You may be asking Where to go in Sabah for 2017, and fear not, as Malaysia Asia will give you a basic guide to this, as we have been travelling around North Borneo quite a bit. In 2017, Sabah has many interesting places for all kinds of travellers, including ecotourism, adventure, islands, beaches, mountains, wildlife, birding, food hunting, and even shopping. Yes, you guessed it: Sabah is one of Malaysia’s destinations that offers the best of just about everything.

The main entry point to Sabah is Kota Kinabalu, the capital city, located by the sea and just 10 minutes from both the international and domestic airports, which are side by side. You should also know that Kota Kinabalu, or KK as it is commonly called, is central and your gateway to all of Sabah.

For those visiting Sabah for the 1st time, you should read my other article on Sabah for first-time visitors; for those returning, this article will highlight interesting places to visit in Sabah based on what you may like. Before I proceed, I will just highlight what KK has to offer below.

Kota Kinabalu’s beautiful sunsets from the KK Esplanade

Kota Kinabalu offers a mixture of lifestyle, shopping, food, relaxation, islands & beaches and loads of culture. While some may spend a day or two in KK, note that you can easily hop on a 15-minute boat ride from Jesselton Pier to visit the beautiful islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, which consist of Manukan, Mamutik and Sapi Islands. Sunbathing, snorkelling, scuba diving, sea walking, trekking and an island-to-island zip line await you here.

For those wanting food, lifestyle and culture, you can simply explore KK city on foot and encounter all of these, especially near the Gaya Street area. Hotels, restaurants, cafes, malls and souvenir shops await the city traveller. A tip: try the local breakfast and tea time at one of the classic coffee shops here. However, we recommend visiting other parts of Kota Kinabalu to fully experience what Sabah has to offer.

This is a common question I always get from travellers on my social media accounts, and now I can recommend some interesting places to visit in Sabah for 2017. I will also highlight them by the destination and not by the city or town, so you can roughly find what you would like to do or where you would like to visit in Sabah. Please note that the places below are not for commercial tourism, as those can be easily done in KK City, with abundant information available. The ones recommended below are for visitors seeking something different from the ordinary.

River Cruise along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah

Kinabatangan River

Kinabatangan is clearly one of the best places in Sabah for wildlife and everything related to it. In short, it is here where visitors will see the most wildlife, birds, reptiles and flora, all in one destination. The popular Kinabatangan River is also known as Sukau, where you will find numerous Eco resorts and lodges along the main river, and where moving around by boat is your main mode of transportation.Among the activities, the Kinabatangan River Cruise is listed as the number one thing to do there, where you have the opportunity to spot wildlife, namely the Borneo Pygmy Elephants, who move around in herds. Other wildlife includes Orang Utans, Gibbons, Proboscis Monkeys, Birds, Snakes and even Crocodiles. Trekking is also available with local nature guides who take you into the dense rainforest.

For the nocturnal animals, there is a Kinabatangan night river cruise where you will experience spotting crocodiles, wild cats, snakes and birds in a boat that moves really slowly along the side of the river and some smaller rivers here. Chances are you will see wildlife, so this is one of the best places in Sabah to spot it. To book tours here, you can contact North Borneo Safari, a reputable Kinabatangan tour operator for many years. They also provide professional services such as wildlife photography tours and video shoots.

Danum Valley Canopy Walk in Sabah

Danum Valley

Since the dawn of age, Danum has always been there, and till this very day, Danum Valley is still one of the top three pristine rainforests that are under conservation. The absolute beauty about this place is that there is only one Eco resort called Borneo Rainforest Lodge, or BRL in short, which is a 5-Star luxury resort and the Danum Valley Field Centre. In 2016, news of another resort in Danum Valley surfaced, which they plan to open in 2017.

Why visit Danum Valley? Well, to fully experience what a pristine rainforest is like and to see wildlife and nature in their natural condition, Danum Valley is one of the highly recommended places to do so. The place is so exclusive, you will only find pure nature lovers here, as there is nothing else but nature here. No shopping, no bars, no cafes…. nothing.

Must do at Danum Valley includes waking on the amazing canopy walk, going for the night safari and doing a nature trek with the highly trained local nature guides. To book the tours here, you need to book through Borneo Nature Tours, which operates the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL at Danum Valley. The minimum time to spend here is three to four days, or a week if you are a nature lover.

Lankayan Island Dive Resort in Sabah

Lankayan Island

One of the isolated islands off Sandakan is no other than Lankayan Island, where there are no immediate neighbours within your eyeshot. This beautiful tropical island sits two hours off the east coast of Sandakan in the Sulu Sea and houses only one resort, which is the Lankayan Island Dive Resort, where all of their 23 villas or chalets are sea facing! This means you will not be getting those garden-view type of units like most resorts have.

While diving is the main activity here, many come here to get away from the other crowded islands, as this place is so remote, there are no speed boats whizzing by or loads of people on the beach. Divers will be in for a treat, as some of Sabah’s best diving is found here. A lot of macro life, like nudibranch and other micro sea critters, are easily spotted at the healthy corals here. Sometimes, the occasional whale shark makes a stop here, while larger fish are easily spotted, too.

Lankayan Island is also well known for turtle nesting, and during the season from July to October. You can see how the turtle eggs are collected to be re-buried in their conservation efforts, and if you’re lucky, even see some turtles coming up to shore. Perfect for honeymooners or even diving couples, and if you’re not a diver but one of those who love peace and quiet during your vacation, this is one of the recommended islands to visit in Sabah. And if you are spending additional time around here, do read this article on things to do in Sandakan. For those interested, you can book through the official Lankayan Island Dive Resort website.

Crocker Range in the morning, Photo by www.wikiwand.com

Crocker Range

While everyone is talking about Mount Kinabalu and Kundasang, those two places are overrated, and over the years, many have forgotten that the Crocker Range is another highland mountain range just two hours south of Kota Kinabalu. Over here, you can find the Manis Manis Resort, which is beautifully perched on a hill at the Crocker Range Park.This highland venue also has an average temperature range of 18°C at night and 24°C during the day, similar to Kinabalu, minus the large crowds. The Manis Manis Resort was once known as Kayu Manis Resort and has been here for many years, too. Rebranded recently, they now offer chalets for those seeking privacy and nicer accommodations, while still offering dorm-style lodges and a campground for the adventurous.

Things to do at Crocker Range include birdwatching, trekking and hiking, and simply absorbing the natural beauty of this place. Personally, I would like to give some love to Crocker Range, as this place has always been shadowed by Kinabalu, and perhaps in 2017, more visitors will visit this beautiful place. You can book your Crocker Range Resort through the Manis Manis Resort Website.

The River Lodging at Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah

Tabin Wildlife Reserve

Another reserve gets some love for 2017, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve is as big as Singapore, if not Bigger! Bet you did not know that, and this wildlife reserve has an amazing reputation for some of the best bird watching in Sabah. Not forgetting the other wildlife like the Borneo Pygmy Elephants, rare jungle cats, civets, porcupines and the list goes on. Tabin Wildlife Reserve is located in Lahad Datu, a town on the east coast of Sabah and driving from the Lahad Datu airport will take you around 90 minutes.

What is offered here are some really amazing lodgings; they have two styles, which are the river lodges and the hill lodges. Both are equally beautiful and offer different views, but the experience of staying here is hard for me to put into words. In one word – Awesome! Provided you love nature and the outdoors, Tabin has some of the best nature guides in Sabah who are knowledgeable and experienced.

The resort is also situated in the heart of the wildlife reserve, and there is no other hotel or resort for miles, meaning you are one with nature, minus the huge crowds. Guests here are usually nature lovers from Europe who enjoy trekking, hiking, bird watching or nature watching. There are night safaris that take you into the core area, where you will definitely see wildlife. For bird watchers, this is heaven as you can probably spot at least 40 to 50 species of Bornean birds here. The minimum time to spend is again three to four nights, but five or six nights are better to fully experience this place. You can book through the official Tabin Wildlife Resort website.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area Viewpoint in Sabah

Maliau Basin 

Often called the Lost World of Sabah, Maliau Basin is one of the top three least-visited conservation areas in Sabah. Probably, if you are not a nature or Eco lover, you’d best skip this suggestion. Otherwise, Maliau Basin to me is one of the prime nature escapes in Malaysia. Some say that only 30% of this conservation has been explored, which makes this place even more inviting. However, to visit here, you need to book tours from appointed agents who specialise in Maliau Basin, not just any Tom, Dick or Harry tour company.

Entrance to the Maliau Basin Canopy Walk

What is in Maliau Basin? Well, think of 60,000 hectares of pristine rainforest in a basin. That’s how huge Maliau Basin is. In total, the conservation area covers 588 square kilometres, which is larger than the island of Singapore. Impressive right?

When I visited in 2015, I was captivated by the sheer size of the place, and they had only one lodge available for accommodations. A very nice dorm, individual rooms and a semi-luxury villa with three rooms. I stayed at both the dorm and a room with air conditioning. The place is operated by Yayasan Sabah and has its own management team, wildlife rangers and facilities. There is a research centre in the vicinity, too.

The beauty of Maliau Basin lies in the out-of-this-world trekking here. The main trek is only an hour long, but the serious trekking takes days to reach certain parts of the basin. To visit the famous seven-tier waterfalls, you need to trek for at least three days both ways. However, for short stays, you would trek to Agatis Camp, visit the Maliau Basin Canopy Walk and do the night safaris.

Good news for environmentalists: in 1997, the Maliau Basin Conservation Area was upgraded by the Sabah state government to a Class 1 Protection Forest Reserve. It is also said to be one of the few remaining relatively untouched wilderness areas in the world. I would highly recommend visiting this unique nature wonderland in Sabah. If you love trekking, hiking and camping, this is your mecca. To book, you need to go through the Sabah Tourism Website, which has a list of reputable tour operators for the Maliau Basin.

Sea Bajau Kids at Semporna, Sabah

Conclusion

The above is compiled and highlighted as part of the unique tourism places in Sabah, and you will notice that all the places are not your commercial spots like Kinabalu, Desa Farm Kundasang, Tip of Borneo, Mabul Island, Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and so on as these commercial places have already been promoted by the Sabah Tourism Board and most people know of these places.

As a travel influencer, photographer and writer, my main mission is to highlight some of these beautiful places, based on interest, genre and infrastructure for the would-be traveller here. Meaning, I have personally been to all these places, stayed there and experienced the activities and can vouch for them. More information is also available on the official Sabah Tourism website.

If you have any enquiries or comments about this article on where to go in Sabah for 2017, do leave them in the comment form below, and I will get back to you. Alternatively, you can also follow my Malaysia Asia Instagram account for more info and photos. Have a great year in 2017.