This is a simple three-hour walking tour around the city, featuring many historical sites and monuments, narrated by your professional tour guide. Why is it done this way? The reason is that the tour is one of the best ways of introducing Sabah’s fascinating heritage to travellers.

Kota Kinabalu Merdeka Field or Padang

The Heritage Walk in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, starts at the Padang or Merdeka Field, where the history of Sabah’s independence was proclaimed. Looking like a common field, I assumed games were played here, but I was wrong, as this was the spot for Sabah’s Independence.

Let me state that if I were to tell you every detail that happened during my tour, you probably wouldn’t need to go through with it. Hence, in this article, I will provide you with snippets of this unique and interesting Heritage Walk around KK. The next time you visit, you can take the tour.

A plaque is also found at the base of the hill, describing the tower in not one, but four languages, for the convenience of non-English-speaking tourists.

After all these years, you can still find some of the older shops that have had minor renovations. Initially, they were all made of wood, but over the years, they renovated them into brick and mortar.

For market and shopping lovers, Gaya Street is also very popular due to the Gaya Sunday Weekend Market held along this main street. If you are here on a Sunday, be sure to visit this street.

As we walked in the hot afternoon, I could not help but notice some of the old shop signs placed high above the doors, and some of them still read in English. A tip while exploring these places is to look all around, as you may spot something unusual.

Jesselton Hotel Kota Kinabalu 

After Gaya Street, we made a stop at the famous Jesselton Hotel, where Muhammad Ali once stayed. Honestly, I had no idea he visited Kota Kinabalu. This beautiful hotel was also established in 1954 and has maintained its original look from that era, making it the oldest hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Malaysia Monument in Kota Kinabalu Sabah

Malaysia Monument Kota Kinabalu

We next passed the Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council (MBKK) building, one of the tour’s stops. But since it was a public holiday and the MBKK was closed, we continued to the next stop, which was the Malaysia Monument. Another interesting part of Sabah’s past was revealed here by Grace.

This structure was moved here many years ago, and now it sits perfectly in this little park by the main road in town. The monument was unveiled back in 1923 in memory of the fallen soldiers from Britain, Australia and Malaysia.

Sabah Tourism Board Building

Continuing our journey, we made a brief stop at the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) building, which was constructed in 1916. The architecture was stunning, adhering to the traditional British style. This place has also undergone significant renovations to its interior, while the facade still maintains its natural appearance.

Grace added that this is one of the three original structures left standing after the Second World War, which also affected Kota Kinabalu.

Crossing the main road at the back of the STB building, we stop at the Independence Community Centre, where Grace explains historical moments. This place is now known as the Kota Kinabalu Multi-Purpose Hall.

Australia Place Kota Kinabalu

Our next stop was just a stone’s throw away, located at Australia Place. This was where the Australian Liberation Forces set up camp when they landed in Jesselton during World War II.

This museum cum coffee shop is well decorated with all sorts of memorabilia from the days of the Australian Liberation Forces. Plaques, pictures, and various items are spread throughout the premises, allowing you to spend some time reading and photographing these items. While here, we also tried the famous ANZAC Biscuits.

Update: The Museum Kopitiam is now closed.

Memorabilia at the Museum Kopitiam in Sabah

I was then presented with a wonderful gift from Grace after the Heritage Walk Tour, and it now sits on my desk as a reminder of this fantastic tour.

A big thank you again to Sabah Tourism for organising this trip and to Grace Leong for making this one of my most educational and memorable tours of Kota Kinabalu.