Saker att göra i Kota Kinabalu

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.

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!

Mycket trevlig och mysig upplevelse med öhoppning. Båtturen var lugn och blåsig, vädret var mycket bra den dagen. Både Sapi och Manukan Island hade mycket fina stränder. Reseledaren, Nanak, är mycket vänlig och svarade på alla våra frågor, och hjälpte även alla att ta hand om sina väskor och saker. Bananbåten och snorklingen är ett måste. Lyckades se ganska många fiskarter, snorklingen är begränsad till områdena nära stranden men man kan se ganska mycket fisk. Solen är mycket stark så man måste använda solskyddsmedel för att undvika solbränna. Tiden var också tillräcklig och avslutades ganska tidigt klockan 15.00.

En mycket tillfredsställande resa! Jag fick se rafflesian som jag önskade, och de andra aktiviteterna var också bra. Guiden Calvin var vänlig och förklarade programmet noggrant, och han körde försiktigt vilket gjorde att vi kände oss trygga. Jag hade vrickat foten och behövde träffa en läkare, så han rekommenderade och körde mig till en klinik. Jag fick snabbt träffa en läkare och ta röntgenbilder. Läkaren bekräftade att jag inte hade några frakturer, vilket lugnade mig, och kostnaden var rimlig. Tack igen för Calvins hjälp. Denna endagstur med bara aktiviteter hade många programpunkter, och lunchen var också bra. Jag tycker att priset för turen var rimligt.

Vi deltog i företagsresan med 8 personer, och vi var de enda japanerna. De flesta på Mantanani Island var kineser. Guiden Xiao Zhong var fantastisk, och trots att turen var på kinesiska och engelska, vilket oroade oss, använde han en översättningsapparat för att förklara. Snorklingen, näsaporna och eldflugorna var underbara. Vi fick vänta över 30 minuter på grund av en regnskur, men det var en fantastisk upplevelse.

Femstjärnig upplevelse! Femstjärnig resa! En perfekt resa! Reseledaren Sue kontaktade oss redan kvällen innan via Whatsapp och var otroligt tålmodig med att svara på alla frågor. Hon hjälpte oss också att ta bilder under hela resan utan att vägra. Det fanns några resenärer i gruppen som hade höga krav på fotografering, och Sue var förvånansvärt tålmodig med att hjälpa dem också. Man ska veta att flera grupper slogs ihop den dagen, men alla guider kände varandra, så de var bra på att skapa stämning. En guide hade ständigt med sig en stor högtalare som spelade musik, vilket skapade en fantastisk atmosfär. Musiken matchade även temat, till exempel spelades Jay Chous ”Rice Field” när vi tittade på eldflugor! Verkligen professionellt! Observera att myggorna på plats är mycket aggressiva och inte rädda för myggmedel eller vatten, vilket är något att tänka på. Solnedgången på plats var otroligt vacker! Det fanns gott om tid för fria aktiviteter och att ta bilder. Min första snorklingsupplevelse var också häpnadsväckande. Det enda som var synd var att det kanske fanns några i gruppen som var rädda för vatten, och vi var tvungna att ta hand om dem, så vi kunde inte besöka fler platser. Till slut stannade vi på en plats i ungefär en timme. Man kan hyra ett skåp på ön för 60 HKD, men det behövs egentligen inte. Ingen kommer att stjäla dina saker på en öde ö... Att se eldflugorna kommer definitivt att vara en oförglömlig upplevelse! Man kan inte fånga den chocken på bild, du måste åka dit för att förstå! P.S. Samlingstiden den dagen var klockan 7! Så vi fick gå upp väldigt tidigt, men det var det värt.

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!

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. :)