponto por cerca de 1 hora. Na ilha, você pode alugar um armário por 60 HKD, mas na verdade não é necessário, ninguém vai roubar suas coisas em uma ilha deserta... Ver os vaga-lumes é absolutamente inesquecível! As fotos não conseguem capturar a emoção, você só entenderá quando for! P.S. O horário de encontro naquele dia era às 7h! Então, acordamos muito cedo, mas valeu a pena.

Had the best day in Sabah! 🥹✨ A huge thank you to all the staff, especially Casey, Johnny, and Willy, for all the joy they brought to the day. You guys made the experience even more memorable. :)

The half-day itinerary was packed, and our guide, Daniel, was absolutely fantastic! He spoke Malay, English, and Chinese... I bet he could handle Cantonese and Hokkien too! He was incredibly patient and meticulous with his explanations and arrangements throughout the trip. Even the two little ones in our group loved chatting with him. We found the proboscis monkeys, saw the sunset, but the grand finale was truly the highlight: a sky full of stars and trees full of fireflies. One star twinkled in the sky, and a firefly rested in my hand – it was the most beautiful and serene experience imaginable (the camera couldn't capture even a fraction of it). Thank you, Daniel, and thank you, Kawa, for a wonderful journey and a delightful encounter.