When we told our friends in West Malaysia about Sabah, they were curious and equally confused.
“Where is Sabah?”, some may ask.
“Sabah is not in Malaysia, right?”, echoed others.
“I heard there’re trees and monkey in Sabah, do you live in trees?”, the informed one would announce.
To which we’d reply, “Yes, and we swing from tree to tree to visit our friends.”
Sabah used to be a remote state as compared to other part of Malaysia. Futhermore as part of Borneo island, we are most well known for our lush jungles, beautiful sea life, corals, animals, and food, especially Seafoods.
Sabah is rather modern and, no, Sabahans (as we refer ourself to) doesn’t travel by swinging from trees to tree. We have buildings, cars, and road. But we are proud of the natural state we are in. The sunset is really beautiful.
So if it’s your first time here in Sabah, fret not first timers, we have just the right things for you to get started.
But before you continue, you should know that the main city – Kota Kinabalu, will be your main gateway in entering Sabah and we also have a page for Foodies, if you’re on a gastronomy journey.
What should I prepare if I’m visiting for as a first timer in Sabah?
That would depends what you’re here for?
You see, Sabah full of choice for travelers, especially first timers and locals alike. There’s sea activities, mountain activites, jungle and urban exploration, river activities, road trip and so much more. We’ll list it down below for you to explore and decide.
Your choice of activities will determine what type of gear and apparel you’ll be bringing.

List of activities to try in Sabah:
- Mountain Activity: Coming soon
- Sea
- Jungle
- River
- Road Trip
- For food lovers, check out our Foodies zone.
- Events

For first-timers to Sabah, it is recommended you explore the Capital City, Kota Kinabalu, before heading out to other places such as Tuaran or further. Travelling in Sabah is mostly done using private car or a chartered bus.
Unless you join a tour group, which would utilize a tour bus or van.