Zip Line Sabah

ZIP-LINE

"Although it is a short journey, the Coral Flyer zip-line is fantastic. When looking left and right the view is simply magnificent and it's hard to believe you're right in the middle of it. If you're in Borneo, you must do this - you will regret it otherwise!"

Zip-line or zip line, rope slide, flying fox..... consists of a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable by holding on to, or attaching to, the freely moving pulley. Zip-lines come in many forms, most often used as a means of entertainment. Zip line tours are becoming popular vacation activities, found at outdoor adventure camps or upscale resorts, where they may be an element on a larger challenge or ropes course. Pulau Gaya on Sabah is such a popular destination for zip line enthusiasts..... Here you can zip line from Pulau Gaya to the small island of Pulau Sapi.
Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sapi are two of the 5 islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, close to Kota Kinabalu.
Zip line is a fun and adventurous experience. You may be sporty and want to combine it with the ascent of Mount Kinabalu. The latter is discussed on another page. Now the zip line!<br>You ask information at the front desk of your hotel and they tell you where you should be. The company is called "Coral Flyer" and it has existed for more than 15 years. They have enough experience and safety is paramount. All duplicate monitoring, including harnesses, helmets and trolleys are checked every day. So we can say that everything is safe when we go.<br>They claim that it is the longest zip line in the world, but that's not true. In the Philippines, there's a zip line of 1,700 meters in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. But while you're in Kota Kinabalu, it's a very nice experience here. It is in any case, the longest zip-line in Malaysia.<br>If you have decided to give it a try, you leave the hotel around 08.00 in the morning and you're back to the jetty around 15:30 again. The cost for this adventurous excursion is approximately RM 70 (about € 17.50).

If you have made a reservation, you'll get picked up at your hotel. With "mini-van" (pickup) you are taken to the Jesselton jetty. Here you step on a boat to take you to Pulau Gaya (Gaya Island) in 20-minutes. This is the largest of the five islands, which is a part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park.
There begins a 1.6 kilometre walk through the dense tropical jungle. You'l see 30 meters tall trees and you'll hear the sound of the hornbills. Rattan plants, bamboo trees and wild mushrooms frame the footpath. You'll see streaking lizards. Finally you arrive at the departure location. The thrilling ride can begin.
You get a briefing on safety. There are two zip lines beside each other. So you can simultaneously go in pairs. If the weather conditions are good, you can whiz down at a speed of about 65 kilometers. You whizzes across the water from one island (Pulau Gaya) to another (Pulau Sapi). The wind is blowing in your face and there is pure excitement. Don't forget to enjoy the ride. Don't look back, because you can try again to see what you missed.

After a safe landing, you can enjoy everything around you. You can relax and enjoy the jungle around you or the lunch you brought with you. Or you can enjoy the lunch, which is served there. You can still laze on the beach or even go for a swim or snorkel in the clear, blue water.

A word:
Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park consists of five islands, which are close to the city of Kota Kinabalu. It is a natural park, 3 km away from the town. It is known for its beauty. A great set of islands so close to a busy city is quite rare, especially if they are in such a good condition. The city has dozens of dive businesses in order to show the people the thriving underwater flora and fauna. On these islands is an abundance of beautiful beaches and you can go jungle trekking.

The beaches are clean and that they want to keep it that way, but there are almost no beaches on earth, where no dirt washes. Certain tides, currents and storms can bring floating debris on beaches. It is not the fault of the authorities of the National Park, or a sign that Malaysians are dirty, it is a global problem and every person on the planet is in some way responsible.
Although it is often invisible to us from the beach, you can probably imagine how it is for the turtles, when they think, that a plastic bag is jellyfish and eat it. Or whales and whale sharks (which are water filters), which swallow all broken plastic. Complaining about what you do not like, is wasted energy. Make a difference with one action. So you have influence on those around you. Keep everything here at the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park clean!

Pulau Gaya and the small Pulau Sapi

Tunku Abdul Rahman

Pulau Gaya
Gaya is the largest island in the park and the closest to downtown Kota Kinabalu. It is covered with dense virgin tropical forest. The island has a Marine Ecology Research Centre, hiking trails and some resorts. This island is a lovely place with many private bays and fine sandy beaches. Two beaches are very popular: Bulijong Bay (or Police Beach) and Camp Bay. Bulijong Bay, a semi-circular bay, is located on the northern end of Gaya. If you want to go swimming, diving or snorkelling, then you must head over to Police Beach where the waters are crystal clear and goes about 50 feet down. Because this area is so secluded, there is no place for you to rent swimming equipment/diving gears.

Pulau Sapi
Pulau Sapi means "Cow Island". During very low tide, you can walk over from Gaya Island to Sapi Island via the connecting sandbar. The island is famous by tourists for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving.
Sapi has one of the best swimming and picnic spots. It's a centre for water sports activities.
It is famous amongst tour operators, which are handling island BBQ tours. Sapi has one of the nicest beaches in TARP. The beach has clean white sand and coral reefs fringing the shoreline.
Also on the island: picnic shelters, barbecue pits, tables, toilets and changing rooms.
With the permission of the Park Warden it's allowed to camp.

Ben van Wijnen