Borneo Safari 16th 2006 International Off Road Challenge

Site Category : Adventures/Sports Tourism, Cultural and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Karim Bujang flagged off the event in front of the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) office in Jalan Gaya on 29 October 2006. Chairman of STB, Tengku Datuk Zainal Adlin and Chairman of the Kota Kinabalu Four Wheel Drive Club (KKFWDC), Mr James Wong were also present at the flagging off. There are 75 vehicles altogether participating in the event, but only 14 vehicles are actually competing in the special Stages (SS) and other events. The rest are only support teams and observers/journalists. The 8-day event will pass throught the following places: Tuaran,Telupid,Deramakot Reserve, Tongod,Kg. Sinua and Trusmadi. The convoy will swing back after reaching Ranau and head back to KK passing through Tambunan. The number of vehicles is much lesser than those of the previous years because the organisers have to limit the number this time as the convoy will be passing through the Deramakot Reserve, steps are being taken to reduce the possible damages to the environment. Limiting the number of participating vehicles being one of them. The huge number of comments to this post are advertisement which are not relevant to this aricle.Read them only when you have nothing better to do.

Nexus Hotel/Karambunai Resort Golf Club

Guess it's high time to start introducing some luxurious places found in Sabah in order to cater for visitors who do not mind paying extra for first class facilities. Let's start with the Nexus Hotel/Karambunai Resort Golf Club which lies leisurely on the shore of the South China Sea, and is approximately a 30-minute drive from the city center and a 40-minute drive from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. The resort has a white sandy beach and the surrounding rainforests are well preserved to give the guests a comfortable sense of serene and tranquil, away from the hassle and bustle of the city. Luxurious accommodations at Nexus Resort include the 235 room Borneo Villa, nestled within a cluster of 7 two-storey buildings, amid a lush tropical garden. The 5-storey Oceanville offers tastefully stylish accommodations, with each guestroom unveiling private balconies that afford panoramic vistas of beach and cobalt blue seas wing was built to compliment the serene kampung charms of the Borneo Villa guestrooms. Apart from the 18-hole golf course, Nexus has the following facilities : RESTAURANTS & BARS: Penyu All Day Dining The Kingfisher Olive Mediterranean Restaurant Noble House Darlin' Entertainment Club The Horizon Lobby Lounge Golfer Lounge OTHER HOTEL FACILITIES AND SERVICES: Sports & Recreation : 3 swimming pools, an outdoor jacuzzi, a gymnasium, tennis, and squash court, cycling, aerobics, horse riding, archery, beach volleyball, mini soccer and Tai Chi lessson. Rainforest nature walks in the hotel 75-acre nature park. Karmabunai Resorts Golf Club : The 18-hole championship course designed by Ronald Fream Design Gropu Banquet : 1 Grand Ballroom, 3 ballrooms and 8 meeting rooms, catering up to 2,300 persons reception-style, 1,080 banquet-style and 800 classroom-style. Rates : From RM 440

Winners of 20th Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon Men Open

Ricardo Mejia of Mexico retains his title for the Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon by beating more than 130 runners from 21 countires on Sunday. This win also enables him to take the crown of the 7-series Buff- Skyrunner World Series Federation For Sports At Altitude 2006, after collecting 400 points in all. 43-year old Ricardo had won the title (Mt Kinabalu Climbathon) on 2001 and 2005. The second place goes to a local runner, Mius Balinting, who is a mere 500m behind Ricardo on the asphalt road at home stretch. 37-year old Mius plants vegetables in his own small plot of land on the foot hill of Mt Kinabalu when not competing. Incidentally, Mius is the first local runner who comes closest to clinching the title after 10 years. The title was won by Guianus Salagan, (who is in 9th position this year), 10 years ago when there were not so many competitors from overseas. Another Sabahan, Safrey Sumping (a moutanin guide), wins the third position. The excellent performance by Mius and Safrey has spurred the local sports authority to sit up and starts to organise programs to revive the interests of this sport and to relive our past glory, hopefully. Below is a list of the top 10 of the event :

Position	Name	Country	Clocked
1	Ricardo Mejia	Mexico	2:50:52
2	Mius bin Balinting	Malaysia	2:51:44
3	Safrey Sumping	Malaysia	2:53:22
4	Tadao Yokoyama	Japan	2:54:02
5	Dapit Fulvio	Italy	2:54:43
6	Agusti Roc Amador	Spain	2:55:44
7	Marco Rusconi	Italy	2:56:08
8	Jessed Hemandex Gispert	Spain	2:58:23
9	Guianus Salagan	Malaysia	3:03:48
10	Madamin Ghun	Malaysia	3:04:37
11	Sapirin Sumping	Malaysia	3:04:54

Winners Of TM 20th Mt Kinabalu Internatinal Climbathon

Reigning champion Anna Pichtrova of Czech Republic ,wins the Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon Women Open category title for the fifth time this year. Her team mate Iva Milesova wins the second place. Briton Dr Angela Mudge is in third place, while French Corine Farve is fourth, missed by merely one second. Nonetheless, this result enables Dr Angela to win the title for the 7-series Buff World Skyrunner Circuit. Mt Kinabalu Climbathon is the last and decisive leg of the series. In the Men Veteran category, Sarun Sadi is the champion. Francis Lane Cosgrave is second and Taising Bukolong is third. The Men Open Category will be held tomorrow. Below is a list of the top 10 of the Women Open event :

Position	Name	Country	Clocked
1	Anna Picthrova	Czech Republic	3:08:48
2	Iva Milesova	Czech Republic	3:14:42
3	Dr Angela Mudge	Great Britain	3:28:25
4	Corrine Favre	France	3:28:26
5	Daniela Vassali	Spain	3:33:34
6	Merlita Vailoces Aria	Philippines	3:38:30
7	Ester Hernandez	Spain	3:39:55
8	Danny Kuilin	Malaysia	3:44:04
9	Estaphanie Jimenez	Andorra	3:47:56
10	Han Zhenying	China	- -

Top 10 results for Men Veteran category not available. Will update as soon as it becomes available.

Travel To Sabah Will Be Easy Again

Flight arrangement to Sabah will be back to normal soon, making it easy for people to visit Sabah again. Read more...

Borneo 4WD Cross Country Challenge

Site Category : Adventures/Sports The Kinabalu Four Wheel Drive Club (KFWDC) is making plans to shift the racing grounds for this year's event namely, the 16th Borneo 4WD Cross Country Challenge, to a new location. The Chairman of KFWDC, James Wong, said the new venue will in the heart of Sabah. It is at the upstream of the Kinabatangan River in the Deramakot Forest Reserve. He said this change is due to the requests from the off-road enthusiasts who prticipated in past events. They find that passing through oil palm estates and jungles year after year is no longer thrilling enough for them. There are also other changes beside changing the venue, the registration fees will be raised to limit the number of participants because the event will be held in a forest reserve and damages to the environment need to be kept at a minimum. With a large number of participants this will be difficult to achieve. The number of vehicles will be limited also. More tests and challenges will be introduced and this time they will be passing through virgin jungles. James and a team who acted as path finder had ventured into the planned venue to mark a new route for this event. They were very excited at they found. The reserve covers an area of over 55,000 hectares, many wild life habitants were encountered. There are estimated at about 1,000 orang utans, wild bears, deers, elephants and many species of fauna and flora. Another team of path finder is currently try to establish a route to link the forest reserve to Donggu then connect to Keningau. So far they have come across some small streams, but they will expect to discover a few unpoluted rivers in Tongod during the next trip the team explores the reserve again. The 16th Borneo 4WD Cross Country Challenge is tentatively fixed at October 29 to November 5 2006. Teams from Japan, a regular in this event, have indicated that they will bring along their own vehicles. Teams from West Malaysia and Sarawak are likely to do the same too. Please register early to avoid disappointment!

Tabin Wildlife Conservation Conquest

Site Category : Wild Life Reserve Tabin is near Lahad Datu which is about 45-minutes travel by air away from Kota Kinabalu. Malayisa's largest wildlife reserve is located at Tabin.In order to attract visitors and make the public to be aware of the importance of wildlife reserves, an interesting and action-packed competition is held within the largest wildlife reserve in Malaysia.Fun filled activities including :

• Test of skills on traditional weapons
• Jungle running with obstacles
• Treasure hunting
• The unique mud man parade

This 2-day 1- night event has specially designed a race route that allows participants to discover the many facet of Tabin’s beauty and raise their awareness on environment and nature conservation. Requiring only moderate degree of physical fitness, contestants are requied to cover their bodies and faces, decorating their hairs with flowers and leaves. Several of the contestants were foreign visitors from countries like the UK, France who initially intended just to watch the events but were tempted by the promises of great funs and persuded to take part eventually. When asked they admited were glad that they participated because it was good fun. The conquest crowns the annual Tabin Mud King, Mud Queen and Mud Warrior as the best contestants..

The 20th TM Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon 2006

Site Category : Adventures/Sports The 20th (TM) Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon 2006 is open for registration now. All local and overseas high altitude racing enthusiasts are urged to register early to avoid disappointment Acclaimed as world’s toughest racing on high altitudes event, The 20th TM Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon 2006 is fixed to be held on September 30 and October 01 2006. The event categories on the first day will be the Men Veteran category and the Women Open category, while that on the second day will be the Men Open category. Please note that there will be a new restriction to be introduced this year, that is: the climbathon will cap at 150 (one hundred and fifty persons only). This is to prevent excessive damages to the fragile vegetations on both sides of mountain path leading to the summit that may incur if too many people tramping on the path at any one time are allowed. The Secretary of the organizing committee, Zachary Mobijohn, disclosed the above new rule and reiterated that late comers will be rejected once the maximum number (150) of participants is reached. This annual race, which tests one’s courage and ultimate body strength, attracted many world’s top high altitudes racers to face the challenges offered by this 4095.2 meters high Mt Kinabalu yearly. Another important reason for them to take part in this event is because it is sanctioned by the 7-series Federation for Sport at Altitude’s (FSA) Skyrunning World Championship. This happens to be the final leg of the 7-series circuit, hence the deciding and crucial race. It is learned that Mt Kinabalu is one of the few mountains, which does not require special kills and equipment to surmount, in the world. The distance for each race category is 21 km which has its starting point at the Kinabalu National Park, up the summit and return back to the finish line also at the National Park. The competitors will face challenges from the nature such as wet grounds, precarious cliffs, wooden stair-steps, bridges, steep high grounds etc. On top of that, this event is held during the rainy season each year, making it a true long torturous test for all the contestants. Therefore only the fittest and strongest willed challengers will become the final victors. The new sponsorer, Telekom Malaysia (TM), which replaces the previous long-time sponsorer, Malaysia Airline System (MAS), will donate RM30,000.00 cash prizes and RM10,000.00 worth in kinds. Those who are interested to participate please obtain the registration forms from the counters of

• Sabah Tourism Promotion Board
• Sabah Sri Tours Sdn Bhd

Or from this URL : http://www.sabahtourism.com/climbathon06/index.html For further information please contact through phone : 6088-232121 (Mr Zachary MobiJohn) Or E-mail balwant@sabahtourism.com

Sabah Tea Adventures Race (STAR)

Site Category : Adventures Sports The 4th Sabah Tea Adventures Race (STAR) organised by the Sabah Tea Plantations Sdn Bhd was a great success. It attarcted participants from the neighbouring countries like Australia,Japan,Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines. As this race was held in the cool and scenic settings of the tea plantations at Kundasang on the foot hills of majestic Mount Kinabalu, family members of many competitors accompanied them here. They will explore the scenery and rainforests while their loved ones are testing their cycling skills and speed amongst the green hills. The Culture, Tourism and Environment Minister, Datuk Chong Kah Kiat, suggested that the organising committee should consider holding a mini carnival on the side, showing performances by cultural groups, putting up stalls of handicrafts, local cuisines and fruits to attract more family memebers to come with the competitors.

Sipadan Project Scrapped

Good News! The Sabah state cabinet has decided to scrap the RM4.5 milion project on the Sipadan Island which caused damages to the surrounding environment, especially the coral reefs. The authorithy concerned claims that this amount was planned to provide the barest minimum of facility for divers. If that was true the planned wash-room will be most expensive one in the whole world. Imagine, a RM4.5 millions wash-room! Guess it will be costlier than purchasing a few decompression chambers. The authorithy should understand that tourists are attracted here by our natural senery, unique multi-racial cultures and the variety of local exotic cuisines, not by man-made posh hotels and facilities. Definitely we are in no position to compete with reputable hoteliers in other parts of the world in offering high quality hotels services and facilities. We should know our limitations as well as strong points, stop wasting money on building expensive hotels and resorts, use the money wisely to improve and protect our nature and environment, in turns attract more visitors who bring in revenues to us.

Layang-layang Resthouse Cum Restaurant Project Scrapped

The Sabah state cabinet met last week and the abandoned resthouse cum restaurant project 9000 feet up on Mount Kinabalu was also discussed, and it decided to terminate the project permanently and the site is to be reverted back to its original state. It is a big relief to nature lovers in Sabah because it was disclosed that the project would have put up a 2 1/2 storey high building requiring balsting on the mountain's granite to lay the foundation of the building. It is insane! Moreover, the allocated cost is RM4.3 millions. Surely there are better ways to use this kind of money, like building better bridges or roads which do not collapse easily during raining seasons. Mother nature has been very kind to us Sabahans, blessing us with wonderful tourist spots, but we do not know how to appreciate them and to treasure them. It is really sad. What the authority should consider doing is to build several zinc-sheet huts at strategic spots along the climbers' trail. It will be much more cost effective, environmental friendly and convenient to climbers. After the Sipadan Island case and now this one, how many more surprises are in store for us?

Masilau Natural Resort

Site Category : Mountain Resort Masilau is also situated on the foot hill of Mount Kinabalu. But it is different because there is a golf course nearby, which obviously is not owned by the resort because there is no mention about it in the resort owner's website. Nestled at the foot of the magnificent Mount Kinabalu at 2,000 metres above sea level within the World Heritage Site, Mesilau Nature Resort promises to enchant visitors with its cool temperate climate and serene surroundings as an amazing nature's paradise. Climbers especially repeat climbers, may now try the new and challenging trail to Mount Kinabalu from this point. The bio-diversity of the flora and fauna found here makes Mesilau a haven for naturalists. The world's largest pitcher plant, the "Nepenthes Rajah" grows in abundance here. Cool and refreshing, Mesilau is an ideal venue for motivational training, seminars, meetings and even meditation.

There are many choices of accommodations available here :

1. Rest House
   • Dormitory Bunk Beds Common Lounge, Common Bathroom, Kitchen Cooking Facilities (upon request)
2. Lodge
   • 3 bedrooms with heater Living Area, Attached Bathroom, Heater Shower.
3. Lodge
   • 2 bedrooms (1queen-sized bed / 1 king-sized bed) Living & Dining Area, Room Heater, Bathroom, Heated Shower Kitchen

Activities arranged :

• Nephenthes Rajah Natural Trail (9:00am - 4:00pm) - subject to fee
• Guided Nature Walk within the Resort - subject to fee
• Monday to Friday - 9:30am, 11.00am, 2.00pm
• Sat, Sun, School & Public Holiday - 7:30am, 11.3am, 2.00pm
• Outdoor Games for Rental: Volley ball & Sepak Takraw - subject to fee
• Indoor Games for Rental : Carom / Scrabble / Chess / Checkers
• Others : Souvenir Shops, Renanthera Restaurant, Function Room (accommodates up to 120 persons Theatre Style)

Here's a view of Mount Kinabalu from the resort :

Picture by Doris Doris's photo website

Tour Operator :

Sutera Sanctuary Lodges

Good News : Sipadan Remains Open

The Sabah Culture Environment Tourism Minister, Datuk Chong Kah Kiat announced that the world-famous diving spot - Sipadan Island is open to visitors until the relevant authorities meet and decide on the next course of action to take regarding the running of the island.
As a precaution, please double confirm with your tour operator before flying in. You will never know, the stands of our officers here are as changable as the local weather!
And please, please obtain a permit for visiting the Sipadan island. This is actually the responbility of your tour operator, but be aware that this is the most important prequisition for your visit.

Sipadan Island Closed Indefinitely

The Sipadan Island will be closed to all visitors indefinitely due to extensive damages to the eco-system caused by an unauthorised barge carrying heavy building materials meant for construction works on the island. Read more....... (View Sipadan Island)

Sabah Fest 2006

Sabah Fest 2006 has begun. It was officiated by Head Of State Of Sabah, TYT Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah in the presence of the Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Musa Aman and Deputy CM cum Minister of Tourism Datuk Chong Kah Kiat. It will run from May 6 until May 14. Cultural shows including traditional dances, songs and handicrafts by the 30+ ethnic groups in Sabah will be performed at the various shopping complexes/malls around Sabah. Visitors (foreign and local) are welcomed to sample the various traditional cookings available at the stores which will be put up by the organising body at each of the venue where such shows are held. The month May, is a month of celebrations in Sabah because Kaamatan, the most important festival for the largest ethnic group in Sabah - the Kadazandusun, will be celebrated at 30th & 31st of May every year. Starting at early of the month almost every town with Kadazandusun residents will take turns to hold Tamu (open air gatherings), where people of all races in Sabah will come out to watch dance performance, beauty contests, take part in rice wine drinking, consuming traditional home cookings. And on the actual days of Kaamatan (30th & 31st) the Tamu Besar (Grand Gathering) will be held. The role of playing host to the Tamu Besar will be rotated between the major towns each year. The Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) is to give thanks to the Rice Goddess after a boundiful harvest in May when the harvest season is just over for the year. But, please do not confuse the Sabah Fest with the Kaamatan (Harvest Festival), some ethnic groups in Sabah do not celebrate the Kaamatan. The Sabah Fest is held in May because the air is full of joy this particular month.

Cures For Cancer,AIDS And Malaria Found in Borneo Rainforest

Site Category : Rainforests It is reported in the Sabah local papers that certain trees found in the rainforest on the Borneo island may provide the keys to produce cures for the most deadly human diseases - Cancer, Aids and Malaria. The new WWF report was compiled by associate professor with Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Dr Menno Schilthuizen. He said in his report that an Australian pharmaceutical company has identified a promising anti-cancer substance in a shrub in Sarawak. A compound present in the plant Aglaia leptantha has been found to effectively kill 20 kinds of human cancer cells in laboratory tests, including those that cause brain and breast cancer, and melanoma. Scientists also found a unique chemical in latex produced by the Bintangor tree. The compound, Calanolide A, that appears to be effective against the repication of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), as well as the tuberculosis bacterium, which affects many AIDS patients. The discovery is particularly important as, to date, no single drug has been able to treat both HIV and TB. If clinically proven, Calanolide A, could be a major development for the health of many millions worldwide. The report further said that researchers found a powerful and previously unknown anti-malarial agent in the bark of a local tree, Lansium domesticum, traditionally used by the Kenyah people of Kalimantan to treat malaria. The substance, a triterpenoid - apparently kills the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in laboratory tests. However,the Chief Executive Director of WWF-Malaysia, Dr Mikaail Kavanagh, fears that these new discoveries will disappear together with the rainforest from the heart of Borneo if they are not protected. He reiterated that he hoped the 3 Borneoan countries namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei will sign the " Heart Of Borneo Declaration" which aims to preserve approximately 220,000 sq km of equatorial forests and numerous wildlife species.

Origin Of The Dragon Boat Race In Malaysia

Further to my previous entry on the Dragon Boat Competition, I wish to add a background story about the origin of the dragon boat race for the benefit of those readers who did not know about it already. At the biginning the dargon boat race was solely a Chinese affair, celebrated by the early migrants from China on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calender every year. This is the Duan Wu Festival (端午节), some simply call it the "rice dumpling festival" becuase every Chinese household must cook rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves called "zong"(粽) this particular day. As Malaysia being a multi-racial,multi-cultures country, this annual event slowly saw the participation from other communities and eventually become what it is today. Any way, let's get back to the story about how the dragon boat race was started. More than a thousand years ago in China, (I forgot in what dynasty it was already) there was this patriotic poet named Qu Yuan(屈原) was serving as a high ranking official in the Emperor's court. He was very worried and frustrated by the fact that the Emperor was surrounded by corrupt officials, and wise and hosnest officials like Qu Yuan were sidelined. As a result of following the ill advices given by the corrupt officials, the Emperor had run the country poorly and the people lived in dire hardship. Qu Yuan risked his life to offer his advice to the Emperor, the Emperor was annoyed and sent him into exile to a backward place at the border. Utterly disappointed and sad, Qu Yuan commited suicide by throwing himself into a river. On hearing this sad news, the village folks raced to the middle of the river on boats trying to rescue him or at least to recover his body. They throw many "zong" (粽) into the river so that the fish will feed on the zong and not damage the body of their beloved poet, Qu Yuan. The people carry out the same act of racing on boats in the river and throwing zongs into the river on the day Qu Yuan died, ie. the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calender every year. Over the years this performance has spread to the whole of China and even to overseas. There are also significant modifications taking place along the way, the zongs though are still a must every year, but they are landed in the stomach of the people instead in the rivers nowadays. And people started to carve decorations on the boats for the race, being Chinese their favourite figure is always the dragon, so there was a dragon on almost every boat, hence the name "Dragon Boat Race" was coined. This race has become an international event now but it is always good to know how it started.

Sabah Dragon Boat Competition

Site Category : Adventures/Sports The Sabah Dragon Boat Competition will be held at the Likas Bay, Kota Kinabalu, on a grand scale this year. The 21st Sabah Dragon Boat Competition 2006 will see very keen contest amongst the participating teams because Indonesia, Japan, Australia and Hongkong have shown their intention of sending teams to take part this year. The secretary of the Organising Committee, Zahcary Mobijohn disclosed this yestaerday. He said that these 4 countries had expressed their intention of participating, and they had requested relevant information on signing up already. The Sabah Dragon Boat Competition is an annual tournament jointly organised by Sabah Chinese Cultural Association, Sabah Tourism Board and Seri Travel Sabah Sdn Bhd. It will be held on a grand scale at Likas Bay on June 18 2006. There will be a new cagetory for this year's event - the Female category. This is to encourage all-female teams to participate. Zahcary said that a team from South Australia will be taking part in this event for the 4th consecutive year. The unique part about this team is because they won the Breast Cancer category challenge trophy in the 25th Penang International Dragon Boat Festival, and all their team members are survivals of breast cancer and supporters. They are very active in promoting awareness among women about breast cancer and urging them to do regular check ups. The organising committee hopes that this unique team will bring along another 3 all-female teams to take part in this particular category. He also hopes there will be many local all-female teams to participate. Although there will not be any cash prizes for this category, the Sabah Chinese Cultural Association will sponsore a challenge trophy for the winner. Besides, the Organising Committee agrees to revive the Kinabalu Challenge Cup category for males below 21, the Sabah Tourism Cup for all tour operators, hotels, travel agents, tour packages organisers. In summary, below are the categories :

	Category	Participants
	Open	Males above 21
	All-female	Female
	Kinabalu Challenge Cup	Males below 21
	Tourism Cup	Tour operators,hotel employees,travel agents

There were 52 teams including Brunei, Hongkong, Indonesia, China, Australia and local teams taking part last year. Hopefully there will be more than that this year. Any team interested to join please request for entry forms from Sabah Tourism Board at Gaya Street or Seri Travel Agency Sabah Sdn Bhd. Alternatively, visit the website below : Sabah Tourism Board Tel : 6088-232121/6013-8504007 (Zahcary Mobijohn)

Semporna Water Festival

The 13th REGATTA LEPA annual water festival will be celebrated by the Bajau ethnic group of Sabah east coast to commemorate the use of Lepa at Semporna on April 15-16 2006. This water festival has being passed on to the Bajau by their great great grand fathers since time immemorial. Lepa in the Bajau dialect means "boat", this festival has got some thing to do with boats, naturally. Yes, the high light of the event is to choose the most dazzling Lepa from the beautifully built, colourfully adorned lepas which are lined up at the waterfront. On the decks of these colourful lepas are smiling dancers and musicians dressed in equally colourful traditional attires. Beside the main attraction, there are also other exciting activities like "lumba dayung" - rowing competition, tug-of-war, duck catching, cultural show and many more awaits visitors. All are invited to come to witness this colourful event and celebrate this age-old tradition!

East Coast of Sabah,Semporna is to the east of Tawau Colourful Bajau dancers onboard colourful Lepa How to get to Semporna.....

Mode of transport	Fares	Duration
From KK to Semporna by air-conditioned Express bus	RM58.00/person	9 hours
Daily flights by MAS kk-Tawau	Check with nearest trevel agent	45 minutes
From Tawau to Semporna either by Taxi or Mini bus	RM60-Rm100(Taxi) RM12-RM20 (Mini bus)	1 hour 45 minutes 1 hour 45 minutes

Where to stay....

• Anung Hayat Resort
• SeaFest Hotel
• Semporna Holiday Resort
• Dragon Inn

For details please contact : Balwant Singh Kler Tel : 6089-781518,6088-232121 Fax : 6089-781472,6088-265540 Email : balwant@sabahtourism.com

Kiulu 4M Challenge

ite Category : Adventures/Sports The 4M Challenge will be held on May 7 2006 at 7:00am. The venue of this challenge is again at Kiulu - remember the White Water Rafting Adventures (Refer entry : 1/21/2006 View) and the Open 4x4 Jamboree Contest(Refer entry : 3/07/2006 View) ? The 4M Challenge is an annual traditional event for the local natives to test their physical fitness, endurance and survival skills. 4M stands for the four compulsory events because the 4 events spoken in local dialects all begin with the letter "M", namely Manangkus (Running for a distance of 6km), Mamangkar(Bamboo rafting for a distance of 5km), Manampatau(Swimming with a lenght of bamboo for a distance of 1.3km) and Mamarampanau(Walking on bamboo silts for a distance of 0.2km), hence 4M...:=)

Route map of Kiulu 4M Challenge The 4 Events : Walking on silts(top left),Bamboo rafting (top right), Swimming with bamboo lenght(bottom left),Running(bottom right) Come and participate in this traditional sports and have some splashing funs. There are several categories to choose from :

• Mixed Open
• Junior Open
• X - treme 5M

How to get to Kiulu :

Mode of transport	Duration	Fares
From KK to Tamparuli (Wawasan Bus Terminal)	1 1/2 hours	RM4.00/person
Bus Interchange at Tamparuli to kiulu	30 minutes	RM2.00/person

Where to stay : MitAbang Homestay Kampung Tulung-Mantab Kampung Pukak Homestay For details please contact : Ariffin Gadait (Organising Chairman) Tel : 6088-225752,6088-255972 Fax : 6088-262198 e-mail :Ariffin.Gadait@sabah.gov.my

Sabah Adventure Challenge

Site Category : Adventure/Sports The 7th edition of the popular Sabah Adveture Challenge race will be held near Kiulu area on April 14-16 2006. The official name for the 2006 adventure is Polar-Sabah Adventure Challenge. It is sponsored by Polar, the total prize money is RM10,000. 30 teams have already registered. Each team consists of 2 persons. acoording to the organisers,Avtar Sandhu and Claus Pedersen, the participants are mostly ex-pats from Hongkong,Thailand,Singapore,New Zealand,Australia,UK and Canada. There are also some local teams participating in the adventure race. The race will involve going over rugged trails,mountain roads,rivers and sea. The racers will have to hike,cycle along hilly single-track country roads. They will also be required to paddle via kayak from Likas to Tanjung Aru beach. In addtion, they will navigate their way between mandatory checkpoints along the course and to complete the orienteering tests. The 200KM course will cover a variety of scenery and will prove very exciting. They include interesting geological features,challenging navigation and some of the most rugged terrain in Borneo. The Sabah Adventure Challenge race has over the years earned its name as the longest running adventure race in South-East Asia. It is also renowned for its toughest running and mountain hiking races any experienced adventure racer could do. The offiacial registration of teams will be done at the Kinabalu National Park near Kundasang on April 13. The equipement checks will also be done at the same place and same day. The race will be officailly flagged off at the National Park by the assistant Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Jahid Jahim on April 14 2006. The race will take 3 days to complete. There will be 2 categories namely : Extreme and Adventure categories. Registration for local teams will cose on April 5. For more information, please visitor their website : http://www.sabahadventure.com

Lok Kawi Zoological Garden

Site Category : Zoo/Botanical Garden The Lok Kawi Zoological Garden is a 280 acres forest near the coast off Lok Kawi town. Lok Kawi is about 20-minute drive, under normal traffic conditions, from Kota Kinabalu city centre. This Zoological Garden is a combination of a zoo and a botanical garden. It is unique that the surroundings and contour of the whole place maintains its original natural settings, unlike zoos in other parts in the country like Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru where they are built on man-made landscapes. The 200 acres botanical garden is filled with plants found only deep in the rainforest and are transplanted here. Each plant is provided with a signboard complete with its common name and scientific name and a brief but clear description. Local flowers of various species line the pathway, visitos can stroll along and enjoy the scenery or study the plants. The zoo keeps many rare local wild animals, some of which can only be found in Borneo, like the Borneoan pigmy(stunned-growth) elephants, the Proboscis (long-nosed) Monkey, the Orang Utan(Borneoan Ape), the Borneoan Rhino. Many animals are in the process of being imported too, so that our children will also have the opportunity to see animals from other countries. There is also a 2-acre bird park netted with wire mesh. Inside are many different species of birds like eagle,egerate,oreintal dates,hornbill,kingfisher and the rare bird of Borneo - Lesser Adjuntant. The management are also importing birds from oversea countries. The Zoological Garden also has a modern children playground for energetic children. This will be a very popular destination for week-end and holidays outings. However, the garden is open to local visitors at the present stage because some final touching ups are being carried out and hope will be open to foreign visitors by end of the year. Tour Operators : Not required, can be reached by all public transports. Book accommodations in Sabah - 88Hotels.com

Open 4x4 Jamboree Contest

Site Category : Off-road Adventures The 3rd Borneo Safari Open 4x4 Jamboree will be held in the Ulu Kimanis area from March 17 to 19. The event is organised by the Kinabalu 4WD Club and they are expecting about 80 4WD vehicles with 250 members and 20 to 30 non-members to take part. Participation fee is RM100 per family. Flagging off will be at Papar town at 9.00am on March 17. The standard 4WD vehicles will be taking the Kimanis - Keningau route while the modified vehicles will be taking the Simpudu - Lingan route which will pass through extreme roads. There will also be outdoor games for children during the jamboree and prizes in the form of cash, tyres, and motor oil, amongst others, will be given out to the winners. The above details were disclosed by the organising chairman, Edward Lingkapo. He invited the public to participate in the jamboree. He can be contacted at 019 8518507.

The Sabah Agriculture Park

Site Category : Mountain Park The Sabah Agriculture Park is situated at Lagud Serrang near Tenom in the interior. It is a bout 3-hours leisure drive from Kota Kinabalu city. On the way up the Crocker Range you will pass by other tourist attractions like Gunung Emas Resort,Tambunan and Keningau. You can also reach Tenom by train,you may choose to start the journey from Kota Kinabalu,Papar or Beaufort. It is unique in the sense that you will not be travelling on modern fast trains, instead you will have the opportunity to experience a journey on a "relic" locomotive of the Borneo Railway. It is the last surviving train of the original fleet of the Borneo Railway. The Sabah Agriculture Park will be celebrating its fifth anniversary with a fun-filled 2-day carnival beginning March 11 2006. The Park was awarded "The Best Tourist Attraction - Man-made Category" in the country in 2004. Here not only you will find the wide range of plants but also you will be very impressed with the artistic works of the landscape experts blending art with nature beautifully. Some of the events will include :

• Launching of promotional DVD/VCD on the Park
• Children Colouring Competition
• Car/Auto Show
• Park Explorace
• Fishing Competition
• Karaoke Competition
• Celcom,Maxis,Nissan,Perodua Services Stalls

Contact : agripark@sabah.net.my

Online hotel reservations to Sabah

International Ethnic Wedding Ceremonies

The National Arts,Cultures and Heritage Board and the Sandakan Town Municipal Board will jointly host an International Ethnic Wedding Ceremonies and Feasts on 4 March 2006, at Kg Sungai Tiram, Sandakan. Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman will officiate the open ceremony. The event will showcase the 4 major ethnic groups in Sandakan :

• Suluk
• Orang Sungai
• Tidong
• Kagayan

It is a very good opportunity for all Malaysians to learn more about others' cultures. Foreign tourists are also encouraged to join the festivals. Exhibitions of traditional handicrafts made by native tribes will be organised. Visit the stalls and buy any items which may catch your eyes as souvenirs. And come join in the traditional dances and games, everyone should have a great time!

Danum Valley

Site Category : Valley Sabah tourism promotion efforts are mainly focused on the mountains and the seas, the valleys gets very little promotion exposures. Visitors who pass over tourist attractions in other parts of the world for tourist attarctions in Sabah must not miss out the valleys. Visit the valleys , they are the places which can not be found any where else on earth. They are covered with rainforests which have being in existence long before the Ice Age. Being here you are closest to to Nature! Danum Valley is the more well known one, it is gazetted as a forest reserve by the Sabah State Government. Hence it is untouched by human commercial activities except at the fringe areas. But how long will this last? Nobody can say for sure, beacuase it is learned that there is a huge deposite of valuable mineral ore beneath the ground of the Danum Valley. How long can the government resist the temptations as well as pressures from interested parties is everybody's guess. Therefore, I urge you to visit Danum Valley before it disappears into a vast span of waste land as a result of indicriminate mining activities. To get there : You may fly in to Kota Kinabalu, capital city of Sabah directly or via Kuala Lumpur,Singapore,Hongkong,Manila or Jakatar depending on where you are. Do a search, plan and then make online reservations before you travel,click here From Kota Kinabalu city you have to travel on land for about an hour to Lahad Datu. You may travel by air as an alternative, but the hassle of sticking to the flight schedules, security checks and long wait before check-in and check-out makes it not worth while to do so. Moreover, this portion of the road is in excellent conditions, in fact the journey will be much more comfortable than by travelling in the Folker Friendship aircrafts. From Lahad Datu, take another overland journey on gravel road (grade 1) for 2 1/2 hours to reach Danum Valley. Depending on the tour packages you select, some or all of the following activities will be arranged :

• Walk Through o f the Natural Trail to get the initial exposure to the amazing vast range of varieties of flora and fauna.
• Canopy Walk - Short cut of getting from one hill to another by spanning a hanging bridge across between the two hills. Walking on the canopy you fell as if you are walking on the tree tops of the rainforest.
• Night drive on jeep in search of nocturnal animals. (subject to weather conditions)
• Jungle trekking to reach the ancient burial ground for the Kadazandusun community - "Coffin Cliff" .
• Climb to the "View Point" to have a better view of the jungle.
• Have a refreshing dip in the natural "Jacuzzi Pools"
• Water Tubing in the Danum River
• Trekking along the Segama River
• Guided walk at Segama Trail/Hornbill Trail

To fully enjoy the above listed activities, you are required to stay 3 days and 2 nights at the valley. Comfortable resort-like lodging will be provided.

Tour Operators :

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Borneo Rainforest Lodge
• Borneo Nature Tours

Things to bring :

• Extra clothes,insect repellent,mosquito oilment,trekking shoes,sandal,long sleeves shirts.

Rungus Long House - Kudat

Site Ctegory : Community Kudat is the major town at the north of Borneo island. It was once the capital of British North Borneo (Sabah). It is home to one of the 40+ local ethenic tribes, the Rungus. Unlike villagers in other parts of Malaysia, they build their houses in a straight row one adjacent to another. There is no walls dividing the adjacent houses, they share one common roof and flooring, with one long passage running across the middle from end to end. Each family dwelling inside has a cubicle with walls built from bamboo strips, providing them some sort of privacy. The building is on silt, the floor is about 5 to 6 foot above the ground. The flooring and the walls are made of bamboo, the pillars are of hard wood and the roof is made of drie atap (the dried leaves of a king of thorny palm trees). The dwelling described above is called a rumah pajang meaning "long house". The Rungus are very skillful craftmen. The make the best woven clothes, intricate beadworks and baskets in Sabah. They also make the traditional gong,Sumangkap Gong. Visit them, learn more about their ways of life. On your way to Kudat, which will take about 2 hours, you will pass by another town called Kota Belud. Another group of local natives, the Bajaus, live here. They will bring the products from their lands and handicrafts to a large open space in the town for sales every Sunday. This is the popular Sunday tamu (open-air market). Look for some souvenirs, loca fruit and cakes/cookies try your skill of tawar-menawar (bargaining). The north most part of Borneo island is further north from Kudat. If you have time to spare, proceed to the tip of Borneo and stand facing the South China Sea just for memory. You may stay in local hostel and resorts or return to Kota Kinabalu city the same day. Tour Operators :

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Sabah Sightseeing
• Supreme Visage

Sepilok Orang Utan

Site Category : Wild Life Adventures

Sepilok Forest Reserve is about 30-minutes drive from Sandakan Airport. This is primarily a lowland forest, a fine showcase of Borneo's remaining rainforest. There are a number of nature trails here, you may select one to experience a walk in the Borneoan rainforest. See the diversity of plants,obeserve the 30 - 50 meters tall dipterocarp trees,more than 100 years old liana, the wild flowers and fascinating insects. Sepilok has recorded more than 250 species of birds, so a very good chance of sighting the macaques, leaf monkeys and other mammals. This forest reserve is a source of seed material for the enrichment of other forested areas and remains a living gene bank of resources.

The main attraction of Sepilok is, of course, the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. Orang Utan is the local name for a species of human-like apes found only in Borneo Island. Orphaned or injured Orang Utans are brought to Sepilok to be rehabilitated to return to forest life.
They usually hide on trees bearby, only to emerge during feeding hours. You may observe them from a platform built for this purpose. Do not try to feed them unless you are under the supervision of the warden. These Orang Utans are still wild animals basically, so cautions have to be exercised.

Things to bring :
Insect repellent,raingear,torchlight,good walking shoes and extra clothing.
Tourist Information:

Admission	Adult	Under-18
	RM5(Malaysian) RM30(Foreign)	RM2(Malaysian) RM10(Foreign)
Camera or Video Recorder	Personal	Professional or Commercial
	RM10	RM1000
Time to Note	Feeding Hours	Video Show
	10am & 3pm	10.30am to 3.30pm
Prohibited	Jewelry	Clothes
	Shiny Items	Bright coloured

Tour Operators :

Summer Cruise Holiday
Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
Supreme Visage

White Water Rafting - Padas

Site Catagory : River Cruise/Sports Padas River is on the South-western part of Sabah. First you have to go to Beaufort,a small town 1 1/2 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu city. From here you will proceed to the starting point of the rafting cruise by train. You may not realize that the train you are riding on is the oldest and the one and only survival of the good old Borneo Railway fleet! It is the only train on the whole of Borneo Island. It will chug you along the scenic view of the Sabah, Southerners who come with their poultry to sell at the nearest town. There is a broad and tarred road running parallel to the railway line. If the train runs into any mechanical problem, you may transfer to a bus and get on with your journey, so not to worry. The train ride is specially arranged for you to enjoy because all of you are so used to travelling on bullet-trains back home. You will reach the starting point after 2 hours of train ride. Padas River gushes through the spectacular Padas Gorge and is a challenge to all. The rafting cruise here is categorized as Class III-IV. The adrenaline rush excursion covers a distance of 9km that holds 7 biggest exciting and tough rapids in South-East Asia. Rafting cruise ends at the Rayoh Station after 1 1/2 hours of nerve tingling actions. Lunch will be served. And you still have some time for souvenir shopping before heading back to Kota Kinabalu city. Certificate Of Achievement will be awarded for this cruise. Things To Wear (And Spares) Towel,shoes (which will get wet), shorts and T-shirts,additional set of clothing and slippers. Things To Bring Sun block lotion, waterproof camera and hat. Tour Operators Traverse tours Borneo Ultimate Sports Adventure Tours Inno Travel And Tour Services Summer Cruise Holiday

White Water Rafting - Kiulu

Site Catagory : River Cruise/Sports If you are game for some water adventures in Sabah, try the white water rafting. Yo wil travel in rubber rafts down the swift flowing waters in the rivers, pasing through rapids. When the waters hit the rocks on the river bed, they splash bubbles and white foams all over, hence the name "white water rafting". There are 2 grades of white water rafting in Sabah : 1. Kiulu River White Water Rafting (Grade I-II) 2. Padas River White Water Rafting (Grade III-IV) KIULU RIVER Kiulu River is 1 1/2 hours drive away from Kota Kinabalu city. The journey takes you through villages populated by the Kadazan-Dusun, the largest ethnic group in Sabah, and acres and acres of green rice fields. In these villages,you will see groups of baffuloes crossing the road oblivious to the traffic, also children walking to school. This is a typical scene in Malaysian village. On clear days the majestic Mount Kinabalu is in clear view among the distant hills. You also have to cross the suspension bridge to get to the starting point. The starting point is flexible depending on the water level at the time. If the river water is at its highest level, the journey will be 15km long, while at its normal level, the journey will be 7km. The rafting difficulty level is suitable for family adventure, but the excitement and thrills of shooting through rapid after rapid is not in any way dimished. The whole family will get the chance to learn paddling, swimming and just floating in the white water! ( Hint: The playful guide will make sure that you get a chance to swim). The rafting journey will end at the tour operator's restaurant at Kiulu, where you will have bath and lunch before returning to Kota Kinabalu. Things To Wear (And Spares) Towel,shoes (which will get wet), shorts and T-shirts,additional set of clothing and slippers. Things To Bring Sun block lotion, waterproof camera and hat. Tour Operators

• Traverse tours
• Borneo Ultimate Sports Adventure Tours
• Inno Travel And Tour Services
• Summer Cruise Holiday

Klias River - Fireflies Cruise & Proboscis Monkey

Site Category : River Cruise

This tour is also known as Klias Wetland Adventures

Klias River is near Beaufort about 100km from Kota Kinabalu city. The cruise is conducted at the calmer lower reach of the Klias River. It allows you to catch sight of the bizarre long-nosed monkeys, called the prosboscis monkeys. The only place where these monkeys are found is at the Borneo Island. They normally live in harems consisting of one male, one to eight females and their offsprings. These forest dwellers frequently come together by the river side especially in the evening looking for food.
They have a special liking towards the young shoots and ignore the hard,thick grown leaves.And they always come back to the same trees to feed,therefore not surprisingly, there can be seen certain trees along the river bank which have scanty leaves.
By 6:00pm in the evening,each family would have picked a tree to spend their night, hence this will be an ideal time to observe them for a longer period, no worrying that they will disappear into the jungle again.
Adult prosboscis has huge pendulous fleshy nose while the female's is fairly short and snubby. Also you may be able to spot other animals during the cruise such as long-tailed macasques,monitor lizards,water buffaloes,egrets kingfisger and hornbills. At the night there are thousands of fireflies flashing their lights and decorating the tree tops,turning them into Christmas trees! At the end of the cruise you may head home straight away because the journey back to Kota KInabalu takes only about 1 1/2 hours drive. Things to bring : Binocular,insect repellent,hat,drinking water,camera or video camera. Accommodations : None Tour operator : Summer Cruise Sabah Sightseeing Starcruise Book online now

Labuk River

Site Category : River Cruise Beluran is a small agricultural and fishing town about 1 1/2 hours drive (90km) from Sanadakan. Sandakan is on the east coast of Sabah,45-minutes travel by air or 7-hours by road. The destination introduced today is the Labuk River which is located near Beluran. The cruise along Labuk River will allow you to see the long-nosed monkey called the Proboscis monkey. It is only found in one place in this world, the Borneo Island. Also found along the river banks are other primates such as macaques,silver leaf and orang utan (wild man of Borneo). There are many different species of birds like eagle,egerate,oreintal dates,hornbill,kingfisher and the rare bird of Borneo - Lesser Adjuntant. After lunch you may proceed to have a walk in the mangrove forest. The mangrove forest is unique vegetation that thrives in salt and brackish water and an important habitat for the Mudskipper,Fiddler crab and many species of marine life. Here you may observe at close range of various species of birds such as white-bellied sea eagle,kingfishers,woodpecker,herons etc. For those who take the night cruise, they will be fascinated by the fireflies (thousands of them), the trees along the banks will be brightened up,as if they are Christmas trees! Things to bring : Binocular,insect repellent,hat,drinking water,camera or video camera. Accommodations : Legend Motel Tour operator : Supreme Visage Boeneo Discovery Nature Heritage Travel And Tours

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Site Category : Mountain Park Kinabalu Pine Resort is situated at a small town, Kundasang, in the foot-hill of Mount Kinabalu, about 90km from Kota Kinabalu city. From here one can have a very clear view of the magnificient Mt Kinabalu,but the shape of which is slightly different from its usual roughly rectangular shape as viewed from the Kinabalu Park HQ. You may relax in the fresh cool mountain air, away from the busling life in the city. There are 64 rooms in this resort with attached bathrooms, colour TV and coffee making facilities. There is a restaurant that serves both western and local food. You can also sing in the koraoke lounge or simply relaxing in the lounge outside. There are also facilities to hold up to 250 delegtaes in the theatre style conference room, or 200 delegates in classroom settings. This is therefore a favourite place for seminar cum holidays, training cum holidays and meeting cum holidays types of functions. Other facilities include children 's playgorund, outdoor barbecue pits and public telephones. Contact : Kinabalu Pine Resort.

Poring Hotspring

Site Category : Mountain Park

Poring is a kind of local giant bamboo,which is found in abundance here. This resort derived its name from it.

The journey from Kota Kinabalu will take 3 hours into the interior of Sabah. Along the scenic countryside,you will see tiny villages scattered about,occasional roadside stalls selling vegetables,fruits and souvenir items such as hand made crafts.

Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South-east Asia, can be seen from afar. And there are a few excellent spots on the way to allow you to take clear photographs of it.

You will arrive at Poring Hot Spring resort after 3 hours of leisure driving. The main purpose of going to Poring is have a dip in the hot sulphuric water from the hot spring which is collected through pipes and lead into open air Japanese-style bathtubs. THe hot spring water is believed to have curative effects to those who are suffering from rheumatism,influenza and skin disorders. Try it.

From the resort building to the bathing area you will have to climb a hill (20 minutes) to a tree top canopy walkway (suspension bridge). The canopy walk is at a height of 41 meters from the forest floor,and is 157.6 metres long. You are as if walking on top of the rainforest tree top, and have the opportunity to have a bird's view of the tall rainforest. The tree top is so thick that it resembles a huge green canopy covering the trees below, hence the name Canopy Walk.

Most tour operators will bundle the tour to Poring together with Kinabalu Park which is nearby, and will most likely take you to Kinabalu Park the same day and spend the night there. If you choose to stay at Poring, be sure to have a moon-light dip in the hot spring bathtub. You can relax in the hot water, let cool mountain breeze blowing at your face, listening to the "sound of night", the brushing of leaves,the insects' sound, and occasional wild animals' cry. It will be a memorable experience. Believe me. :=))

Tour Operators :

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Sabah Sightseeing
• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Sutera Sanctuary Lodges

Pulau Tiga

Site Category : Marine Park This island resort is about 3-hours boat ride form Kota Kinabalu city. The fact that it is away from any large land mass has Pulau Tiga been selected as the location for the real life theme series "The Survivor". The participants spent 6 weeks on this island and competed for the prize of USD 1 million. And that makes Pulau Tiga known to the world! This place is the favourite spot for local angliers because it is free from local fishermen activities and tourists diving around the coral reef. Visitors can snorkel near the beach in the shallow clear waters,sunbathe on the white sandy beach or jungle trekking in rainforest on the island. At night you can sing along in the karaoke,have a few beers in the resort, or just sit on the beach listening to the sound of the waves beating the shore.

Mabul Island

Site Category : Marine Park Mabul Island is another excellent diving spot in Sabah. It is 20-minutes boat ride from Sipadan the world renowned diving paradise. In fact Mabul Island first became popular due to its close proximity to Sipadan Island. However, in the last few years it has gained its own recognition as one of the best "MUCK DIVING" sites in the world. Mabul Island is a small oval shaped island surrounded by sandy beaches and perched on the northwest corner of a larger 200 hectacre reef. The reef is on the edge of the continental shelf and the seabed surrounding the reef slopes out to 25m-30m deep.

Sipadan Island

Site Category : Marine Park The tourist destination described today,Sipadan island, is situated off the east coast of Sabah. Visitors will first travel to Tawau either by land or by air then to Semporna, a fishing town by land. From Semporna you will take a 2-hours boat ride to Sipadan. The official name is Sipadan Park while the private tour operators will call this the Sipadan Resort. Don't worry they are one and the same thing. The government refers to all things found there,the water,the whole island,the plants and the animals. But the tour operators only refer to their own properties located on the island. Sipadan Island is another World Heritage Site,and it is the only oceanic one in Malaysia. It is also the world's renowned diving spot. There were many chalets owned by private tour operators on this island originally,but under pressure from environmentalists,they are relocated at Mabul Island which is 20-minutes boat ride away. And the number of divers allowed to go for the dive per day are also limited to preserve the environment. In the past there were no such restrictions. The coral reefs are beautiful,abundance of marine life. Not far from the shore,just about 6 feet deep water,the seabed suddenly drop off which plunges a sheer 2,000ft to the bottom of the sea. It is named simply "The Dropoff",and is among one of the world's top 5 wall dives. Other famous sites like Barracuda Point, White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch and Hanging gardens ring the island. The sea creatures inhabiting Sipadan's waters seem t now that they are safe here,and that divers pose no threat to them. You can have eye to eye encounters with the giant Green Sea Turtles, or swim placidly through silver shoals of thousands of Jack and Barracudas. You can see dozen f turtles on a single dive. Sipadan is photographer's and videographer's paradise. Tour Operators :

• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Tanjung Aru Tours & Travel
• Inno Travel & Tour Services
• Scuba Paradise
• Seaventures Dive Resort
• Sabah Divers

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

Site Category : Marine Park This marine national park is named after the first Prime Minister of Malaysia,our father of independence. It comprises of 5 islands : Gaya,Sulug,Sapi,Manukan and Mamutik islands,lying 3-8km from Kota Kinabalu city. Manukan is the most developped of the lot,complete with chalets,restaurant,cafe,handicrafts shop and the park customer services counter. The others are basically very much unchanged. The long stretchs of white sandy beach,the crystal clear water offer many choices of activities like sun-bathing,snorkeling and scuba diving. Snorkeling in the shallow water allows you to discover the rich marine life found here. Marine fish of all variety swim idlely between your legs,it's a wonderful experience! But don't wander off too far,there is always risk elements involved,the life-guards may not be able to see you. On the island itself,the low valley rainforest offer you the chance to experience another kind of adventure.Join the guided jungle trekking,see the flora and fauna,smell the wild flowers,hear the birds sing,watch the insects crawl and see the monkey swing! The islands are 15-20 minutes boat ride form the city.The few water-fronted hotels have their own jetties and offer many cruise packages. If you prefer to go there on your own,you may make enquiries at the public jetty located next to the Malaysian Custom office. Compare the prices and make your decisions. Tour Operators

• Summer Cruise Holiday
• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Tanjung Aru Tours & Travel
• Inno Travel & Tour Services
• Scuba Paradise
• Seaventures Dive Resort
• Sabah Divers

Refer to the yellow pages for their contact numbers...:-))

Kinabalu National Park

Site Category: Mountain Park The Kinabalu National Park is the first World Heritage Site in Malaysia and was inscribed into the WHB list in July 2000. This is one of the most popular family tourist destinations in Sabah. It encompasses the Mt Kinabalu,its slopes and foot hills. The rain forest found here is the oldest in the world,it existed long before the Ice Age. It is world famous for the abundance of variety of flora and fauna. Many of the world rarest species are found here, in fact some of them can only be found here. Naturalists from all over the world are doing research works in Kinabalu Park,and the love it here,not only for their works but also the friendly people here! The overland journey from KK to Kinabalu Park takes approximately 2 hours. You may start your visit here by going to the Botaniacal Garden,you will see orchids,fern,picher plants,kerosene trees and many more. Next you may like to visit the exhibition center where specimen of insects are in display. If you like to explore the rainforest with the park area,join the jungle trekking organised by the park management. There are still hundreds of unnamed species to be given a name,maybe you are lucky and spot an unnamed specy and can have your name attached to it! Visitors with tight schedules may elect to go back to the city the same day. But families on vacations usually spend one or two more days here. There are various classes of accommodations available to suit your budgets.

• The dormitories with bunkers are the favourites of groups of youngers
• Single-room cabins are the first choice for small family
• 2-rooms chalets are for families with more members
• 3-rooms chalets may cater for a few close families holidaying together
• Hotel rooms for those who prefer to laze in the hotel lounge/lobby,coffee house,kara-oke and the bar

If your chalet is facing the Mt Kinabalu,your friends and you can have a very clear view of the mountain from the balcony. With cool mountain breeze blowing across tour face,drinking beer,chatting and watching the clouds floating pass the middle of Mt Kinabalu. Under the influence of beer,you may imagine the mountain is a giant with the band of cloud as his belt around his waist!

The spacious living room and fire place is ideal for family activities which you may be too busy to do on a normal working day. This will bring your family closer.

Try it here for a different holidays without the usually madness of shopping,shopping,shopping!

National Parks

Site Category : Mountain/Marine Parks There are 2 national parks in Sabah : 1. Kinabalu National Park 2. Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park The former is moutain park cover the Mt Kinabalu,its slopes and its foo-hills, while the later is a marine park comprising 5 islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.They are Gaya Island,Sapi Island, Sulug Island,Manukan Island and Mamutik Island. The purpose of setting up national parks are to preserve the nature wealth of Sabah.They are managed by government agencies to enforce the regulations pertaining to the preservation of the items contained within the national parks. All plants,animals,insects,stones and earth are not allowed to be damaged or removed. Violation of these regulations may cause you to be charged in court hence spoiling your trip to Sabah! Leave nothing but foot steps,take nothing but photographs With prior permission and arrangement strick limited quantity may be allowed to be taken away solely for research works only. Ask before actions!

Climb Mount Kinabalu

Site Category : Mountain Park Many visitors arriving at the Kinabalu National Park are awed by the magnificent Mt Kinabalu and have the urge to go up the summit just by looking at its majestic form. But do not be tempted. Climbing Mt Kinabalu on impulse is asking for troubles,you may get into unexpected difficulties while up there. You only climb it when you are prepared for it. Firstly, when you arrive at the park, the official guides may have already gone home because you have not made any prior booking.Unguided climb is prohibited for the safety of climbers.It is bacause mists may have set in unexpectedly and it is easy to be lost if you do not know the terrain well. Also the vegetations on the slope begin to thin down as you ascend and further up there it is completely void of any vegetation, it becomes a vast, barren rock face. There is no mark, no path ways here unlike at the lower part of the slope where recognisable path ways are formed as a result of climbers walking on the soft ground,but here it is not possible to leave marks on the hard rock face no matter how many climbers had passed by. Without an official guide one can easily lost his way even if the visibility is good. And take caution that certain parts are quite dangerous to cross without the expert guidance of the guide. Secondly, you must take up some form of physical training to tune up your body especially the leg muscles. Jogging for 2-3 km or walking up and down flights of staircase a couple of times daily will be good enough. True,there is not much climbing to do,just a walk up the slope. But 5-6 hours of non stop up-hill walk demands a great deal of body fitness! And let me mention in passing, do not take it lightly regarding the low temperature, thinner air on the mountain. There were tragic loss of young lives due to under estimating the coldness up there and did not wear enough clothing to protect themselves. They thought that the coldness up there is nothing to worry about becaus they had experienced much colder winters in their own countries. So they went up the mountain scantly clothed. They collasped under the combined pressure of cold, thin air and fatigue, and maybe some hidden illness within thier bodies which they themselves were not aware of. Thirdly, all climbers must rest for the night at Panar Laban Hut or Laban Rata Resthouse (3,272m), without prior reservations there might not be any empty room for you! And you have to turn back because the Park Warden will not allow you to be exposed to the strong chill winds there at night up there. Finally, you may have not brought along with you enough clothes for change. The clothes you are wearing will be wet from sweats, mists and rains. The chilly wind plus wet clothes will quickly drain away your body heat and endanger your life. Tips : Wrap tightly your spare clothes in plastic bags, because your haversack(backpack) will not be able to protect them from the heavy tropical rains. Climbers living in Sabah usually go up Mt Kinabalu in groups, organised by clubs, associations, companies, government departments and schools. Foreign tourists are advised to take a package from any of the tour operators. A normal climb will usually take 3 days and 2 nights : Day# 1----Travel from KK to Kinabalu Park HQ -- --Find your own activities for the remaining of the day. Night# 1--Stay in any accommodation of your choice within the Park area. Day# 2----Meet up with official guide,proceed to starting point. ----Registration,then start the climb. Night# 2--Stay at Hut or Resthouse. (Your choice) Day# 3---At wee hours of the morning, begin the assault on the summit. ---Reach summit just in time for sunrise! Take in the great span of greenery that streches out as far as your eye can see. ----Your guide will by now starts urging you to descend before the mist rises and cover the moutain top. ----Descend to Park HQ,lunch at nearby restaurant. ----Collect from Park Warden your certificate of achievement (verified by your guide,so be nice to him,..lol) ----Go home or spend another night? Your choice. Contact tour operators for details.They are listed in my earlier post "Mount Kinabalu".(View)