Best Kota Kinabalu Hidden Gem Attractions

THE 5 BEST Hidden Gem Attractions in Kota Kinabalu

Best Kota Kinabalu Hidden Gem Attractions

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Travellers' Choice Awards winners (including the "Best of the Best" title) are among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor, according to the reviews and opinions of travellers across the globe.
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6 places sorted by traveller favourites
  • Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.

What travellers are saying

  • HildaLee
    Singapore, Singapore743 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Location and path to this massage place were bad. Scary and wanted to give up.
    But once you reach the place, its totally different.
    They offered free pick up - Grab under their costs.
    I went twice - returned customer.
    Fast response via WhatsApp too - very easy to book.
    Written 7 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • charmaine
    London, UK32 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We wanted to visit Sabah with some family and since we were not familiar with the area, we decided to get help from a local tour agency - Amazing Borneo.

    The agent that helped with the booking was Anthony Wong. I found him very communicative and helpful. He was able to cater for customisations that we wanted whilst also fitting us into other tour programmes.

    When it finally came round to our trip a couple of weeks back, we were glad that the Amazing Borneo team were at hand. We had delays and constant "retiming" of flights but the team adjusted accordingly and Anthony or someone from the operations team was available to help.

    In terms of the programme, the Sandakan portion was a real hit with everyone - especially the Selingan Turtle island. I thoroughly recommend it and our guide Azman/Man was brilliant. We also found our guides at the Bilit Rainforest Lodge and in KK, John and William excellent too.

    All in all, we had an incredible time thanks for the team who made sure that everything went smoothly, including ensuring that any dietary requirements were catered for the whole time. Excellent job, Anthony & team!
    Written 7 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • NAB
    Manchester, UK5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Borneo eco tours were brilliant. Right from the start, answering questions, the booking process, and the tour was just magical.
    We added turtle island onto the jungle lodge, and it was well worth it.
    Never expected to see so many turtles.
    In the jungle we saw the big Borneo 5 over the 3 days…and really close up.
    All the staff were very knowledgeable. We went with our 8&9 year olds and the whole family loved the experience.
    Written 7 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Aliyah D
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We contacted down below last minute for diving via whatsapp and they were very accommodating. The timings and location we were given for departure to Gaya Island were all clear and accurate. The base camp is clean and beautiful. Our dive instructor really made the whole day very enjoyable - a big thank you to Jeson. All the staff were very friendly and approachable. Lunch served was great and the dive was good fun. We loved it and would highly recommend down below!
    Written 21 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Simon H
    Bathford, UK14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We have just finished a 5 night Borneo tour organised by Sticky Rice. We tailored it around what we wanted to do so visited Sepilok, Kinabatangan River and the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. The balance of the river and the jungle was spot on and we wouldn’t have wanted it any different - both are equally worth exploring and you really get a sense of the beauty and variety that Borneo has to offer.

    From start to finish we were well looked after by Wendy and then Phoebe at Sticky Rice. Using a local agent in Borneo means that it feels you are getting the best insight into what will really work for you (as opposed to being pushed in a particular direction by a bigger, multi destination agency). And the big plus with Sticky Rice was the assignment of a local guide who was with us from the moment we landed in Sandakan to when we left the rainforest for the next part of our holiday. We were assigned Lister and we couldn’t have been happier. Not only was everything arranged for us seamlessly and without a fuss but it was like having your own wildlife expert with you. We all learnt so much more than we expected to - from the local culture to fauna and flora and of course every creature that we came across. We saw so much more than we would have done without him - every movement of a tree or a shape in the branches was spotted and we didn’t miss anything. He was perfect and we were so sad to say goodbye to him at the end of our 6 days.

    A special mention for the Borneo rainforest lodge. If you have the budget and it is a once in a lifetime holiday book it. We had 2 nights there and our time there was truly memorable.

    We can’t recommend Sticky Rice enough. Do use them rather than a faceless agent - you won’t regret it
    Written 27 August 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Emma F
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We came across Jonathan and his company after reading many positive reviews online and thank goodness we did. From the start of the booking process, all done very seamlessly via email and Whatsapp, right through to the final drop off, everything went swimmingly!

    Jonathan was able to tailor a trip specific to our family needs and was a knowledgeable, safety-concious yet fun and charismatic guide. We thoroughly enjoyed his advice and great conversation, even over a lovely lunch. The crew working alongside him were terrific with our young children, aged 4 and 6 and catered specifically to their needs throughout the day, going out of their way to find good spots for them and great sea life.

    Being on a private charter like this was so advantageous in being able to hit the good spots before they got busy and we enjoyed having the flexibility to adapt plans freely throughout the day.

    We are already planning our next trip back and will not waste time researching again, we'll go straight to Jonathan. Thanks for a truly terrific experience!
    Written 20 December 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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