Wander From Home: Experience The Natural Wanders of Sabah, Borneo
PUBLISHED April 13th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED April 21st, 2021 12:43 pm
With talks of a travel bubble between Singapore and Sabah, we’re looking forward to a possible place to getaway from the dense city life. A Malaysian state in northern Borneo, Sabah is a tropical paradise of rich rainforests and amazing underwater discoveries.
Visit A Floating Mosque
Possibly the most beautiful mosque in Malaysia, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque is a popular tourist attraction in Sabah for its majestic appearance. Decked out in colours of blue and gold, the mosque sits peacefully on a man-made lagoon that gives it its grand appearance. This video captures the serenity of this sacred place, day to night, as it floats above still water.
Conquer Mount Kinabalu
Standing 4,095 metres tall, Mount Kinabalu towers over the state of Sabah. Protected as Kinabalu Park, the mountain is a botanical and biological diversity hotspot, home to more than 6,000 species of wildlife and distinctive plant life found nowhere else. Take a virtual hike up Malaysia’s proudest peak.
Swim With Sea Turtles
Sabah is home to some of the most beautiful aquatic life you’ll see. Lankayan Island in particular, is a nesting spot for sea turtles. In its clear waters, it’s common to swim alongside them – like in this amazing video of a hawksbill turtle swimming among the corals. The island and the aquamarine waters that surround it are protected under the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area. See this wondrous video of baby sea turtle nesting and hatching, as these newborns brave the ocean.
Zip(line) Between Islands
Island hopping on a tropical paradise is always fun. But what if you could travel through another means? Nearby Kota Kinabalu City is the Coral Flyer, which connect Sapi and Gaya Island. The second longest island-to-island zipline in the world at 250 metres long, experience the rush of adrenaline as you virtually zipline from coast to coast, across crystal clear waters of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.
Hang With Orangutans
Native to Malaysia, orangutans are one of our closest primate relatives. These intelligent apes love hanging around the Bornean rainforests and generally live a peaceful life high up in the trees. And Sabah is home to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, an organisation dedicated to nursing orphaned orangutans back to health. In this virtual tour, visit the centre’s nursery and see baby orangutans. Watch as they learn to adapt to the wild.
Uncover The Lost World
We’ve definitely discovered a lot of our Earth, but Sabah’s Maliau Basin is one of the most unexplored regions in the world. To this day, 50% of the Maliau Basin still remains unexplored, giving the basin the nickname, “The Lost World.” Explore some of Maliau’s uninhabited areas and marvel at its extensive flora and fauna in this in-depth documentary.
Snorkel on Sipadan Island
The only oceanic island on Malaysia, Sipadan Island is a small island off the east coast of Sabah. 600 metres above sea level, the island is surrounded by white sand beaches and small rolling turquoise waves. Its coral reefs are a treasure trove of diverse marine life, from sea turtles to clown fish. Simulate a virtual snorkelling trip around the island to discover its marine ecosystem.
Top image: Photo courtesy of Eddie Yip on Flickr
