9 Things to Do When You Visit Kota Kinabalu

Tanjung Aru Beach faces the southwest sea, and is one of the top three sunset viewing places in the world. “Aru”, from the name Tanjung Aru, refers to Casuarina trees. As the name implies, many Casuarina trees are planted here. You can walk under the shade of the trees and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the sea and the sky. During the day, there are not many peoplehere. Only other tourists driving motorboats, water skiing, or surfing. In the evening, more and more people come out to view the sunset. There is a Sunset Bar beside the beach where you can enjoy the sunset while having a drink. With good luck, you will see magnificent red clouds. After you watch the sunset, there are BBQ parties, music performances, and even Phoenix Legends sung in Mandarin. However, these aren't very pleasant to listen to.

The white city mosque in Kota Kinabalu is a typical contemporary Islamic building. It is built on a man-made lake in Likas Bay. The whole building floats on the water's surface, so it is thusreferred to as the "water mosque". When the sun sets in the west, the afterglow of the setting sun covers the mosque with a layer of gold. The oil-painting-like reflection on the lake and the building itself complement each other perfectly. A panoramic view of the mosque can be shot on the white trestle not far away. To enter the mosque, you need to rent Muslim clothes. Standing with the high dome in the background makes for some great photos. There are five worship sessions here every day, namely at sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset and at night. At each time, a loud loudspeaker will be used to recite the Qoran. By listening quietly you can hear the emotion in the reader's voice.

Kinabalu Park at the base of Mount Kinabaluis 2000m above sea level. There are many kinds of animals and plants living there. The path in the park is not complicated and is very suitable for hiking. In addition, there are markets, hot springs and other additional activities. You are guaranteed to have a very exciting adventure there. There are four highlights in Kinabalu Park. First, is Nabalu market, where you can see the panoramic view of Mount Kinabalu and the beautiful sea of clouds. Second, is the Poring Hot Springs, which are open-air hot sulfur hot springs. Third, is the King Flower, which is known as the world's largest flower, which has a blooming period of just 7 days, so only lucky people can see it. Fourth, is the suspension bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a total length of nearly 160m.

Seeing the mangrove forests by boat in Kota Kinabalu is an absolute must when traveling here. There are three mangrove forests to choose from: Weston, Klias and Kawa. Each mangrove forest has similar attractions, but Weston has a wide river course and attracts the most visitors. There are three things worth seeing in the mangrove forests: long nosed monkeys, fireflies, and sunsets. Long nosed monkeys are unique creatures to Sabah and are almost extinct. They are well worth seeing. Kota Kinabalu is also one of the three places in the world with the largest gathering of fireflies. Here, fireflies gather on a single tree all at once, making it look like a Christmas tree. It is a truly beautiful sight. A tour of the mangrove forests usually takes halfa day, starting in the afternoon and ending in the evening. First you can go see the long nosed monkeys, then watch the sunset, and finally go to see the fireflies around 8:00 pm. You then go back to Kota Kinabalu at 9:00 pm.

If you've never been to Mermaid Island, then you've never seen the most beautiful scenery in Kota Kinabalu. The island is about 30 minutes' boat journey by sea to Kota Kinabalu. It was named for the presence of manatees in the nearby sea. The sea water is clear and the scenery is more beautiful than you can imagine. Snorkeling is the main activity here, but only 120 people are allowed to land on the island every day, so you need to book in advance. There are 20 diving sites near the island. The biggest feature is the incredibly clear water, with a visibility of 20-30m. When snorkeling out at sea, you can directly view the seabed. There is a great abundance of fish in the water, which makes it a great place to take photos. For snorkeling around Mermaid Island, you can take part in a one-day island hopping tour in Kota Kinabalu. These include two snorkeling activities, and you can return to Kota Kinabalu on the same day. If you want to stay on the island, you can purchase a 2-day package tour with 1 night accommodation and meals included, plus three snorkeling activities.

Tunku Abdul Rahman is a marine park close to Kota Kinabalu. It is composed of five islands, namely, Gaya Island, Manugan Island, Mamudi Island, Sulu Island and Sapi Island. It has beautiful underwater scenery and is an excellent place for a vacation. The five islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park are not far away from each other, so they are very suitable for island hopping. Generally the trop will consist of two to three islands per day. You can book an island hopping tour package at a local travel agency, or you can do the tour by yourself. Among the five islands, Sapi Island, Manugan Island and Mamudi Island are the most popular ones. These are particularly suitable for snorkeling and other water activities. There are relatively few visitors on Mamudi Island and the scenery on the seabed there is more beautiful. Sabi Island attracts the most tourists and has the most water sports events. Manugan Island is suitablefor deep diving and walking on the seabed.

There are only two rafting routes in Kota Kinabalu. Kiulu River is one of them. The water along most of the river is gentle and is suitable for people of any age. It takes about 1.5 hours to raft the whole length of Kiulu River. The river water is very clear. You can jump in the water at any time and the scenery on both banks is very beautiful. Although the rafting only takes 1.5 hours, it takes about 2.5 hours to get there by car. Most travel agencies take you rafting for a while in the morning, go ashore for a buffet at noon, and then go rafting again in the afternoon. The whole trip takes nearly one day.

Gaya Street is the Chinatown of Kota Kinabalu. It is full of Chinese shops and supermarkets. It's one of the most bustling places in the region. There are all kinds of food, especially the delicious kind. Many Malaysian specialties can be found here, such as Bak Kut Teh, Weiya Hainan chicken rice, and others. There are many economic hotels around. If you stay here, it will make your trip very convenient. There are various small supermarkets, gourmet restaurants, local specialty stores, and banks that can be used to withdraw money (the exchange rates are good). It takes only 5 minutes to walk to the wharf, and it's convenient to grab a taxi. Every weekend there is a fair. Most of the goods sold at the fair are everyday items. You can go to the fair if there is one on when you are there.

Central Market of Kota Kinabalu is a large-scale local food market with low prices and fresh food. At the market, you can buy seafood, fried food, various vegetables and fruits, and evenwhite coffee. In addition, there are many snack shops, such as seafood barbecue, fried bananas, and roasted chicken wings. There is a seafood preparing shop on the second floor of Central Market. If you buy seafood downstairs, you can have it prepared for you here. In the evening, there is a vegetable market. At this time, Central Market is the most bustling place in Kota Kinabalu. If you want to taste some snacks, you should go there at this time.