The following places of outdoor adventure are within Sabah state, some compilation of my years of scouting, which is useful info for scouts and nature challenger to explore and have fun. Please be note that the contacts number. are old 7 digits number, call Telekom Malaysia at 103 to acquire updated numbers.
For scout troops who which to organize activities on any outdoor places, you are adviced to prepare your letter of district commissioner approval, police acknowledgement letter or school authority letter, to ensure your scouts will be safe and protected while enjoying the outdoor fun.
Yours in scouting (YIS),
ASM Alex Tan Wei Yen
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Sabah is also known as (a.k.a.) "THE LAND BELOW THE WIND"
Geographical info:
Sabah is situated in the north-eastern part of the Borneo island. It is bounded by Brunei and Sarawak to the west and by Indonesian Kalimantan to the south. It has a coastline of 1440 km in length and in area is the second largest state in Malaysia being approximately the same size as Ireland. Most of the west coast is sandy and the east coast is mainly mangrove. There are in addition 38 islands with a total fringing reef of about 320 km.
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1. Kinabalu Park
Dominating the Sabah skyline from every perspective is Mount Kinabalu, which at 4,101 metres is one of the highest mountain South-east Asia. The mountain and the surrounding area make up the Kinabalu Park, a reserve covering an area of 754 sq km (291 sq miles). This park, which is only a two-hour drive from Kota Kinabalu,is home to an incredibly diverse range of flora and fauna, including the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world and the Nepenthes (picther plant) and more than 1,000 species of orchids. There are two ways of exploring this nature's treasure trove. The more energetic and adventurous one can hike up the summit trail to the peak of Mount Kinabalu. The ascent and descent will take two days. Those with a more leisurely visit in mind could stay for a few days at the Park's chalets .
2. Longhouses
You can see typical longhouses in the northern and interior parts of Sabah as you journey away from the town. Each longhouse is divided into apartments for individual families. Cooking, weaving, beading and rice winnowing all take place within the longhouse. The longhouses of the Rungus people are located near Kudat, three hours' drive north of Kota Kinabalu. It is possible to visit and even stay in these longhouses. It is polite to repay their hospitality with gifts.
3. Mengkabong Water Village
Thirty minutes away from Kota Kinabalu is the famous Mengkabong village which is a remarkable sight - a village built on water. The houses are built on stilts and connected by narrow, wooden planks, the houses extend further out to seal.
4. Mount Kinabalu
The outstanding attraction of Kinabalu Park is 4,101 metres high summit of Mount Kinabalu. Kinabalu was born only 11/2 million years ago; when a mass of granitic rock that had been cooling and hardening under the surface for several million years began to rise and break through the overlying crusts of softer rocks.
5. Poring Hot Springs
About 43 km from the Kinabalu Park headquaters is the Poring Hot Springs. The major attraction here are the open air sulphur baths, located in a beautiful landscaped garden. For those who want to stay overnight, various type of accommodation are available.
6. Australian Memorial
The Australian Memorial, on the site of what was a prisoner-of-war camp now in Taman Rimba, off Labuk Road, commemorates Allied soldiers who lost their lives during the Japanese Occupation. Some 2,400 men, most of them Australians, left this camp on the so-called "death march" towards the end of the war, only six of them surviving to reach Ranau, near Mount Kinabalu, a year later.
The tragedy of war is also commemorated in the small Japanese Cemetery in a corner of the old cemetery on the hills overlooking Sandakan, where a memorial pays tribute to the Japanese soldiers who lost their lives during World War II. There are also several graves where a number of Japanese girls, victims of a prostitution racket, are buried. Brought to Sandakan under false pretenses in the early years of the colony, tehy were forced to work in brothels, many of them remaining until their death. None of the grave markers faces towards the east, to the Land of the Rising Sun, in symbolic rejection of the country seen to have done them an injustice.
7. Gomatang Caves
The Gomatang Caves about 32 km south of Sandakan, is a home to over one million swiftlets. These swiftlets' nests are the famous chinese delicacy, birds' nest, and fetch a good price locally and aboard. Twice a year, in the caves men can be seen scaling bamboo ladders to height of about 90 m to collect the delicacy off the cave walls. The swiftlets' neighbours are bats, more that a million of them which live atop an enormous guano pile.
8. Lower Kinabatangan River
The greatest concentration of wildlife in Malaysia, and possibly all of Borneo, can be found remarkably close to Sandakan, along the lower reaches of Sabah's biggest and longest river, the Kinabatangan. Wild orang utan, macaques, red and silver leaf monkeys, elephants, dozens of beautiful birds including several species of hornbill, crocodiles, civet cats and otters may all be viewed in this region, although the most famous creature of all is undoubtedly the bizarre Proboscis monkey.
It is possible to take an afternoon tour by boat across Sandakan Bay and through the salt-water swamp forest into the mouth of the Kinabatangan River, and on up to the first settlement, Kampung Abai, returning to Sandakan at night. Visitors who prefer an indepth look at the area's wildlife can stay overnight at Sukau, just two hours by road from Sandakan, where accommodation is provided by local tour operators. For at least two hours in the late afternoon, visitors thread through the fresh-water swamp forest to discover the Proboscis monkeys and other wildlife in the comfort of a boat. Because of lack of public transport to Sukau, the only practical way tovisit is with a tour operator.
9. Orang Utan Sepilok Sanctuary
A 20-minutes drive from Sandakan will bring you to Sepilok Forest Reserve, 440ha or virgin equatorial rainforest. The wealth of indigenous and rare plants, animals and birds that have found sanctuary here are to be seen to be believed.There are numerous self-guilding trails to help the visitor explore the Reserve. A most interesting feature of the Reserve is the Orang Utan Sanctury. Here orang utans which have strayed into logging camps or rescue from captivity are cared and sent back to the forest.
10. Kampung Ayer
Kampung Patau-Patau and Kampung Bebuloh Laut are two fine examples of Labuan's traditional 'water village'. These clusters of Malay-styled wooden houses on stilts build out over the sea are connected to land by raised walkways. Efforts are currently underway to ensure Labuan's scenic water villages are not bypassed by the rapid development that is transforming the island. To cater to the thousands of tourists that visit Labuan annually, a modern water village complex is being built near Labuan Town complete with seafood restaurants, shopping malss and a boardwalk. In addition, visitors can stay in waterfront chalets or enjoy a host of water sports activities.
11. Labuan
A former British Crown Colony, Labuan is located some 8 kilometres off the coast of Sabah at the mouth of the Brunei Bay. Seen from the air, Labuan has often been likened to a star floating on a turquoise sea. As Malaysia's only deepwater anchorage, Labuan is a free port, a Federal Territory and an International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC).
12. Peace Park
Peace Park is a World War II (WWII) memorial located at the scenic village of Layang-Layangan on Labuan's west coast. This beautifully landscaped park, dedicated to all fallen soldiers of WWII, has evolved into a place of pilgrimage for many visitors to Labuan.
13. The Chimney
Situated in Tanjong Kubong, it is the only reminder of the old coaling days of Labuan. Coal mining was started in 1847 and ended in 1912. A single rail track was constructed to transport coal from here to Victoria Port in the old days.
14. Danum Valley
Comprises of 43,800 ha (108,186 acres) of virgin forest reserve of lush tropical low land forest rich with flora and fauna and is one of the world's most complex ecosystem. The Danum Valley Field Centre is established in 1986 by the Sabah Foundation as a tropical rainforest research and environmental education centre. Accommodations at the this centre is only reserved for researches and scientist on assignment. To visit this centre, you need to obtain a permission from Sabah Foundation at Lahad Datu's Office.
15. Madai Caves
Madai Caves, accessible by land from Lahad Datu or Tawau as it is only located 1.6 Km from the main road. It is also a habitat for swiftlets whose bird's nest are harvested twice a year. The nests are harvested by the Ida'an who owns the rights to the area for more than five centuries. Madai is one of Sabah's most important archeological sites where traces of human existance could be traced way back to more than 15,000 years through the layers of guona (bat droppings) found inside the caves. Some wooden houses are located outside the caves which are seasonally occupied (during harvesting) and is guarded by a few local residents against illegal harvesters.
16. Madai Waterfall
Located near Madai Cave is the Madai waterfall which is just beside the highway from Lahad Datu to Tawau. Just 16 Km away from Madai is Baturong, another huge limestone massif. Boturong is once part of Tingkayu Lake which drained away leaving traces of human existence as far as 16,000 years ago. Baturong is only accessible by one hour drive and an hour's walk through virgin jungles. For those who wish to go to Baturong, it is highly recommended that you engage the services of a guide or sign up with tour companies. On the way to Baturong, you will also see a Mud Volcano through the oil palm estates.
17. Tawau Hills National Park
Tawau Hills National Park was gazetted in 1979 and comprises of 27,972 ha. Located 24 Km from Tawau town, this area is accessible by road and there is a Park Head quarters located at the entrance of the park. The highest point of the park is Gunung Madalena, at 1310 m. The park is popular with Tawau local residents as picnic spots on weekends. There are 2 hostels and a jungle lodge are available for visitors. And also a campsite can accommodate 500 to 1000 campers.
The park is gazetted as a protection for water catchment for the people of Tawau town and Semporna peninsula. The Tawau river flows through the park and with attractive rainfall throughout the year, there is a natural swimming pool with shelters, toilets and changing rooms near the Table Waterfall. A trail will lead you further into the forest in a bubbling Hot Springs, another 3 hour trekking will lead you to another waterfall. Trek up Bombalai Hill (530m) for half-an-hour and you will get a panoramic view of BAL plantations to Tawau town and across Sulawesi Sea!
18. Abdul Rahman Park
The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is park with a difference! It comprises five paradisal islands which are only 10 to 25 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu by speedboat. These islands-Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sepi, Pulau Mamutik, Pulau Manukan and Pulau Sulug - offer stretches of white, sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and some of the most diverse coral reefs and machine life in the world. They are ideal spots for picnicking, diving and snorkelling, particularly Sapi and Manukan, have picnic facilities and Mamutik, cabin are available for hire.
19. Labuan Islands and Beaches
With breathtaking panoramic vistas of the South China Sea, desolate white sandy beaches and lots of brilliant tropical sunshine, Labuan and its neighbouring islands are a sunseeker's paradise.
If you're seeking seclusion, the outlying islands of Papan, Kuraman, Daat, Rusukan Besar, Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Burong have plenty to offer and are just minutes away by speedboat. Visitors can spend the day exploring the beaches or the dense jungle inland which is home to a variety of plant and animal life.
Swimming and snorkelling are two favourite underwater activities as Labuan's crystal clear waters offer a window to the rich marine life of the South China Sea.
20. Pulau Tiga Park
Located 48 kms south of Kota Kinabalu and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, lies Pulau Tiga Park. It is reached by first driving 140 kms to Kuala Penyu, a small settlement on the tip of the Klias Peninsula. From here it is 18 kms and a 30 minute boat-ride to the island. The Pulau Tiga Park covers an area of 15,864 ha. and was gazetted as a National Park since 1978. As far back as 1933, the main island, together with the 2 smaller islands of Kalampunian Besar and Kalampunian Damit were designated as Forest Reserve.
21. Sipadan Island
Pulau Sipadan, located 30 km off Semporna on the East Coast of Sabah is the only oceanic island in Malaysia. it is also considered to be one of the best diving sites in South-East Asia.Rising 600 metres from the sea bed on a limestone pinnacle that "mushrooms" out near the surface, Sipadan boasts of unparalleled undersea scenery and marine life. Spectacular reefs, caverns, cliffs and overhangs are matched by the wide variety of marine life.
22. Tanjung Aru Beach
This is a long stretch of beautiful, calm beach where you can see fisherman casting their nets in the glow of a red-gold sea and sky. The beach is lined with picturesque palm and casuarina trees all along its soft, fine sand. There's much to see because here you'll find the Tanjung Aru Beach Hotel, the Kinabalu Yacht Club, the Kinabalu Golf Club and Prince Philip Park.
23. Turtle Island
Pulau Selingan, Pulau Bakungan Kecil and Pulau Gulisan got their collective title from the fact that they are the breeding grounds for the Green and Hawksbill turtles. Turtles come up to the beach to lay eggs every night of the year, although the peak season is between July and September. These islands also have hatcheries. In addition, they are ideal picnic spots with their clean sandy beaches and clear waters. Chalet accomodation is available on Pulau Selingan.
Turtle Islands Park
9th Floor, Wisma Khoo Siak Chew
P O Box 768,
90008 Sandakan,
Sabah.
Tel : 089-273 453
Fax : 089-274 718
