Must-see attractions in Kota Kinabalu

  • Mari Mari Cultural Village

    With its three-hour tours, Mari Mari showcases various traditional homes of Sabahan ethnic communities – the Bajau, Lundayeh, Murut, Rungus and Dusun –…

  • City Mosque

    Built in classical style, this mosque is far more attractive than the State Mosque in both setting and design. Completed in 2000 it can hold up to 12,000…

  • Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre

    This centre features 1.4km of wooden walkways passing through a 24-hectare mangrove swamp, where you can expect to see scuttling fiddler and mangrove…

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    Signal Hill Observatory Platform

    Up on Signal Hill, among the art deco mansions at the city-centre's eastern edge, there's an unmissable UFO-like observation pavilion. Come here to make…

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    Night Market

    KK's Night Market is an unmissable immersion into local culture. It's authentic, bustling, aromatic and noisy. At the southwest end you will find stalls…

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    Orchid De Villa

    If you're crazy about flora, head to this farm, located about 20km from central KK, along the road to Penampang. The farm specialises in rare Bornean…

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    Sunday Market

    On Sundays a lively Chinese street fair takes over a section of Jln Gaya. It's vividly chaotic, with stalls cheek by jowl hawking batik sarongs, puppies…

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    Sabah Art Gallery

    The first 'green' building in Sabah has outdoor sculpture displays and hosts contemporary art exhibitions by the likes of Francis Cheong and Awang Fadilah…

  • Sabah Museum

    About 2km south of the city centre, this museum provides an introduction to Sabah's indigenous cultures, with displays focusing on the traditional attire,…

  • Monsopiad Cultural Village

    Monsopiad is named after a legendary warrior and headhunter. The highlight of this tacky but fun place is the House of Skulls, which supposedly contains…

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    Museum of Islamic Civilisation

    This collection of historical objects from all over the Islamic world is very engaging. Look out for replica mosques from Melaka and Sandakan, ornate…

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    Tanjung Aru

    This pretty sweep of sand begins around the Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and stretches south to the airport. Tanjung Aru is a locals' beach, full of…

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    Puh Toh Tze Buddhist Temple

    This impressive temple features a stone staircase-pavilion flanked by 10 Chinese deities leading up to a main temple complex dominated by Kwan Yin,…

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    Atkinson Clock Tower

    The modest timepiece at the foot of Signal Hill is one of the only structures to survive the Allied bombing of Jesselton in 1945. It's a square, 15.7m…

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    Central Market

    The Central Market is a bustling spot for people watching, with locals going about their daily business as they shop for fresh produce.

  • State Mosque

    Sabah's State Mosque is a perfect example of contemporary Malay Muslim architecture: all modernist facade and geometric angles. The building is south of…

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    Che Sui Khor Moral Uplifting Society

    About four minutes' drive northeast of KK, this complex has an 11-storey pagoda that shimmers in orange and green. The society espouses believing in the…