Sabah is the northern state of Malaysia on the island of Borneo, and the most common region to visit. With some of the best diving in the world, a famous volcano hike, countless national parks, and, of course, orangutans, Sabah has a lot to offer. Something to keep in mind about visiting Borneo is that getting around isn’t super easy without a tour. There are local buses, but there’s essentially just one main road, so if you’re venturing away from this to get to some of the national parks, you’ll need a taxi. But, I promise it’s worth it. Borneo is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, with hundreds of animals and thousands of plants that can’t be found anywhere else on the planet.

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

This rehabilitation centre is possibly your best chance to see orangutans in their natural habitat, though this doesn’t really count as seeing them in the wild. Sepilok centre is part of a large park where the animals are encouraged to live as wild orangutans, which includes finding their own food. Everyday, the centre still offers the orangutans two feedings incase they’re not able to find enough food themselves. In the height of fruiting season (May-September), when they are able to forage independently, it’s common that no orangutans turn up to the feeding at all. It’s complete luck. October-April is the best chance of seeing the animals at the centre, when they are more likely to need the food offered by the staff.

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Next door to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is the Sun Bear Conservation Centre. These creatures are the smallest animal in the bear family, and found only in Asia. They like to hang out in trees with their tongues out, which is adorable. Their tongues can actually stretch out up to ten inches to help them hunt out insects, so it’s no wonder they hang out of their mouths sometimes! The enclosures in this centre aren’t particularly large, so it does feel a little more like a zoo, and the cost is pretty high for what you get. But the staff are very friendly and the bears are extremely cute.

Rainforest Discovery Centre

Also in Sepilok is a forest area with treetop walkways and hiking paths covering a surprisingly large area. This reserve is often skipped in favour of visiting the orangutans and sun bears, but it shouldn’t be! While you may not see such exciting wildlife (there are orangutans here but they tend to shy away from humans), the area is well kept and feels much more like a natural habitat than a visitors’ centre. There are many trails leading deep into the reserve, which you most likely won’t have time to do if you’re also trying to visit the two animal centres on the same day. Consider staying in Sepilok instead of visiting as a day trip from Sanadakan. If you’re looking for a place to stay, I’d recommend the Sepilok Jungle Resort.

Kinabatangan River

The Kinabatangan River is a wildlife rich area not too far from Sandakan. Lodges line the river and offer all inclusive packages with buffet meals, wildlife spotting cruises and night walks all included. You’ll see so many probiscus monkeys (the ones with the huge noses) as well as short- and long-tailed macaques. If you’re hoping for orangutans, it’s best to visit in May to September, when the trees along the river banks are full of fruits, and the apes will venture out to the visible areas to graze. The early morning boat rides are when you’ll see crocodiles, while during the night walks you’ll often find small birds sleeping in the bushes under huge leaves. If you’re incredibly lucky, you might even spot a pygmy elephant, a species which is endemic to Borneo and seen only about four times a year by humans in the Kinabatangan region.

The Hard Deck By The Elopura Hotel

Sandakan town is fairly small, and really just a jumping off point for some of the national parks in the area. But there’s no reason not to enjoy some fantastic food while you’re there! The waterfront promenade is not long, but at one end there are a few food trucks with a communal seating area with some cute fairy lights and often live music. Choose from classic Malaysian dishes, Mexican, fast food favourites and local Bornean delicacies. The seating area works a lot like a restaurant, with a joint menu for all the different food trucks and waiters who will collect your food from whichever truck you choose and deliver it to your table.

Sim Sim Hill Top

There is a short hiking trail at Sim Sim Hill which you’d never know about unless looking for it on maps.me. The path starts and ends on the side of an unassuming residential street in a random suburb of the town, but once you’re on it the trail is well marked and easy to follow. It heads up the hill to provide a cool view of the bay, including some of the stilt villages constructed at the water’s edge. You’ll need to order a grab taxi to get out and back to this area, but these are super cheap, and this walk is a nice way to spend an afternoon if you find yourself with a little extra time in Sandakan.

Langanan Waterfall

The hike to this waterfall begins at Poring Hot Springs, so you can rent a locker there for the day to store your stuff and just take a water bottle with you on the hike. Along the path, you’ll pass by a treetop walkway and butterfly garden, which you can visit for an extra fee. Shortly after starting the hike you’ll come across a smaller waterfall which you can swim at, but save your dip for the way back when you’ll need it more! Further up the trail you can explore a small bat cave. Just watch where you put your feet, or you’ll end up in a pile of guano. The full hike up to the waterfall takes around 2 hours, and aside from the occasional small leech, was the most enjoyable hike I did in Sabah. Especially as you have the hot springs to enjoy on your return.

Poring Hot Spring

Natural hot springs on the mountainside after a long day of hiking sounds like bliss, but this place is truly weird. There is a fairly small pool, which is cold, and very refreshing after the hike, but not exactly what you’re there for. There is a larger pool with some slides, which is again cold and requires an additional fee. Then there are the baths. The private ones you can hire for one hour, and it’s best to book this before your hike as they do sell out. The cheaper version is the public baths, which are still individual baths that you book for your group rather than sharing with everyone, they’re just all next to each other in the open air, hence not private. These you hire for three hours, which is needed because you get an empty one and have to fill it yourself. They’re quite large, so this takes a while. The cold tap comes out at a fair speed and pressure. The hot tap does not. So you can fill the tub reasonably quickly if you’re happy for a cold one, or you can settle for a warm foot bath. All in all, it’s a very weird experience, and the least amount of time spent in hot water of any hot spring I’ve ever been to!

Adenna Rafflesia Garden

The rafflesia arnoldii, also sometimes called the corpse flower thanks to its smell, is the largest flower in the world. Only found in Sumatra and Borneo, this flower is the state flower of Sabah, and Kinabalu National Park is the best place to try and catch a sighting. Each plant only flowers for around five to seven days every nine months, so there is no particular time of the year that you can visit to maximise your chances of seeing the flower. But in general, rainy season (November-March) is better. If you’re lucky enough to be visiting at the right time, there will be a sign outside listing how many flowers are in bloom, if any, and for how many days.

Kinabalu National Park

Hiking Mount Kinabalu is considered one of the top things to do in Borneo. The tallest mountain in Malaysia at 4095m, the entire hike takes you through incredible biological diversity. The views from the top are truly spectacular, especially at sunrise. The guide price, hiking permit, park entry fee and mandatory insurance are honestly not bad prices. However, it is now only possible to hike the volcano over two days with a guide, and there are only about three places to stay along the hike, and they are all extortionate. Since staying overnight is now required, the cost of the hike goes from around $120 to well over $300, for a bunk bed that you’ll leave at 2am to continue to the summit for sunrise. Instead, I recommend some of the other day hikes in the region: the Liwagu Trail, which connects to the Mountain View Trail at the end, or Maragang Hill.

Gaya Street Sunday Market

Gaya Street is the main thoroughfare through downtown Kota Kinabalu, and it has a big archway at one end so you can’t miss it. If you’re around on a Sunday, the entire length of the street fills with vendors selling all kinds of food, produce, flowers, crafts, clothing, and even pets! The main market runs from around 6am-1pm, but the food stalls stick around and start up again at dinner time. Actually, the best time to go is in the evening, when you can pick up dinner for pennies, and enjoy the lights, sounds and smells of the market in the cool night breeze. At the end of the road is a small park which at night-time usually has live music. Lots of locals will sit here and enjoy their food and drinks – join them!

Floating Mosque (Kota Kinabalu City Mosque)

This picturesque mosque on the city limits of Kota Kinabalu sits on a lake, hence the name floating mosque. You can visit the inside, but if you don’t look local then you will be made to pay to rent a robe and headscarf to enter, even if you’ve dressed appropriately with long trousers and sleeves and something to cover your head. This is clearly a tourist trap, as locals who are only there to take pictures rather than to pray can enter wearing whatever they like, even shorts and no headwear. The inside is much less pretty than the outside, so save your money and just walk around the outside of the mosque to view it with its reflection on the lake.

Bandar Seri Begawan

The tiny country of Brunei is entirely different to the rest of Borneo. The king is the richest monarch in the world, and the capital is full of opulent mosques and temples. It’s an incredibly interesting but weird place to visit. Brunei is completely surrounded by Malaysian Borneo. It is actually completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, but it is most commonly accessed by land from Kota Kinabalu. And because of the way the country is shaped, this roughly eight hour bus ride includes eight different border checkpoints. First you get stamped out of the state of Sabah and then into the state of Sarawak. This entry and exit procedure doesn’t happen when crossing Malaysian states on the mainland, but Borneo does things differently! Then you stamp out of Malaysia and into Brunei – or at least the first section of Brunei. The country is split into two regions, with Malaysia between them. So then you stamp back out of Brunei and back into Malaysia, and then continue to the next section of Brunei, where the capital is, and stamp back out of Malaysia and into Brunei. Eight stamps total. Not great if you’re running out of space in your passport, as I was, but a pretty cool travel story!

“Explore Sabah, Borneo” was originally published on Wanderdash (follow me @rosroundtheworld)