Sabah, ” The Land Below the Wind”, is mountainous with a lush tropical rainforest. It is a country of unspoiled beauty, fascinating culture, isolated tropical islands, and home to one of the highest mountains in South East Asia, Mount Kinabalu (4,095m). This paradise also offers visitors activities such as jungle trekking, mountaineering, diving, exploration of caves and much more. Kota Kinabalu, the gateway to the rest of Sabah, is also the State Capital. It has a population of around 300,000. Kota Kinabalu or K.K. as it is usually called, is a relatively new town as the original town was destroyed during the Second World War. In the vicinity of Kota Kinabalu there are various places of interest, including the offshore islands, Tanjung Aru Beach, the State Museum and the State Mosque, the Gaya Street Fair every Sunday morning, the “pasar malam” or open night markets where you can test your bargaining skills, and nearby water villages. Kota Kinabalu itself is well served by hotels and restaurants of international standard.
Sabah’s population comprises over 30 different races and over 80 different dialects.The 3 main indigenous groups are the Kadazan/Dusun, Bajau and Murut. The Kadazans/Dusuns are found mainly on the West Coast and makes up about one third of the population. They are prosperous agricultural people and are the main rice producers of Sabah. The Bajau are skilled fishermen though there are linguistic and cultural differences between those living on the west and east coast. Those living on the west coast are predominantly farmers and they are well known for their skilled horsemanship. Those living on the east coast are mainly sea nomads, coming ashore only to bury their dead. The Murut live mostly in the South West region of Sabah and in remote parts of the interior residency between the town of Keningaru and the borders of Sarawak and Indonesia. They were great hunters who uses spears, blowpipes and poisoned darts.
For travelers who prefer to laze under the sun, Sabah offers glorious tropical beaches with activities such as swimming, snorkeling, or just simply relaxing on the beach. These beaches are located on five different islands near Kota Kinabalu and are something not to be missed by visitors such as Pulau Layang-layang, Turtle Island, Pulau Sipadan, Tanjung Aru, Tunku Abdul Rahman Island, Labuan and many more.
