Kota Kinabalu Easy Breezy Ride

Kota Kinabalu, a top tourist spot for Sabah visitors, is dubbed as KK locally and internationally, and is also known as a major fishing destination. With its fast growing commerce and industry, it is considered as one of the fastest developing cities in Malaysia.

Pacific Sutera

Masjid Negeri Sabah

We embarked on our tour from 1) The Pacific Sutera. We started this mostly flat ride from Jalan Utama Sutera until our first stop at 2) Masjid Negeri Sabah, the state mosque. In this gold-plated dome mosque lies the Tomb of the Warrior Sabah—the resting place of Tun Fuad Stephens, Tun Mohd Hamdan Abdullah, Tun Ahmad Pg Rafae, Tun Said Keruak, and Tun Mohd Adnan Robert.

Sikh Temple

North Borneo Railway Station (Tanjung Aru Station)

From the state mosque, we took a short ride turning from Jalan Mat Salleh to the 3. Sikh Temple, a temple which survived damages from World War II. Moving on, we headed to the 4. North Borneo Railway Station (Tanjung Aru Station). This railway system has a single 134km line linking Kota Kinabalu to the interior town of Tenom. This line was constructed in 1896 primarily for transporting tobacco from the interior to the coast for export. Today, tourists have the opportunity to experience the North Borneo steam train ride departing from Tanjung Aru Station twice weekly.

Jalan Selangor

In comparison with cities in Peninsular Malaysia, streets in Kota Kinabalu are less busy with only few motor vehicles passing by, which make for great cycling. Riding along Lorong Putian heading to Jalan Selangor is enthralling with the scenic view of the greenery around. 5. Jalan Selangor is famous for bird watching. We passed by Polis Utara Academic and Aokam Vocation Centre for special children before taking a short break at the end of the runway of Kota Kinabalu International Airport. This is a meeting place for many locals, not only to catch up with each other, but also to watch turns of aircraft landing and taking off from the airport.

Tanjung Aru Beach

Just a short turn from Jalan Selangor, the South China Sea was in front of us at 6. Tanjung Aru Beach. The word “Aru” was derived from the Aru trees seen along the beach. For off-road cyclists, Tanjung Aru beach is the ideal place as you can ride all day along these long sandy beaches from beach 3 to beach 1. As the host venue of “Buang Sial” (meaning to get rid of a misgiving) on the last day of the year, off-roaders can try riding on solid sand along the waterline and challenge the loose sand along the beach. However, watch out for children and holiday goers as this is a public beach.

Tanjung Aru Beach 1

7. Tanjung Aru Beach 1 is a scenic location where you can take a break and rest your tired feet at. There is a large food court with rows of restaurants, cafés, and bars where you can sample a wide variety of local delicacies, seafood, coconuts, and other fruits while admiring the sea view.

This tour lasted almost three hours with a distance of 13 kilometers. It was mainly a flat ride but mountain bikes are recommended to enjoy cycling along Tanjung Aru coastline.

Water Village

Before we completed the tour, the 8. Water Village at Tanjung Aru near the Kelab Golf Kinabalu caught our eyes. It is a settlement for Bajau and Suluk natives who originated from the Philippines. Used to pirate life on boats, both tribes migrated to land in search for produce other than seafood, as well as burial grounds for the dead. The water village wooden houses on the seashore used to be covered with tree skins and leaves on the exterior but are now painted with eye-catching colours. Most of the Bajau and Suluk natives have become professional workers serving the government and the fishery industry.

Signal Hill Observatory Tower

Sabah Tourism Board

Atkinson Clock Tower

Not included in this package but not to be missed is the 9. Signal Hill Observatory Tower of Kota Kinabalu. Sitting atop the hill, the Observatory Tower offers an awe-inspiring view of almost the entire downtown of Kota Kinabalu. Right before our eyes were the Gaya Island that used to be called “Bayo” in the Philippines; the 10. Sabah Tourism Board that was previously a post office during the British occupation; and, the 11. Atkinson Clock Tower. This tower was built to commemorate the first district officer from Britain, Francis George Atkinson, who was loved by many for his public service from 1901-1902.

Jesselton Point

Lastly, we settled down for a sunset dinner at 12 Jesselton Point by the jetty. The jetty is the departure port to the five-island Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It is the only jetty to Labuan from Kota Kinabalu. For select tourists, Jesselton Point Jetty is the boarding point to Gayana and Bunga Raya resorts on the Gaya Island.

Cycling Route – Kota Kinabalu Easy Breezy Ride