7 reasons to visit the Malaysian island of Sabah

In Sabah, wilderness, wildlife and culture are inseparable – and these adventures prove it.

You’re drifting along a jungle river at dawn, eyes scanning the rainforest canopy for signs of movement. Suddenly, there they are. A long-limbed infant clings to the red fur of its mother – an orangutan, munching thoughtfully on durian. It’s a rare sighting, but only the start of what Sabah, the northern state of Malaysian Borneo, has in store.

Whether you’re whisking your partner away to an island dive among turtles or clutching the hand of your own little one at street-food feasts, here are seven ways to experience the island.

Getting there

cabin crew on board malaysia airlines plane — Malaysia Airlines makes every journey smoother.

Malaysia Airlines operates non-stop flights from Australia’s major cities to Kuala Lumpur – including triple-daily services from Melbourne and Sydney. From there, the national carrier offers up to 14 daily connections to Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Sandakan on Sabah. With a generous baggage allowance included, there’s plenty of room for binoculars.

1. Spot the ‘Big Five’ on river cruises

Male Orangutan in borneo sabah — See Borneo’s famous orangutans. (Image: Simone Millward)

Sail through the oxbow lakes and mangrove swamps of the Kinabatangan Biosphere Reserve, and listen for the ‘ooks’ of its famous inhabitants: the critically endangered Bornean orangutan. But on this river, you’ll encounter far more than these great apes.

The other members of the ‘Big Five’ creatures of the Kinabatangan Biosphere Reserve include the sweet pygmy elephants, the pendulous-nosed proboscis monkeys, the rhinoceros hornbills with their bright curved horns, and saltwater crocodiles half submerged in the muck-slicked banks.

2. Sleep at community eco-lodges

Coming back from a river cruise is the start of the Kinabatangan story. Instead, stay with cooperatives such as KOPEL, which operate a veritable network of community-led eco-lodges, homestays and activities that support rainforest conservation and the livelihoods of the indigenous Orang Sungai people.

If you can’t stretch your time to get your hands blissfully dirty replanting forests and clearing invasive species alongside KOPEL, there’s no need to sweat (extra problematic, in this jungle heat). Whether it’s a riverside stay at Miso Walai Village, hammock-swinging at the off-grid Tungog Rainforest Eco Camp, or a jaunt from Supu Adventure Camp in a limestone karst rainforest, each stay does wonders – for you, for the Orang Sungai, and for their floodplains.

3. Wander the wildlife sanctuaries

proboscis monkeys sabah malaysia — Spot the unique features of the proboscis monkeys.

Pay homage to Sabah’s remarkable species at its world-renowned sanctuaries, all in the same place.

Start at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, where nurseries of orphaned orangutans rescued from logging and the pet trade learn to climb, forage, and return home. Right next door is the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, where the world’s smallest bear, whose fur is marked by that golden splash, is cared for as part of long-term rehabilitation and release programs. Next, spot the oddly tumescent noses and portly, old-man potbellies of proboscis monkeys swinging through the trees greet you at along the 620-metre skywalk at the Rainforest Discovery Centre.

Take a step deeper into the world of scientists in the Danum Valley and Maliau Basin Conservation Areas, where guided treks and night drives take you closer to what comes next for these rare animals: freedom.

4. Make an island getaway

Sipadan Island sabah — Dve into island waters. (Image: Colin Meg)

Humid mists give way to salty air out on Sabah’s islands, where there’s a beach for every taste. The cast of the original Survivor were filmed scrabbling among the volcanic mud pools, coral-fringed coast and jungle trails of Pulau Tiga. Sabah’s conservation quest continues over on Selingan Turtle Island, a sanctuary where you can watch green and hawksbill turtles nest under the stars and even help release hatchlings with local rangers.

Sheer drop-offs into blue-lined infinity reveal swirling tornadoes of barracuda and reef sharks at Sipadan Island to those lucky enough to snag one of its limited diving permits. And for romantics, Pom Pom Island’s eco-resort is made for fin-spotting by day and a few Sabah smooches by night.

5. Taste local food

spread of Malaysian Food — Try the delectable local cuisine.

With roots as wide-ranging as Chinese, Malay, Peranakan, Indian, Bajau sea-nomad and ethnic Kadazan-Dusun, Sabah’s food culture was never going to be anything short of spectacular.

The nation’s street-food carts jig happily between the sea and the forest – and the best place to taste them is Kota Kinabalu’s Gaya Street, where the Api-Api Night Food Market turns Friday and Saturday evenings into a carnival of grilling satay, oyster omelettes and sweet juices.

Stay up late feasting with picnicking locals, and rise early for the Gaya Street Sunday Market, when the same pavements fill with UFO tarts, mountain coffee and baskets of fruit fresh from the highlands, and the nighttime entertainers hand over to masseurs from the Sabah Society for the Blind.

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6. Ride the Papar Train

The journey isn’t over for your taste buds just yet. Instead, get on the colonial-era Papar Train, stomach grumbling. For 45 minutes, this stretch of the North Borneo Railway – built by the British to transport tobacco, rice and rubber from plantation to coast – carries you and your storytelling guide all the way to the town of Papar.

Once you’ve been thoroughly welcomed by a local band playing traditional instruments, follow your guide to Papar Market, where stalls are piled high with golden fritters, handmade kuih, and handicrafts begging to be slipped into your bag for the flight home.

7. Architecture of the urban jungle

Floating Mosque Of Kota Kinabalu sabah — Gaze on the stunning Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. (Image: Mo Jo)

The gifts of Sabah’s natural world were always going to slip into the creative bloodstream of its people. A final stop in the city takes you to the floating Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, a serene confection of blue domes and slender minarets rising above a tranquil lagoon, its reflections glowing pink at sunrise and sunset.

As the first certified green building in Borneo, the Sabah Art Gallery carries that same harmony. All you have to do is stand in the basket-shaped structure, surrounded by indigenous motifs and thousands of artworks, and feel the people, the art, and the living world of Borneo existing as one.

Book your flights with Malaysia Airlines and start your Sabah adventure at malaysiaairlines.com.

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.