Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Tropical islands, sandy beaches, lush wetlands and parks, and golden-domed temples. These are just a few of the things you can look forward to seeing when you visit KK, or Kota Kinabalu. This gorgeous resort city is tucked into the west coast of Malaysia, and it is one of the most popular tourist locations in the country.
A great deal of the allure of the place springs up from its natural beauty. Malaysia’s western coast and waters boast superb diving and water sports, with such sights as the sunken Gaya wreck and the 5 islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park available for snorkeling and scuba enthusiasts. Beaches like Pulau Manukan and Tanjung Arun give beach-lovers a place to hang out, and the water activities continue even inland, with white water rafting and wetland river tours being part of the enthusiastic tourist’s itinerary. You can add jet-skiing too at the lagoon in the north, as well as a boat tour of the water villages. You can also visit the famous Mount Kinabalu for a nature hike and marvel at its fascinating fauna and flora, which include spectacular Rhinoceros Hornbills, 10-kilogram Rafflesia flowers, and carnivorous pitcher plants whose jugs trap not just small insects but even rodents and birds.
But Kota Kinabalu is not just about natural beauty: its people have left a beautiful footprint on the city’s image too. The Sabah State Mosque, the Sabah State Museum, the Sabah Art Gallery, and Atkinson Clock Tower are all places you should pay a visit to when in the city. There are charming stilt villages in Sembulan and Tanjung Aru and on the other end of the spectrum is the almost-ludicrously-futuristic Tun Mustapha Tower, a glass cylinder with a restaurant on the 18th floor that actually spins 360 degrees every hour for its patrons to get a complete view of the surrounding area.
KK is obviously a place worth visiting in Malaysia, one of the more exciting tourist spots in this tropical paradise. You definitely do not want to miss out on experiencing everything this marvelous city has to offer.