Travel Guide > Asia > Malaysia > Malaysian Borneo > Sabah > Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu is the capital city of the Malaysian province of Sabah, on the island of Borneo.
Kota Kinabalu is unlike any other Malaysian city. The architecture and ethnic mix of people is quite distinct from other places in Western Malaysia.
Most of the activity in Kota Kinabalu is centred along the corniche, where most of the restaurants and shopping malls are located.
Cool winds and drizzles help give the city a mild, variable climate. Mount Kinabalu keeps temperatures down and humidity is at a minimum.
Kota Kinabalu International Airport (IATA: BKI) is Sabah's international gateway and is located 8 km from the city of Kota Kinabalu. It is the second busiest airport in Malaysia. Airlines with flights servicing Kota Kinabalu include Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Korean Air and Silk Air.
There are many daily flights to Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru in the peninsula; Kuching and Miri in Sarawak; Sandakan and Tawau in Sabah. The flight duration is approximately 2 1/2 hours from the peninsula. Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia service these routes but book at least a month ahead to get good rates.
AirAsia and other budget airlines operate from the Terminal 2 of the airport.
There is no train service going into or out of Sabah.
There is a regular bus service to Sandakan from Kota Kinabalu.
The public buses do not serve a large part of the city, so taxis are better - but also more expensive.
Take the famous local toy-train, originally built by the British to haul sugar cane, from Kota Kinabalu to Tenom.
One can probably walk around the corniche as most of the shopping plazas and the coffee shops are located there.
One dish that you should definitely check out while in Malaysia is satay, which is pretty much the national food.
Start the day with a breakfast of rote cennai and kopi (coffee).
A lot of upscale accommodation can easily be booked into with most of the top hotel chains open.
This is version 16. Last edited at 6:02 on May 15, 08 by GeoBot (+57). 9 articles link to this page.

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