An adventure in Borneo - Part 3 - Onto Kinabalu

A short internal flight of about 40 minutes takes you to Kota Kinabalu, the final leg of your adventure where the following day you will visit Kinabalu Park, Malaysia’s first World Heritage Site and is the Centre of Plant Diversity for South East Asia. The Park boasts more than 5,000 vascular plant species and the Park has no shortage of fauna as well, being home to some 90 lowland mammal species and many others. A list of plants found here are the infamous Nepenthes rajah; the world's largest pitcher plant, Nepenthes x sukaibiensis; a natural cross-hybrid between Nepenthes lowii and Nepenthes burbidgae and the enigmatic Paphiopedilum rothschildianum (Rothschild slipper orchid) one of the rarest orchids in the world. I have a windowsill of orchids in my office but mine are from the supermarket – I bet they look breath-taking in the wild.

The main attraction at the Park is majestic Mount Kinabalu, one of the highest mountains in South East Asia standing at 4095.2 metres. Apart from traditional mountain climbing, you can also experience the Mountain Torq, the world’s highest and Asia’s first Via Ferrata or ‘iron road’ at 3,200m to 3,800m above sea level.

A visit to Kinabalu Park will never be perfect without swinging by Poring Hot Springs. Situated 40 kilometres (25 miles) slightly northeast from the Parks HQ, Poring is in the lowlands—a contrast to the Parks HQ. De-stress and soak away the sores and aches of your muscles in the spring’s hot sulphuric minerals, deemed to have healing properties and very popular among the locals. Other than the natural hot spring main attraction at Poring Hot Springs, visit the butterfly farm, the Poring Orchid Conservation Centre, the tropical garden, the Poring canopy walkway, and the Rafflesia flower site.

The following day you’ll take a ride on the North Borneo Railway and relive the nostalgic romance of British North Borneo. Passengers hop on a steam train straight out of the 1900s, chugging along the tracks from Tanjung Aru, through Kinarut before arriving in the Rice Bowl of Sabah, Papar. Along the way, soak in the green vistas of sprawling paddy fields, traditional village homes on stilts and buffaloes ambling in the distance.

On board, its time for Tiffin A Tiffin-style breakfast and lunch are served, comprising of Asian and Continental cuisine. The train features five fully refurbished colonial-style passenger train carriages that can accommodate a total of 180 passengers. The North Borneo Railway is built and operated to the highest of international standards and is fully compliant with modern safety standards.

Back to the sea the following day, and I’m taking you to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, located Just offshore, turquoise waters, filled with exotic fish, coral reefs and five tropical islands, make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.

Once on land again, it's time to find tea. The golden Sabah Tea brew originated from a blend of fine tea leaves from the Sabah Tea Garden, located at the mouth of Mount Kinabalu. The Sabah Tea plantation (now known as the Sabah Tea Gardens) was officiated on February 19, 1984 by the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr.Mahathir Mohamad. In 1997, an Ipoh based company, Yee Lee Corporation Berhad acquired the entire shares from Sabah Tea Sdn Bhd and Desa Tea Sdn Bhd after the government decided to privatise the company, therefore enabling Sabah Tea to find fame.

And then time to relax maybe on a beach and think about everything you just did and saw.

My golden rule with planning travel is to remember that we need to see life. Our world is changing so quickly we need to grasp every opportunity we can.

So, the next time you are thinking of 2 weeks all inclusive somewhere hot just think what you could be doing.

This itinerary was put together by myself on behalf of my clients with the assistance of our agents in Malaysia and Borneo. Remember, if you want to go just to see the Orangutans and have a week on the beach you can do that too!

Look no further for your own tailor made itinerary to Borneo.