Kota Kinabalu: at the foot of Southeast Asia's highest mountain

The Kota Kinabalu fish market, bustling from dawn, sells daily the fresh catch of the waters around Borneo, from crabs to large tunas.

In the afternoon it is advisable to reach the Kinabalu National Park, a UNESCO heritage site that protects the tallest mountain of Southeast Asia and exceptional plant biodiversity.

Along the park's trails grow carnivorous Nepenthes plants unique in the world, plus wild orchids that do not exist anywhere else on the planet.

Toward evening, the Gaya Street night market, open every Sunday, proposes local street food and handicrafts of the indigenous tribes of Borneo.

Mount Kinabalu, at over four thousand meters, typically requires two days of climbing with an overnight stay at mid-height to reach the summit and see sunrise from the mountain's peak.

The carnivorous Nepenthes plants in the park can trap not only insects but occasionally small rodents – an adaptation developed to survive in the mountain's nutrient-poor soil.