Best time to visit Sabah
Sabah's nickname – the Land below the Wind – refers to its sheltered position south of the monsoon and typhoon belt.![]()
While it escapes the worst of the storms and can be visited year-round, Sabah still has its own wet season, which falls roughly from October to March, although – being covered largely by tropical rainforest and with an annual average of 2,000mm rainfall – the "dry" season is a relative term. Lowland temperatures hover at around 25-32°C year round, with exhaustingly high humidity. Keep hydrated! Mountainous areas are refreshingly cool, and on Mount Kinabalu night time temperatures can even dip below freezing. Generally, May to September is the best time to visit Sabah, and with trees fruiting at this time, orangutans can be seen grazing closer to the ground.
Sabah, month by month
Our Sabah Holidays
Borneo tour, Great Apes and Beach escapes
Explore bustling cities, lush jungles and paradise beaches.
From
£1658
9 days
ex flights
Borneo orangutan holiday
Trekking, wildlife and beach adventure holiday to Borneo
From
£3650
14 days
inc UK flights
Sabah holiday, land beneath the wind
Wildlife & culture in Malaysia
From
£1312 to £1905
12 days
ex flights
Kuala Lumpur and Sabah wildlife tour
Wildlife adventure in the heart of Borneo
From
£5590
11 days
inc UK flights
Borneo tailor made tour on a shoestring
The Best of Borneo at a great value price!
From
£1395
11 days
ex flights
Family holiday in Sabah
Discover the best of Borneo in just under 2 weeks
From
£2155
10 days
ex flights
Kota Kinabalu (West coast) Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
22
29
170
FEB
22
30
97
MAR
23
31
103
APR
24
31
146
MAY
24
31
264
JUN
23
31
277
JUL
23
31
249
AUG
23
31
246
SEP
23
31
290
OCT
23
30
316
NOV
23
30
287
DEC
23
30
240
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Our top Sabah Holiday
Borneo tour, Great Apes and Beach escapes
Explore bustling cities, lush jungles and paradise beaches.
From
£1658
9 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
Everything is tweak-able, giving you the freedom to build your own unique and meaningful trip. Slow down the pace with few extra nights here and there, add a few more active adventures along the way, upgrade your accommodation for that extra bit of luxury – it’s up to you!
Everything is tweak-able, giving you the freedom to build your own unique and meaningful trip. Slow down the pace with few extra nights here and there, add a few more active adventures along the way, upgrade your accommodation for that extra bit of luxury – it’s up to you!
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Sabah or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
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Responsible Travel recommends
Daniel Waters, a Borneo specialist for our adventure travel experts, Wild Frontiers, discusses the best time to visit Sabah: “It's difficult to recommend a best time to travel. The rainy season is sort of from November to March, but it varies wildly from area to area, and Sabah is protected from the cyclones so it doesn't really get as affected as the Philippines, for example. You can pretty much travel at any time of year. I went in November and in the northeast you could set your clock by the heavy downpour at 2pm. But it was finished in half an hour – then it was blazing sunshine again. In the northwest it was bone dry the whole time, so there are a lot of regional differences. But on the whole there are heavy afternoon downpours then you're okay for the rest of the day.”
Festivals & events in Sabah
Regatta Lepa
A "lepa" is a single-mast sailboat, traditionally used by Semporna's seafaring Bajau community. In late April, they take to the seas in vibrantly decorated lepa to compete for the title of "Most Beautiful Lepa", and you can enjoy the scenes along with Bajau cultural performances, fireworks and games.
Monsopiad Cultural Village
This model village just outside of KK is named after a Kazadan warrior. It's open for tours year-round, but many cultural events and demonstrations are held here, including Sago Day in July, celebrating this versatile palm; a mock wedding with a ritual performed by a high priestess in July; food tasting days; and handicraft workshops.
Sabah Fest
Over 30 different ethnic groups live in Sabah, but if you don't have time to discover them all, then head to Kota Kinabalu's Sabah Fest in early May. It's a buzzing cultural celebration with theatre performances, music, dance and food stalls representing each culture, as well as craft exhibitions and demonstrations. It's also a prelude to Sabah's biggest event: the Harvest Festival.
More about Sabah
Sabah is one of the best places in the world to see orangutans, both in forest sanctuaries and out in the wild. But as our Sabah travel guide reveals, there's far more to Borneo than these primates.
Sabah's highlights cluster around its two main cities, which is very helpful when it comes to planning your holiday. Head east for orangutan sanctuaries, turtle conservation and wildlife reserves, and west for Kota Kinabalu and its eponymous mountain.
It's not much bigger than Ireland, but there's a phenomenal amount of things to do in Sabah. We've picked out some of our favourites, from visits to orangutan rehabilitation centres to meeting the Sabahans.
On Sabah wildlife holidays, you can see orangutans in the wild and in sanctuaries, where each ringgit you spend contributes to their conservation, as loggers and farmers encroach on the remaining rainforests.
It may be a very, very long way, but once you land on this tropical island, travelling in Sabah with kids is easier than you may think, with wildlife sanctuaries virtually guaranteeing wildlife sightings.
Our local experts have shared their Borneo travel advice and recommendations. Learn about the differences between the offshore islands, the best place to see orangutans, how to avoid leeches - and more.
Sabah is a wonderful destination for ecotourism, but there are still some aspects of responsible tourism in Sabah that are worth keeping in mind to help protect this fragile environment. Find out more.
