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Stargazing at Sugud

Sugud, the stargazing spot nearest to Kota Kinabalu City

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Starry sky and firefly aren’t part of the childhood of younger generation in Sabah. We can’t relate when our grandparents tell us about the beautiful night of their home villages. Though Sabahans are really proud of their stunning sunset, nobody from Kota Kinabalu City (KK) would stare at the sky after dusk. Because they would only see cloud, faked stars (satellites) and a handful of dim stars. The stars never leave us, they are just blinded by the city light.

“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.” ― Christy Evans

What if I tell that you can see the starry sky close to KK? It’s in Sugud of Penampang district and highly accessible by paved road. The stargazing spot is only 27 Kilometres from KK and takes 40 minutes drive one way. This is so convenient because most stargazing sites are more than 100 Km away from cities.

The magical moment with the stars at Sugud

This location is just an open space near Kampung Timpangoh Laut (Kampung means Village) in Sugud and has no name and address. Local stargazers just call it Sugud Milky Way Plain (I’ll just call it Sugud in this article). There is no street light and residential house there.

An abandoned lorry at Sugud covered by crawler vines

Sugud is 352 Metres (1,155 feet) above sea level, so it’s a bit cooling at night. Besides the starry sky, you can see KK city at the west too. In the dark from Sugud, you can see that KK is engulfed by a large “light dome” that can even illuminates the cloud. Due to the light pollution, everyone inside that dome can’t see many stars.

A dozer at Sugud becomes a prop for photo shooting

Once your eyes adapted to the darkness in Sugud, you will find the “childhood companions” of your grandparents high up. Then you understand why their favourite nighttime activity in old day is sky-watching.

The site has nothing (no toilet!) except a small hut and an abandoned lorry. You would find a dozer there. Seem like someone is trying to clear this area to build something. Hope it’ll be a camping ground or lodge that is catered for stargazing. It only takes one lamp post to destroy this special spot.

A dead tree with beautiful branches

You can sit around and chill, enjoy the breeze, contemplating the stars or KK city light. And you should take some photos with the stars. The photos that I show here are not taken during the best time, but still there are plenty of stars. The best months for stargazing in Sabah are between March and September, when the brightest part of Milky Way appears.

City light of Kota Kinabalu City. The excessive light spills everywhere and even reach the cloud.

You might be interested in exploring the place but avoid stepping into the grass area (near lorry). I was bitten by a leech last time. I’m more concern about snakes. Frogs like to hide in the grass after rain and they attract snake. Anyway, you will be totally safe if you stay on the exposed soil ground.

Staring Into the Unknown. The light from KK is visible at the right.

Understanding the stars can be a life-changing skill. In the past, sailors used stars for navigation, and the king would believe every bullshit a prophet said if he claimed he could read the stars to predict the future. Even nowadays, horoscope guru can make good money, and we have Nobel prize winners who prove the existence of black hole. If you can recognise constellations and tell some romantic stories about Greek mythology, you can date any girl LOL.

Tips

For best stargazing experience at Sugud, here are some useful tips for beginners:

  • Go during new moon phase (moonless night). Without moonlight, you can see far more stars. You can check moon phases of KK online.
  • You need clear sky and good weather. Even if it rains and cloudy during the day, there is still chance for a cloudless sky. Before the tour, check the hourly weather forecast (of KK).
  • Bring a torchlight as it’s dark at the site.
  • Stop looking at your phone, your eyes need to get used to darkness to see more stars.
  • For safety, don’t go alone.
  • If you plan to photograph the stars, tripod is a must.
  • Bring a jacket or windbreaker. It’s quite cooling there at night.
  • The place is wet and muddy after rain. Don’t wear flip-flop or sandals unless you want to go home with dirty feet.

How to get there

Sugud is 27 KM away from KK. You need to drive about 40 minutes (one way) on paved road in good condition. The GPS coordinates are 5.815098, 116.132176 (See Location Map). You can use Waze or Google Map apps to guide you (set destination as “Sugud Milky Way Plain”).

Road at Sugud stargazing site. You need to walk up to the high ground for stargazing (follow the yellow arrow path).

The last 6 or 7 KM before Sugud is winding and steep uphill road. Fog may present so drive carefully. And watch out for roaming buffaloes and dogs in villages.

View from Sugud stargazing site during daytime. Note my car parked at roadside (yellow pointer).

Once you reach the spot, park your car at roadside and walk a few minutes up to the dreamy high ground.

The dead tree and lorry at Sugud Stargazing Site. The tree is gone and the lorry is covered by grass months later.

Sugud is great but it is considered as the second class stargazing site. You may check out other better stargazing sites in Sabah. Good Luck and Happy Star Hunting! Please share the links to your stargazing photos in comment section below.

Photos taken at Sugud, Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Stargazing in Sabah

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“Hey, do you know where to see meteor? I want to make wishes.” At first I was dumbfounded at her question, then I realized that there is no more starry sky in our city. “Lasau Podi,” I replied, “the sky over there is full of stars and it got so many meteors that you can make wishes all night long. Probably next day you would become the prettiest, richest and healthiest person in the world, if these are what you will wish.”

This photo generates a lot of interest in stargazing.

Sky filled with twinkling stars was used to be a everyday thing at my home decades ago. Sadly, due to increasing light and air pollution, one-third of world population can’t see the Milky Way. The night of modern cities such as Singapore and South Korea is vibrant with colorful neon lights, but they have no more scattered diamond dust in the sky. Now children would sing “Twinkle, twinkle, little star… I wonder where you are..”

The Milky Way contains between 100 and 400 billion stars

Stargazing at Lasau Podi

Lasau Podi is discovered by Sabah Stargazers as an excellent location for stargazing. It’s a countryside about 20 KM away from Kota Belud town, and the approximate location where I shot the stars is 6.359675, 116.559431 (see Location Map). 95% of the road from Kota Kinabalu City (KK) to Lasau Podi is paved so it’s very accessible.

Mt. Kinabalu under the stars

Last month I was drooling when my friend showed me the stunning photos of Milky Way that he took in Lasau Podi, so a BIG Yes to him when he asked if I wanted to join him in second trip. We departed at 8pm from KK. After we passed by Kota Belud town and headed to Lasau Podi, we entered the countryside without street light along the road. Our car bumped into herds of cows sleeping on the road. Drive carefully if you go there.

Herd of cows blocking our road

We reached the destination around 11pm, I was mesmerized by the breathtaking view of starry sky, with silhouette of Mount Kinabalu as the backdrop. The number of stars that you can see on a clear night in a total darkness is about 2,000, and I think I saw them all there.

When we got out of our car and saw the starry sky, we went gaga.

After we setup the camping tent, we shot until 4am in the morning. I slept under a blanket of thousands of stars, lovely, but I was also attacked by thousand of mosquitoes.

5-Star Hotel and Thousand-Star Camp, which one you prefer?

Did you know when we look up to the winking stars, we are looking at a scene of the past? Light from a distant star can travel millions of years to reach us, it may be long gone by the time we see it.

Mount Kinabalu in the morning
Second photography session to capture the sunrise view of Mt. Kinabalu

When we waked up in the morning, we could see our surrounding better. We were on a high ground overlooking a plain with Mt. Kinabalu far away. It’s a scenic dawn.

Sunrise lit up part of the hill

Despite sleeping for only 2 hours, we took out our tripod and camera again for second round of crazy clicking. We bagged more beautiful photos, tired but happy.

The misty plain of Lasau Podi in the morning

Anyway, Lasau Podi isn’t a romantic location for dating. There is no toilet and comfortable accommodation. Instead, you can try Tegudon Tourism Village (TTV), which is only 30 minutes away from Lasau Podi and have toilet, camping ground and amenities for visitors.

Behind the Scene (in Lasau Podi): it’s quite a mess lol
Guys slept in open space. It’s me at lower left. I covered my head because of mosquitoes lol
Without any accommodation nearby, camping is the only option at Lasau Podi

Best Locations for Stargazing in Sabah

In Sabah, as long as you are in a countryside far away from city light and air pollution, you will see starry sky. Your best bet is at the beaches and open fields which has nothing that obstructs the star views at the horizon.

Photographer at work

If I must name a few best stargazing sites in Sabah, I will recommend the Tip of Borneo (Kudat), Tegudon Tourism Village (Kota Belud), Pitas (Malubang Village), Borneo Jungle Girl Camp (Keningau), Kiulu and Sugud (Penampang).

Starry night at the Tip of Borneo
Kudat longhouse under the starry sky
Beautiful night sky in Kiulu
Milky way in Pitas

I also saw a lot of stars in Kuala Penyu, Beaufort, Keningau, etc.

What’s Milky Way?

Guess you enjoy the movie “Guardian of the Galaxy”? But what does a galaxy look like? You would notice the “star river” in my star photos. It is Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our Solar System (where we live). Below is the disk-shaped structure of Milky Way.

Side view of our galaxy (Milky Way)

The following is the top view of Milky Way, it contains between 100 and 400 billion stars and probably at least 100 billion planets!

Illustration of our galaxy. Note the location of our sun and planets.

If you are really interested in stargazing, you can join the activities of Sabah Stargazers group:
Website: sabahstargazers.wordpress.com
Facebook: SabahStargazers

The number of stars that we can see with naked eyes is about 2,000

Tips for Stargazing

  1. Go in moonless night for best view, more stars are visible in total dark sky.
  2. Avoid cloudy and rainy days. Common sense.
  3. Stay far away from any light. Countryside is good place to start.
  4. Watch out for your safety in remote area. Go in group if possible.
  5. Bring torchlight and insect repellent

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo