Kota Kinabalu Sightseeing Guide

The State Mosque is a magnificent structure of stately domes and beautiful gold inlay while the State Museum is built along the lines of traditional longhouses of the Murut and Rungu tribes. The museum is one of the best places to preview the indigenous culture of the island as on display are exhibits featuring totems, skulls (the Muruts were highly feared headhunters), weapons like the lethal blowpipes as well as antique Korans and priceless photographs. Also located at the museum are the Science and Technology Centre and Art Gallery.

The Signal Hill Observatory offers a bird’s eye view of the city and its picturesque surroundings from its vantage height above the city. Most overseas visitors, especially those with deep pockets, stay in and around the Sutera Harbour Resorts and Golf Club, a major landmark in the city. The resort complex houses luxury hotels, yacht club and golf course - all very popular with international yachtsmen, golfers and holidaymakers.

The highest peak in the region, Mt Kinabalu (4095m) has a magical, mystical magnetism difficult to qualify. It is a granite massif towering high above its parent range, the Crocker Mountain Range - the summit isn’t always visible as it is often shrouded in mist and clouds, all of which add to the mountains mysterious allure. The massif presents an irresistible challenge to climbers who come from all over the world to pit their wits against it. A World Heritage Site, the Mt Kinabalu National Park is 138 km away from Kota Kinabalu, it is home ground to rare flora and fauna including some 1000 species of orchids, 850 types of butterflies, 621 ferns, as well as the rare Rafflesia Tengku-Adlinii.

A favourite past time of visitors to Kota Kinabalu is a dive in the crystal waters of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park - a top of the list diving site for enthusiasts with its many offshore islands and coral reef. Manta rays, giant turtles, myriad species of coals, lionfish and sharks are just a few of the marine denizens that inhabit the warm waters of the park.