There are many countries in Southeast Asia that are popular for their breathtaking beaches, exotic food, gorgeous people and adrenaline-charged sports. But, for remarkable flora and fauna, one place leads the pack: Borneo. The third biggest island in the world (and the biggest in Asia), Borneo is divided among Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.In Sabah, one of Borneo’s 13 states, you will discover a staggering 140 million-year-old rainforest that is one of the oldest in the world. Today, this state protects six national parks, which involves three terrestrial (Mt. Kinabalu, Crocker Range and Tawau Hills) and also include three marine parks (Turtle Island, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Pulau Tiga), which provide homes to a large variation of flora and fauna.There are top 10 things to see when you visit Sabah.
1. Atkinson Clock Tower
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The Atkinson Clock Tower is the oldest standing building that only can be found in Kota Kinabalu. It was originally known as the Atkinson Memorial Clock Tower and locate in solitary on the bluff along Signal Hill Road across this seaside city and capital of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
2. Mount Kinabalu
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Mount Kinabalu (Malay: Gunung Kinabalu) is an outstanding mountain on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is located in the East Malaysian state of Sabah and is preserved as Kinabalu Park, a World Heritage Site. Kinabalu is the tallest summit in Borneo’s Crocker Range and is the tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago as well as the tallest mountain in Malaysia. Mount Kinabalu is also the 20th most outstanding mountain in the world by topographic prominence.
3. Trus Madi
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Mount Trusmadi or Trus madi (Malay: Gunung Trusmadi) is Malaysia’s second tallest mountain at 2,642 metres (8,668 ft). It locates in the state of Sabah, close to mount Kinabalu, on the island of Borneo. The mountain supports a wide range of unique wildlife, including nepenthes macrophilia, a species of pitcher plant.
4. Turtle Island National Park
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Turtle Islands Park (Taman Pulau Penyu) is located near the Turtle Islands, which lie in the Sulu Sea some 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) north of Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia. It contains of 3 islands – Selingaan, Bakkungan Kechil and Gulisaan,including the surrounding coral reefs and ocean. The Park is popular for its green turtles and also hawksbill turtles which they lay their eggs on the beaches of the islands. The Park covers an area of 17.4 km². The name Turtle Islands, however, refers to 10 islands, 3 of which are part of Turtle Islands Park of Malaysia, and other which belong to the Municipality of Turtle Islands, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines.
5. Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
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The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (Malay: Taman Negara Tunku Abdul Rahman) consist of a group of 5 islands located between 3 and 8 km off Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. The park is larger and it spread over 4,929 hectares, two-thirds of which cover the sea. Before the Ice age, it formed part of the Crocker Range mass of sandstone and sedimentary rock on the mainland. However, about one million years ago, the melting ice had cause the changes in the sea level and parts of the mainland were cut off by the sea to form the islands of Gaya, Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik dan Sulug. Proof of this can be seen from the exposed sandstone of the coastline forming the cliffs, caves, honeycombs and deep crevices. The park was named after Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister.
6. Tun Mustapha Tower
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The Yayasan Sabah Tower is an old building located in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. It was built in 1977 and it is the second highest building in the island of Borneo after Wisma Sanyan in Sibu and followed by the Ministry of Finance Building located in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. This 30-storey circular glass carving is 122 meters high and is located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. It is named after Tun Datu Mustapha, a former Chief Minister of Sabah. Before it changed the name,it used to be known as Sabah Foundation Building (Bangunan Yayasan Sabah). It has a revolving floor at the 18 floor, which steadily spins to provide a complete view of Likas Harbour. It makes one 360 degrees rotation per hour.
7. Sabah Museum
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The Sabah Museum has been declared as the state museum of Sabah, Malaysia. It is sited on 17 ha of land at Bukit Istana Lama in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital. The complex contains not only the museum proper, but also an ethnobotanical garden, a zoo, and a heritage village. The primary building also houses the Sabah art gallery. Other galleries cover Islamic civilization, archaeology, and history, natural History, and also include ceramics and Brassware. The task of the museum is to collect, retain, conserve and document ethnographic, archaeological, historical, numismatic, art-historical, botanical, zoological and not forget the mineralogical collections from throughout the state, and to doing research on important and interesting aspects of Sabah’s history, culture, and social and natural history.
8. Crocker Range
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Crocker Range is a mountain range located on the island of Borneo. Politically, it lies within the border of the Malaysian state of Sabah, located in the northern half of Borneo. It is named after William Maunder Crocker. The mountain range divides the east coast and west coast of Sabah. At an average height of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft), it is the tallest mountain range in Sabah. Mount Kinabalu, one of the tallest mountains in Southeast Asia, is part of this range. Part of the range has been gazetted for protection as Crocker Range Park since 1984. The area around Mount Kinabalu has been a state park since 1964 and was the country’s first World Heritage Site..
9. The Green Connection
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The Green Connection is an aquarium and also a science discovery center located in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The Green Connection opened in May 2010 and is located just outside downtown Kota Kinabalu in the Northwest corner of the island of Borneo.
10. Kinabalu National Park
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Kinabalu Park established as one of the earliest national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia’s first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its excellent universal advantage and play the key role as one of the top essential biologic location in the world.This park has more than 4,500 species of wildlife, including 326 bird and around 100 mammal species,and over 110 land snail species.
