6-Day 5-Night Ultimate Guide to Sabah, Malaysia – Best to Have a Fitness Habit Before Climbing Mount Kinabalu

Text & Photos /Evan

When I returned from Sabah last time, I originally only planned to share my experience of conquering Mount Kinabalu (because it’s an unforgettable adventure!!!), but recently so many people have been asking me about Sabah that I decided to write a simple comprehensive guide to make trip planning easier for everyone. Plus, I was really satisfied with the accommodation, mountain climbing, and diving this time

Seriously thought it was worth sharing!! So please enjoy it to the fullest!!

Brief Introduction

Malaysia is divided into East Malaysia and West Malaysia, and Sabah is located in East Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu (abbreviated as KK) is the capital of Sabah, where the majority of the population is Chinese, so there were very few language barriers during this trip. Because of the language convenience, I even had a long chat with the owner of a grocery store while passing by,

I just planned to go in and buy some water and leave, but the owner, who is Chinese, ended up chatting with me for a long time. We talked a lot about what kind of shops would do well here. He actually said, "A stinky tofu shop would probably sell really well....." (so off-topic XD)

When people talk about Sabah, they probably think of beaches first, but besides beaches, there are also many other amazing places here. I’ll introduce them all to you today!!

Many people ask, is Sabah safe?

Personally, I think it’s pretty safe. If you ask Singaporeans, they’ll tell you the safety is terrible XDD, but I think no matter where you travel, you should pay attention to the usual precautions, like holding your bag properly and not walking down alleys at night, etc.... So I don’t think there’s a need to worry too much.

What are the fun things to do in Sabah?

1. Climb Mount Kinabalu: For details, you can refer to the heroic adventures of EVAN and W XDD (as I call it), link below2017 Malaysia Sabah — Two-Day-One-Night Crazy Mount Kinabalu Summit Guide
2. See the proboscis monkeys in the mangroves, and at night you can also see tons of fireflies
3. Numerous incredibly beautiful islands: Besides relaxing on the beach, you can also dive or snorkel—both are great water activities
4. The KK capital has many attractions to explore: such as various mosques (some even let you try on local costumes XDDD, though they’re not that great-looking)
5. Then there are also many delicious restaurants to eat at
6. In May, you can experience the Harvest Festival (a local indigenous event, with night markets and beauty pageants at specific locations in the evening)
7. In June, there’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid al-Fitr)
8. I’ve heard the white-water rafting is super thrilling

The night market activities and beauty pageants during the Harvest Festival also include pork stalls and you can even find Taiwanese sausages XD

The Harvest Festival is a local indigenous holiday, and the beauty pageant features traditional costume parades by the locals!!

Must-Eat in Sabah

1.Yi Fung Tea House

Recommendation Rating: **** Location: Right across from the accommodation

It’s quite suitable for breakfast, the portions aren’t huge but the food is pretty good. We tried all three of their signature dishes.

You must come here to eat when in Sabah, it’s really famous!!

Signature Dishes

Same as previous reviews, you might as well skip trying the claypot chicken rice XD

Laksa is a type of curry laksa, and it’s the most delicious among these three.

2.Fung Yip Café

Recommendation rating: **** 

Location: On Gaya Street, near the accommodation

This is a mixed-style eatery that also sells Hainanese chicken rice. We had their main dishes and Hainanese chicken, but the must-order item is the durian something (can't recall exact name) — it's super delicious!!

The drinks are pretty good too; it’s a great spot for afternoon tea (recommended: the durian drink)

3.Xin Ji Bak Kut Teh

Recommendation rating: ****                            

Location: On the street next to Gaya Street, also very close to the accommodation

It gets pretty crowded here. There’s another famous bak kut teh shop across the street you could check out. I personally think it’s quite tasty, though the flavor is a bit different from Singapore’s style.

4.Da Qie Lai Seafood

Recommendation rating: ****                            

Location: You’ll need a motorcycle to get there

When in Malaysia, you have to eat seafood — it’s cheap and delicious. After hiking Mount Kinabalu, my friend W and I refueled with protein at this meal~XDD The two of us finished a whole table of food for just 89.6 Malaysian Ringgit, super worth it!!

5.Auntie’s Five-Color Fresh Juice Smoothies

Recommendation rating: *****                            

Location: Tanjung Aru Beach

The night market on the beach is now full of five-color juice smoothie stalls, but only one is the real deal!! It’s run by an elderly lady, and it’s really tasty!! My friend W and I each had three cups~~

We tried the avocado Milo (avocado is called butter fruit in Taiwan), four-color juice, and five-color juice XDDD Each one was super delicious and cheap. We wanted to open a shop back in Taiwan after trying them!! It’s said the night market might move soon, so visitors should double-check the info before going.

Some small suggestions for getting around in Sabah

1. You can rent a motorcycle to get around the city — the price has gone up to 45 MYR per day
2. Alternatively, you can use Uber or Grab; sometimes there are discount promotions, which are very convenient and quite cheap

Here’s some scenery along the ride for your reference

Especially recommended accommodation

We stayed at: Red Palm Hostel

I think the environment here is really quite nice — clean and tidy, and right across from the super famous Yee Fung Café XDD. The location is great, right on Gaya Street, and there’s a weekend market. The owner and his wife are also very friendly.

If you don’t mind staying in a homestay, you should definitely consider it. It’s only a little over 200 Taiwanese Dollars per person per night, super affordable. We also had a discount from the booking site, so after the discount, it was only 75 Taiwanese Dollars per person per night.

The price is seriously unbelievable!! The only downside is that the bathroom and toilet are shared and located outside. But still — it’s super clean.

They offer a simple breakfast, which is indeed very basic XD

Sabah 6-day 5-night itinerary outline and tips

Languages used: English, Malay. Some can also speak Mandarin, Hokkien, or Cantonese.

Best time to visit: Opinions vary—many say every day is suitable, but if you really hate rain, go between February and April when there’s relatively less rainfall (data from Hong Kong Observatory’s total rainfall chart XDD).

Time difference: No time difference.

Currency used: Malaysian Ringgit (MYR).

Pre-trip essentials: 2017 Sabah, Malaysia – 6 Days 5 Nights Travel Guide ---- Preparations + Total Cost

Special notes or reminders:

1. Motorcycle rental info: Shop name: GOGOSABAH
2. Whether or not to climb Mount Kinabalu is really something to think carefully about. Although many say it’s easy, I truly believe that those who aren’t used to regular exercise should seriously reconsider. Even we, who exercise regularly, found the process extremely tough.
3. For diving, we booked through Scuba Junkie Kota Kinabalu: A full-day deep dive with three tanks for only 339.2 MYR, and a full-day snorkeling and beach relaxation trip for 127.2 MYR, both including lunch (they have Chinese-speaking instructors!).

Our main purpose for going to Sabah this time was actually to climb Mount Kinabalu, so we didn’t go to see the proboscis monkeys (since we’d already gotten up close and personal with them in Brunei XDD). The rest of the time was spent enjoying lots of great food.

Then we relaxed on the beaches and went diving, and finally rented a motorcycle for a day to check out some of KK’s famous sights, wrapping up our short Sabah trip. So the overall cost wasn’t very high, with accommodation at just 200 TWD per person per night.

We really didn’t spend much money, so if you’re on a limited budget, don’t have a lot of holiday time, but still want a mix of sea and land experiences, Sabah is highly recommended.

Complete 6 Days 5 Nights Sabah Itinerary

Total cost and breakdown of the 6 Days 5 Nights Sabah Trip: (If you don’t join the 2-day 1-night Mount Kinabalu tour, it’s only 6477.32 TWD!)

The advantage of Southeast Asia (apart from Singapore) is that you can live like a king for very little money~~~~~~~

Personal Takeaways:

My takeaway from this Sabah trip is “From now on, when I think of Sabah, it won’t just be about beaches—it’s a fantastic place that offers both sea and land experiences.”

This time, we only spent one day at the beach. The rest of the time, aside from being on Mount Kinabalu, was spent exploring the city. My thoughts on climbing Mount Kinabalu have already been shared in my blog, so I won’t repeat them here.

Exploring the city and joining some local seasonal events were also quite fun, offering a glimpse into the real lives and cultural blend of the locals.

Also, transportation in Sabah is convenient, making it easy to get around, and the food is relatively cheap. Aside from the heat, there were really no downsides to this trip.

Brief photos and descriptions

Mount Kinabalu 2 Days 1 Night Summit Climb and Photos Along the Way: Detailed Info2017 Malaysia Sabah --- Crazy 2 Days 1 Night Mount Kinabalu Summit Climb Guide

Beach days (Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi)

Some people insisted on diving right after climbing Mount Kinabalu XDD

Signal Hill Viewpoint

State Mosque Sabah State Mosque (too tall to fit the whole thing in a photo XD)

Filipino Market & Handicraft Market

Pink Mosque (a must-visit for girls~~~)

Waterfront Mosque + photo experience in traditional attire

Watch the sunset at Tanjung Aru Beach

There's also seafood available by the beach—huge plates of cereal prawns for just 15 MYR

Evangeline-Evan
Hi everyone, I'm Evan, someone who's timid and easily scared,
but through independent travel, I've gradually found my courage,
and each solo trip has helped me discover a different side of myself.
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