Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 2,000 feet or 600m from the seabed. It is located east of Tawau (Borneo), in the Celebes Sea. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem.
Rare diving scenes such as schools of greenback turtles and hawksbill turtles nesting and mating, schools of barracuda & big-eye trevally in tornado-like formations, pelagic species such as manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale sharks can be seen here.
A mysterious turtle tomb lies underneath the column of the island, formed by an underwater limestone cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers that contain many skeletal remains of turtles.
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Kinabalu National Park |
Kinabalu Park which covers an area of 754 sq km was gazetted a park in 1964.The basis for the establishment of a protected area in Kinabalu were formed after a report from the Royal Society Kinabalu Scientific expedition in 1962-1964 led by Prof. Corner. It is the first Park in the Malaysian Borneo’s state of Sabah.
Its main feature is Mount Kinabalu (4,095.2 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Its slope is home to a rich assemblage of plants and animal species. It is a hot spot of particularly the plant biodiversity with affinities to flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malay Peninsula, as well as pan-tropical region.
The main entry point for visitors is the Park Headquarters located about 92 km on the Kota Kinabalu – east coast highway lying at an elevation 1,520m above sea levels. Cooler climates attracted over 250,000 visitors in 2009 with about 47,000 made the attempt to conquer the peak.
The administrative center is located in the ‘Conservation Center’ building. Also in the same building is the Research and Education offices and facilities.
Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary is the most mesmerizing place for animal lovers. Trainers at this sanctuary look after the orphaned orang-utans very well and put their best foot forward to make the animals apt for living in the natural surroundings. The best time to have a close look at these animals and be with them is at 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. since this is the time when these primates come down from the trees for their daily feedings of bananas and milk.
