Sabah Overview

The second largest state in Malaysia, Sabah is the northernmost province on the island of Borneo and together with Sarawak, is known as 'east Malaysia'. Called the 'Land below the wind', probably due to it being situated just south of the typhoon belt it is a popular destination for people looking for something a little different from the rest of Malaysia.

Despite its closeness to Sarawak it shares little of its neighbor's tribal diversity and its culture tends to follow the lines of the nearby Philippines though, unlike Sarawak it shares strong Islamic traditions with the rest of peninsular Malaysia.

For those with a taste of adventure, Sabah has got it all. From her golden sanded beaches to her towering mountains and jungles where one of the highest mountains in South-East Asia and popular attractions, Mount Kinabalu proudly reigns.

Among nature lovers, Sabah is legendry and her jungles teem with life, some species of fauna and flora still undiscovered or unrecorded today, lie hidden in her generous, though rapidly decreasing lap. It is here that you will see the rare and endangered Orang-utan, often known as the 'Wild man of Borneo', but due to deforestation throughout the area, sightings of these chestnut apes in the wild, is becoming a rarity.

The gateway to Sabah and its capital is the relatively new town of Kota Kinabalu or K.K. as it's usually called. This is an excellent stepping off point when visiting other parts of the state and offshore islands in the area.

Climate

Sabah has an equatorial climate. Temperatures rarely rise above 32 deg. C. except on exceptionally hot days and along the coastal areas rarely drops below 20 deg. C. at night. Although in the interior and at higher altitudes it can get quite cold at nights. Relative humidity is usually 85-95 per cent.

Rainfall is common throughout the year and varies from about 150 cm to over 450 cm per year. In most parts of Sabah the wetter period occurs during the north-east monsoon from October to February and the drier season during the south-west monsoon from March to September.