Kota
Kinabalu (with about 509.000 inhabitants) is the capital of the Sabah state, in
the Malaysian Borneo. Its name comes from the mount of the same name that is
part of the mountain range that separates the north-western coast of Borneo
from the eastern one. This city looks at the South China Sea, it offers a
lively social life, and it is a great access point to visit the Kinabalu National
Park.
It is the
capital of the Sarawak and is rich of attractions. Some interesting places are
the Istana, the Margherita fort, the National Mosque and the Tua Pek, Kong and Hong temples.
National Marine Park (Sabah)
Sipadan is
off the north-eastern coast of Sabah and it is one of the few islands in the world
that hosts a so great marine and coralline life. Five meters of soft and white
sand suddenly dive into an underwater cliff to explore. If you let the stream
guide you, you will see an infinite variety of fish, like the humphead
parrotfish, the blowfish, the curious crocodile fish. Another interesting
activity is diving in the grottos: you can enter the macabre chamber of the
skeletons (some turtles and dolphins got lost in the mazes of this tunnel and,
disoriented, drowned here). In all the
diving points you can see the large black corals, the soft corals, the green
turtles and the silvertip sharks. It is important to know that sleeping on the
island is not possible anymore, but you can dive in Sipadan during the day and
stay in Mabul and Mataking.
Damai is
the main beach of the Sarawak: surrounded by a tropical forest, it is typified
by the thin sand. The background is dominated by the imposing and legendary
Santubong mount.
Pulau Gaya
is the largest island of the park and the nearest one to Kota Kinabalu. Covered
by an untouched tropical forest, in its inner part marked trails spread off for
hikes up to 20km. On the island there are also accommodations and resorts.
The Mabul
island is found off the south-eastern coast of the Sabah state, in the
Malaysian Borneo. It is one of the most known places of the world for muck
diving, that thrills the divers who want to observe the marine creatures that live
on this specific sea bottoms. The island has beautiful beaches and the sea
bottoms are suitable for any kind of diving.
The Pom Pom
island is found south-east of the Sabah state and is reachable in less than an
hour by boat from the coast. It is a small island that boasts a
4-kilometers-long coral reef, white-sand beaches and fantastic places where you
can dive. There are no inhabited centers on this island.
The
Mataking island is located south-east of the Sabah state, in the Cebeles Sea.
It is composed of two islands, a large one and a little one. With low tide, a
sand strip that connects them is created. The island is not inhabited but there
is an eco-resort. With all its islands, the Sapadan Park is an ideal place for
diving.
In the
Sabah state, it covers an area of 754 kmq. The Kinabalu mount (4.101 m) is one
of the highest mountains of the Asiatic south-east and climbing it can be a
thrilling experience. The richness of the flora and the fauna is incomparable
and reaching the top of it is really an amazing experience.
Located in
the northern part of Sarawak, it is an incredible and compact area, rich of
fascinating calcareous stone mountains… and all in 544 kmq! In the park there
is the Deer Cave, the largest grotto in the wold, (100m wide and 120m tall),
the Clearwater Cave, that is 51 km long and is considered the longest grotto in
the Asiatic south-east and the Sarawak Chamber, the biggest natural room of the
world (600 m long, 450 m large, 100 m tall and 900 m o.s.l.). On the sides of
the Gunung Api there are some picturesque calcareous pinnacles that were
sculpted by the rain for over 5 millions of years.
In the
Sarawak, it covers more than 3.103 hectares of forest and calcareous rock. Its
main attraction are the Niah grottos, that cover an area of 11 hectares.
On the ceiling
of the grottos there are the swallow’s nests, a course that is considered
delicious by the Asians. Experienced pickers climb bamboo poles to reach and
pick them (this practice is putting at risk the survival of this species of
bird). The grottos are also archeologically rich and interesting because of the
findings of objects that prove the presence of humans in it 40.000 years ago.
It covers
2.742 hectares of old forest at Bako mouth in the Sarawak. In the park there
are about seven types of vegetation that vary from the lowlands forest to the
shrubs (like in the desert) in the high parts.
Visitors
can pass through the park along well-marked paths in the vegetation and observe
the flora and the fauna, unique in this part of the world, like the long-tailed
macaque, the monitor lizards and the proboscis monkeys.
The Tabin
natural reserve is a protected area of the Sabah (eastern Malaysia), in the
Borneo island. It was established in 1984 to safeguard three species of big
mammals: the Asian elephant, the Sumatran rhinoceros and the banteng. The reserve
extends on a rectangular area of 1205 kmq and it is completely covered with a cut forest, while its heart is composed of small
islands of pure forest. In Tabin there are three mud volcanos and the biggest
one, Lipad, is reachable through a 2-km-long path. The trail is quite easy.
Tabin is really interesting for the researchers because it is so vast that it
can contain a large density of animal population and it is particularly
important for the biodiversity.
