Exploration Borneo Tours

Our Malaysia's Borneo half day tour is designed for visitors to enjoy Malaysia's latest City, Kota Kinabalu, the gateway to the rest of Sabah. Kota Kinabalu, or KK as it is fondly referred to by the locals, is a charming, picturesque city. It enjoys close proximity to the mountains, seas, beaches and islands while offering a cosmopolitan mix of world class hotels, sport & leisure centres and restaurants. Join in the different cultural and tradional events celebrated by the many races of this city, which represents what Malaysia truly is, a multi-racial and multi-cultural country.

On this Malaysia's Borneo half day tour, we introduce to you among other things, the state museum, which is based on the longhouse architecture of Murut and Rungus ethnic groups and the state mosque, one of the biggest and most elegant mosque in Malaysia. The state mosque with its golden inlay motifs serves as a central place of worship for KK's muslim population. Also, the Kota Belud Tamu offers one of Sabah's most unique culture and tradition. This weekly local market is the largest in this Malaysian State of Sabah and it's a place where the locals sell almost anything grown or made locally, from exotic fruits to water buffaloes and to Malaysian handicrafts.

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, Malaysia's latest city of Kota Kinabalu - Sabah's state capital, rises from the ruins of World War II to become one of the new and exciting cities in Malaysia while still retaining its charm that has attracted the olden day's seafarers to its shores. A place romantically referred to by them as "The Place Where The Eyes Lingers".

This introductory tour will give us a view the city from a new and unique perspectives as we drive along the city centre. We will then visit Signal Hill to get a bird's eye view of the city before proceeding to Sabah Foundation Building (Malaysia's only free column building). A visit to the Pu Toh Tze Buddhist Temple will give us our first glimpse of Sabah's unique multi-racial and religious society. We will then drive past the Likas Sports Complex, where the Sabah's football team play their home games against other Malaysian states, and the surrounding residential areas before stopping for a short photo stop at the Sabah State Mosque, Malaysia's most elegant mosque. Our tour ends at the State Museum to have a closer look at Sabah's culture, traditions and history before and after joining Malaysia.

(State Mosque and Museum are closed on Fridays)

We will start our tour as detailed above (Code EB1) and then we will proceed to the District of Penampang - the heart of the Kadazan Territories. The Kadazan tribe is Sabah's largest ethnic group and this tribe does not originate from any other Malaysian states. Experience their lifestyles and as we journey through their lands, see how this peace loving community live their lives in unity, virtually unchanged from the modernization of the 21st century. Places of interest include St. Michael Catholic Church and Monsopiad Head Hunter's Home and Cultural Centre, one of its kind in Malaysia. We will also experience a walk across a suspension bridge.

(Friday tour includes visit to the Penampang Weekly Market (Tamu)

City tour as above (code EB 1) and then we proceed to the District of Tuaran. A visit to Mengkabong Village will bring us face to face with one of Malaysia's Fishing Community. A walk across the village will reveal a lifestyle of several generations old as the village are built on stilts over the sea. Catch glimpses of fishermen going out and coming in with their daily catch and see how the children play and interact while learning from their elders. Then we will visit the town of Tuaran and walk through the market to see where the fishermen and their farming counterpart trade their produce. The return journey will be concluded with a visit to a local pottery factory. The fishing community and the busy markets represent some aspects of what people in rural Malaysia earn their living.

(Wednesday Tours includes visit to Tamparuli Town for the weekly Market (Tamu) and Sunday Tours will see the weekly Market at Tuaran)

The Kota Belud Tamu offers one of Sabah's most unique culture and tradition. This weekly Sunday market is one of the largest in Malaysia and situated right in the heart of the Bajau's land. This Bajau community, again only unique to Malaysia's Borneo Island is fondly called the "Cowboys of the East" for their expert horsemanship. Who knows if you are lucky you will get a chance to see this colourful tribe in their tradional costume as they ride their horses to a wedding ceremony or festivity. We will also endeavour to show you the traditional sword making techniques and the making of a "Seraung" a traditional food cover made from screw pine only found in this Malaysian State of Sabah. Our return journey includes a stop over at a local pottery factory.

(Lunch included at a local Chinese coffee shop)

(Bajau Horsemen, Sword and Seraung making subject to availability)

This is the latest addition to our Malaysia's Borneo - Half Day Tour. The walk starts at the Hyatt Hotel and passes through interesting historical faces of Kota Kinabalu before and after joining Malaysia - from the buildings and structures that survive the World War II to the Australian Victory celebration site at the end of the war and to the business district that has evolved over the last 100 years. We let your imagination travel back to the early days of Kota Kinabalu (Jesselton and Api Api as its previous incarnations), from the days of a local warrior called Mat Salleh attacking the British Chartered Company to the modern shopping complexes that dot at strategic locations around the city. This walk is a true eye opener as no other, of Malaysia's latest city, Kota Kinabalu.

(Local breakfast and/or lunch can be included upon request - we have a selections of either Chinese, Malay or Indian Restaurant to choose from)

The second new addition to our Malaysia's Borneo - Half Day Tour takes us to the State Museum. On this tour we will be going through the many facets of Sabah's culture, beliefs, traditions mix with the historical happenings over the centuries and the unique Natural History of Sabah. Be enthralled by our guide's explanations of the many legends, stories and descriptions of buildings and plants that are abound around the Museum.
(State Museum are close on Fridays)

A journey back into history onboard the British 'Vulcan' Steam Engine, one of the Malaysia's few surviving steam engine from the colonial period. The journey ventures through the multitude of villages along the tracks running parallel to paddy fields, rubber plantations with occasional sighting of tropical jungles, mangrove swamps and the white sandy beaches of the coast with its final destination, Papar town, a quiet traditional market town. This journey bringing back the colonial memories includes lunch onboard the train.
(Lunch included)