Special places

                                    Kinabalu National Park


                                   

                                   

Located 138 kilometers away from Kota Kinabalu and covering 754 square kilometers of area, the Kinabalu National Park offers great scenic views and natural diversity to its visitor. Mt Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia with its peak at 4,095 metres is the main attraction of the park. It has attracted enough attention, both geographically and historically, with many legends woven around it. But, apart from with this peak, the surrounding slopes, valleys, rivers and rainforests of Mt. Kinabalu, make the Kinabalu National Park even more scenic. The National Park is a protected reserve area, governed by the Sabah Parks. Some of the richest ecological diversity in flora and fauna can be  seen at this park. Despite being the third largest mountain, climbing Mt. Kinabalu is one of the easiest journeys and takes approximately 2-3 days with no special hiking equipment needed. The mountain manifests a rich vegetation and plant growth along the trail. The Poring Hot Springs is one famous attraction that has been developed into open air Japanese styled baths. The sulphur water is know to cure many skin ailments

                                 
                                         Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary 

                                            

                                            

                                            

Sepilok Orang Utan Santuary is the most mesmerizing place for animal lovers.Trainers at this sanctuary look after the orphaned orang-utans very well and put their best foot forward to make the animals apt for livinf in the natural surroundings.The best time to have a close look at these animals and be with them is at 10.00 a.m and 3.00 p.m since this is the time when these primates come down from the trees their daily feedings of bananas and milk.

http://www.sabah.com/v/attractions/

Sabah Preview

Special Events

                                                                Regatta Lepa

Every year in April there is a water festival held in Semporna, a small town in the easterncoast of Sabah , caled The Regatta Lepa, one of the major important events in our National Tourism Calender. ''Lepa'' means ''boat'' is believed to be originated from the Pa'alau Bajau people who live in Bum Bum Island and used by fishermen along the coast of Semporna. The unique lifestyle and festival is celebrated by the Bajau Laut ethnic community, the major dwellers in Semporna . The Bajau Laut people are seafers at heart and well known for their Lepa, which is the traditional single-mast saling boat used in their daily lives. The Regatta Lepa is not just a water festival, in fact the whole town of Semporna has a carnival atmosphere, what with the various concerts staged, and so many stalls set up to promote or sell products and services to the population, visitors and tourists that have certainly swelled manifold.



                                                    Sandakan Memorial

                                             

This site commemorates a tradegy and atrocity which stuck Sandakan between January and August 1945. The Memorial Park witnessed the death of opproximately 2400 Australian and Britsh  prisoners of war held by the Japanese in the Sandakan POW camp within the sight of Allied victory in the Pasific war. Situated about 11 km outside of Sandakan, the former site of the notorious WWII prisoner of war camp now locates the suburb of Taman Rimba. The clearly sign-posted Sandakan Memorial Park is well maintained and beautifully landscaped,which makes it ideal for solitary soul-searching strolls.The park also includes the small museum that serves as a memorial to the thousands of Australian and British who lost their lives in the hand of Japanese during WWII. The memory of WWII is emphasized by the rusting remains of an excavator and a generator and a boiler which still lie in their original positions near the steps leading up to a small Commemorative  Pavilion.

http://www.sabahtourism.com/sabah-malaysian-borneo/en/culture/16-regatta-lepa-semporna/

Sabah Etnic

                                           Bajau Etnic

Bajau are divided into two groups who have settled in the West and East Coast of Sabah since several hundred years old and are recognized as indigenous peoples and among the largest indigenous Ѕabah and surrounding states. While next to their West Coast known as the Bajau Samah. They work as farmers and fishermen on the west coast as well as horse riding and the East Coast Bajau Ѕabah as skilled fishermen and divers.

West Coast Bajau people Samah famous rider horse , making machetes and become farmers and penternak.Pada the same time, the East Coast Bajau from Semporna especially also get special and unique titles such as "sea gypsies, sea commander, Seaman and Browser top. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajau_people


                                                     Kadazan-Dusun Etnic

This is the largest ethnic category in Sabah and is predominantly wet rice and hill rice cultivators. Their language belongs to the Dusunic family and shares a common animistic belief system with various customs and practices. Their ancient beliefs on the verity that everything has life - the rocks, trees, and rivers are all living things.

They have souls and spirits that must be appeased from time to time through specific rituals. In these modern times, some of the rituals are less performed except during certain festivities. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadazan-Dusun

                                                                    Murut Etnic

Murut are an indigenous ethnic group, comprising 29 sub-ethnic groups inhabiting northern inland regions of Borneo. A large percentage of the Murut communities are in the southwest interior of Sabah, East Malaysia, specifically the districts of Keningau, Tenom, Nabawan, and Pensiangan, along the Sapulut and Padas rivers. They can also be found inhabiting the border areas of Sarawak, (especially around the Lawas and Limbang areas, where they are also referred to as Tagal people), East Kalimantan (in Malinau and Nunukan) and Brunei. The literal translation of murut is "hill people".[1] The group is divided between lowland (Timugon) and highland (Tagol) subgroups. They speak the Murutic languages, a branch of the Austronesian family. The Tagol Murut language serves as their lingua franca.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murut_people

Sabah Etnic Traditional Foods

                                                          Butod

                               

Butod is a worm that lives in the sago has reput.Butod usually eat sago trunk rot. For food lovers exzotik, sago worm food like this is an exciting line of food for a nutritious high protein. The process to get sago grubs will not be easy because the tree must be felled sago prior to spawning areas used by "indungnya".

                                                    Noonsom Tuhau

                                             

                                                               

Tuhau is a popular plant for KadazanDusun community. Tuhau be pickled to be eaten with rice. Tuhau made ​​from the inside Tuhau, (shoot) tuhau cleaned and the hard outer skin removed. The soft part hinggaagak pounded little chapped, or thin-sliced ​​thin and soaked in lime juice mixed with a pinch of salt.

                                       
                                 
                                                         Hinava

                         

Hivana usually a special dish during Tadau Kaamatan. In addition, it is also a special dish on important occasions such as for wedding, engagement and other. Hinava produced from fish meat mixed with seeds of the grated Bambangan. There are many variations of the recipe to make Hinava. Some are ready to eat it raw (sliced ​​fish) and some fish meat slices blanched in hot water for a while. It all depends on personal taste.

                                                     Ambuyat

                                  

Ambuyat made ​​of sago processed into sago. For Bisaya community living in Beaufort, Sabah, to make ambuyat, they need through the forest looking for sago palm. Sago trees will be cut down and taken to the hut sago processing. It is precisely cooked or mixed with boiling water and mix just until sticky. Ambuyat often eaten together scad fish sauce (fish Sabah is known as two dozen fish) cooked in saffron. Fish broth is added to salt, chili rice in milled or ground water and add lemon or calamansi cotton up to taste. And the fish that are discarded bones put in the sauce. And ambuyat the first dipped into fish sauce before being eaten. There are usually people like to eat bamboo Chopstick use specially made ambuyat discretion to eat this.

http://meatballonline.blogspot.com/2010/06/sabah-ethnic-food-introduction.html

Interesting Activity

Scuba Diving

Sipadan is a scuba divers paradise and is the most famous scuba diving destination in Malaysia. It is also recognised as one of the top scuba diving destinations in the world.

Green Turtles and Hawksbill Turtles nest on Pulau Sipadan – so when diving at Sipadan you will see Turtles literally everywhere.  When scuba diving one of the ten dive sites at Pulau Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia you will also get the chance to see large schools of barracuda & big-eye Trevally, pelagic species such as manta rays, White Tip and Black Tip sharks. If you’re lucky you may even see Hammerheads and other shark species. This makes scuba diving Sipadan a big fish capital of the world!

When scuba diving at Sipadan take the time to look closely at the reef walls and you'll see a wealth of macro life and fish species. This is often overlooked during dives due to the other ‘larger attractions’, such as turtles and sharks, vying for your attention.

http://seaventuresdive.com/landing-learn.html?gclid=CNiAzYew1LgCFWsF4godhEQAig

Turtle Hatchery

One of the most exciting features of Sipadan Island (Pulau Sipadan in Malaysia language) is scuba divers can easily spot over 10 sea turtles. The turtles of Sipadan also don’t seem to be afraid of human. As Sipadan is a paradise for turtles and they don’t feel threaten here, can’t this island be a favorite nesting ground of turtles too? Funny thing is, very few tourists even wonder this, so the turtle hatchery on Sipadan can remain as a hidden secret and not flooded by visitors.The baby turtles will be released into the sea. They don’t simply put all the baby turtles into a basket then pour them all into the sea. The correct way is to release the turtles about 4 Meters before the sea water. By doing so, they will remember their place of birth and come back in future for nesting. Scientists confirm that sea turtle has the ability to use Earth’s magnetic field to go back to where they hatch.

http://www.mysabah.com/wordpress/turtle-hatchery-of-sipadan-island/