Sabah Birding

From the Kinabatangan River we headed to Kinabalu Park, possibly the premiere world heritage area of south-east Asia.  With 15 000 species of plants (more than Europe and North America combined), over 100 species of mammal and 350 species of birds, it is one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in the world.  Mt Kinabalu is a 4,400m peak, the highest in south-east asia.  Special parts of the area include a number of bird species endemic to the mountain range such as Whitehead's Trogon, Spiderhunter and Broadbill to name a few.  There is also the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia.  The Kinabalu Park area is at about 2000m altitude, and as such is a very pleasant temperature in October, possibly even a little cold in the evenings.  This spot is well worth a visit and was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.