Sabá

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!

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!

The itinerary was very well organized, allowing us to visit several spots in one trip. The duration at each stop was just right, so it never felt rushed. Our first stop was the observation deck, where there were many fruit vendors nearby selling fresh and delicious fruits! The best part was realizing later in the city that the fruit here was actually the cheapest! The farm was also a lot of fun; for 20 Malaysian Ringgit, you could feed milk and forage to the animals, and the yogurt and milk ice cream were amazing! The fish spa was very entertaining, and the tour guide taught us feeding techniques. It was a bit scary at first. Lunch was better than expected, featuring vegetables, meat, and fruit. The tour included a complimentary ATV experience, allowing us to ride through the wilderness. We were very lucky to see a Rafflesia flower this time; although it had been blooming for five days and was starting to turn dark, there was still an unopened bud right next to it. On the way back, we had roasted wild boar and pulled tea. The roasted wild boar is highly recommended! The two of us shared a portion and were left wanting more. Overall, the value for money is extremely high, and I highly recommend it!

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.

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.

Saw proboscis monkeys and so many fireflies. We had bad luck and missed the sunset, but there were countless stars at night. The drive was a bit long, but totally worth it. The tour guide, John, also speaks Chinese!

O barco era bom pelo preço, mas a massagem poderia ser mais longa. É uma opção para duas horas. A primeira ilha é linda, maravilhosa e limpa. A segunda ilha é um pouco pequena, mas você pode fazer duas ilhas em um dia. Pelo preço, definitivamente vale a pena. Para quem vai pela primeira vez, eu recomendo com certeza. Os moradores locais são amigáveis e a comida também é ótima.

A delightful little place to visit, it’s well-kept and plenty of photo opp although photography is not allowed inside (it’s okay). The souvenir shop is nice too.

Acabo de participar de uma excursão de um dia ao Monte Kinabalu, em Sabah, e preciso elogiar muito o nosso guia particular, Xiaoyang (William)! 👍🏻🙋🏻‍♂️ Pensava que a viagem de carro de ida e volta ao Monte Kinabalu seria longa, cansativa e chata, mas o Xiaoyang soube puxar conversa o tempo todo, contou muita história e cultura local de Sabah, e nos guiou por um trecho da caminhada na montanha. Ele parava para nos apresentar plantas exóticas que víamos ao longo do caminho 🌴🍃. O conteúdo foi rico e interessante, e o tempo passou voando. 🥹 Tivemos muita sorte de ver o Monte Kinabalu e a Rafflesia! O guia realmente se dedicou a planejar tudo para nós, fazendo com que todo o roteiro fluísse muito bem, e ainda nos levou para almoçar comida malaia 🍱! Ele cuidou muito bem de nós durante o passeio, lembrando a todos para prestarem atenção à segurança o tempo todo. A maior surpresa foi a habilidade dele com a fotografia 📸. A composição das fotos é de alto nível, e ele foi super paciente, tirando muitas fotos lindas para guardarmos de recordação. O dia todo foi cheio de risadas e a atmosfera estava super leve. 😆✨ Conhecer o Xiaoyang desta vez tornou a viagem muito mais especial! 🩷 Se algum amigo for a Sabah no futuro, ou se nós voltarmos, com certeza o contrataremos de novo! 😍