National Parks

National parks are natural protected areas that are used for research, schooling, agriculture, tourism, and leisure. Sabah is one of the states in Malaysia that has a lot of nature places that eye-catching for tourists and still protected by the government.

1. Mount Kinabalu

The State of Sabah, Malaysia is located in the northern portion of Borneo, and tourism is a key pillar of its economy. Sabah is a wonderful place to visit or stay especially for nature lovers. Initially, Sabah was known as “The Land Below the Wind”. One of the famous tourist attractions in Sabah is Kinabalu National Park, It's a beautiful place to enjoy the green scenery with refreshing and cold mountains that will allow you to forget about the busy life of the city.

Since 1964, Kinabalu National Park has had a wide variety of well-protected plants, wildlife, insects, and birds. Mount Kinabalu is situated in the north of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, within the Kinabalu National Park. The Kinabalu National Park was declared Malaysia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 2000. Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in SouthEast Asia, linking East and New Guinea, and also the highest mountain in this vast region. The name of Mountain Kinabalu comes from the word Kadazan, ‘Aki Nabalu’, meaning ‘the revered place of the dead’.Several folklore stories tell stories about how Kinabalu got his name. Mount Kinabalu is one of the highest and most conquerable mountains in the world. To climb Mount Kinabalu, you need to book a climbing permit in advance (Hall, R., Cottam, M., Suggate, S., Tongkul, F., Sperber, C., & Batt, G.,2008).

2. Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park

The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park contains a group of five islands situated in Sabah, Malaysia, between 3 and 8 km offshore from Kota Kinabalu. The park took its name from the first prime minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. The park is spread over 4,929 hectares, of which 2/3 protects the sea. The five islands that make up the marine park Tunku Abdul Rahman are all situated within a short boat ride from one another. Within the marine park, Gaya and Manukan are the largest islands (although Manukan is smaller compared to Gaya). They have many trails for those who want to stroll across the jungles. Most established are Manukan and Sapi followed by Gaya while Sulug and Mamutik have little to none facilities(Wonderful Malaysia,2019).