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See cool and weird animals of Sabah Borneo

Best things to do in Kinabalu Park

About Kinabalu Park

Kinabalu National Park covers an area of 754 square kilometres and became Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2000 for its outstanding universal values in terms of biodiversity. Kinabalu National Park is out of the world because of its many unique features not found in other parts of Malaysia.

Subalphine scrubs on Mount Kinabalu. Only in Sabah!

10 Cool Things about Kinabalu Park

Mount Kinabalu is one of the most beautiful nature attractions of Malaysia and an icon of Sabah.
Kinabalu Park is hotspot of Borneo megadiversity that hosts more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna. Some are not documented.
The largest pitcher plant in the world is Nepenthes rajah, which can trap a rat and only lives in Kinabalu National Park.
Kinabalu Park is bigger than Singapore.
About 1,000 orchid species are found here, and over 12% are endemic species.
Located at 3,272 metres above sea level, Panalaban (Laban Rata) has the highest accommodation and highest post box in Malaysia.
Rafflesia keithii, which can grow up to one metre in diameter, is the largest flower of Sabah.
Mount Kinabalu has distinct vegetation zones in different altitude, for example, lowland dipterocarp forest, montane forest and subalpine zone (only found in Sabah).
Kinabalu Park is a top birdwatching site.
Many interesting Borneo wildlife live in Kinabalu Park, to list a few, Wallace’s Flying Frog, Ninja Slug that shoots love darts.

“Kinabalu is a scenic wonder, a test for mountaineers from the amateur to the skilled rock climber, a holiday from the hot lowlands, and botanically a paradise.” — E.J.H. Corner

Kinabalu Park Headquarter

The starting point of all activities in Kinabalu Park is its Sabah Parks headquarters in southern boundary, situated at 1,563 metres (5,128 feet) above sea level in Kundasang. It is accessible by driving nearly 2 hours for about 89 Kilometres, from Kota Kinabalu on the road in good condition. You can walk to most facilities and accommodation from the headquarter, or drive inside the park.

Administration building (left) and ticket booth (right) at the entrance of Kinabalu Park

Next to the ticket booth at the entrance, the administration building consists of reception counter for guests to check-in to their accommodation in Kinabalu Park, and registration counters for climbers to register and make payment. In early morning, you would see climbers gather around this area to meet their mountain guides and porters for final preparation, before they are transferred by vehicle to Timpohon Gate, the starting point of the climb about 5 KM away.

Entrance and parking area of Kinabalu Park

There are two restaurants, Liwagu Restaurant and Balsam Cafe, which serve western and oriental food, in buffet and ala carte style. The food is great but a bit expensive. More economic choices are available just outside the park.

Top Activities at Kinabalu Park

Besides Mt. Kinabalu, the recreational and accommodation zones inside the park offer a wide range of nature-based activities to nature lovers, whether they want something leisure or adventurous.

1. Climbing Mount Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu)

Conquering Mount Kinabalu is the highlight. More than 45,000 tourists climb this granite mountain every year, and most of them love the scenery and challenge. The view along the summit trail is breathtaking. Imagine the feeling you stand above the cloud like the king of the world. It’s really a once in a lifetime experience.

Climbing Mount Kinabalu is the most popular activity of Kinabalu Park

Normally the climb takes two days and one night. In day one, you ascend 6 KM to Panalaban (previously known as Laban Rata), where you spend a night, then continue the last 2.7-Kilometre climb to the summit at 2am next morning. The accommodation on the mountain is always full, so you must book 6 months in advance. For Sabahans, they can register with Sabah Parks. For other climbers, they can book the climb with Sutera Sanctuary Lodges.

On the summit (Low’s Peak) of Mount Kinabalu. Behind us is the Low’s Gully.

FYI, you can send a postcard from the highest postbox of Malaysia at Panalaban. » Read more about How to Climb Mount Kinabalu.

Via Ferrata

For those daredevils who are not afraid of height and want more spectacular view, the must-try is Mountain TORQ, the world’s highest and Asia’s first Via Ferrata. Put on the gears and take the ‘iron road’ at 3,200m to 3,800m above sea level to move to the peak. Or you may sign up for an alpine rock climbing course too.

2. Hiking / Jungle Trekking

Kinabalu Park is more than just Mount Kinabalu. What makes Kinabalu Park truly shines are the eco-treasure in its forest. There are 326 bird and around 100 mammal species live in Kinabalu Park. In the vicinity of Kinabalu Park Headquarter is dense lower montane forest, a mossy cloud jungle which looks like an alien world.

Jungle trekking in mountain forest of Kinabalu National Park

Walk into this playground of naturalist and plant enthusiasts and you would spot animals such as mountain squirrel, gliding lizard, lantern bug, pitcher plant, rhinoceros beetle and trilobite; and endemic plant such as pink Kinabalu Balsam, gigantic tree fern, snowy white Borneo Rhododendron and jewel orchid.

Nature Trails of Kinabalu Park

You are free to explore the nine nature trails in Kinabalu Park HQ, which take 15 minutes to three hours one way. For a casual walk, Personally I recommend Silau-Silau trail that starts from Multi-Purpose Hall. Liwagu Trail (5.5 KM one way) is the longest but the most rewarding. If you want the shortest trail, Bundu Tuhan View Trail is only 224 metres one way.

Layout and trail map of Kinabalu Park Complex

A few trails such as Bukit Ular has leeches, in case you mind. Hire a knowledgeable tour guide to go with you, they are good at spotting birds and critters. » Read more about Jungle Trekking in Kinabalu Park

Bird Watching

Kinabalu National Park is internationally recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA), especially for mountainous (montane) birds, a total of 58 species with 17 are endemic, and 262 of other residents bird species. Take a binocular and walk in Silau-Silau and Bukit Tupai trails in the morning, you would spot special birds such as Bornean Treepie and Chestnut-crested Yuhina. Sometimes you would find a group of Crimson-headed Partridge (wild chicken) forages next to you.

High on the bucket list of birdwatchers is sighting of endemic birds like Sunda Whistling Thrush, iridescent green Whitehead’s Broadbill, Whitehead’s Trogon, Mountain Serpent-eagle and Bornean Green Magpie. The best birdwatching location of Kinabalu Park is along the road towards Sabah Electricity Board’s Power Station at 1,800 M (6,000 feet).

3. Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden

This garden behind Liwagu Restaurant is really underrated. Kinabalu Park has more than 4,500 species of flora and fauna and many are endemic to this park only. A visit to Kinabalu National Park is incomplete if you can’t even name 3 special plant there.

*Nepenthes rajah* is the largest pitcher plant in the world and only found in Kinabalu Park

Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden has very interesting and representative collection of plant, flowers and herbs from Kinabalu Park. The garden offers daily guided tours at 9am, 12pm and 3pm (for a small fee). The guide (can speak English and Malay) will share some cool stories on selected plant.

Rothschild slipper orchid (left) is also known as *Gold of Kinabalu*, and “Santa Claus” orchid (right)

You definitely don’t want to miss the rare plant such as Rothschild Slipper Orchid and Nepenthes rajah, which can fetch very high price in black market. » Read more about Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden

4. Staycation in Nature Resorts

The accommodation inside Kinabalu Park Headquarter is managed by a private company called Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. You can choose different type of rooms, from chalet, villa, lodge to hostel, depends on your budget. The price ranges from RM125 for a hostel room to RM14,400 for the most lavished Rajah Lodge.

Variety of accommodation in Kinabalu Park. Photo Credit: Sutera Sanctuary Lodges

You can book the room in their booking website. Just key in the date and it will show you the availability and rate of the accommodation. Below is a quick look of the price range (Room / Lodge for 2 to 6 guests). Prices may vary depend on season.

Rock Twin Share Hostel: RM125 – RM390
Hill Lodge: RM150 – RM550
Liwagu Suite: RM300 – RM850
Nepenthes Lodge: RM350 – RM1,320
The Peak Lodge: RM400 – RM1,800
Nepenthes Villa: RM550 – RM2,800
Summit Lodge: RM550 – RM2,800
Garden Lodge: RM1,400 – RM2,800
Kinabalu Lodge: RM5,256 – RM7,200
Rajah Lodge: RM10,512 – RM14,400

Grace Hostel (with 20 Dormitory Bunk Beds) is not listed in their booking site. You may call them for details:
Sutera Sanctuary Lodges
Address: G.15, Ground Floor, Wisma Sabah, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Phone: +60 88-487466, +60 17-8332766
E-mail: info@suterasanctuarylodges.com
Website: suterasanctuarylodges.com.my

If you are very cost conscious, there are dozens of affordable accommodation very near to Kinabalu Park. With rich variety of choices like hotels, hostels, resorts, hill lodges around Kundasang, Ranau and Mesilau, you can pick the one that gives more bang for your bucks. Many even have better Mount Kinabalu view. My personal favourite is Kinabalu Pine Resort.

Park Fees & Opening Hours

Kinabalu Park opens from 7am to 7pm daily. You need to purchase ticket at the entrance at the following rates:

Malaysian
18 years old and above	RM10.00
Below 18	RM5.00
Below 12 years old / Above 60 / Handicapped	Free
Non-Malaysian
18 years old and above	RM50.00
Below 18	RM25.00

Conservation Fee (ticket) with effect from 1 Jan 2023

Tip: You can reuse the ticket in Poring Hot Springs on the same day.

Kinabalu National Park (Taman Nasional Kinabalu)

What to Bring

For non-climbers, bring jacket, poncho / umbrella, drinking water, cash and MyKad (or Passport), and wear comfortable walking shoes. Temperature in Kinabalu Park can drop below 16°C sometimes.

How to get there

Drive there yourself is the best option. It’ll be so easy with navigation apps like Waze (Where to: Kinabalu Park or see Location Map). You can park your car inside or outside the park. You will pass by Tamparuli town on the way. Do stop by for a breakfast and try the famous Tamparuli Mee (noodle).

Mini-bus station near Padang Merdeka Field in Kota Kinabalu City Centre

By Bus: take a mini-bus that goes to Ranau from bus station near Padang Merdeka Field in Kota Kinabalu City Centre. The fee costs about RM20 one way. The mini-bus will move once it’s full with passengers. Be there as early as 7am because first departure fills up faster. Ask the bus driver to drop you in front of Kinabalu Park. 5 or 6-seat Limo is also available on sharing basis for around RM35 one way.

Taxi / Grab: If you plan to visit other places in Kundasang besides Kinabalu Park, you better charter a taxi or Grab to save time.

Nearby Attractions

A visit to Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Springs is enough to keep you busy for a day trip, which is what most tourists do. However, to have a more enjoyable and relax trip, I advise you to spend a night or two around Kinabalu Park to cover more places of interest mentioned below.

1. Poring Hot Spring, Canopy Walk

About 40 KM away from Kinabalu Park Headquarter, Poring is also part of Kinabalu Park. You can reuse the Kinabalu Park ticket to visit Poring on the same day. Poring is above 400 Metres above sea level, so it’s warmer than Kinabalu Park. The popular activities there are soaking in their sulphurous hot springs and a thrilling walk on the 40-metre-high canopy walkway.

Canopy Walk and Langanan Waterfall in Poring

2. Rafflesia Flower

On your way to Poring Hot Springs, keep an eye on roadside. In lucky day, you would see banner that announces the blooming of rafflesia. Rafflesia is a parasitic huge flower without root, leaf and stem. The blooming is rare and lasts only 6 days. The flower looks best in second and third day of blooming and starts to turn dark after that.

Roadside notice of blooming rafflesia flower

Blooming rafflesia (species: *Rafflesia keithii*), the largest flower of Sabah

Stop for the rafflesia site where tourist bus parks because travel agents always pick the site with the most beautiful bloom. The entry fee is about RM20 (negotiable) and camera fee will add another RM10.

3. DESA Cattle Farm in Mesilau

This is a family-friendly destination. Your kids will love it. Go to Mesilau to see milk cows feeding on green pasture under Mount Kinabalu. You would think that you are in New Zealand.

Feeding little lamb and trying the ice cream in DESA Cattle Farm

DESA is the producer of Sabah cow (and goat) milk. You must try their gelato or yogurt ice cream, and check out the milking station. After that, go to the barn to milk or hand feeding the cute baby cows and little lambs. » Read more about DESA Cattle Farm

4. Kundasang War Memorial

Even if you are not a history buff, you will appreciate the beautiful gardens of Kundasang War Memorial. During World War II, 1,787 Australian and 641 British prisoners of war died when they were forced by Japanese to walk 265 KM from Sandakan to Ranau, an infamous event called Death March.

Beautiful garden of Kundasang War Memorial

To commemorate the soldiers, Kundasang War Memorial is built with four garden themes, namely, Australian Garden, English Rose Garden, Borneo Garden and the Contemplation Garden. Visitors can stroll in this memorial to learn and feel the historic past of the Death March, and leave with a deeper appreciation of peace and freedom.

5. Nabalu Town

It’s hard not to notice this busy town packed with tourists, when you are 12 KM before Kinabalu Park. Most people like to stop briefly in this town for a short (toilet) break after a long drive.

Mount Kinabalu viewing platform of Nabalu Town

At the end is an observatory platform for visitors to selfie with Mount Kinabalu. There is a long house piled with tons of souvenirs for you to shop and bargain. The little fruit and vegetables market there also draws many people to sample some local fruits such as tarap and langsat. » Read more about Nabalu

6. Paragliding in Lohan

Need some adrenaline rush to feel great being alive? Paragliding at Lohan is for you then. At the junction to Poring Hot Springs, you can turn to Lohan Hill for an exciting ride. Pay around RM200+ for a 5 to 7 minute tandem ride to fly like a bird and enjoy the wonderful aerial view of hilly countryside. You need to book the flight in advance. » Read more about Paragliding in Lohan

7. Climbing Maragang Hill

Located in Mesilau (near Kundasang), Maragang Hill is 2,232 Meters high and a new climbing destination that is gaining popularity really fast. The climb is an easy 1.6-Kilometer hike to the peak and takes only half-day. On the peak of Maragang Hill, you can have one of the closest and most magnificent view of Mount Kinabalu. » Read more about Climbing Maragang Hill

Hiking only 1.6 Kilometers to get this view? It’s a steal!

8. Kundasang fruit and vegetables market

This one is the favourite part of mothers. On the way back to Kota Kinabalu, stop by the Kundasang market to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables. Local snacks are popular buy too. You know it’s the right place to shop when you see so many mom around.

9. Climbing Sosodikon Hill

Sosodikon Hill in Kundasang is only 70 Metres tall. Climbing to its peak takes less than 15 minutes and you can have a breathtaking panoramic view of Kundasang Valley from the top. » Read more about Climbing Sosodikon Hill

Climbing to the peak of Sosodikon Hill takes less than 15 minutes and everyone can do it.

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge in Borneo Jungle

About Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge (KDRL)

Built in 2014, Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge is a jungle lodge located in the buffer zone (edge) of the Danum Valley Conservation Area and part of 242,000-ha Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve (classified as Fully Protected Forest).

The accommodation of Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge

KDRL offers basic but comfortable chalet style accommodation and has 10 standard rooms (fan) and 10 deluxe rooms (air-conditioning) for tourists. 24-hour electricity is available in the lodge.

Dining hall of Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge

Kawag means cursed place. Locals believe that the forest there is resided by Bunian people, the elf-like supernatural beings usually live in remote forest or mountain. People who went there would have weird dream or gone missing. Don’t worry. Nowadays Kawag is a tourist-friendly destination.

Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge is located in the buffer zone of the Danum Valley

The rooms of Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge

One of Kawag’s highlight is good chance of seeing the highly endangered Bornean pygmy elephants. I saw a herd of them at the roadside while I was on the way to KDRL. When our van approached, the adult elephants formed a defensive circle with the calf in centre. Too bad I didn’t see any orangutan, which said to be abundant in Malua forest.

A group of elephants near Kawag. Note there is one with satellite collar for tracking of migration

During my stay I saw a wild bearded boar named Rudy foraged around the lodge, and a Malay civet hunted insects attracted by the light. Everything there reminds visitors that they are in the wild.

Meal served at restaurant of Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge

Nature-Based Activities

Though this lodge is surrounded by secondary forest, the forest is regenerated well and thick enough to house rich variety of flora and fauna. Kawag rainforest is characterised by younger trees and denser undergrowth but have almost everything a typical primary rainforest offers.

Crazy people lol. Photo says it all.

Therefore, you can have fun with many nature adventures such as jungle trekking, night safari, bird watching and river tubing, to fully experience the jungle. I really enjoyed my 3 days 2 night stay with KDRL. Thanks to their in-house guides, Mr. Donny and Ms Hana, for sharing the interesting stories of every animal and plant in Kawag.

1. Exploring Jungle

Birds and wildlife are thriving in Kawag. In day one, after lunch at the lodge, we went for a short guided walk at 3pm on the Kawag trail. We looked at the biggest tree in Kawag, which is a 80 to 100 years old Seraya tree (species: Shorea johorensis), a popular timber.

What we saw in hiking: Lantern bug, pygmy squirrel, Serpent Eagle and 3-color tree

Then we found a 3-in-1 trees, i.e. Kayu Malam, Seraya and Jati trees grow like they are hugging one another. The guide showed us a Bayur tree that produces salty sap, which was once used by villagers for cooking during the World War II, salt was scarce that period because Japanese seized from them. Sometimes deer chews the bark for salt supplement (a behavior called Salt Lick).

Locally known as Belian (means Diamond in local language), Borneo ironwood is one of the hardest and most valuable timbers. There is one that stands over 120 years in Kawag.

Some would be excited to see these, while other probably don’t.

Iconic Borneo wildlife such as gibbon, elephants, banteng (wild cattle), orangutan, deer and leopard cat have been sighted on the Kawag trail.

Herd of elephants in Danum Valley

During my two hiking, I spotted Trogon bird, Black & Yellow Broadbill, pygmy squirrel, giant orchid, Goshen Hawk, Barbler, and long tailed macaques. We also heard Great Argus not far away.

My friend in front bumped into an albino mouse deer (Kancil) before it ran away. Too bad I missed it. I was told that a limestone cave next to the trail has white bat. I didn’t see it but found some white tractor millipedes. This added more sense of mystery to this forest.

After dinner, we climbed up to the back of a pick-up truck for a night safari tour. The car drove slowly along the road. The guide used spotlight to scan the forest and bushes at roadside for nocturnal animals. It’s a very relaxing activity, we enjoyed the breeze and amazed by blue and green light fireflies pass-by occasionally.

Malay Civet spotted in night safari

Our guide did the hardwork of searching and found us sleeping Prinia, Ashy Tailor bird, flying Colugo, slow loris, etc. The jackpot is western tarsier, an odd looking small primate which has eyes bigger than its brain, and can turn its head almost 360 degrees. No wonder locals call it Ghost Monkey.

I saw Western Tarsier in my second visit to Kawag

The next morning, we walked to the higher ground to see sunrise shined over the misty forest. The trail condition of Kawag is ok overall, but a bit slippery after rain. And always watch out for leeches and fire ants.

Climb up to a hill to see the misty forest during sunrise

2. Bird Watching

In the morning you can walk to a 15-Meter-high observatory tower near the lodge. From the top, I saw Bornean Forktail, Serpeant Eagle and leaf bird, and heard loud morning call of Gibbon.

The 50-feet observatory tower in Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge

Based on a Bird Survey 2015 in Kawag Forest Scientific Expedition, over 100 species of birds can be found here. Just to list some cool ones, Great Argus, Scarlet-rumped trogon, fish owl, babbler, White-Crowned Shama, green leaf bird, black and red broadbill, sunbird, bulbul, crested hawk, oriental darter, oriole, and hornbill. 5 species of Pitta, the most colorful birds of Borneo, can be spotted in Kawag.

This observatory tower is a good spot for bird watching

Jason, my professional bird guide friend found Raptors, Hornbills, migratory Dark-sided Flycatcher, and Large Frogmouth in Kawag. You may check out his birdwatching blog.

Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge in the morning

If you are interested in bugs too, you would be happy to see Mantidfly, Hornet / wasp like praying mantis, strange looking goat moth, Rajah Brooke’s birdwing butterfly, endemic Borneo damselfly, and lantern bug. (Thanks Dr Arthur for the info)

3. Ali Baba Waterfall

Borneo forest is a warm and humid place, so a bath at their Ali Baba Waterfall is very welcomed. The 2.4-Kilometre walk to this waterfall takes about 1.5 hours.

Jungle trekking to the Ali Baba Waterfall

Fresh elephant dungs in the forest

We saw some fresh elephant dung along the trail. The trail was quite flat so it didn’t take much effort to reach Ali Baba Waterfall.

The gazebo next to Ali Baba Waterfall

The water of Ali Baba Waterfall is from the unpolluted rainforest

The tea color of Ali Baba Waterfall is from the tannin of rainforest plant

It’s dry season so this waterfall pond wasn’t deep for a swim but good enough for a dip. Do you know gold can be found in river of Danum Valley? I tried to see through the clear water hoping to find a gold nugget or two. The water appears golden color because of natural tannin from the plant rot in water.

Playing Tarzan lol

With me was a friendly European couple. The guy stood in the water and started giggling hysterically. Thinking that he found gold, I walked closer and found that he was actually excited with the small fishes nibbling his feet like giving a fish massage.

Something cute nibbling the feet of tourist

Fish massage in the pond of Ali Baba Waterfall

Different fish species in the water of Ali Baba Waterfall

We climbed up the cascading waterfall and saw two more waterfall ponds. One of them is 4 Meters deep. The handsome man is keen to be my model to play Tarzan in my photos. Thank you friend.

The waterfall pond of Ali Baba Waterfall

The waterfall pond of Ali Baba Waterfall is a bit deep. Note the safety rope in the water.

Tourist enjoys running stream of Ali Baba Waterfall

You can swim in the waterfall pond

How to get there

KDRL is located in Lahad Datu district, east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. No walk-in tourist to the lodge allowed. Without a permit for you and your vehicle, you will be blocked from entering this protected forest. You must book the accommodation with the operator Borneo Refugia in advance. Below is contact information and more details for you to find out more:

Tel: +60 88-267637 (Kota Kinabalu office), +60 89-862451 (Lahad Datu)
E-mail: info@borneorefugia.com, ann.neogia@gmail.com
Facebook: Kawagdanumrainforest
Website: borneorefugia.com
GPS Coordinates: 5.049416, 117.972651 (see Location Map)

Entrance to Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge (KDRL)

A 3-day-2-night full board tour package costs around MYR2,000 per person (about USD480), which includes accommodation, return transfer (between Lahad Datu Airport and KDRL), meals, guiding service, and permit. Check their Facebook before booking, sometimes they have deep discount promotion.

Long boardwalk to Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge (KDRL). Sometimes elephants walk under it.

They will pick you up at Lahad Datu airport, and drive 1 hour 45 minutes on 52-Kilometre gravel road to the lodge. You need to get your own flight ticket (from Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu) via MASwings airlines, which is available every day.

Things to Bring

Clothing, towel, toiletries, swimwear, anti-leech socks, raincoat / poncho, insect repellent, hiking shoes, flashlight, sandal / slipper, backpack, camera, phone and power bank.

Photos taken in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Stingless Bees, Honey Bees and other Bees of Sabah

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I guess the little black bees (see photo below) are no strangers to you, as they are so common in Sabah. They seem to nest anywhere that has cavity, like tree hollow, even wooden houses. They usually make a wax-like exit tunnel for the hive. When I was a naughty boy, I just couldn’t help to pinch the tunnel to close the exit, though they are gentle and harmless.

In one occasion, I was told that they are “stingless bees” (Trigona spp). FYI, they are locally known as Kelulut, and Chinese calls it Mi Zai (蜜仔). When stingless bees got agitated, they don’t sting. Instead, they secrete something sticky and make my hair stick together. I didn’t pay much attention to them, because they are so ordinary and abundant.

Stingless Bee Farming

One day I passed by a house in Kiau Nuluh Village and saw a few log, each with a small opening.

Another closer look of the log. Actually they are hollow log (usually coconut trunk) for bee farming. The locals call this empty log “Gelodog”. Beekeepers keep the stingless bees in their original log hive or transfer them into a wooden box. Some put it in bamboos, flowerpots, coconut shells, and other recycled containers such as water jug.

However, to my surprise, they are not farming honey bees, they farm stingless bees instead. It was early in the morning and most villagers have gone to work in their plantation, so I could not turn to anyone for answer. I wonder why they rear such a small bee species. Aren’t larger honey bees more productive?

Stingless bee hives in Kiulu (noted the bamboo logs being pointed to by green arrow)

Later I met a bee expert, Mr. Salim Tingek, who is one of the authors for the book “Honey Bees of Borneo”. He told me that the honey produced by stingless bee is sour and even bittern in taste, but its honey has better medical values, with functions still not being well-known to most researchers.

As stingless bees are a lot smaller than honey bees, they may have access to smaller flowers such as herb. His studies are mainly focus on commercial honey bees, so he advised me to ask the locals for more details.

Searching on the Internet, I found a bit of info from a propolis bee farm at the Penang Botanical Garden. They breeds stingless bees (in fact only Malaysia doing this) to get the propolis which can “promote healing and regeneration of tissues. It has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory functions and protect the body from oxygen free radical damage, …useful as healing agent and application for home remedies such as honey, soap and balm”. In Sabah, the State Agriculture Department and Koperasi Pembangunan Desa (KPD) provide consultancy and training courses for villagers in stingless bee farming.

Last month in a jungle trek in Gaya Island, I saw hunderds of stingless bees gathered on a small tree, which is next to their hive.

It was quite an interesting phenomena, but I have no idea what they were doing. This specie has every big exit tunnel.

Due to the forest fire caused by drought, many bees lose their home. Above is a photo of stingless bee rebuilding its home on a burnt tree.

Thanks to Dr. Arthur Chung, I learn that the honey of stingless bee is much sought-after because it contains more antioxidant properties than honey bee. It contains less sugar, with phenolic compounds, which is a superfood good for health. Geniotrigona thoracica and Heterotrigona itama are preferred stingless bee species for commercial honey production in Malaysia.

Preferred Host Plants for Stingless Bees

Flowering creepers, such as “Honolulu Creeper” (Antigonon leptopus) and passion fruit.
Ornamentals, such as Turnera subulata.
Fruit trees, such as star fruit and rambutan.
Acacias and other flowering forest trees.

Honey Bees of Sabah

Talking about honey bees, probably I can share something I learn from the honey bee experts (Nikolaus Koeniger, Gudrun Koeniger and Salim Tingek). There are five species of honey bees in Borneo. One of them is Apis nuluensis (nulu means Mountain in Dusun language), a new species endemic to Sabah. They found its nest in a tree hollow near Laban Rata. There are 9 species of Apis honey bees in the world. The dominant honey bee species of Sabah is Apis koschevnikovi.

Apis cerana is the most common honey bee species being farmed (domesticated) in Sabah. In Kudat you can find many bee farms around and they have become tourist attraction of villages. The most famous honey bee farm of Sabah is located in Kampung Gombizau.

There are three species of cavity-nesting honey bees in Sabah (*Apis cerana*, *Apis koschenikovi*, and *Apis nuluensis*), collectively called *pomosuon* in the Kadazan-Dusun language.

The “Gelodog” (hollow log) bee farming method is destructive, as you may damage the bee hive when you open the cover to collect the honey. The more sustainable method is by using Movable Frame Hive (like photo above).

Apis cerana honey bee is an Asian bee species, and it is not as famous as the European bee such as Apis Mellifera. We pay RM40, 50 to buy a small bottle of imported honey, even though our local honey bees also produce high-quality honey. Our environment is cleaner and more nature than the western countries. By right, our honey is better. We only don’t package our honey and turn it into a $ound brand.

Pic: a small bottle of Sabah honey (right) can cost MYR25 (≈USD8.33), expensive, but still cheaper than imported honey.

Photo above: unwelcome guest detected by honey bees. Many natural predators and thieves are eyeing for the sweet honey and want to get a share. Besides stinging, honey bees have many ways to deal with enemies. Like the “sticky ring” next to the hive of Apis andreniformis bees, ants and other bugs who want to approach the hive will be glued. The powerful mandible of drone (soldier bee) can chew off their heads too.

Here comes the most famous bee of Sabah, Apis Dorsata. This largest wild honey bee of Sabah is not only famous for its honey, but also its aggressiveness. Chinese calls it “Ba Gong Mi” (八公蜜) and this bee means horror. Stealing honey from these bees brings death penalty. I sweated when a bee expert showed a photo of her only 2 feet away from the dorsata swarm. She says it is ok, because the swarm is looking for a nesting site so the bees are not in the mood of protecting honey. I can’t read bee language so I will never dare to try that. I advise you not to too..

Apis dorsata specie is not a suitable candidate for bee farming, as they are not cavity dwellers. For safety and easier navigation, they love to build their hives high on tree, especially tall Menggaris tree. But my God, this bee seems to love to nest on Rambutan fruit tree too. Village kids like to throw stone to pluck Rambutan and that’s how they hit the jackpot by accident. Some locals hunt for their honeycomb and very likely the wild honey you buy in local market is from A. dorsata (or Apis cerana). The bee larvae is also edible. My mom tried it before and say it tastes like milk. Very healthy food I suppose.

Other Bess

The big black bee in photos above are Carpenter Bees, which were used to be the bee I feared the most. Later I found that it is very gentle and rarely attacks people. The only thing I know about it is this bee likes to drill a hole on the wood and nest inside, and it doesn’t live in group. Now I find it very cute. Oh Bee-Bee…

Ok, this one is a hornet (Lesser Banded Hornet), not a bee. If you see a rat corpse without eyes, that’s the work of this hornet. So far I haven’t seen any of them harvesting nectar, so I assume they like rotten meat. For those who do fishing in the wild, you better cover the fishes and bait, otherwise you will find many hornets come and feast on them. Anyway, it is quite safe to get near to them, as long as its nest is not somewhere nearby. Chinese calls it Tiger Head Bee (虎头蜂 in Chinese. Scientific name: vespa affinis). Its bright orange stripe is a clear warning. Everyone, who was stung by this hornet, says it scores 10 of 10 out of pain scale and the wound may leave a permanent scar. Imagine if you are stung by hundreds of them. The only way to escape the attack from swarm of hornets is to jump into the water, no matter you know how to swim or not. It is far more better to drown rather than being stung to death by hundreds of hornets.

Honey bees die if they sting, because they detach the sting that is linked to vital organs, this is not the case for hornets. Many even call them killer bees. Hornet hives are very common on the trees of countryside. If you come too near, they will send a few patrolling hornets to check on you. It is important that you slowly walk away from their hive and don’t do anything stupid that makes them perceive you as a threat.

Hornets like to nest on the tree, inside the shrub, under the roof and cliff. Their nests are very beautiful. However, after some days, the nest will grow from fist size to size of sandbag (or even bigger!). That’s how they get another name, i.e. Sandbag bee (泥包蜂 in Chinese). If you see their nest, don’t try to chase them away by boxing their hive like sandbag or fight them with mosquito insecticide. Just call the Fire Department, they know about to eliminate the nest (and it is a free service).

Can’t believe I can write so much about bees, hope you enjoy reading this…

Kampung Gombizau, Honey Bee Village of Sabah Borneo

Photos taken in Sabah Malaysia

Expedition to the Center of Sabah

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As Tip of Borneo is one of the most visited attractions in Sabah, “Center of Sabah” could be the next popular destination. In theory, if you thread a string through the center of a cut-out cardboard map of Sabah, the cardboard should hang flat in the balance. However, the work to pinpoint the exact Center of Sabah is far more complicated and takes years to find out. Since 2006, Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) had been collecting reading from 18,600 points along the Sabah coastline to calculate the Center.

The coordinates of the geographical Centre of Sabah is determined at Latitude 117°7’01.8″ East and Longitude 5°+20’38.4″ North (N 5°20’38.4″ E 117°7’01.8″), which is on the top of RISM Hill (Bukit RISM) in the Pinangah Forest Reserve near Telupid (about 280 Kilometers away from Kota Kinabalu city).

For the launching of the Center of Sabah, RISM organized an expedition team of 54 members, comprised of people from RISM, Sabah Surveying and Mapping Department, Sabah Land and Survey Department, Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Tourism Board and media, to visit the Center of Sabah. The flag-off ceremony was carried out in Tun Fuad Stephens Park at 8:35am on 30 Sep 2011.

We departed in a convoy of more than 10 4-wheel drive. We stopped by Nabalu town briefly for breakfast.

Our expedition team also had lunch at Telupid town around 2pm.

Then we entered a dusty, rocky and gravel road at a junction after Telupid at 2:45pm. The ride was bumpy and we saw oil palm plantation most of the time. We also saw a few logging trucks on the way.

Above: passing by Tongod. It’s a remote area of Sabah.

Millian Forestry Center

Above: reaching Pinangah Forest Reserve, where poaching is strictly prohibited.

Our group reached Millian Forestry Centre around 4pm. We spent a night here, before departing to the Center of Sabah in next day.

The accommodation of Millian Forestry Center is basic but quite comfortable. Electricity supply is available (though there was a blackout of 30 minutes). For a shared room like photo above (with air-conditioning and attached bathroom), it’s only RM40 (about USD12) per person per night. For VIP room, it’s RM60 (about USD19).

You can ask them to prepare meal for you (RM20-RM25 per head). They have a nice dining room too. I’m not the fussy kind of tourist who would complain about food not serving on hot plate. With such facilities in forest, it’s better than what I expect. You may contact Yayasan Sabah for booking of room.

Because Millian Forestry Center is in the wilderness, it’s nothing to do at night, so I just took a night walk to explore the jungle nearby.

Anyone knows what is the name of the insect above?

Day 2

After a nice breakfast in next morning, we checked out at 6:30am and headed to the base camp of Pinangah Forest Reserve, which is about 35-minute drive away and the starting point of the trail to the Center of Sabah.

On the way, most are excited about the trip but also a bit worried about the leeches, the little blood suckers in rainforest of Borneo.

The base camp is only a big open space. We parked our 4-wheel drives there and ready for the climb.

Above: marking attendance and briefing before the climb.

The Center of Sabah is located on top of RISM Hill (Bukit RISM), with a height of 584.2 Meters above the mean-sea-level and inaccessible by car, so we have to walk 3.6 Kilometers of jungle trail in Pinangah forest to reach the Center. Personally I like it because it is like an adventure.

We crossed 3 rivers along the way. We also pass by a small waterfall and the water is so clean and refreshing.

The “fern path” at the beginning is a nice view. Very soon we entered the dense and humid secondary forest. A recce team had marked the trail with white paper the day before, so we wouldn’t lose our way. The trail is nature and have no support such as boardwalk, rope and ladder. Some little brown leeches are lurking in the damp forest ground, creating panic among the ladies, fortunately not too many leeches around today.

Above: take a break in halfway

As hunting is not allowed here, we can see the traces of wild animals living happily here, like the wallow of wild boar shown in photo above.

After an hour, a guide shows us his GPS device and tells us the Center is only 500 Meters ahead, as if it is only a few minutes away. We are motivated to move faster, only to find that we are still an hour away from the destination!

The trail is mostly ascending and about 15° in inclination, with 50° for the steepest part. I’m experienced in jungle trekking so I would call this a hiking instead of climbing. The only problem is the crawling plant on the floor that we would trip over.

To reach the Center before noon, I was in a hurry and didn’t actively look for interesting flora and fauna. Anyway, I spot tractor millipede, centipede, ginger and some fungus. Someone even saw a small snake being eaten by a centipede. Too bad I miss that.

Reaching the Center of Sabah

Even though the climb is not overly challenging, the hike is still taxing. Finally I arrived the Center at 9:30am.

The climb usually takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on how fit you are. Most of us reached the Center before 10am.

Of course we won’t miss the opportunity to photograph the victorious moment. More climbers come and all of us make it!

With the special permission of the Sabah Forestry Department, for more accurate GPS reading and better view, the hilltop had been cleared so that we get an unobstructed panoramic view of the surrounding hills from the Center of Sabah. We can even see our cars from the hill (see photo above). Can’t believe we make it that far.

The surrounding view of the Center on RISM Hill is mainly forest and mountain range, a lovely sight.

The day is getting hot, so most of us take shelter under a makeshift camp built on a helipad. This helipad was constructed to facilitate helicopter landings. 4 tons of building materials such as cement was brought to the top by helicopter.

When everyone has arrived, we have a simple unveiling ceremony of Center of Sabah Monument.

Above: we are right in the middle of Sabah!!!

Above: there is a logo embedded at each side of the monument, which acknowledges the 4 organizations that make this project a success. The official launching of the Center of Sabah coincides with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) in year 2011.

The Centre of Sabah is marked with a survey control point named M500 – Bukit RISM planted at the peak by JUPEM.

There is a toposcope on the monument that shows the direction and distance to the popular attractions in other parts of Sabah, for example, Kota Kinabalu, Tenom, Ranau, Kudat, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Beluran, Beaufort, Long Pasia and Semporna.

Above: a group photo to conclude the end of our expedition.

You may watch the 3-minute video below to see the overall Expedition:

How to get there

As there is no travel agent selling tour package to Centre of Sabah, you will need to arrange your transport, meals, entry permit and guide on your own. It’s not difficult, but you have to communicate with a few parties back and forth. Basically, there are three main tasks:

1. Get a Permit

Because Centre of Sabah is located inside a protected forest reserve (Pinangah), you need to apply an entry permit from Sabah Forestry Department (SFD). Just write to the Director of SFD in Sandakan HQ to request for permission. In your letter, please state:

Number of people going (include your driver too), with details such as Name, ID and Nationality
Date of your visit
Purpose of your visit (i.e. visit Centre of Sabah)
Your contact (phone, H/P, fax, e-mail)
You may request for a guide. I’m sure they will send forest ranger(s) to go with you anyway

*SFD may collect permit or guide fee

Look for general phone number of SFD in Sandakan in their website. Ask for the correct fax number or mailing address to fax / send your letter. They are very efficient and usually get your application processed on next day, but I advise you to apply at least one or two week earlier, because you may need to do paperwork and make payment.

2. Booking the Accommodation

You may spend a night in Millian Forestry Centre (of Yayasan Sabah Group), which is near to the starting point of your climb. Below is the price list of their accommodation and services (rates of Year 2014/2015), and the phone numbers for booking.

Pic: please note you need to add 6% GST Tax on top of final amount

Besides booking a room, you also can pre-book your meals with them. You also find more details at the Facebook of the Centre of Sabah.

3. Other Things

For example, if you don’t have a 4-Wheel Drive, you will need to rent one. You better buy insurance for your trip. Here are some recommended things to bring: backpack (with rain cover), raincoat / poncho, mosquito repellent, anti-leech socks, drinking water, energy bar, GPS device, extra clothing / socks, toiletries.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album if you want to see more nice pictures:

Photos taken in Telupid, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

The fireflies of Sabah

Firefly Tourism

Firefly watching has become a big business in Malaysia as well as Sabah. For example, firefly generated a total of RM7.3 million (USD2.4 million) income for Kuala Selangor in year 2000, from the tour, employment, F&B, transportation, etc. In average, each firefly there carries a RM2,000 price tag. In Sabah, Klias wetland is the hot spot for firefly watching. Just do a simple math, 100 tourist/day x RM180/tour x 365 days, and you will get the figure RM6.57 million/year!

Pic: tourists looking at the fireflies. Note the dotted firefly trails.

Congregating Fireflies

There are over 2,000 firefly species in the world. But what impresses tourists the most is Congregating Firefly, which is mainly Pteroptyx genus (Family: Lampyridae). Fireflies gather and flash on a display tree in mangrove forest, by a number of hundreds, even thousands, to create a phenomena like Summer Christmas Tree, one of the most beautiful natural wonders of Sabah.

Pic: firefly specimen

8 species of Pteroptyx are recorded in Malaysia, and 5 of them are found in Sabah, namely, P. tener, P. gelasina, P. similis, P. malaccae and P. valida. I won’t talk much about the Roving Firefly, which is solitary.

Why Firefly Glow?

Actually firefly flashes (not glow). Flashing, in different pulse and pattern, allows fireflies to communicate and attract the right species to mate. The presence of artificial light such as street light will disturb their communication. That’s why firefly lives far away from city, to avoid the light pollution. Some tour guides know such behaviour and flash their torchlight purposely to attract fireflies coming to their boats (to impress their customers!). Such practice is wrong and shall not be encouraged.

According to an article “Firefly Synchrony: A Behavioral Strategy to Minimize Visual Clutter” published in the prestigious journal Science in 2010, researchers Moiseff and Copeland found that when fireflies light up at random times, the likelihood of a female responding to a male is only 3 percent. But when the fireflies light up together, the likelihood of females responding is 82 percent.

Where is our Firefly?

You can find Congregating Firefly Zones (CFZ) in the following locations of Sabah. The best time to see firefly tree is between 7pm and 10pm in moonless night. The number and view during rainy or full moon night are not so fascinating.

Best spot: Klias, Beaufort. – P. tener
Kampung Sabandar, Tuaran. – P. similis & P. gelasina
Sungai Beringis (Beringis River), Kinarut. – P. similis
Kinabatangan Floodplain, Sandakan. – P. tener
Danau Pitas, an ox-bow lake in Kampung Abai. – P. tener
Others: Garama River, Binsuluk River, Weston.

Source: Mahadimenakbar bin Mohamed Dawood, Fiffy Hanisdah binti Saikim and Elia Godoong from Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Pic: Kinabatangan Floodplain

The firefly trees are usually located at both side of the river in mangrove. Fireflies seem to prefer to congregate on Sonneratia caseolaris (Berembang tree). You can read my other articles about fireflies in Sabah.

Pic: the common way to see firefly is by night river cruise

Interesting Facts of Firefly

Firefly is not a fly, it’s a beetle (group: Coleoptera).
The light of firefly is “Cold” light (2% heat and 98% light).
Adult firefly lives less than 1 month.
The firefly is a Bioluminescent Beetle, Bioluminescent means “direct production of light from a chemical reaction occurring within a living organism.”

Pic: firefly party after sunset

Love our Firefly

The declining of firefly population is primarily caused by the clearing of their wetland habitat for various development purposes such as housing, agriculture and aquaculture. According to the laws, the riparian must not be clear, and river bank is where firefly larva lives. Sadly, most orchard and oil palm plantation are oblivious about it, and their pesticides kill the babies of firefly. Furthermore, the increasing stray light from human settlement leaves firefly little space for survival. For example, the mangrove of Likas was used to have a lot of fireflies. After decades of forest clearing and encroachment, only a small colony of fireflies are left inside Kota Kinabalu Wetlands.

Pic: mangrove and river bank are habitat of firefly

Well, firefly watching was used to be FREE. After people destroy their habitat, firefly becomes rare and now we have to pay to see them. You see, eventually people will have to pay for their wrongdoing to the environment. Due to the destruction we did in the past, our children are no longer seeing this little elf everywhere. Instead of feeling sorry about no firefly to light up the childhood of our future generation, let’s start to protect what we have now. Be nice to nature and it’ll repay you.

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Turtle Sanctuary and Glamping at Libaran Island

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What a tourist couple did really touched me. I was buying cake in a bakery in Kota Kinabalu City. At the cashier counter, an Australian couple declined to use plastic bag to store their purchase. They explained to their children, “We shouldn’t use plastic bag because if it’s dumped into the sea, turtle would think it’s food and eat it, and that can kill it.” I’m so grateful that foreigners care about our turtles. On the other hand, I feel ashamed that Malaysians generate about 4,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste every day, and these contribute to plastic found on one-third of the coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jellyfish is the food of sea turtle, and plastic bag is often mistaken as jellyfish by turtles

Therefore, I see hope when Libaran Island, which used to be a turtle grave, has become a turtle sanctuary and a new tourism attraction now. Before a turtle hatchery was established there in 2012, every turtle egg laid on Libaran would end up in the stomach of villagers and stray dogs on the island. After 5 years, this hatchery has saved more than 27,486 turtle eggs!

Releasing baby turtles to the wild

And Top 4 Reasons to visit Libaran Island? #Turtle #Glamping #Stargazing #Sunset

About Libaran Island

With a population of 450 people, Libaran (GPS: 6.120437, 118.030001, see Location Map) is a 450-acre (about 2 sq KM) island located 45 minutes away by boat from Sandakan, the second largest city of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Though Libaran is only 5 minutes away from the famous Turtle Islands Park (a.k.a. Selingan) of Sabah, unfortunately it is not inside the boundary of this protected park.

Beach of Libaran Island during low tide

If turtle landed on the wrong island, that’s the end of their cycle of life when villagers collected their eggs. Luckily this is changed by Alex Yee, a business-minded conservationist, who creates Walai Penyu Conservation Park with a win-win model for the locals and turtles.

Beautiful mangrove tree in Libaran

Trip to Libaran Island

Turtle sighting in scuba diving is always a delightful experience. This gentle reptile swims gracefully and look really chill underwater. We can’t call a diving destination a top dive site if it has no turtle. Turtle is also the Guardian of Coral Triangle because it maintains the health of marine ecosystems. If turtles are safe, our tourism and environment will do well.

Group photo of divers with the friendly turtle. But we were not allowed to touch it or we would be banned for next dive.

What’s better than looking at the turtle up-close? Malaysia is home to four species of turtles, namely, Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley turtles, all are endangered due to pollution and poaching. When Alex invited me to his Walai Penyu Resort on Libaran Island last month, I said YES x 100 without thinking.

Alex named his boat “Tora” to commemorate his dog

In a sunny afternoon, our boat to Libaran departed from the Sabah Parks jetty located at Sandakan Yacht Club. If you book a tour with Walai Penyu Resort, they will provide boat and land transfer (Walai = Stay Together and Penyu = Turtle in local language).

Stunning red cliffs of Berhala Island

On the way to Libaran, you would pass by Berhala Island, a very beautiful island with distinctive red cliffs. Sadly, its beach is covered by so many junk that it never becomes a tourist attraction. If the locals love their environment more, they would have a nice island for weekend outing now. Rubbish is like karma, we will pay for our wrongdoing.

Approaching Libaran Island

The ocean was calm and we reached Libaran Island after 45 minutes of smooth ride. It’s a fairly densely vegetated flat island, without any high ground and tall building. Turtles love such pristine beach with little development. Too much noise and artificial light will drive mother turtle away.

You can see the corals in crystal clear water

Though we were about 100 Metres away from shore, the water was only knee depth, and I could see the lush corals clearly. Our boat cruised slowly to avoid crushing the corals.

Nesting spots of sea turtles

Finally we landed on the golden beach of Libaran, the cradle of turtles. Their staff already waited for us with wheelbarrow and transferred our bags to Walai Penyu Resort.

Landing track of mother turtle on the beach

Apparently we are not the only visitors here. Tracks and traces of turtle landing are everywhere. We found nesting sites under the shrubs, on the beach and near the camp.

Glamping at Walai Penyu Resort

We check-in to our room. Actually it’s a glamping tent, which is larger than standard camp and spacious enough to fit in two beds and a desk. The camp is very clean and located on the beach.

Glamping ground of Walai Penyu Resort in Libaran Island

Glamping is becoming a trend for travellers who love to be close to nature but stay comfortable with adequate setup. In short, Glamping is a luxury version of Camping. I have done camping many times, glamping is new to me, and it definitely offers a more family-friendly and enjoyable stay than camping.

Glamping is where stunning nature meets modern luxury

To minimise the impact to the environment, there are only 8 dome-shaped tents in Walai Penyu Resort to host up to 16 guests each day. Lighting is kept to minimum to avoid disturbing nesting turtles.

Experience glamping on Libaran Island

Bathroom in Walai Penyu Resort

The tents have side windows covered with mosquito net. You can unzip them for sea breeze or view. As our tents are very near to the beach, it’s quite windy and we could hear sea waves clearly.

Toilet and shower room on the island

The common toilet and bathroom have lot of open spaces that allow good ventilation, so the place is dry, clean and doesn’t smell.

Beautiful Libaran

Turtle usually comes after dusk. It’s still early, so I strolled around the island. With me were three lady editors (Alison, Carmen and San) for China social media. If you want to walk one around of this island, the walking distance is 6.5 KM, which takes about 1.5 hours.

These mangrove trees can prevent beach erosion

Near our glamping site is a few patches of lush mangrove trees. Alex told us that at night we could find fireflies there. The entangled roots of these old mangrove trees are so fascinating, some looks like bonsai.

Little mangrove “island”

I asked Carmen to be my model. Being professional, she didn’t hesitate to climb up and down the tree for some perfect shots (the mangrove root is quite slippery). Of course the outcome is brilliant. Instagram is full of cliche photos on sandy beach, so we are happy to bag many special shots.

From Left: Alison, Carmen, San and Alex Yee

Due to low tide, the water was very shallow and tempting, so we walked in the sea water to feel the soft sand and warm water running through our toes.

You can walk to Racket Island during low tide

Less than 2 KM away is Racket Island, where you can find the “tomb” of turtles. You can walk to that island during low tide. But do return before high tide or you have to swim back to Libaran.

Thanks Carmen for climbing up there for a great shot

The beach is long and litter-free. The cleanliness is not by accident. Alex divides the beach into dozens of 100-Metres lot, and pays villagers MYR100/month to keep their allocated slot clean.

This mangrove tree looks like bonsai

Clean beach is not only for tourists, but good for the turtles too. By regularly removing driftwood, plastics and other washed-up trash from the beach, turtles don’t need to crawl over piles of debris to lay their eggs on the beach.

Alex spent 3.5 years to collect 3,500 mineral bottles to build this little house

Alex has been buying plastic bottles from these cleaners for 3.5 years. He showed us his masterpiece he created with these plastic.

Plastic House Cafe?

It’s a 300 sq-ft plastic house which took 5 weeks to build from 3,500 one-litre plastic bottles. This house reminds me that Malaysia is the 8th largest producer of mismanaged plastic wastes. Guess that’s the message Alex tries to tell (and show) the world.

Fishermen return home after fishing

Then Alex went back to the camp to prepare other activities for us. We continued to explore other side of the island. There is a garrison on the island. I saw police and dogs patrolled on the beach, so I feel safe.

Peaceful dusk at Libaran

The sea view was ravishing. We forgot the time until dusk was approaching, and the cloud was like in fire. It’s the famous flaming sunset of Sabah. We chased for the sunset view and reached a peaceful fishing village on other end of the island. The friendly villagers smiled at us while busy preparing for the nightfall. This is just an ordinary fishing village, but looks so surreal under the sunset.

Fisherman walking to the sunset

Inspiring Success Story

By the time we were back to our resort, yummy dinner was already served under a canopy. During meal time, Alex shared some stories about his conservation project on Libaran. It wasn’t a smooth sail. If I were him, I would had given up.

Dinner on Libaran Island

Turtles have existed for over 200 million years, but if nothing is done, human can wipe them out in 10 years. Unlike Ninja Turtle, the shell of turtles can’t protect them from human greed. Turtles are fully protected by wildlife act in Sabah and Sarawak only. In some states of Peninsular Malaysia, turtle eggs are sold openly and it’s legal to consume them.

Mangrove seedling

However, without any enforcement on a remote island such as Libaran, the locals were eating the turtle eggs. I’m not saying that the villagers there are bad. Turtle eggs have been the main source of protein for islanders for many generations. Now for conservation, we have to take this away from these poor villagers, so it isn’t hard to understand why they are unhappy.

Variety of corals exposed during low tide

Besides stop eating turtle eggs, we must not harass turtles too. Let me tell you a real case. Rantau Abang in Terengganu used to the most popular nesting location of leatherback turtle. In 1950s, there were more than 10,000 nesting spots. Then tourists came and ride on their back and flipped them over for fun. The consequence is – almost 0 sighting of leatherback there for last 5 years.

Sometimes it’s a bit windy on Libaran

Libaran is blessed because they act soon enough to prevent the repeat of Rantau Abang tragedy there. In 2011, Sabah Wildlife Department sought collaboration with Alex to protect the turtles on Libaran, because the villagers collecting turtle eggs. However, it�s a hot potato, not cash cow, being handed over to Alex. The former village head didn�t support his conservation work and even tried to stop his team from collecting turtle eggs.

Lovely morning of Libaran Island

Deeply dismayed by many challenges and people issues, Alex thought about quitting in Nov 2015. His visit to Libaran in Feb 2016 was supposed to be a goodbye trip. Then a turtle laid 70 eggs in front of his tent. Alex saw this as a sign and decided to continue. Due to his perseverance, Alex has successfully established a new turtle stronghold on Libaran. It�s a victory in Sabah conservation.

Alison recording a time-lapsed video for sea tide

Just a trivia. During World War II, about 2 or 3 British prisoners of war escaped the infamous dead march, and one of them was hiding on Libaran until he was rescued by US Navy after the war. Many years later, his son visited Libaran and found that the father of Alex’s employee is the one who rescued his dad.

We still could see starry sky though that night was cloudy

Libaran is also a great place for stargazing, since they keep the light to minimal. I saw many stars in the sky, but it was covered by dense cloud shortly.

Good Night!

Before we went to bed, Alex said, “Tonight it will be high tide. We have good chance to see turtle landing.” And he was right.

Turtle Landing!

Because of the comfortable sea breeze and sound of sea waves, I had a deep sleep until I heard Alex was talking on walkie-talkie around 3:20am. I waked up and saw him standing outside his tent. From his serious expression, I knew a turtle has landed. I followed behind him with a torchlight.

Hawksbill turtle landed on Libaran

There are a total of 401 turtle landing (75% Green Turtle, 25% Hawksbill Turtle) on Libaran between 2013 and 2017.

Turtle laying eggs on Libaran Island

And yay!!! We saw a Hawksbill turtle about 200 Metres away from our campsite, and it laid eggs under a tree near to beach. We were so excited but we had to observe it quietly from a distance. If disturbed, mother turtle would abort the nesting and turn back to the sea. Sabah has the largest population of hawksbills in Malaysia.

Mother turtles only come to land for laying eggs. They will dig a hole with their legs, lay eggs, then cover them with sand. To me it’s bizarre. Imagine human who lives on land, but give birth a baby in the sea.

Moving the turtle eggs to hatchery for better survival rate

This Hawksbill turtle laid 149 eggs that morning, breaking the 3-year-old highest record of 146 eggs! According to Alex, Libaran got one turtle landing every 3 days in average. They prefer to come during high tide, so they don’t need to crawl a long way to the beach.

Turtle Hatchery

After the mother turtle left, the trained staff collected the eggs carefully and moved them to the hatchery near to our camp. This measure can increase the survival rate of hatching up to 90 per cent.

Turtle Hatchery on Libaran Island

Turtle eggs look like ping-pong ball, and are delicious treat for crabs, monitor lizards and birds. Therefore, we have to place a circular wire mesh enclosure around the nest, so these predators can’t dig the nest.

Each nest in hatchery is labelled with date, number of eggs and turtle species

The nest is also labelled with information such as date, number of eggs and turtle species. The eggs will hatch after 45 to 55 days. Do you know that temperature can set the sex of a hatching? Cooler temperatures lead to a male, while hotter sand leads to a female.

This 4-ha hatchery was setup in July 2012 by Alex Yee at the site chosen by Sabah Wildlife Department. It’s named as Taman Hadiah, which means Gift Garden. It hatches about 4,000 eggs every month in average (73% Green Turtle, 27% Hawksbill).

From 2013 until 2017, the hatchery had collected 20,022 Green turtle eggs and 7,464 Hawksbill turtle eggs. On 1 March 2018, they will celebrate the release of 30,000th turtle!

I’m happy to witness the release of a few dozens baby turtles that evening. They usually release them at night to avoid the predators. Once freed, the baby turtles will head to the moonlight and enter the sea.

Releasing baby turtles to the wild

Another amazing thing happens during the release, these baby turtles will register the magnetic signature of this beach as their “home point”. Even after 25 years, the female turtle can rely on Earth’s magnetic field to navigate back to her exact birthplace to lay eggs.

Only 1 in 1,000 of baby turtles can make it to adulthood

There is one cruel fact I hope I don’t have to tell you. Only one in a thousand baby turtles will survive. So every egg counts.

By the way, if you see any sneaky fellow in Sandakan City that shows you Ok sign in the street, bash him because he is selling turtle eggs illegally (but double check in case he is really a friendly Sandakian).

Leaving Libaran Island with happy faces

In Sabah, anyone caught in possession or consuming turtle eggs could be fined MYR50,000 or be jailed five years, or both, if convicted. That means you are as guilty as seller if you are buying turtle eggs.

Walai Penyu Libaran is one of the few places in Sabah where you can experience glamping

However, due to weak enforcement, these sellers are still around and certainly enjoy good business. I hope the authority will also prosecute the buyers to the fullest extent by law. This will send a strong warning to buyers that buying turtle eggs is also a crime.

How to get there

A visit to this new turtle island is highly recommended to those who want to see the miracles of nature. Day trip and overnight tour are available. For more information or booking, please contact Walai Penyu Resort via the following channels:
Facebook: WalaiPenyuResort
Website: walaipenyuresort.com
E-mail: sales@trekkerslodge.com
Phone: +60 16-8310168 (cellphone), +60 88-260263 (office)

View of our campsite after sunrise

At the end, I would like to compliment Alex Yee for his dedication in conservation. What he does far exceeds the scope of Corporate Service Responsibility (CSR). It’s a long term commitment, not a one-time beach clean-up or symbolically planting a few trees. I hope more visitors will visit Libaran to support the turtle conservation there. Please learn from the story of Rantau Abang and don’t be the generation that bully turtles.

Photos taken in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Where to see Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Sunbear, Pygmy Elephant and Hornbill of Borneo

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Does Sabah have anything extraordinary on world map? Foreigners would not know your favourite celebrity in Malaysia. But when you mention the word “Borneo”, they would reply, “Oh I know, that’s where orangutan lives!” Orangutan is a superstar in animal kingdom and is featured as much as Kangaroo and Panda in nature channels.

Superstars of Borneo: Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Pygmy Elephant, Sunbear and Hornbill

However, orangutan, a.k.a. Man of the Forest, isn’t the only wonder in our 140-million-year-old Borneo rainforest (Amazon is only 60 million). Come and meet the “Borneo version” of Playboy, Teddy Bear, Mini Jumbo and Love Bird, which are Proboscis Monkey, Sunbear, Pygmy Elephant and Hornbill respectively, the other four iconic wildlife rule the third largest island on earth. Allow me briefly introduce these charismatic and must-see animals of Borneo:-

1. Orangutan – Man of the Forest

say Hi to your cousin (just kidding), orangutan, is one of our closest relative, as their DNA is 97% resemble to human. If you look at their eyes and expression, you know they are thinking animal. Orangutan probably inspired the making of first King Kong movie, and you may have seen orangutan in movies such as Maurice in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and King Louie in Jungle Book.

Orangutan is only found in Borneo and Sumatra

Orangutan is smarter than Chimpanzee. They know how to use tools, memorizing the fruiting season of different fruit and pass on this knowledge to their offspring. Orangutan is the only great ape of Asia. So please stop calling orangutan a monkey, that’s an insult to them lol.

2. Proboscis Monkey – Playboy of Borneo

This peculiar long-nosed monkey has an amusing nickname, i.e. Orang Belanda (means Dutch Man in Malay language) because of its big nose and beer belly (don’t be offended ok, if you are from Netherlands). Though you would think the long, pendulous nose of adult males is funny, the female monkey think it’s sexy. And strong male proboscis monkey has dozen of wives.

Never feed Proboscis Monkey with banana. Their digestion system is meant for breaking down mangrove leaves. Anything sweet will ferment and create lot of gas in their stomach, and that could cause death.

3. Pygmy Elephant – Mini Elephant

Pygmy Elephant is the smallest elephant on earth and only a thousand of them left in Sabah, so they are critically endangered and far rarer than African elephant (with a population of 350,000+ and always reported as “in worrying status” by world media).

Pygmy elephant is the most endangered elephant species

Pygmy Elephant looks like Asian Elephant, but both species separated from each other around three million years ago, and Pygmy Elephant evolves into a smaller subspecies that has longer tail and round baby face. Pygmy Elephants love durian and they swallow it as a whole.

4. Bornean Sun Bear – Teddy Bear of Borneo

About the size of a dog, Bornean Sun Bear is the world’s tiniest bear. The baby bear is so adorable and cuddly that some people keep it as pet illegally. For such a beautiful creature, you might imagine that they live a fairytale life in a candy house filled with cookies.

Instead, they live in danger every day. Poachers shoot them without hesitation, for their highly priced gallbladder. And their cute baby bears would be kept as pet, but will be abandoned eventually after they grow too big to be handled. Never live in the wild since young, these bears won’t survive.

5. Hornbills – Love Birds of Borneo

Hornbills are monogamous and a symbol of fidelity. I always see them flying in pair. There are 8 species of hornbills in Borneo, each with interesting characteristics. For example, Helmeted Hornbill is called Burung Tebang Mentua (Chop Mother-in-law in Malay language) by locals because of its long eerie call that sounds like evil laughter.

During hatching period, female hornbill seals herself inside a tree hole, leaving a slit for feeding by her “husband”. The male can come back and forth as many as 70 times a day to feed. This goes on for months until the chick hatched. If this is not love, what it is then.

Best Place to See Them All?

You can see these “big 5” wildlife in only 2 days in Sandakan, the gateway to wildlife sanctuary of Borneo. Sepilok and Kinabatangan will be your best destinations for wildlife sighting in Borneo. For tour and accommodation, I stayed in the lodges of Nasalis Larvatus Tours which are rated as 4+ stars by TripAdvisor.

1. Sepilok

Sepilok is a a virgin forest reserve about 26 KM away from Sandakan City and highly accessible by public transport. Tourists love this place because they can see Orangutan, Sunbear and probably Hornbill in one trip. The following are three parks that are adjacent to one another in Sepilok.

1) Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC)

Founded in 1964, SORC is the most popular tourist attraction in Sandakan. Orphan orangutan is sent here for survival skill training such as climbing and food hunting. They will be released to the wild after they “graduate” from this orangutan school. The best time to see them is during the feeding time at 10am and 3pm daily. The Centre also has a hall where you can see cute baby orangutan playing in nursery.

Feeding time at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

2) Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)

Located just next to SORC, BSBCC houses and rehabiliates over 40 bears rescued from illegal zoo and pet owners. BSBCC won the Best Nature Attraction in Sabah Tourism Awards 2017 and its founder Dr. Wong is named as one of the CNN Heroes in 2017.

The bears roam in a confined forested area for tourists to observe them from a rised platform. You will be amazed by their tree climbing skill and playful behavior. Some staffs are around to share the story of each bear. Their sad stories could make you cry, but sun bear gets far less attention than Polar Bear and Panda.

3) Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)

RDC is a beautiful forest park with tall tropical trees, lake, nature trails and exhibition hall. You can walk on their 15-Metre high sturdy walkway to see everything at canopy level.

Canopy walkway of Rainforest Discovery Centre

This place is also an ideal bird-watching location where you would find hornbill, kingfishers, pitta, and Bornean Bristlehead, the superstar endemic bird of Borneo. If you are a tree hugger, check out the Sepilok Giant, an estimated 800-1,000 years old Ironwood tree in the park.

Nature Lodge Sepilok

For accommodation, I spent a night in Nature Lodge Sepilok (GPS: 5.875559, 117.950068, see Location Map) in Sepilok and able to make a day trip to all 3 parks near the lodge.

Below are some photos of Nature Lodge Sepilok.

Nature Lodge Sepilok is a family friendly accommodation

The lodge is constructed in smaller scale to give more privacy and tranquility to tourists. They don’t want a big lodge with hundred of noisy tourists.

The room is nice and clean with air-conditioning. It is as comfy as a 3-star hotel room. The pictures above shall give you an idea.

The open bathroom of Nature Lodge Sepilok

And the toilet and bathroom is a little surprise. It’s a backyard garden with bath and toilet area partly concealed by plant. There is no tall building around, so don’t worry about your privacy. In fact, taking bath and doing my business in semi-open area is oddly satisfying. One of my friends found bird nest in her bathroom.

Cute & friendly cats at Nature Lodge Sepilok

Every time I walked around the lodge, I always ended up with cat fur all over me. The cats there are so cute and friendly.

Breakfast at Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok

The food in Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok is delicious and rich in variety. They even look yummy in photos. Every meal time is a happy time for me.

Delicious food in Mango Garden Cafe of Nature Lodge Sepilok

By the way, you can buy almost every necessity in their shop, e.g. raincoat, soft drink, instant noodle, snack, toiletries, sunblock lotion, insect repellent, drinking water.

Nature Lodge Sepilok is really a great place for a relax and leisure vacation. For booking, you can reach them at: www.insabah.com or Phone: +60 16-8302038

2. Kinabatangan River

Let’s keep it short, Kinabatangan River is simply the best place to see orangutan, proboscis monkey, pygmy elephant and hornbills in the wild. You need a bit of luck to see pygmy elephant and orangutan though, as they are always on the move (please note this is not a zoo).

Kinabatangan River is the longest river of Sabah

No matter what, I can assure that you won’t be disappointed with your trip in Kinabatangan, because there are so many other amazing wildlife to look at.

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Seeing wildlife in their natural habitat is a more exciting experience, so I visited Kinabatangan and stayed in Nature Lodge Kinabatangan (GPS: 5.494785, 118.204908, see Location Map) at Bilit Village, which is in upstream of Kinabatangan.

We stopped at Kedai Kopi Santa of Kinabatangan Town for lunch. Their Soto (Beef soup) is one of the best in Sandakan.

It took about 2 hours of road trip from Sandakan City to Bilit. The Lodge is located about 30 Metres away from the Kinabatangan River.

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan is a highly ranked accommodation in Tripadvisor

After we checked into our room, we started our sunset river cruise and saw a baby crocodile on the river bank right away.

Kinabatangan River is one of the best bird-watching sites in Borneo

There were many birds along the river. I saw Purple Heron (many!), Little Heron flying next to our boat, Black & Red Broadbill, Lesser Adjutant (known as Burung Botak locally, means Bald Bird), Rhinocerous Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Brahminy kite, and Oriental Darter (Snake Bird).

Then we saw a group of Long-tailed macaques in commotion. They stood up looking at a pile of log, probably there was a monitor lizard or crocodile hiding in there. The highlight is a few herds of proboscis monkey on the trees.

Sunset river cruise at Kinabatangan River

After the interesting river cruise, we had our buffet dinner in the lodge. We enjoyed some fresh vegetables planted in their garden.

Buffet dinner at dining hall of Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

The activity didn’t stop there. We went for a night walk in the forest around 8pm. If this adventure is too much for you, you may stay back at the lodge to join some fun activities such as local dance.

With the help of our guide, we spotted a few nocturnal animals in the dark. A jewel-color kingfisher slept like a fluffy ball on a twig, so cute. A researcher put up a white sheet to attract insects with light. We went busybody there and checked out the bug. Near the end we saw a number of big flying foxes foraging on a cotton tree. It’s quite a thrilling experience.

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan is in the forest of Kinabatangan

After day long of playing, I went back to my lodge to rest. The lodge is inside the rainforest. It’s a special feeling to sleep in a forest, so peaceful and quiet, almost like a therapy.

They also have dormitory if you prefer backpacker style accommodation.

Reading room in Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

My room is quite spacious and comfortable. I love big space as it makes me more relaxing, so I’m really happy with my room, and it has air-conditioner.

The next day we waked up around 6am for a morning river cruise. Though it’s really early and I was sleepy, the sighting was very rewarding. The morning was cool and refreshing with a bit of mist on the river.

We spotted an Orangutan on top of a Durian tree

We were so lucky to see an orangutan waked up from his nest high up on a durian tree. Another trophy is Storm’s stork, which has only around 200 left in the world, and Kinabatangan is their stronghold.

River cruise is the best way for wildlife sighting at Kinabatangan

Wild Proboscis Monkey is quite common here. You can easily see about 20 of them here.

Group of wild Proboscis Monkey in Kinabatangan

If you love to experience this safari trip, you may contact Nature Lodge Kinabatangan via the following channels:
Website: naturelodgekinabatangan.com
Facebook: NatureLodgeKinabatangan
Phone: +60 88-230 534
E-mail: sales@nasalislarvatustours.com

Both Nature Lodge Sepilok and Nature Lodge Kinabatangan are operated by Nasalis Larvatus Tours, a licensed travel agent of Malaysia.

Flight to Sandakan

You can fly to Sandakan City by Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia from Kota Kinabalu City (KK)(50 min flight) or Kuala Lumpur (KL)(2 hours 50 min). Flight is available every day. If you book at the good time, you can get really cheap round-trip ticket like about MYR200 for KK-Sandakan and MYR400 for KL-Sandakan flight. You can use Google Flights to check the fare prices from all airlines. Nasalis Larvatus Tours also can pick you up at Sandakan airport.

Famous Spring Noodle and Century Egg Dumpling of Sandakan

By the way, Sandakan is the second largest city of Sabah and also a foodie paradise, do try some yummy local food such as spring noodle when you visit Sandakan!

Photos taken in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Serinsim, a different face of Kinabalu Park

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A family is having a hard time to plan a holiday trip at a destination that makes everyone happy.

Grandfather: “I want to learn some local history and legend.”
Mother: “How about a BBQ feast?”
Father: “Let’s climb a mountain.”
Son: “Camping and jungle trekking will be fun!”
Daughter: “I love swimming in river.”

Location of Serinsim (Sorinsim) and Kinabalu Park

Finally they decide to visit Serinsim (or Sorinsim) in Kota Marudu, which has all these. There is no second place in Sabah where we can find river, waterfall, forest, cave, mountain and historical site in one park.

Signage to different attractions inside Serinsim. It’s ok if you can’t read Malay. I’ll tell you what they are later.

Serinsim is a substation in northern part of Kinabalu Park, the first UNESCO World Heritage Site of Malaysia. Lies between the Serinsim and Kanarom rivers, the river of Serinsim is straight from the undisturbed rainforest and mountain, so its water is crystal clear and almost as good as Spritzer.

You may be familiar with the mountainous zone in Kinabalu Park HQ in Kundasang highland. Serinsim is at opposite side of HQ, which is dominated by lowland rainforest, shows different face of Kinabalu Park. Most locals only come here to enjoy the cooling river, without knowing that Serinsim has the following special attractions:

1. Mount Nombuyukong (Gunung Nombuyukong)

With a height of 1,603.57 Meters, Mt. Nombuyukong is 976 Metres lower than its sister peak, Mt. Tambuyukon, the third highest mountain of Malaysia. Mount Nombuyukong can be conquered within a day.

>> Read about the challenging climb to Mt. Nombuyukong…

2. Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

Gua Kelawar is a small cave about 200 Meters long, and it is for the adventurous you who like the idea of exploring the unknown. *Hint:* many creeping critters in the darkness. I saw rare mushroom and endemic begonia outside the cave.

The rocky wall of Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar) in Serinsim

>> Read my scary story inside Bat Cave…

3. Misumpak Waterfall

Serinsim is more than a park for swimming and picnic only. Do a jungle trekking to visit the 12-Meter Misumpak Waterfall. Soaking in its cooling ponds will be one of the best nature experience, I promise. You would see hornbill, civet, red leaf monkey, orangutan and other wildlife on the way.

>> Read more about Misumpak Waterfall…

4. Gambaliu, the Tallest Man in the World

According to the local legend, a giant named Gambaliu lived here about two to three thousand years ago. With a height of 24 feet, Gambaliu is taller than giraffe. He was a gentle and helpful giant. However, what his people did after he died was sort of… heartless.

>> See the Tomb of Gambaliu…

5. Sigunting Graveyard

Sick of those cliche movies about superheroes saving the mankind? Let’s hear the story of real Sabah hero, Si-Gunting, who fought British imperialism for 7 years.

>> Read more about Sigunting…

6. Deer Farm

About 120 Meters from the hostel (Asrama Kanarom) is a 0.5-Acre of fenced and forested Deer Farm. The best time to visit is the feeding time at 2pm, the time about 10 Sambar deers show up for jackfruit, tapioca leaves, banana, and fruits given by the Park.

Deer Farm of Serinsim. Visitors can walk up to the tower for better view.

Below is the trail and layout map of Serinsim. Please note that for most jungle trekking activities, you are required to hire a guide from the Park, which can be arranged easily one day in advance.

Trail map to different attractions in Serinsim. **Translation:** Pejabat = Office, Galeri = Gallery, Pondok = Gazebo, Pelawat = Visitor, Tapak Perkhemahan = Camping Ground, Tandas Awam = Public Toilet, Dapur = Kitchen, Sungai = River, Sg. = River, Anak Sungai = Small River, Jalan Raya = Road, Jambatan Kerata = Bridge for Car, Air Terjun = Waterfall, Makam = Grave, Puncak = Peak, Kem = Camp, Ke = To

Accommodation

Three chalets and one hostel are available to accommodate three families and 24 people respectively in the Park. Below is a quick comparison of the price. The rate is as of July 2017, and GST tax is included.

Accommodation Type	Rate per Night
Camping	Adult: MYR5.30 (≈USD$1.32) Below 12: MYR2.15 (≈USD$0.53)
Hostel (Asrama Kanarom)	Adult: MYR42.40 (≈USD$10.60) Below 18: MYR31.80 (≈USD$7.95)
Chalet	1 Chalet: MYR318.00 (≈USD$79.50) 1 Room: MYR106 (≈USD$26.50)

Notes: Check-out time is 11:00am. Non-halal food such as pork is forbidden in the accommodation. The accommodation is not well-maintained. Before you unpack your luggage, make sure everything in your room is functioning (e.g. water supply, light, air-cond). Just in case anything is broken, you can change to other room quickly.

Asrama Kanarom Hostel

Asrama Kanarom Hostel is a dormitory-style one storey building which has four bedrooms, common toilet + bathroom and kitchen. Each room has 6 bunk beds, so this hostel can host about 24 people.

Interior of Asrama Kanarom Hostel in Serinsim

The fee for each bunk bed in hostel is MYR42.40 for adult and MYR31.80 for kid (below 18 years old). The room has air-conditioner, and pillow and blanket are provided. It’s an economic choice for budget travelers and student group who don’t mind to share room.

The kitchen has gas stove, cooking and dining utensils for use by the guests. Electricity and water supply are available all time.

However, there is no private bathroom. Guests can share the common unisex toilet and bathroom. Sorry, no water heater for a hot shower, but you can boil hot water in kitchen like what I did.

Toilet cum shower room, cooking area, utensils and refrigerator in Asrama Kanarom Hostel

One nice thing about this hostel is that it’s located next to the starting point of trail to all nature attractions.

Chalets

There are three chalets in the Park. You can book the whole chalet for MYR318 per night, or rent a room for MYR106. Each chalet has three rooms (two of them are single bed). Each chalet is limited for 6 people. For additional guests, you need to pay extra MYR30 per person.

Each room has an attached bathroom cum toilet. Heater for hot shower is not available. Soap and towel are provided for the guest. Every room has air-conditioning.

Chalet of Serinsim (or Sorinsim). At the left is Mt. Nombuyukong

Bedroom, living room and kitchen of Serinsim Chalet

Camping

Camping ground is also available to those who desire a more nature experience. For adult, the camping fee per night is MYR5.30 and MYR2.15 for child below 12. You can rent a camping tent for MYR30/day at Sabah Parks office, or bring your own.

The campsite is just next to the river. There are gazebos, benches, public toilet and kitchen nearby that area.

There is no lighting at night, so you better bring your camping light and torchlight.

There is no TV, karaoke and night life in the park, so you will get bored in the evening. Do plan some fun activities for the night, for example, board games, BBQ party, ~~strip poker~~, watch movies on laptop.

Playing Uno in the hostel (Asrama Kanarom)

By the way, Kota Marudu is famous for its maize. You can buy some along the way and grill it, it’s delicious.

Don’t be impressed by the facilities listed in the map above. Everything in Serinsim is basic, nothing 5-star. For example, the so called soccer field is just a grassland. The restaurant never opens and there is no gallery.

How to get there

Serinsim is about 32 KM from Kota Marudu town and 130 KM away from Kota Kinabalu City (capital of Sabah). This substation is now highly accessible after asphalt highway is complete in 2013. The GPS coordinate is 6.293915, 116.707986 (see Location Map).

In the past you needed a 4-wheel drive to get in. That might be the reason why Serinsim is one of the least explored parks in Sabah. There is no bus goes directly to Serinsim.

You will pass through Marak-Parak Village and Sorinsim Village before you reach Serinsim

You also can go to Serinsim from Poring Hot Springs, the 46-KM road is in good condition.

Signage at the entrance. Translation: Welcome to Kinabalu Park, Serinsim Sub-Station, Kota Marudu

Things to Note

For a better travel experience at Serinsim, please take note of the following:

There is no restaurant in the Park. You can prepare your own food in their kitchen, buy food from villages nearby (The shops are usually roadside residential run by villagers with signage such as Gerai Makan (Food Stall) or Kedai Runcit (Grocery Store)), or drive 30 minutes to Kota Marudu town looking for restaurant.
The mobile line coverage is none or poor in the Park. My Maxis line got 0 bar. Celcom may work. Anyway, let’s prepare to be offline there.
Bring insect repellent. There are mosquitoes in shaded area during dusk and dawn.
There is a grocery shop and cafe outside the park entrance.
Most area in Park has no light. Bring a torchlight if you would move around in the Park at night, especially campers.

Sabah Parks office and car park of Serinsim (Sorinsim)

Entrance Fee

The following is the ticket fee to enter the park. They only accept cash in Ringgit Malaysia (MYR).

Item	Fee / Rate
Conservation Fee	Malaysian: MYR10.00 Foreigner: MYR50.00 Below 18 years old: MYR5.00 and MYR25.00 respectively

Conservation Fee with effect from 1 Jan 2023

Ticket counter at the entrance of Serinsim (Sorinsim)

Serinsim is managed by Sabah Parks. For more information about Serinsim, you may browse www.sabahparks.org.my or call the head office of Sabah Parks in Kota Kinabalu at +60 88-523500.

Photos taken in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

About Kinabalu Park

10 Cool Things about Kinabalu Park

Kinabalu Park Headquarter

Top Activities at Kinabalu Park

1. Climbing Mount Kinabalu (Gunung Kinabalu)

Via Ferrata

2. Hiking / Jungle Trekking

Nature Trails of Kinabalu Park

Bird Watching

3. Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden

4. Staycation in Nature Resorts

Park Fees & Opening Hours

What to Bring

How to get there

Nearby Attractions

1. Poring Hot Spring, Canopy Walk

2. Rafflesia Flower

3. DESA Cattle Farm in Mesilau

4. Kundasang War Memorial

5. Nabalu Town

6. Paragliding in Lohan

7. Climbing Maragang Hill

8. Kundasang fruit and vegetables market

9. Climbing Sosodikon Hill

About Kawag Danum Rainforest Lodge (KDRL)

Nature-Based Activities

1. Exploring Jungle

2. Bird Watching

3. Ali Baba Waterfall

How to get there

Things to Bring

Stingless Bee Farming

Preferred Host Plants for Stingless Bees

Honey Bees of Sabah

Other Bess

Related Post

Millian Forestry Center

Day 2

Reaching the Center of Sabah

How to get there

1. Get a Permit

2. Booking the Accommodation

3. Other Things

More Photos

Firefly Tourism

Congregating Fireflies

Why Firefly Glow?

Where is our Firefly?

Interesting Facts of Firefly

Love our Firefly

About Libaran Island

Trip to Libaran Island

Glamping at Walai Penyu Resort

Beautiful Libaran

Inspiring Success Story

Turtle Landing!

Turtle Hatchery

How to get there

1. Orangutan – Man of the Forest

2. Proboscis Monkey – Playboy of Borneo

3. Pygmy Elephant – Mini Elephant

4. Bornean Sun Bear – Teddy Bear of Borneo

5. Hornbills – Love Birds of Borneo

Best Place to See Them All?

1. Sepilok

Nature Lodge Sepilok

2. Kinabatangan River

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Flight to Sandakan

1. Mount Nombuyukong (Gunung Nombuyukong)

2. Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

3. Misumpak Waterfall

4. Gambaliu, the Tallest Man in the World

5. Sigunting Graveyard

6. Deer Farm

Accommodation

Asrama Kanarom Hostel

Chalets

Camping

How to get there