Sabah, Malaysian Borneo » City Info » Travel Tips

Sabah is a true gem of Malaysia, full of natural spaces, wildlife treasures, islands, and friendly people. This state is located on the northern side of the Borneo Island surrounded by the highest mountain of South East Asia like- Mount Kinabalu and most famous diving islands like Layang-Layang and Sipadan. This paradise has become famous for the warm and friendly people besides wide range of attractions and World Heritage Sites.

Sabah offers a wide range of modes of transport like bus, shuttle, railway, taxi, boats, ferries, marinas, and rental car. In major towns, there are airports for domestic travel and Heli-charter for some places on islands. A railway track connects capital city with Tenom with small stops to enjoy the picturesque environmental ride. There are only two modes of public transport, long distance coaches that connect different towns, and short distance buses covering the area within city boundaries. Beside the public transport, main source for getting around in Sabah are taxi’s and rental cars. Taxis are easily available at all places and covers major parts of city. However, it is always necessary to fix the fares before setting up, as taxis are available without meters. Taxi which runs from airports are available with fixed rates. Another safe and affordable option of transport is to take a car on rent. Major companies provide car on rent and different types of vehicles starting from vans to coaches as per travel needs of tourist.

Like European countries, Tipping is not style of Malaysians and it is not mandatory as service charges are already added in bills. At many places, around 10% service charges are added in the bills to cover tipping. However, just like other tourist places, little tipping is expected from foreigners and at some times to appreciate good service given by the restaurants.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in the public transportation like railway. Any violation in this act can be treated as a punishable offense with a fine. There is no any law passed by the legislation about smoking in the public areas of city. However, smoking is banned at the places where food is sold or offered and therefore it is always necessary to ask waiter before lighting up cigarette in the restaurants.

Sabah is a very safe state of Malaysia and there is no any major violent crime reported. Here people love to keep peace in the state and always have a friendly approach especially towards tourists. Due to the peace loving nature of the people, it becomes safe to walk around the city at any time. Preferably, use public transportation during night travels. Still it is necessary to obey rules and take few precautions especially while taking tour to far away islands where presence of police can be less. It is advisable to avoid unnecessary exposure of valuable and expensive items in the crowded area. Like other tourist places, petty crime, like pick-pocketing, bag snatching etc is very uncommon and rarely any such crimes are reported.

Sabah comes under equatorial climate zone and climate conditions differ in highland and coastal areas. Mainly Sabah has only two seasons, i.e. wet and dry season, and rainfall is expected all round the year. Dry season start from the month of March until September and last few months temperature can be high. Humidity level is quite high all the time. Normally rainy season starts from October to February but possibility of rain is year round. As being in to equatorial climate zone, Sabah never experiences extreme hot or cold and therefore it has a comfortable climate all the year round.