CROCKER RANGE
Taman Banjaran Crocker in Malay, a mountain range that divides Sabah's West Coast (Kota Kinabalu and Papar) from the interior (Tambunan, Keningau and Tenom).
The road that we used from Kota Kinabalu to Keningau: KK > Papar > Kimanis > Crocker Range > Keningau. It's the steepest highway in Malaysia with spectacular views. It was upgraded and opened as a highway in 2006.
KOTA KINABALU
The Capital of Sabah, formerly known as Jesselton. Located on the northwest coast of Borneo, facing the South China Sea. It is named after Mount Kinabalu, which is situated about 50 km east-northeast of the city.
Top Left / Right – Waterfront, the jetty and harbour in Kota Kinabalu
Bottom Left - Suria Sabah shopping complex where we had our event.
Bottom right - Masjid Negeri Kota Kinabalu with the distinctive gold patterned dome and 16 small golden domes with palm trees in front.
Best Western Kinabalu Daya Hotel, where I and my colleague stayed during our event at Kota Kinabalu in 2013, just a walking distance to Suria Sabah Shopping Complex for our Health Screening Programme.
Graceville Condo, where my brother, who is a manager at Sime Bank Kota Kinabalu, stayed with his family. Located at Jalan Pantai Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu is where we stayed during our visit to Kota Kinabalu in 1997.
Sime Bank was originally UMBC (United Malayan Banking Corporation), Malaysia's first commercial bank. By 1996 it became part of Sime Darby and was renamed Sime Bank.
THE DOUBLE SIX TRAGEDY
An air crash involving a GAF-N-22B Nomad of Sabah Air, which took place on 6 June 1976 at Kota Kinabalu, killing 11 people onboard, including several local political leaders, the Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Fuad Stephens, and Datuk Peter Mojuntin.
Tun Fuad Stephens, @ Donald Stephens, and the Double Six Memorial Monument, located next to Graceville, are just 2-3 minutes' walk from my brother's house.
TANJUNG ARU BEACH
About 6 km from Kota Kinabalu city centre, named for the Aru trees lining it, as in the photo. Also known as the best sunset spot in KK. Local picnic beach, not a tourist-only beach.
WARISAN SABAH / MUZIUM SABAH
Pusat Warisan Tumbuhan Sabah, the Ethnobotanical Garden, is part of the Sabah Museum Complex, a 17-hectare site at Bukit Istana Lama, Kota Kinabalu.
In 1997, the museum was in its main growth phase; the original museum started in a Gaya Street shophouse on 15 July 1965, then moved to this bigger Bukit Istana Lama site.
TAMAN AIR PANAS PORING
Located 136 km from Kota Kinabalu, 40 km from Kinabalu Park HQ. 'Poring' comes from Kadazan dusun - a local bamboo species that grows here.
The hot sulphur springs were first noticed and used by the Japanese during WWII occupation of Sabah. It was formally developed as a visitor facility in the 1960s. The water is naturally hot, sulphurous, and believed to be therapeutic – same then and now.
PONDOK TIMPOHON
Also known as Timpohon Gate, it is the main starting point for climbing Mount Kinabalu, 5 km from the Kinabalu Park HQ entrance.
There are 7 pondok along the summit trail; Timpohon is Pondok #1 at 0 km.
In 1997, Mount Kinabalu was resurveyed with satellite technology – the height was corrected from 4,101 m to 4,095 m (Low's Peak).
PETAGAS MEMORIAL GARDEN
Located at Petagas, Putatan, just south of KK, near Putatan Airport, on Jalan Kepayan. It is a WWII memorial for the Kinabalu Guerillas, also called the Double Tenth Revolt. 176 members led by Albert Kwok planned an uprising against Japanese occupation on 10 October 1943.
13 leaders and many others were executed by the Japanese at this spot on 21 January 1944. The park marks the exact execution site.
KG. NABALU, KUNDASANG
OTW to Kundasang; stop by at Kg. Nabalu is a pit stop for travellers heading towards Kundasang or Mount Kinabalu via Jalan Tuaran and the Ranau-Tamparuli highway.
It is famous for Nabalu Market, the handicraft and vegetable market with a direct view of Mount Kinabalu.
KUNDASANG, SABAH
A hill town in Ranau District, about 6 km from Kinabalu Park HQ, in Kundasang Valley in the Crocker Range.
Kundasang town, the new double-storey shoplots and the view down the valley kampungs with blue zinc roofs. Classid 90s Kundasang before Desa Farm and modern hotels.
Kundasang War Memorial, established in 1962, is one of the first memorials in Sabah. Built in honour or the Australian and British POWs who died in Sandakan and during the infamous Sandakan Death March to Ranau in WWII. Only 6 Australians survived out of 2,400.
It also remembers the people of North Borneo who risked their lives to help the prisoners of war.
TM Resort at Kundasang (now Kinabalu Pine Resort), opened in 1995, is owned by Telekom Malaysia (hence TM Resort) as a highland holiday resort for staff and the public.
Located along Kundasang-Ranau Highway, 0.5 km or 10 minutes' walk from the War Memorial.
MANGGATAL, SABAH / KOMPLEKS KARAMUNSING
Manggatal is a town north of Kota Kinabalu on the way to Tuaran, surrounded by villages and light industrial areas.
Top Left: Kompleks Karamunsing, one of KK's earliest malls, along with Centre Point and Wisma Merdeka. Opened in the late 90s. View taken from Bukit Signal Hill looking down.
Top Right: Mount Kinabalu Restaurant, the main restaurant at Kinabalu Park HQ Kundasang. Every tour group in the 90s ate there before going to Poring/Timpohon.
Bottom Left / Right: Rafflesia Seafood at Manggatal on 3 June 1997. It was a famous spot for nightly cultural dance performances from 7.45 p.m. to 8.45 p.m., showing Sabah's largest indigenous ethnic groups.
TAMPARULI, SABAH
Tamparuli, located in the Tuaran District of Sabah, approximately 38 km northeast of Kota Kinabalu, is known for its scenic landscapes. On my trip from Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang, I have driven through Tamparuli, the gateway town before Kiulu and Nabalu.
The Tamparuli Suspension Bridge spans Sungai Tuaran/Sungai Kiulu. The bridge in the photo below is the new bridge built in early 1999. The original bridge was built by the British in the 1930s-1960s.
The Kadazandusun folk song "Jambatan Tamparuli" by Justin Lusah (1977) is about a man who lost his high-heeled shoe into the river on Tamu (market) and walked home in socks.
There is also a legend behind the bridge, the legend of Solungkoi, the love triangle between a British officer named Robinson and a young local girl named Solungkoi. A local young man named Intang was jealous. You can read the whole story below:
Zulheimy Maamor: Jambatan Tamparuli - The Legend of Sulongkoi.
2013: KK TO KOTA MARUDU
My journey from Kota Kinabalu to Kota Marudu in 2013, northbound on Kudat Highway. Distance is about 128 km, a 2-3 hour drive.
Top Left: Tuaran Bypass, view of Gunung Kinabalu. It's just after Inanam/Telipok.
Top Right: Teluk Sepanggar – dual carriage away down to Sepanggar Bay Container Port. The cranes you see on the horizon are the port. The new Sepanggar Tunnel was built to shorten the lorry time from port to KK.
Bottom Left: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) – the iconic twin towers with red roofs on the hill, connected by bridge – UMS main campus at Sepanggar Bay, Lipat Bay.
Bottom Right: Straight road to Kota Marudu; after Kota Belud, you can see the electricity pylon and Mt Kinabalu in the distance. About 30-40 km before Pekan Kota Marudu.
KK - Kota Marudu trip, the stretch before Tamparuli. All three towns are on Jalan Tuaran Lama.
Tuaran, a district town about 34 km north of KK, is home of Dusun Lotud people. Tuaran is famous for Tuaran Mee and as a gateway to Kiulu dan Tamparuli.
Inanam: 10 km from city centre, During WWII, Inanam was the base for the Kinabalu Guerillas, the resistance led by Albert Kwok against the Japanese. The Inanam-Menggatal-Telipok area was the guerilla HQ, with Hakka Chinese support.
Telipok: 15 km north of KK, 5 km of Menggatal, Sepanggar and Tuaran. The Vietnam War film "BBat 21" (1988) was shot around Menggatal, Telipok, and Kayu Madang.
KOTA BELUD
Kota Belud means "Fort on the Hill" a Sama/Bajau language. The nickname was "Cowboy Town of the East", because the local Bajau people are Sabah's only horsemen, famous for rearing and training horses for centuries.
About 70 km from KK – it's the cultural heartland of the Bajau – Kadazan-Dusun.
KOTA MARUDU
About 130 km north of KK, the town where my KK-Kudat highway ends before Kudat.
Top Left: Kota Marudu roundabout with a fish statue, as the Kota Marudu district is fishing and a paddy town. The name Marudu itself was first mapped by a Dutch sailor in 1595 who sailed from Brunei, and the area was home to Balanggi sea troops of the Brunei/Sulu Sultanates.
Top Right: Dewan Komuniti Kota Marudu where we had our Health Screening Programme. It's a multi-purpose hall for government events.
Bottom Left: Hotel Season 2, where we stay during our event at Kota Marudu. Above BSN, it's the main hotel for travellers doing KK-Kudat.
Bottom Right: Old shoplot street, the original Kota Marudu old town.
Kota Marudu is historically famous for the Battle of Marudu Bay in the early 19th century, where Sharif Usman vs. the British.
My August 2013 route complete > KK > Teluk Sepanggar > UMS > Inanam > Tuaran > Telipok > Tamparuli > Kota Belud > Kota Marudu.
KK - KIMANIS - KENINGAU
Route KK-Kimanis-Keningau, over Crocker Range. Elevation goes from sea level to Gunung Alab (1964 m) and Dimie Pendalaman Resort at 1371 m.
Ref: Zulheimy Maamor: From Kinabalu to Kimanis and Keningau.
Keningau, "Land of the Wakid" – Wakid is a basket, the identity of Keningau. It's a traditional Dusun backpack-basket, woven from rattan or bamboo, with shoulder straps. Worn on the back, used for carrying paddy, vegetables, firewood, babies, and everything in interior life.
Info Photo:
Top-left: Dewan Tan Sri Joseph Kurup in Keningau district. Named after Tan Sri Josep Kurup, a veteran Sabah politician from Sook, former MP for Keningau and founder of the PBRS Party of Sabah.
Top-right: S.K.Sook, about 40 km south of Keningau town, on the way to Nabawan.
Bottom-left: Roundabout Monument in Keningau, the iconic Wakid Monument,the black stone with golden Wakid (traditional Dusun Basket) on top and two spears. Wakid is Keningau symbol, famous for its rattan and bamboo basket weaving.
Bottom-right : Taman Ternakan Sebrang, Livestock Park Keningau. An agricultural/livestock station across from Keningau town.
KALABAKAN
A town in Tawau District, about 5 km west of the town of Tawau. This is the famous junction where Tawau - Sepulut - Keningau highway splits. The roundabout is near the Kalimantan Border, the gateway to Maliau Basin, Sabah's lost world.
The bottom-right photo, is the Kalabakan Memorial for the 1963 confrontation incident.During Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, Indonesian forces infiltrated at Kalabakan in December1962. The Royal Malay Regiment fought here - several soldiers killed. The memorial in the photo honors those soldiers, their names on the plaques.
MALIAU BASIN
Maliau Basin, 34 km from the Kalabakan roundabout. Known as Sabah's Lost World. A huge almost-circular crater basin, 390 sq km, surrounded by 1,600 m high rim. Never permanently inhabited - too remote, too difficult.
Discovered by British pilot in 1947 who saw the crater from air. Inside: untouched rainforest, with over 80 species of orchids, pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, banteng.The centre has Maliau Falls, 7-tier waterfall, 28 m high.
It was managed by Yayasan Sabah. To enter you need permit, guide, 4x4 from Kalabakan. That's why it have the 54 km sign - it's logging road, muddy.
LAHAD DATU, SANDAKAN & TAWAU
1. Lahad Datu Airport - small domestic airport managed by Malaysia Airports.This is the gateway to east coast, near Danum Valley and the site of the 2013 Lahad Datu intrusion (Sulu militants). Lahad Datu is halfway between Sandakan and Tawau, on Darvel Bay.
2. Sepilok, Sandakan : The Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. Located near Sandakan, 26 km west of town. Founded in 1964, oldest Orangutan rehab centre in world. Orphaned baby Orangutans are taught to survive wild.This is Sabah's most famous wildlife attraction, alongside Kinabalu Park.
3. Tawau : The waterfront promenade at Tanjung Batu, Tawau. Tawau is Sabah's third largest city after KK and Sandakan. I had been here earlier, in the 90s when my ship alongside the KD Sri Tawau Jetty, RMN base at Tawau. It is the Eastern Fleet, Wilayah Laut 2. It guards the east of Sabah coast (ESSZONE) against piracy and intrusion from Sulu Sea.
Wonderful Sabah, I had completed a full loop. Almost 2,000 km of Sabah covered as from my time in the Navy (1980-1996), 1997-2013.
KK > Kimanis > Keningau > Kalabakan > Maliau Basin > Tawau > Lahad Datu > Sandakan > Sepilok > Kundasang > Kota Marudu
While not everyone had the opportunity to complete a full loop of Sabah, the experiences shared by those who did are truly remarkable. Each journey through this beautiful state reveals unique landscapes, rich cultures, and unforgettable encounters.
From the bustling streets of Kota Kinabalu to the serene heights of Kundasang, every stop along the way offers a glimpse into the diverse heritage of Sabah. The vibrant markets, stunning natural parks, and historical sites tell stories that resonate with both locals and visitors alike.
For those who missed out on the full loop, there are still countless adventures to be had. Exploring the hidden gems of Sabah, such as the tranquil beaches of Tanjung Aru or the lush trails of Crocker Range, can provide a taste of the beauty that awaits.
Whether it's a short trip or a grand tour, Sabah's charm is undeniable, and each journey contributes to the tapestry of memories that make this region so special. So, while not everyone may have completed the full loop, the spirit of exploration and discovery continues to thrive in every corner of Sabah.
Hj Zulheimy Maamor
18 October 2026: 1:30 a.m.
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