The Salt Trail in Crocker Range Mountain (Sabah) is a jungle trekking route that was traditionally followed by villages traders (mainly Dusun indigenous people). They journeyed to the markets on Sabah’s West Coast to barter trade their fresh produce for salt. Although some villages are accessible by road, but there are other more remote villages around.

There are many ways to conquer Salt Trail, you can arrange for 4 days 3 nights trip like what we did or 3 days 2 nights. You may choose to start from Inobong (Penampang district) to Tikolod (Tambunan district) or vice-versa. Our route starts from Tikolod- Malungung- Kionop- Buayan-Terian-Inobong, total 36KM.

Day 1 (Tikolod- Malungung)

We hired a taxi to send us to Tikolod Sabah Parks sub-station at Tambunan departing from Donggongon at 12pm. It was raining by the time we reached Tikolod at 2pm, they were upgrading the access road to Malungung, cutting through some of the forest area just a few meters away from the camp. We ended up walking less than 20 minutes to reach the camp and spend a night there. If you want to cut short your trip, you may skip Malungung Camp and trek straight to Kionop. However, spending the night in Malungung Camp is very relaxing, with the river running in front of the rest house, this is the time to unwind from the hustle and bustle of city life and slowly tuning into mother nature. Facility: Wooden rest house with attached bathroom to the empty living area, sleeping bag is needed. Separate kitchen with wood-fired cooking top.

Day 2 (Malungung- Kionop, 12.7KM, 7 hours)

Started our journey at 0730 on a fine morning, the first 2KM terrain is rather flat and very beautiful with river streams running across some mossy areas, great place for photography.  Then followed by another 2KM of going up hill and all the way down hill until the 8KM. Milder trail from 8KM to 10KM, our guide picked up wild durians along the trail and we had lunch (and durian) along the river before continuing the journey until 12.7KM to reach Kionop Village at 1430.

Branches are everywhere along the trail, not so easy to secure footing due to the rocky terrain and steep hill, rather muddy towards the end. Leeches thrive in this area. Multiple river crossing up to shin level throughout the trail (endured wet socks for 7 hours). Only left 1 family staying in Kionop and everyone else has moved to either Buayan or Terian where it is more accessible by road.

So we stayed overnight at an abandoned church (now a permanent rest house for visitors like us). Facility: Wooden rest house, sleeping bag is needed, bathroom situated outside next to the kitchen area equipped with wood-fired cooking top.

Day 3 (Kionop- Terian, 24.5KM, 7.5 hours)

The weather was beautiful and the sun was out. Even though our muscles were aching but everyone was very motivated to continue on with the journey. We started our journey at 0810, from 12.7KM to 19KM, hiking through occasional open space, flat terrain, sighted a lot of local fruits around (durian, tarap, rambutan, bambangan), it is fruit season early of the year. Our guide picked up some fruits to be consumed along the way, how awesome! There are 6 rivers we  have to cross before reaching Buayan Village (our pit stop), the last river is the biggest Papar River, during rainy season the water can get up to chest level, if it is too dangerous to cross, there is a wooden shelter built near the river for those who are stranded and need to stay overnight. But we are lucky enough that the water level is up to waist high, so we managed to cross the river safely. After crossing the river, we reached Buayan Village, passing through the houses and schools, we rested for almost 1.5 hours at Buayan Sabah Parks sub-station for lunch and dried our leech socks, socks and adidas kampung trekking shoes under the hot sun. We continued our journey at 1245, 19KM- 23KM, after going through the paddy fields, we have to climbed up the hills, 23KM-24.5KM is all the way down hill until we reached Terian Village at 1540. We stayed with our guide and the family as part of the home stay program for Salt Trail adventure.

Day 4 (Terian- Inobong, 36KM, 6 hours)

We started hiking at 0830, 24.5KM-29KM crossed the hanging bridge and skip the river crossing (no more river crossing for this trail), but after 29KM, going up hill is a killer. So we hiked (endlessly) all the way to the peak, crossed over to the other side of the mountain and going down hill for almost 2KM (note: if you are coming from Inobong, you will be going up hill instead). From 31KM onwards, it started to rain, the up and down trail is quite tough, maybe because we were exhausted, but we still managed to reach Inobong Sabah Parks sub-staion at 1430. A transport was arranged to pick us up from Inobong to Donggongon, Penampang about 30 minutes ride.

Throughout this trip we managed to try the local food, fish from the river, fruits from the forest, water from bamboo shoots, leech bite, interacted with the locals, and observed their village lifestyle. Saw kids between 6 to 8 years old collect wood fire from the forest while the adults preparing food in the kitchen around the evening, it was quite a sight to behold, kids in the city probably sitting in the living room playing games and waiting to be served. To us it might seems like a tough life, but to them it is a way of life.  Generally it was a humbling experience, though the trail is very challenging, I would rate it 4 out of 5, but it is worth it. It involves more than physical fitness, it challenges the mind, patience and endurance.

View Salt Trail (Crocker Range Park) Sabah in a larger map

Things to Bring

·         Rucksack
·         Flashlight and spare batteries
·         Adidas Kampung (only this shoes is recommended)
·         Socks
·         Leech socks
·         Slippers
·         Sleeping bag
·         Hat / cap
·         Plastic bag (to store personal things)
·         Clothing (shirt/ pants etc)
·         Rain coat
·         Water bottle (1 litre)
·         Toiletries
·         Mosquito/ insect repellent

Encourage to bring:
·         Snacks (chocolates / cookies etc)
·         Anti malaria pills (to be consumed a week before – consult your doctor)
·         Camera (spare batteries, not able to charge in the forest)

How to Arrange

If you are up for the challenge, you may arrange this trip directly with Inobong Sabah Parks by calling them at +6019- 862 0808 or email them at info@sabahparks.org.my.

You might be interested in my post on “How to Avoid Leeches in Borneo”

Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA) is situated right in the heart of Sabah in Tongod District. With a total area of approximately 30,000ha including two ridge-top virgin jungle reserves, the canyon makes a significant contribution to the coverage of protected areas in Sabah.

How to Get There

It takes about 6 hours from Kota Kinabalu to Tampoi Base Camp just outside the conservation area through Telupid town. But if the river is flooded, vehicle unable to cross the river, there is another route which takes approximately 12 hours from Kota Kinabalu, passing through Sook, Maliau Basin Conservation Area, and through Luasong. The access road leading to Tampoi Base Camp is really challenging, you need a 4×4 and an experience driver.

Tampoi Base Camp and Surrounding Jungle Trails

This camp is complete with bunk beds, bathrooms, dining hall and kitchen. Depending on your reason of visit, Tampoi Base Camp is the main camp before you venture out to other sub-camps. Usually photography and nature expeditions group would explore Imbak Falls (approximately an hour drive from Tampoi Base Camp plus another hour of trekking to the waterfall). If you are up for some adventure, you may continue on your trekking journey from Imbak Falls to Kapur Camp (17KM, 6-8 hours), Pinang-pinang Camp (5KM, 2-3 hours), Bukit Beruang Camp (4.2KM, 6-8 hours) then back to Tampoi Base Camp (4KM, 4-6hours).

Kuli Camp

Kuli Camp is situated south of Tampoi Base Camp approximately 1.5 hours drive (depending on the road condition). From the starting point trek another hour or so to reach Kuli Camp. This camp is built to facilitate the on-going scientific expeditions carried out by the authorities and foreign researchers to uncover the biological gene bank in the heart of Sabah. It was an honor for me to be part of the Wildlife Survey Expedition team organised by Yayasan Sabah (caretaker of ICCA) to install camera traps around Kuli Camp and record general wildlife observations based on recce walks. There are 5 major trails around this camp with difficulty level ranging from easy, medium and tough. So we ventured out to these different trails to find a good spot to install the animal camera traps.

Surrounding Trails

Riverine trail is the easiest to trek due to its flat terrain leading to a small waterfall. Kuli waterfall trail and Ridge trail are medium tough with almost 70 degree slopes. We scrambled through the slippery muddy trail and attracted a lot of friendly leeches. Slope trail and Summit trail are the toughest, we didn’t go all the way up to Mt. Kuli summit but it is doable with overnight stay in sub camp.

Kuli Waterfall.

River crossing is part of the adventure.

Tiger leech. If you are concern about leech attack, check out my post on “How to avoid leeches in Borneo“.

Endless slope ahead that drains out our energy, but it is not impossible to climb.

An example of  Bushnell camera trap installed.

Though the trails around Kuli Camp can be explored by tourists, but this place is not for any ordinary tourists, you have to be physically and mentally fit, be prepared to rough it in and be flexible enough to make do with what you have in the forest.

Jungle trekking in Imbak Canyon is an adventurous journey to explore the beautiful and untouched natural environment in Sabah. Along the way we spotted bearded pigs, squirrels, Red Leaf Monkey, Bornean Gibbon,  Sun Bear claw marks on tree trunks (I hope to see it one day in the forest, maybe 100 meters away without it noticing my presence of course). There are many more mammals in ICCA and we hope to capture their images with the camera traps throughout the area.

How to Arrange Imbak Canyon Packages

This area is gazetted as a Class I (Protection) Forest Reserve therefore you will need a permit from Yayasan Sabah to enter Imbak Canyon. An experienced ranger is also required to be with you once you enter into the forest. Currently Imbak Canyon is less developed (in terms of tourists facilities) as compare to Maliau Basin and Danum Valley, therefore not many tour operators offer trekking packages to this place. However, it is worth checking out North Borneo Safari , a tour company that caters for customize needs and interests to anyone who is interested to explore Sabah’s pristine tropical rainforest.

Find out some of the attractions situated further away from Kota Kinabalu City that are perfect for day trip or even overnight stay.

If you can’t make it for the famous Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sandakan, why not visit the smaller orang utan rehabilitation centre in the nature reserve at Rasa Ria. It takes in injured orang utans, give them medical treatments, teach them how to look for food in the wild and once they are fit and ready to live on their own, they are then released into the surrounding nature reserve. More Information

Mari Mari Cultural Village

In this village, you will be introduced to various traditional homes of Sabahan ethnic communities such as Dusun, Bajau, Rungus, Murut and Lundayeh. The surrounding area is designed in such a way to showcase unique ingenious architecture, simulated lives and ritualistic ceremonies back in the ancient time of Borneo. If you are interested, you must book through their office, individual drop-ins are not allowed. More Information

Kipandi Butterfly Park

This park is situated in Moyog, 36KM before Tambunan Town coming from Penampang road. This park is run by NGO joint collaboration with Sabah Wildlife Department. There are over 100 butterfly species recorded in this park and 400 species of native orchids can be seen here too. More Information

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park

This park is fully developed by Sabah Wildlife Department not just for recreational purposes but in the name of conservation. It consists of zoological and botanical component. Want to have glimpse of Borneo exotic wildlife that come close to extinction? This is the place to be. Borneo Pygmy Elephants, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Orang Utan, Malayan Tiger and Proboscis Monkey are among the highlights. More Information

Desa Dairy Farm

Desa is a local chain owned by Sabah. You will see Friesian cattle walking around the green meadows. The milking session will start in the afternoon around 2pm and if you are interested, you may hire a car and a driver to bring you there. Tour company does not have any tour packages to this farm. More Information

Kinabalu National Park

Kinabalu Park was declared as UNESCO World Heritage site in the year 2000. Mt. Kinabalu is the main attraction here, but if you are not into climbing, check out its surroundings. This park boasts to have thousands of flora and hundreds of fauna and some are endemic to Borneo. Take a stroll along the park for a day or two. More Information

Sabah Tea Garden

Situated after Kinabalu National Park, Sabah Tea Garden is worth a visit. Take a tour around its tea plantation and its factory, get to know how the famous Sabah Tea is harvested and packaged. More Information

Poring Hot Spring

Poring is located in the lowlands near Kinabalu National Park HQ. The spring’s hot sulphuric minerals believed to have healing properties. Besides the spring, there is also a butterfly farm, Poring Orchid Conservation Centre, Tropical Gardens and Canopy Walkway. More Information

Padas River Water Rafting

If you are in for adrenaline rush, sign up for this trip located in Pangi near Tenom. There are 7 exciting rapids ranging from class 3 to 4 or even goes up to class 5 during rainy season.  The water rafting distance is about 9 kilometers. More Information

Mantanani Island

This island is located in Kota Belud, few hours from KK City. It is a great spot for snorkeling and diving (some say this is a diver’s paradise). Sit back and enjoy the serene environment around the island and explore the underwater world. More Information 

Pulau Tiga “Survivor Island”

This island has chalet to offer those who are interested in staying overnight. This option will give you more time to explore the island and relax on the white sandy beach. There are countless number of hammock running across the beachfront offering superb view of the beach. Currently boat transfer can only be arranged through tour packages. More Information

Klias Wetland River Cruise

This is a popular place among locals and tourists, the main attraction is to see proboscis monkey in the wild and fireflies. The river cruise take place in the evening, so you will make your way from Kota Kinabalu around 1pm or 2pm. More Information

Check out my other posts:

Top Places to Visit in Kota Kinabalu

Day Trip From KK to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

Where to Stay and Things to do in Kota Kinabalu

Top Entertainment Places in Kota Kinabalu

Filipino Night Market in Kota Kinabalu

Sukau is located 97KM from Sandakan, in East Sabah (Borneo), Malaysia. It is famous for its river cruise along the muddy Kinabatangan river. The rare wildlife in Kinabatangan is truly a gem that attracts tourists and scientific researchers to this second longest river in Malaysia. There are many on-going wildlife conservation efforts in Kinabatangan managed by the State Government, local and international NGOs and field researches done by universities.

What makes Kinabatangan special is its natural ox-bow lake, part of Kinabatangan River is designated under Ramsar Convention on Wetlands  (The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) and formation of limestone forests.

Kinabatangan river is rich in biodiversity, a haven for birds lover, orang utans, proboscis monkeys, Borneo pygmy elephants, crocodiles and more.

Borneo pygmy elephants with satellite collar around its neck. This is to enable researchers and enforcement officers to trace and study their movements in the forest.

Best Time to Visit

But is it really that easy to spot wildlife in Kinabatangan? The answer is yes and no. Depending on the season and weather, avoid December to February as it tends to flood during the wettest part of the year.

The fruiting season from April to October is a good time to spot animals and birds (usually the driest time).

Your boatman and guide also play a crucial role in making the effort to find these animals along the river. With years of experience, they will be able to tell when is the best time to head out to the river and find their favorite hangout spot.

Responsible Travel

Studies show that tourism and human presence along riverbank affect animals’ short-term stress level especially orang utans. There is an international best practices guidelines which tour operators need to follow. Limiting the number of tourists and length of time spent observing the wildlife can minimize the short-term stress caused by human presence. As tourists, we need to respect the boundaries of animals and keep our distance from them. Trying to get closer to the animals or touching them is strictly prohibited as it is dangerous and causing long-term psychological harm to them leading to abandoning their ‘home’.

Kundasang is a village in Sabah which acts as a base camp for Mount Kinabalu climbers. There are plenty of guest houses, lodges and hotels around Kundasang. 

If you pass by the big roundabout in Kundasang, you will be able to see a stretch of wooden structure by the roadside.

Here you will be able to find local produce. These strawberries are grown in Kundasang, but you will also find strawberries imported from South Korea. Make sure you check the label before you buy, if you want to support Kundasang-grown strawberries,  go for the local packaging that is simple with no label as shown above.

Raw local honey.

These vegetables and mushrooms are also grown in Kundasang.

The prices are competitive because basically all the stalls sell the same stuff.