Kudat, situated on the tip of Borneo, is an absolute diamond in the rough. This was stop number 2 on our G Adventures Tour ‘Best of Borneo‘ – which I would highly recommend.
As with any trip, often some of the best moments will be experienced during the journey to your destination, and this was no different on the ride from Kota Kinabalu to Kudat. Along every road in Malaysian Borneo are thriving fruit markets, where the locals can get the freshest fruits, and the smelliest durians, so enroute we made several detours to get our fruit fix. From mangosteen to rambutan, these were some of the freshest and most delicious fruits I have ever eaten – although we could’t brave the durian. We also managed to catch a glimpse of Mt Kinabalu without cloud cover – a rare sight indeed!
The scenery continued to get even more impressive as we got closer to Kudat. A remote and relatviely unknown part of Borneo, it’s here where turtles come to lay their eggs. And I can understand why. As we drove onto the road, parrallel to the beach, the scene we were met with was incredible. The blazing sun, glimmering crystal clear sea and empty white sandy beach was like something from a postcard. We were shown to our beach hut, but soon after the lure of the sea was too tempting, and we needed to go for a swim.
Swimming in the clear blue water was like being in the Caribbean, and was a complete surprise. We had seen some nice beaches on this trip, but this was the first white sandy beach we’d come across. At night the setting got even more incredible; because we were in such a remote location, the lack of polution meant that the skys were clear, and the stars sparkled in a way I have never seen before.
Kudat in one word: serene.
These Wild Journeys 