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Rich Farmer, Poor Farmer? Integrated Agriculture in Sapulut

MunorAulai Guesthouse

For the proof of concept on integrated agriculture, Dr. Richard allocates 10 hectares of land in Sapulot (or Sapulut) for this farming technique and build MunorAulai Guesthouse there for visitors to experience farmstay and witness the result of integrated agriculture. Integrated agriculture is supported by WWF and Sabah government. It’ll become a trend because its approaches are friendly to the environment and ecosystems.

When Dr. Richard walked around his farm, a small and colourful Munor, a bird of omen, followed him around and chirping positive messages, so he named the place as MunorAulai (means it’s auspicious by Munor bird). MunorAulai is equipped with toilets, showers (water heater available), activity hall and a simple lounge. They have clean bedrooms (with fan and power point) to accommodate about 12 to 25 people.

You will feel exclusive at MunorAulai Guesthouse because it’s Murut customary to serve their guests with hearts. Murut is the third largest indigenous group of Sabah. Though Murut people are portrayed as the descendants of fearsome headhunters, they are the friendliest when come to hospitality.

Lounge and activity hall of MunorAulai Guesthouse

At MunorAulai Guesthouse, you will eat, drink, party and dance like a Murut. The following are my experience at MunorAulai. I felt like I was living in a traditional longhouse of Murut.

Misty farm of MunorAulai Guesthouse. It’s a nice place for a morning walk.

Drinking Party

Tapai, a home-brew Sabah wine made from rice or tapioca fermented in a jar, is the soul of Murut people. Tapai is prepared by the villagers in accordance to their strict customs abiding to all taboo belief being passed down through generations.

Murut has a special way of enjoying Tapai together during social occasions, and it’s an honour to be invited to this hundred-year-old merrymaking tradition. It’s really fun if you have this drinking party with a group of friends.

Tapai drinking challenge. Everyone takes turn to sip the wine from jar.

Tapai is served right from the fermentation jar. After unsealed, a marker and a bamboo straw are inserted into the jar. Everyone will take turn to sip tapai until the liquid level drops to the marking. You can take small bites of comfort food along.

Good tapai is sweet and sour, with a bit of bitter taste. Tapai is quite potent. Even after first or second round, it warms my body and I start to get high. Many guests love this unforgettable drinking marathon and bonding experience with their friends.

Cultural Show

A party isn’t a party without dance and music. The local youth and children will perform traditional Murut dance to welcome and entertain the guests. During my visit, my heart melts when I see two of the dancers are only 5 years old. They dress in traditional Murut costumes and dance gracefully under the gong music.

Children and youth Murut dancers of Sapolut

The highlight is the magunatip bamboo dance. Dancers follow the rhythm to place their feet between the clapping bamboo poles and get out before the poles close the gaps. The tempo of gong beating and clapping will go faster and faster, and dancers have to be agile to avoid their feet being trapped.

You can watch this video to see how funny I danced

Guests will be invited to try out the bamboo dance. After some drinking, I was leaping like a headless monkey and being clapped by bamboo again and again. Everyone laugh and we have a wonderful time. Goodness, it’s really a good exercise.

Food

Murut mean it when they welcome a visitor. To make sure the guests are well-fed, Murut host would cook the last chicken they have. They also would not eat before the guests are done with the meals first. I always have a happy full stomach at MunorAulai Guesthouse.

To be honest, their cook never disappoints me. I sample a good variety of delicacies and Murut dishes. Some are fresh fruits and vegetables from their farm. I appreciate their home style cooking with balanced diet, simple and tasty, and in big quantity.

*Kinurutuk*, a sweet and smooth Murut dessert made with tapioca starch, coconut milk, brown sugar and sago

One of my favourite is the steamed pelian, the most delicious freshwater fish of Sabah. Its meat is sweet, tender and fatty, even the scales are edible. Pelian is similar to Empurau, the most expensive freshwater fish of Malaysia. I love their deer meats too.

Steamed pelian, one of the most tasty freshwater fishes. Even its scales are edible.

This is just the first stop of my journey in Sapulot. Sapulot was used to be the land of headhunters in the past. Headhunting is long gone, so now we can travel freely in Sapulot. I can’t wait to show you some beautiful places that were once a sacred ground. In fact, many tourists from USA and Europe have visited Sapulut for a raw Borneo experience.

About Sapulot (or Sapulut)

Sapulut is a small district of Sabah interior about 47 KM away from Nabawan town (217 KM away from Kota Kinabalu City. Accessible by paved road). Most of the population in Sapulot are Murut. Sapulot (or Sapulut) means “sticky” in Murut language because the Sapulut River takes longer time to clear when it turns murky after rain.

Location map of Sapulot and its surrounding

For a tour in Sapulut, you can contact Borneo Outback Tours Sdn Bhd (Licenses: Co. No. 846369-H / KPK / LN:9247) at:
Website: www.borneo.tours
Facebook: orou.sapulot
Instagram: @orousapulot
Phone: +60 19 2277077 (Whatsapp), +60 87 337 277
Address: A-7-2, Apollo Atrium, 89008 Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia

The tourism operations in Sapulot are managed by Orou Sapulot (means the Sun of Sapulot), a community based project to promote tourism and in sustainable manner.

Photos taken in Sapulut, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Leisure Diving at Islands off Kota Kinabalu City

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I’m certified as a scuba diver since year 2008, but it’s a shame that I don’t dive quite often. I even stopped once for 2 years. When my friend Dodo invited me to join a diving group last month, I agreed without second thought. One of the best things living in Kota Kinabalu City (KK) is – we have dozens of dive sites located in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (I prefer to call it KK Islands Park), which is only 15 minutes away by boat ride from KK.

Scuba diver friends onboard. At the right is May, my Sifu.

It rained heavily in the morning on our diving day. Luckily it stopped before 7am so we just proceeded with our plan. The diving team gathered at STAR Marina and we departed at 9:30am with Borneo Divers, which has a Dive Centre on Mamutik Island. My Dive Instructor, May, was onboard with us too. I confessed to her that I had given her back everything she taught me (which means I forget everything) LOL.

However, there was no time to bother with the butterflies in my stomach, after suited up and got our dive equipment loaded on-board, we headed to the first dive site at 11am. On the way, I was busy to recall all the steps in my mind.

I was the last one entering the water with my compact camera in underwater case (can stay waterproof up to a depth of 40 Meters). Due to the rain earlier, the water was a bit murky but the visibility is quite ok, about 6 Meters in average. Two Divemasters, Christine and Jonathan were covering our front and back during the dive. The following are summaries of my experience in 3 dive sites.

Dive sites of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. We covered North Sulug Reef, East Sulug Reef and The Rock

1. North Sulug Reef

Depth: 18-22M (Dive Time: 11:14am-12:00pm)
My first dive was quite terrible. It took me 2 minutes to equalize (relieve pressure to eardrums caused by increasing depth). Then sea water leaked into my mask, I couldn’t see things clearly half of time. I also couldn’t control my buoyancy effectively while busy setting my camera. All these are caused by lack of practices.

Anyway, we spotted two green turtles and a school of barracuda! There were school after school of yellowback fusiliers swimming close to reef to catch plankton.

Many table corals, sea whips and feather stars (marine animals that look like plants) were present. Though the variety and density of corals wasn’t impressive and I saw 5 to 7 Crown of Thorns (a cunning and thorny marine creature which preys on corals), this dive site has the most reef fishes compared to my next two dives.

Special thanks to Dodo for sharing her photos in this article. She is a hardcore diver who has done over 200 dives.

Slowly I got used to the water and able to navigate freely around the reef. The dive ended after 45 minutes and we went back to Mamutik Island for lunch.

2. East Sulug Reef

Depth: 9-16M (Dive Time: 1:20pm-2:04pm)
After lunch buffet and a short nap on the island, we started our second dive near Sulug Island again. To focus on polishing my rusted diving skill, I left my camera behind. This dive site is far more interesting than the first one.

The corals here is much more denser and it has become a good hiding place for numerous ocean critters. We saw a pair of mating nudibranch (also known as Orchids of the Ocean) on the coral rubble. In fact, you can find more wildlife underwater than on the land, and some of them are very bright in colors.

That day must be our lucky day. We saw a Hawksbill turtle swimming toward us. It seemed so relax and only a few Meters away from us, probably it thought we were just big fishes. The population of Hawksbill turtle is 10 times less than Green Turtle, so this sighting is really a treat.

I spotted at least two very big and old giant clams. If this park is not protected, there wouldn’t be any of them left due to overfishing. However, if a giant clam grows really huge, like over a Meter wide, many local fishermen would not dare to touch it because they believe there is a spirit dwells inside.

We dived along a long stretch of underwater coral garden. I noticed a coral was “flashing”. A closer look showed that it’s a big cuttlefish camouflaged as a coral. We would have missed it if it didn’t change colors. Divers have to be very observant or they would miss many cool stuffs. I believe we only spotted a few percent of the wildlife lurking in this reef.

East Sulug Reef has a lot of lettuce corals, mushroom corals and barrel sponges. Among them, I saw two Christmas tree worms retreated into their burrows, and orange-spotted grouper, angelfish, etc. Without a camera, I could dive more freely. Most of the time, I hovered between between a depth of 10 to 14 Meters, where visibility is better and beautiful corals concentrated.

3. The Rock

Depth: 12-13M (Dive Time: 3:25pm-4pm)
For the last dive, we explored The Rock just behind Mamutik Island. The corals at The Rock is as fabulous as East Sulug Reef but with more variety of soft corals. Too bad I don’t know most of their names. I will buy a guide book and learn to identify the marine lives so I will enjoy diving more.

The seascape here is a gradual sloping ridge. Ten of us dived gently along its side full with fringing reef.

Hard corals grow an average of 1 to 2 cm per year. Many corals in the marine parks of Sabah are estimated 3,000 to 6,000 years old. But they can be totally destroyed in a matter of minutes by destructive fishing method such as blast fishing (or fish bombing).

False Clown Anemone fish in Ritteri anemone

We saw two Magnificent Anemones with Anemonefishes (Nemo) living in them. Magnificent Anemone is very hard to survive in aquarium, so you have to see them in the wild.

Pink Anemonefish in purple Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica)

Even though KK Islands Park isn’t a world-class diving spot, it’s still a great playground, even experienced divers find pleasant surprises in every dive.

Everyone was really happy. The sighting of sea turtles and barracuda is already worth the trip. My interest on diving is reignited. I’ll do more dives regularly to perfect my skill and take more underwater photos in future.

Recommended Dive Operators

Sabah has so many high-quality diving spots all over the state. The nearest dive site could be less than 20 KM away from our home. If you don’t know how to dive, it’s like living next to a snowy mountain but don’t know how to ski.

You can find more about how to get certified as a scuba diver in my blog. To get certified or arrange a diving trip, I highly recommend the dive operators below:

1. Borneo Divers

Borneo Divers is the most established PADI 5-star dive operator in Sabah and has dive centres on Mamutik and Mabul Islands.
Tel: +60 88-222226, +60 88-221340
E-mail: information@borneodivers.info
Website: www.borneodivers.net
Facebook: BorneoDiversMabulResort
Office Address: 9th Floor, Menara Jubili, 53, Jalan Gaya, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

2. Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures

Downbelow is run by a nice couple, Richard and Joanne from UK. They are very passionate about the nature of Sabah, and their service is highly rated in TripAdvisor. Downbelow has a PADI 5-star dive centre on Gaya Island Base Camp and a Dive Shop in KK Times Square.

E-mail: info@divedownbelow.com
Website: www.divedownbelow.com
Tel: +60 88-488997, +60 12-8661935
Office Address: KK Times Square, Lot 33-G, Block F, Kota Kinabalu, 88100 Sabah, Malaysia
Facebook: DiveDownBelow
Google+: +Divedownbelow
Twitter: @divedownbelow
Youtube: divedownbelow
Instagram: adventures_borneo

3. Asia Diving Vacation

Asia Diving Vacation was started by my old buddy, Jacob, who is an avid diver who loves to introduce divers to the best dive sites in Asia, for example, Layang Layang, Lankayan, Sipadan and even Maratua (Indonesia). You can join him stalking whale shark around the islands of KK.

E-mail: customercare@asiadivingvacation.com
Website: www.asiadivingvacation.com
Office Address: Duis Dive, 23, 3rd Floor, Block C, Damai Plaza IV, 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Facebook: AsiaDivingVacation
Twitter: @advonline

The fee of leisure diving (fun diving) day trip ranges from RM320 to RM360 (?US$90-103), which normally includes boat transfer, 3 guided boat dives, rental of scuba equipment, diving permit and lunch. Please visit their websites for detail on dive packages.

Dive map of Sabah and Labuan. You can download the pamphlet here.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Nom Nom Sabah Food at Sim-Sim Water Village

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Let me tell you what are the must-do things when you go to Sandakan City. First thing is Eat, second thing is also Eat, third thing is… well, you know. I may sound like joking but there are really a lot of delicious Sabah food you must not miss in Sandakan.

Sim-Sim Water Village

One of the best places for eat out is Sim-Sim Water Village, which is about 3 KM away from city center of Sandakan and along the main road Jalan Buli Sim Sim. Sim-Sim Water Village is built by hundreds of wooden stilt houses on the sea and has over one century of history. Travel agents always bring tourists here for sightseeing.

Going for lunch at Sim-Sim

The water village is really a big maze. It is divided into over 20 zones and each zone is accessible by a “bridge”, which is a long concrete or plank walkway extending a few hundred meters to the sea and flanked by houses and shops. The famous dining area is on 7th and 8th bridge.

Walking on 8th bridge of Sim-Sim Village

7th Bridge (or Lorong G)

If you want to taste iconic food of Sandakan, go for Spring Noodle and Century Egg Dumpling (弹弓面 and 皮蛋饺 in Chinese) at 7th Bridge of Sim-Sim Water Village. Actually these two food are also available in other places of Sabah (even in Kota Kinabalu City) due to their increasing popularity, but 7th Bridge serves the most original and authentic version.

Spring noodle (left) and Century Egg Dumpling of Sandakan

The highly recommended restaurant for both dishes are Kau Kee (九记) at G68 of 7th Bridge. This coffee shop opens from 6am to 11am daily, but the food can be sold out before 10am, so you better be there early.

Century Egg Dumpling

The texture of Spring Noodle is dense, thereby nearly doubling the flavor and aroma of yellow noodle, and a small bowl can make you full. As its name implies, the noodle is springy and a bit chewy. Eat it with savory deep fried pork and enjoy their lusciousness bounced in your mouth.

Century Egg Dumpling is a must-try at Sim-Sim

Oh boy, next one is my favorite, the Century Egg Dumpling. The cook mixes the pork with century egg (jelly-like preserved egg), giving this dumpling a meaty taste blended with rich and creamy yolk flavor. However, some westerners might think the smell of century egg is repulsive. If you are first-time trying, you can order small quanity to sample, and order more if you really like it.

8th Bridge

For seafood lovers, head to 8th Bridge, which is just next to 7th Bridge.

Seafood restaurants of Sim-Sim Water Village

When you reach the end of 8th Bridge, turn right to Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant (Chinese Name: 森森海上风味餐厅). This Chinese restaurant doesn’t serve pork but it’s not truly halal, though some Muslims think it’s acceptable.

White-bellied sea eagle statue of Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant

Sea view at Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant

You can enjoy sea view and breeze while having your meal.

Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant

The opening hours of Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant are 6:30am-3:30pm and 5:30pm-9:30pm.
Address (see Location Map): Kampung Sim-Sim, Off Jalan Buli Sim-Sim, 90000 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia
Tel: +60 89-226558
They accept payment by credit card.

Steamed fish of Sim-Sim

Sandakan City is one of the most important landing ports of seafood, so the restaurant is never short of fresh seafood such as fishes, crabs, prawns, squids, lobsters and seashells.

Sandakan is never short of big fishes

Great variety of seafood dishes at the restaurant

There are many ways to cook a seafood, e.g. steamed, fried, broil. You can always ask the waitress to recommend the best way to enjoy it.

Butter Prawns

Clams

Big oyster of Sandakan

You can find many positive reviews on the Internet that Sim-Sim 88 Seafood Restaurant offers yummy seafood at affordable price. I won’t say it’s very cheap but it’s great value for money. The best seafood is fresh seafood. They don’t even need to use MSG.

Juicy big oyster

If you want only quick and simple meal for one person, you can order the following items too.

Seafood noodle

Fresh seafood with noodle

Crispy seafood noodle (香底米粉 in Chinese). The noodle absorbs all the broth from seafood.

Milky seafood noodle soup with sour pickle, very appetizing

Want to have some “snack”? You will love their fried baby squids. It’s crispy and chewy but you will enjoy its fragrant smell.

Fried baby squid (with dark soy sauce) goes well with beer

Close-up of fried baby squid

Piranha in fish tank of the restaurant. Can order? 😀

Other Sandakan Food

As I mentioned, Sandakan City is great for a gastronomic tour. The following are more Sandakan food to make you happy:

Sim-Sim BBQ Fish (Ikan Bakar) (Halal)
UFO Tart (a.k.a. Cow Dung Tart)
Kueh Teow Noodle with Deep-fried Pork
Seafood Bak Kut Teh (Herb soup with seafood)
Kim Fung Night Market (Street Food)

Photos taken in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Mamutik Island of Sabah, Malaysia

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Tourists to Kota Kinabalu City (KK) always ask, out of the five islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP), which one is recommended. My answer is – if you expect a famous and exciting tourist destination, go for Sapi or Manukan. But if you only want a quiet beach to laze around and unwind, Mamutik Island (Pulau Mamutik) is a small island with big space.

Pic: Mamutik Island, looks like a crocodile head isn’t it?

People who want to avoid the crowd will love Mamutik Island, as it is less touristy than Sapi and Manukan, the islands where they would see more people than fishes, and human noise is louder than splashing waves. Being the smallest island of TARP, Mamutik is like an unsophisticated child who doesn’t try to impress you, it may not have charming personality but you feel more open up and relax.

Mamutik is rated by some tourists as an average island because of three reasons. First, the sea there is quite rough and water turns murky sometimes. Second, the strong waves wash many coral fragments to the shore. Stepping on this jagged surface can be a discomfort to sensitive feet. Last, the density and variety of corals isn’t great. All of the above are true.

Pic: school of anchovy fishes (ikan bilis) at the jetty

However, Mamutik still has one of the most beautiful beaches near KK and its photo is good enough to be used as postcard. Though lack of WOW factor, Mamutik isn’t lack of happy customers who appreciate the ambience of tranquillity and privacy offered by this less-crowded island.

The following is a HD video that gives you an overview of Mamutik:

The Beaches

Mamutik Island has long stretch of white sandy beach about 200 Meters in length. The sea can be choppy occassionally and the water is getting deep after 10 Meters from shore, so be careful if you don’t know how to swim.

Pic: note the darker area of the sea, it’s the color of deeper water

Every visitor can get a big share of space, swim freely and won’t collide with others (but watch out for jellyfish). Without many eyes around, tourists here behave relatively more relax.

However, the visitors seem to congregate in one or two places. Probably they feel safer to stay near to one another, or these places are near to toilet. Anyway, there are some sections that has few or no tourist, so feel free to pick a zone as your “private beach”.

Move further away from people, you can find many good photography spots with clean background, as if you are on a remote island. Most coral fragments are concentrated in the water. The beach is still mainly fine sandy beach that is nice to walk on.

Pic: You can count the number of tourists here by fingers. If we are willing to pay more for bigger hotel room, the ample personal space in Mamutik is a great value, isn’t it?

If you go to the east side of Mamutik, there is a more secluded area very well-shaded by tall casuarina trees. The beach chairs are reserved for the hotel guests from Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort. The place is quite cooling and suitable for chilling out after a swim under hot sun. You may walk or snorkel at the beach there but please keep your voice down. The staff would ask noisy outsiders to leave.

The sea waves at east side is even stronger because it is where open ocean current passing by the island. I call it a “Coral Beach” because the beach here is covered by bigger pieces of coral fragments. I even found giant clam shell once. Probably that’s how Mamutik got its name which means “shell collection”. (Note: collecting shell and anything is forbidden in this protected marine park)

Walking on the coral fragments with barefoot isn’t too bad. Just take it as a reflexology walking therapy lol. My feet have thick skin so it doesn’t hurt at all. You can wear slipper if it’s a problem.

The coral beach is quite well-kept to near pristine state since it’s a semi-private area. Turtles know it. On 26 Dec 2009, a hawksbill turtle landed on this beach to lay its eggs. It’s a good sign that turtles are coming back. We still face a lot of challenges to conserve them due to increasing plastic garbage in our sea.

FYI, if you explore further to the edge of the beach at west side, you will come to a rocky beach with nice view. The rocks in the water is slippery so be cautious when you walk on them.

Mamutik Island is located in the center of TARP, so you can see four other islands clearly from there. In the past, all five islands were part of the mainland. After Ice-Age ended, they were disconnected from mainland about 1 million years ago.

A City Island

Mamutik Island is the second nearest island to KK, so you can have a good view of our city only 3 KM away. Though travellers were away from the city, some can’t take city totally out of their mind.

On Mamutik, I always see people sitting and staring at the sea and city for a long time, or look at the planes flying in and out of KK International Airport. I wonder what’s in their mind. Were they thinking about their relationship, work, future or nothing? Whatever, Mamutik is a good place for daydreaming.

Oh by the way, since Mamutik is nearer to city, your phone may have good access to 3G network (Celcom seems to have the best coverage here).

Snorkelling

Besides sunbathing and swimming at Mamutik, snorkelling is an enjoyable way to see the underwater world. To be honest, I’m a bit disappointed with the experience. Compared to other islands, the variety of corals here isn’t so good (but not bad).

The best location to go snorkelling is the sea in front of the coral beach (another best spot is near rocky beach at the west side). The visibility is ok (about 5 Meters). That area is dominated by brain and boulder corals. They are quite abundant and big in size, often in yellow or brown color. Some have tubeworms (or Xmas Tree Worm) live in them. The most beautiful coral is the purple color Porites coral (see photo above). Not many soft corals are found though.

It’s cool that I found plenty of fishes even in shallow water. I even saw a lonely barracuda. The variety of fishes is good, but I can’t tell their species other than “Nemo” (clownfish), parrot fish and damselfish. A reef fish expert is able to spot 63 fish species in 45 minutes of snorkelling at Mamutik.

Be careful when you snorkel in the sea near the jetty area, there are many sea urchins among the corals. In case you get stung by sea urchin, just keep calm and look for the lifeguards at the beach.

Snorkelling set (snorkel, mask, fin, life jacket) are available for rent on the island, so are beach mat, tube ring, camping tent, volleyball and football. You may check out the price list (as of May 2015).

Facilities

Mamutik definitely has the facilities to fulfil tourists’ two most basic needs, i.e. call of nature (toilet) and food. Changing rooms, picnic shelters, tables and benches are free for public use too. The following is a layout map of the facilities on Mamutik:

Cafe

There is a canteen named Koktas Cafe that sells basic meals and drink. You can get food such as chicken rice, sandwich and fried noodle there. You would spend over RM10 (≈US$3) per meal as everything is priced higher on island. Better bring your own food. You may look at its menu and price list JFYI (prices as of May 2015).

Pic: Koktas Cafe

Pic: there are many lunch buffet stalls on the island. May serve good food but won’t be cheap.

Shop

Next to Koktas Cafe is a grocery and souvenir shop, where you can buy T-shirt, beach wear, slipper, hat, towel, snacks (cookies, potato chips, chocolate bars, nuts, etc.), instant noodle, insect repellent, bottled drinking water, soft drink, ice cream, etc. Beer and cigarette are available. It’s also where you rent snorkelling gear.

Accommodation

There is no hotel, resthouse and accommodation on Mamutik Island now, but a new hostel would be ready by 2017. Camping is allowed under the permission of the park warden. Camping tent is available for rent at RM30 per night (≈US$9). The park requires the camper to pay a small Camping Fee of RM5 (≈US$1.50) for adult and RM2 (≈US$0.60) for child (below 18). Please noted you need to pay additional RM50 (≈US$15) to boat operator for return trip next day. The bonus of camping here is – campers will have a wonderful night view of KK city light and sunrise view of Mt. Kinabalu (if weather is good).

Pic: public toilet with shower heads outside. The toilet on Mamutik is not well-maintained, with some broken door locks and toilet flush, a bit dirty sometimes.

Borneo Divers Dive Academy

Built by Borneo Divers, a PADI 5-star Dive Centre and Instructor Development Centre (IDC), Borneo Divers Dive Academy has started operating on 18 May 2016.

Their main role is to provide beginner and advanced scuba diving courses in this centre completed with swimming pool, dive station (with full range of dive equipment) and classrooms.

Swimming pool for guests and scuba diving courses

If you want to experience scuba diving without a diver license, you can sign up for their Discovery Scuba Diving, which costs about RM300 (≈US$90) per person and includes two dives (guided by dive instructor).

Pic: scuba divers on Mamutik Island

Besides, this Center also has the following facilities (some are open for public):

Water sports center
Souvenir shop
In-door and outdoor restaurants
Changing rooms, lockers and shower facilities
Marine Research Lab
Beach Bar
Hostel which can accommodate 80 people (available by end of 2016)

Pic: old cemetery belongs to the past residents of Mamutik, before the island is gazetted as national park in 1979. The burial ground is inside a fenced area. Just to let you know so you won’t unknowingly camp on a grave.

Jungle Trekking

At the north of Mamutik is a forested ridge. If you have 20 minutes to spare, you may walk its 385-Meter jungle trail. There are a lot of mosquitoes so insect repellent is a must.

However, this regenerated secondary forest is too small to support rich diversity of flora and fauna, so there is nothing much to see.

The only highlight is Philippines Megapod, a red face chicken-like bird that lays its eggs in mounds of sand at the edge of beach. I spotted 3 of them in my last visit. They were busy digging the soil about 5 Meters away from me behind the bush.

How to get there

Mamutik Island (see Location Map) is open from 8:00am to 5pm to public every day. You can hire a boat (for about RM30≈US$9) at one of the boat terminals in KK. The boat transfer is available every hour and the ride to Mamutik takes about 10 minutes.

Entrance Fee to Island

Besides paying for return boat transport (about RM30≈US$8, terminal fee included), you need to buy ticket (known as Conservation Fee) from the park to enter the island. The table below is the ticket rates. Please note if you are on an island-hopping trip, you only need to buy this ticket once, and you can reuse the same ticket to enter other islands of TARP on the same day.

Nationality	Adult	Below 18	Below 6	60 & above
Malaysian	RM8	RM5	Free	Free
Non-Malaysian	RM25	RM20	RM20	RM20

*Rates updated in July 2021. The entry is free for visitor with disability.

More Photos

For more nice photos, you may browse 100 latest photos of Mamutik Island in my photo album.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Sapi Island (Pulau Sapi) of Sabah, Malaysia

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Among all the islands near to Kota Kinabalu City (KK), Sapi Island (Pulau Sapi) wins the most votes as the favorite of tourists. Not only it offers more nature experience, the new activities such as Coral Flyer (longest island to island zipline in the world) make this little island more exciting. After you see all its features and secrets in this article, you will love Sapi even more.

Sapi Island is only 25-acre (10 ha) big and the second smallest island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Though it’s about ⅓ the size of more popular and developed Manukan Island nearby, people like its less commercialized setting and every facility is just a short walk away.

Pic: jetty of Sapi Island, with Gaya Island in the background

Once you arrive Sapi Island, thousands of fishes and beautiful sea view at the jetty already impress you, most will think “it’s gonna to be an awesome tour!” I feel the same no matter how many times I visit Sapi. Sapi is really a gift to KK, how many cities in the world have nice tropical island only 7 KM away?

Pic: my friend was so delighted in his first visit to Sapi Island. He also says he likes Sapi better than Manukan.

Sapi Island has everything it takes to be a cool island destination, i.e. blue sky, white sandy beach, crystal clear seawater, green forest, and… how about some wildlife?

Let’s meet the “dragons” of Sapi. I mean Monitor Lizard. Dozens of monitor lizards roam freely at the forest edge of Sapi and some grows up to 2 Meters long, so big that tourists mistake them as Komodo Dragon. Monitor Lizards are not aggressive and they are never a problem to the tourists. Just ignore them like how they ignore you. They only bite when you leave them no choice.

At first tourists would find these reptiles a bit intimidating, then they will enjoy it as part the nature experience. In fact, this is an attraction to green tourists who love the idea of sharing space with wildlife. Wild boars and macaques are also present occasionally.

You can just laze on the beach or go swimming. If you are not a swimmer, don’t go too far out. Certain sections, especially the area near to jetty, have a sudden incline of 2 to 3 Meters deep. So always keep an eyes on your children, though there are lifeguards around.

The beach of Sapi Island is small so it can be quite crowded during weekends and school holiday. Sapi is a forested island covered by old secondary jungle, the forest is fully protected after this island was gazetted as a national park since 1979. The trees grow very dense and tall, providing good shade behind the beach. The best months to visit Sapi are from Feb to May.

Below is a short video that shows what Sapi Island has (and its least explored corners):

Snorkelling

Fire your tour guide if he doesn’t recommend you to snorkel in Sapi Island. It’s a must-try. The best concentration of corals is located at southern side of the island. You won’t see much coral if you snorkel near the beach full with tourists.

You don’t need to make any appointment with Nemo. They are always there. Sapi Island seems to have more fishes than other islands of KK. If you want to go fishing near to KK, experienced anglers will bring you to water around Sapi Island.

Most corals I saw during snorkelling are hard corals such as lettuce and staghorn corals. During low tide, they are just a few feet under my belly. In sunny day, the visibility is excellent. Corals also need sunlight like plant, the clear water helps them to flourish.

Pic: This giant clam is about 1-feet wide, about 4 to 6 years old I think.

You can rent a life jacket for snorkelling if you don’t know how to swim.

Ok, no picture, no evidence, so the following is the moving pictures of my snorkelling in Sapi:

Besides snorkelling, there are many other fun things you can try on Sapi Island, for example, Coral Flyer (World’s longest island to island zipline), Sea Walking, Scuba diving.

Hidden Beaches

As I said, the beach can be packed with tourists in peak season. Since you can’t ask everyone on the beach to keep quiet, you can move to “hidden” beaches at other side of the island for more tranquility. It’s also the area that faces the rich corals I mentioned above.

Pic: the way (yellow pointer) to hidden beaches are behind the rock outcrop next to tourist beach

But there is a little obstacle course for you to cross to other side. The rocks in the water are quite slippery. For me, climbing over the dry boulders along the rocky shore is easier.

It’s a walk of about 200 Meters that worths your effort. Bring some water (and snorkelling gears) with you. Otherwise it’s very troublesome to walk back to tourist area to get it.

Pic: there are two hidden beaches on the same side. Some locals also don’t know this. They are all yours. You are welcome.

Pic: campers at the secret beach

Secret Cliff

Here is another secret location with rewarding view, only for those who are keen to walk 800 Meters to higher ground. Your friends who are lazy to follow you will regret, after they see the nice photos you share on Instagram.

The starting point of the trail is next to a fenced area behind tourist beach and a shelter named “Pondok Tenggiri”. It’s guarded by a few dragons. Don’t worry, they (monitor lizards) will flee when you approach lol. You will spot a not-so-useful trail map at forest edge.

The route starts with steep ascend in the beginning. After 486 Meters, you will reach a Y junction, follow the trail at the left. There is no direction sign along the trail, keep your eyes wide open so you won’t miss the junction.

After 300 Meters, you will come to an open area with exposed sedimentary rocks and greeted by a few noisy White-breasted woodswallow (bird). Congratulations! You have discovered the secret cliff that is unseen by 99.9% of the tourists. Even though it’s only a 25 minutes walk, it feels like a major achievement for getting there.

The cliff gives you a magnificent view of rocky shore facing the vast blue ocean behind Sapi Island. Watch your footing as there is no fence. A fall from this 50 feet cliff is hazardous to your health, and there are very few people come here, in case you need help badly. Anyway, this cliff could be a potential spot for recreational abseiling.

Pic: view of Manukan Island from the cliff

You can see more photos of this secret cliff in my photo album. I also recorded the panoramic scene of secret cliff in my video.

On another side of the secret cliff is a descending path leads to a rocky beach, where you can get very clear view of hidden beaches.

You may turn back to the starting point after taking some photos on secret cliff, or you can continue to explore another route at the junction, by walking another 500 Meters on the ridge to complete the loop trail of Sapi Island. The remaining jungle trail is not well-maintained. Unless you are very interested in trees, there are some big Keruing and other beautiful trees to see, otherwise don’t waste your time.

Pic: a monument near the end of jungle trail. How many typo do you spot? If this thing happens today, sure it’ll go viral on the Net.

Rocky Beach

Another beach worths checking out is the Rocky Beach at the 200-Meter narrow channel between Sapi and Gaya Island. During low tide, you can even walk to Gaya Island, the biggest island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Wildlife also uses this as a migration shortcut between islands.

The shore is blanketed by tens of thousands of sandstone pebbles and rocks, this likes an upstream river in interior of Sabah.

The 235-Meter zipline Coral Flyer can be seen from here.

Facilities on Sapi

The amenities for tourists are basic but quite complete on Sapi Island. Jetty, toilets / changing rooms, benches, cafe, grocery shop and shelters are available for public access. The only thing that Sapi doesn’t have is island accommodation. Camping is allowed but you must inform the Park Warden at reception counter for the permission.

Pic: above is the layout map of Sapi Island. You can click to enlarge it.

Pic: public toilets of Sapi Island. Thank you for not peeing in the sea. There are shower heads outside for you to rinse your body.

Pic: I was so shocked to see this monitor lizard in man’s toilet because it’s a female. An awkward moment when we both were speechless and stared at each other. Nature, remember this is Nature. Wildlife has the right to enjoy the amenities like human does. Just kidding.

Sapi Cafe is open from 8am to 4pm every day, and they serve common food and drink such as fried rice from RM7 to RM23 (≈US$2-7). You can click here to see their menu (prices as of Apr 2015), which has good variety of choices (Note: Some food items may not available sometimes).

Pic: lunch buffet stalls on the island, usually run by travel agent for their tour groups, but they might accept walk-in customers.

You can rent snorkelling gears (RM25/day≈US$7.60/day for snorkel, mask, fins & life jacket), beach mat, camping tent, etc. from a shop in island. Small locker is available for rent for RM10 (≈US$3) a day. Refundable deposit applies so bring extra cash. You may click here to see the list of items and their rental/deposit rates (prices as of Apr 2015).

Pic: island grocery shop, opens from 8am to 4pm, some items sold include snacks, soft drink, beer, sunblock lotion, insect repellent, soap & shampoo, batteries, medicines.

Travel Fees

Sapi Island is a public marine park managed by the government (Sabah Parks) and open to walk-in local and international tourists every day. After you pay for the return boat transfer, you need to purchase ticket (which is called Conservation Fee) to enter the island. The table below is the ticket rates.

Nationality	Adult	Below 18	Below 6	60 & above
Malaysian	RM8	RM5	Free	Free
Non-Malaysian	RM25	RM20	RM20	RM20

Conservation fee, with effect from 1 Jan 2023

*Rates updated in Jan 2023. The entry is free for visitor with disability.

Some travel agents may charge you RM150 to RM180 (≈US$45-55) per person for a tour package (include land/boat transfer, lunch, entrance fee, snorkelling gears, guide service) to Sapi Island. If you arrange the trip on your own, it’ll cost only RM100 (≈US$24) or less. For example, let’s say you are a foreign adult tourist, below is the sample budget:

Return Boat Transfer (& Terminal Fee): RM30
Island Entrance Fee: RM25 (non-Malaysian adult)
Snorkelling Gears: RM25 (rent from shop in island)
Lunch: RM15 (bring your own lunch)

Camping Fee

For camper, the park imposes a small Camping Fee of RM5 (≈US$1.50) for adult and RM2 (≈US$0.60) for child (below 18). Please be informed that you need to pay additional RM50 (≈US$15) to boat operator for next-day pickup. Camping tent (fit 4 people) is available for rent at RM30/day (≈US$9/day) on the island. The island shops close at 4pm, so you better take out your belonging from locker or buy your last-minute supply such as food before they close.

How to get there

Sapi Island (see Location Map) is only 10 to 15 minutes away from KK by boat. You can hire a boat at any one of the boat terminals in KK City (open from 8am to 4pm). Please note the last boat returning to KK City departs at 4pm or 4:30pm.

More Photos

Please feel free to browse 100 latest and bigger photos of Sapi Island:

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Kiss of Fishes from Tinopikon Park of Moyog River

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Water is the source of life. However, keeping a river clean and thriving with lives is one of the most challenging tasks. Nowadays, most rivers are polluted and their ecosystem is unsustainable, as most people is only interested in being a taker. You will see how nature rewards “givers” when you visit Tinopikon Park (Tagal Taman Tinopikon) next to Moyog River, located in Kampung Notoruss, a village 12 Kilometers away from Donggongon town (see location map).

Pic: a friendly village dog welcoming me at the hanging bridge

Tinopikon Park is less than 50 Meters away from the road and highly accessible. Last week I drove about 30 minutes from Kota Kinabalu city, parked my car at the roadside, walked 5 minutes, crossed a suspension bridge and the park was right in front of me.

Pic: Tagal Taman Tinopikon at Moyog River

Most of the population in Kampung Notoruss are Kadazandusun (largest indigenous group of Sabah) and Murut (headhunter tribe in the past).

Tagal = No Fishing Zone

On the bridge, I noticed something astounding in the river. There were dozens of big fishes swimming near the shore. Due to over-fishing, river teeming with fishes is really rare in Malaysia.

The secret word for this success is Tagal, which means “prohibition” in Kadazandusun language. The river is managed by local community / village and fishing is prohibited. You will be fined if you are caught fishing in Tagal area.

Pic: Besides me, there were other visitors who were also impressed by such view and came by the river for a closer look.

Tagal system is a simple concept initiated by a few riparian communities of Babagon in 1997, fishing and littering are prohibited in protected section of river so it allows the fishery to flourish. Villagers are also not permitted to cut the tree and extract stones around the river. As a result, the fishes came back after 2 years and the river was restored to near-pristine condition.

Pic: fishes went frenzy when children fed them with fish pellets

Tinopikon Park covers an area of 15,000 Sq. Meters, all the fishes here know that they are safe and not afraid of human. Instead, they all swam to us wanting us to feed them. To be practical, Tagal area is divided into three 1-KM-long zones, namely, Green Zone (fishing is allowed for own consumption), Orange Zone (fishing is permitted at an interval set by Tagal committee) and Red Zone (as generator of fish stock, fishing is totally prohibited).

Tagal is such a successful conservation and rehabilitation project that Sabah Fisheries Department also implements 511 Tagal zones in nearly 200 rivers in 17 districts of Sabah since 2000! This is a perfect example of how local people can manage and protect the natural environment. Sadly, Tagal never takes off in Peninsular Malaysia.

The fishes are so tame that you can touch and even catch them by hand. When seeing swarm of fishes coming to them like piranha, some visitors were scared at first. Then they found that those fishes are toothless Pelian (official name of Kelah fish in Sabah, a type of Mahseer. Species: Tor duoronensis). The fishes suck our skin with soft mouth, so it is like kissing us. Soon everyone walked into the water to enjoy the “fish massage”. Pelian fish only lives in clean river and it tastes really good, so it is also known as the Gem of the River.

Below is a video showing us having fun with the fishes:

Eat

After we were busy feeding the fishes, the villagers also prepared a lunch buffet to feed us. Everything we experienced in Notoruss Village is 100% “kampung” (village) style. The people are from local community and not actor. They are very friendly villagers and soon we mix well together.

The villagers cooked some delicious food consisted of rice, fresh meat and vegetables. They used firewood so the food has nice aroma, the smell and taste that reminds me of the food cooked by my grandparents in old days.

Pic: traditional food served in coconut shell.

Pic: lunch buffet near to Moyog River

Pic: my food in coconut bowl. Note the rice is hill paddy, more healthy.

Pic: enjoying fresh food, fresh air and fresh water next to river.

Play

With so much energy to spend after lunch, we tried some traditional games such as blowpipe and lastik (slingshot).

Pic: blowpipe was used to be the hunting tool and weapon of headhunters

We also walked 20 minutes on a nature trail to a waterfall nearby. The village is surrounded by lush forest so itself is a park. When I was a boy, I was used to explore the wood with my cousins like “wild kids”. The big nature was our playground, in contrast to young people today, who spend most time exploring virtual world with fingers.

Finally we reached Tombokou Waterfall. Frankly the scale is not impressive, but the waterfall pond looks so inviting. During hot day, it’ll be really refreshing to soak myself in this pond and enjoy a couple of beers with friends. The villagers told me that there was a big waterfall named Wasai Waterfall about 15 minutes away from this pond. They will open the trail soon.

Experience Kampung Life

We also toured around the village and visited some houses. It is a very peaceful place and our presence is welcome. All houses here are build on high stilts to avoid flood and prevent unwanted animals to enter. Most villagers are farmers and many work at office in town too. Every house has a piece of land and I don’t see any fence, a typical Sabah village but foreigners would be surprised.

Pic: The rats in village are so big that they need a giant mouse trap. Just kidding, it’s a trap for squirrel. To you, squirrel is cute. To farmer, squirrel is a pest which can drill a big hole in Durian.

Pic: rubber tapping demo by villager. The white latex from rubber tree was the “platinum blood” of Malaysia in the past.

Pic: pineapple and sugercane from the village. The villagers let us had a taste of their fruits, when we moved from house to house lol.

I drool whenever I see the photo of this green pickle fruit. It is super sour with a slight taste of fresh grass, best if taken with a bit of salt or belacan (shrimp paste). I strongly recommend you to take one if you feel sleepy in a meeting, sure will wake up all your senses, haha.

Want music? Just hit the gong. From the expression of the locals, we know we need more practice.

Dancing Sumazau would be easier. Sumazau is a Kadazandusun dance that imitates the movement of bird in flight. Master it and you can call yourself a half-Sabahan.

Relax & Swim

Moyog River is one of the most beautiful rivers in Sabah, so I spent some time checking it out. Despite the hot day, the tree shade and cool breeze at the riverside make this a nice spot to relax.

The big rocks on river bank indicates that this is an upstream river. Note the water is a bit greenish due to the natural minerals, a sign of clean river.

The river further upstream at Tinopikon Park is shallow (up to chest level) and suitable for swimming. It is like a huge swimming pool with running water, but without Chlorine.

There is a section with cascading mini waterfalls, where you can sit and enjoy the natural Jacuzzi.

Thank you Janice and Hock Song for inviting me to this wonderful trip.

AJ Best Travel is the authorised operator who offers this 3.5-hour experience (9:30am-1pm) to be a kampung folk at Tinopikon Park. The tour will be available in April 2014 and you may contact AJ Best Travel for detail (see contact below):
Address (office): Lot 7, 2nd Floor, Block SH9, (MDP SH9-7-2), Taman Suria Shop Apartment Phase 1B, Jalan Penampang 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Email: ajbestsb2013@gmail.com
Tel / Fax: +60 88-702878
Mobile Phone: +60 17-8623833
Facebook: ajbesttravelsb (many nice photos)

The fee is RM160 (≈USD48) for adult, RM140 (≈USD42) for child and free for 4 years and below. The program includes entrance fee, Fish SPA, Kampung games, visit kampung house, trekking to waterfall, kampung meal with sumazau dance performance.

More Photos

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

Photos taken in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo