Best things to do in Sabah

Put your adventure skills to a serious test with a climbing tour from the appealing gateway town of Kota Kinabalu. Led by a local guide, you'll tackle the area's highest summit, located 4,100 m (13,451 ft) above sea level. If you go for a 3-day excursion, you'll have more than enough time to admire scenic views of the region's natural wonders. Die-hard adrenaline junkies might prefer rappelling to simple hiking and climbing. Shorter half-day tours are also available for those looking for less-challenging options.

Take a trip to Manukan Island, located in the country's first marine national park. Hop on a speedboat from the mainland and in 20 minutes you're there--on a paradisal island offering natural attractions and plenty of activities. Head to the southern coastline for white sand beaches, where you can venture into the coral reefs just offshore. Get active with scuba diving, parasailing, and banana boating (chalets around the island's coast rent out equipment). A few restaurants serve an array of local specialities with sea views.

Visit an important conservation project at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Opened in 1964, the center aims to rehabilitate orphaned baby orangutans rescued from logging sites, plantations, hunters, and homes, before releasing them into the wild. Set in a protected rainforest, the project lets you witness how they train the young orangutans to survive in their natural habitat, swinging on climbing frames, being fed, and monkeying around. Walk the wooden pathways and bridges through the surrounding nature reserve to see mature orangutans back in their natural environment after rehabilitation and release.

Explore Mount Kinabalu, a towering mountain and World Heritage Site with a tremendous ecological diversity. As Malaysia's highest point, its summit (Low's Peak) reaches 4,096 m (13,438 ft) above sea level. Provided you're in good condition, you don't need any special equipment for the accessible ascent to the top. Elsewhere on the mountain, several rock climbing sites offer challenges for experienced climbers. The protected mountain and national park that surrounds it support around 6,000 species of plants, 326 species of birds, and more than 100 species of mammals, with star residents including the huge Rafflesia plants as well as the endangered orangutan. For this reason, it remains one of the world's chief sites of interest for scientists, nature-lovers, and conservationists.

Explore Kinabalu Park, an area brimming with nature that became the country's first World Heritage Site in 2000. Established in 1964, the grounds stretch out across 754 sq km (291 sq mi) and surround Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in the country. Bring your identification books with you, because over 4,500 species of plant and animal life live here, including endemic species like the Kinabalu giant leech, the Kinabalu giant earthworm, and the Nepenthes rajah. A popular place with hikers and climbers, the range of peaks here offers plenty of excitement for even the most experienced practitioners.

Explore a set of attractive islands just a 20-minute boat ride from the main coast at Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Hop between the landmasses to experience their different atmospheres and the activities available there: some have become more developed and offer water sport facilities, while others maintain their paradisal calm. Arrange a diving expedition to view the protected marine life, spotting colorful fish as they dart through the water and the otherworldly coral formations.

Meet some of the island's most famous inhabitants in their native habitat at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC). Opened in 2014, the center rehabilitates sun bears that have been rescued from captivity, then reintroduces them to the wild in the surrounding nature reserve. Visit the main center to learn about the conservationists' important work, as well as the threats posed to these distinctive and desperately endangered creatures. Stand on wooden observation decks to watch the bears play, climb, and feed as they head down the road to recovery.

Enjoy a day on Sapi Island, one of five islands in a protected marine park off the coast of Borneo. Just a 20-minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, the island offers clean, white sands and clear waters. The main attraction here remains the wildlife: hike inland to see big monitor lizards and wild boars, and snorkel through the water to admire the coral and colorful fish in a diverse marine environment. Try out a range of activities, including island-to-island zipline and banana boating, and then relax in one of the restaurants.

Visit a center of environmental education at Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC). Starting off as an environmental school, the center opened its doors to the public in 2007, maintaining its focus on conservation and education while broadening its appeal to younger and amateur visitors. Enjoy a stroll through the plant identification garden to learn about the vegetation that thrives in the surrounding nature reserve. Take a trip up to the 25 m (82) ft high canopy walkway to gain a new perspective on an area of thick rainforest--great for photographs and bird-spotting, and secure enough for kindergarten-age children.

Visit the home of the island's most iconic natives at Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. Founded in 1994 by a benevolent developer, the reserve protects around 60 of the seriously endangered primates, supplementing their diet and keeping track of their numbers. Visit the center at feeding time to watch the families of these pot-bellied, large-nosed monkeys emerge from the jungle, and take a walk across the reserve to observe them searching for food in their natural habitat.