Rafters on the Kiulu River, Sabah

Day Trips from Kota Kinabalu

Rafting, wildlife or hiking - you choose!
Best time to goYear-round. River levels on the Kiulu are best after rain; fireflies display nightly regardless of season.
Nearest airportKota Kinabalu International Airport

Kota Kinabalu is more than a gateway city. Within a couple of hours of the capital you can raft the Kiulu river, cruise the Klias wetlands in search of proboscis monkeys & fireflies, and trek the foothills of a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Kiulu River rafting

The Kiulu’s gentle Grade I-II rapids make it Sabah’s family-friendly rafting river: enough movement to be fun from age four up, with paddling breaks for swimming and riverside villages drifting past. About an hour from the city.

Proboscis monkeys and fireflies

Wild proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, birds and fireflies after dark are all possible on this afternoon & evening trip out to the Klias wetlands, around 2.5 hours from Kota Kinabalu.

Kinabalu Geopark trekking

A day on the foothill trails beneath Mount Kinabalu with a local Dusun guide from Kiau village: waterfalls, forest ridgelines and summit views, without a climbing permit or a 2am start.

 

Why go

  • Family-friendly Grade I-II rafting on the Kiulu River
  • Wild proboscis monkeys and synchronised fireflies in one evening
  • Kinabalu Geopark day trek with local Dusun guides
  • Hotel-to-hotel transfers included on every departure
  • Wildlife you might see

    Proboscis monkey
    Synchronised fireflies
    Silvered langur
    Wetland kingfishers and egrets
    Oriental pied hornbill
    Getting thereAll day trips include return transfers from Kota Kinabalu city hotels. Surcharges may apply for certain outskirts locations, check with our team when you book.

    Photos

    Trips you can do here

    The Kiulu River valley, Sabah

    Kiulu River Rafting (Grade I - II)

    1 days
    Departs Kota Kinabalu
    From RM 200
    Hiking the trails around Kiau in the Mount Kinabalu foothills, Sabah

    Kinabalu Geopark Trekking (Kiau Jungle Trekking day trip)

    1 days
    Departs Kota Kinabalu
    From RM 390
    Kinabatangan proboscis

    Proboscis Monkey River Cruise & Fireflies Tour

    1 days
    Departs Kota Kinabalu
    From RM 200

    Travel guides

    Read before you go

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