Must-see attractions in Kota Kinabalu

  • Sipitang Sabah Malaysia - Aug 30, 2014:Murut lady in traditional costume with colorful beads during folklore festival in Sipitang Sabah.Murut is among the largest ethnic group in Sabah interior.; Shutterstock ID 369534461; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    Mari Mari Cultural Village

    Kota Kinabalu

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

  • Kota Kinabalu Floating Mosque with Dramatic Clouds and Reflection.

    City Mosque

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Proboscis monkey.

    Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Signal Hill Observatory Platform

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Night Market

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Sunday Market

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Sabah Art Gallery

    Kota Kinabalu

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

  • Rungus longhouse, KK, Sabah, Malaysia

    Sabah Museum

    Kota Kinabalu

    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 woman shows tourists around traditional house at Kadazan-Dusun Monsopiad Cultural Village.

    Monsopiad Cultural Village

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Museum of Islamic Civilisation

    Kota Kinabalu

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

  • Tanjung Aru

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Puh Toh Tze Buddhist Temple

    Kota Kinabalu

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

  • Atkinson Clock Tower

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

  • Central Market

    Kota Kinabalu

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

  • Stilt village and State Mosque in Kota Kinabalu, Asia's fastest growing city and capital of Sabah, northern tip of Borneo, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Asia

    State Mosque

    Kota Kinabalu

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

  • Che Sui Khor Moral Uplifting Society

    Kota Kinabalu

    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…

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