Borneo Backpackers

Kota Kinabalu


Turquoise and chic with Hoi An lanterns, art, wood floors and the excellent licensed Biru Biru cafe downstairs, this is one of KK's better backpacker haunts. Dorms and rooms are immaculate, (most) with art-stencilled walls, a balcony and reading room to chill in, and a roof for sunset drinks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kota Kinabalu attractions

1. Sunday Market

0.05 MILES

On Sundays a lively Chinese street fair takes over a section of Jln Gaya. It's vividly chaotic, with stalls cheek by jowl hawking batik sarongs, puppies…

2. Atkinson Clock Tower

0.07 MILES

The modest timepiece at the foot of Signal Hill is one of the only structures to survive the Allied bombing of Jesselton in 1945. It's a square, 15.7m…

3. Signal Hill Observatory Platform

0.18 MILES

Up on Signal Hill, among the art deco mansions at the city-centre's eastern edge, there's an unmissable UFO-like observation pavilion. Come here to make…

4. Central Market

0.31 MILES

The Central Market is a bustling spot for people watching, with locals going about their daily business as they shop for fresh produce.

5. Night Market

0.44 MILES

KK's Night Market is an unmissable immersion into local culture. It's authentic, bustling, aromatic and noisy. At the southwest end you will find stalls…

6. Che Sui Khor Moral Uplifting Society

0.82 MILES

About four minutes' drive northeast of KK, this complex has an 11-storey pagoda that shimmers in orange and green. The society espouses believing in the…

7. Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre

0.86 MILES

This centre features 1.4km of wooden walkways passing through a 24-hectare mangrove swamp, where you can expect to see scuttling fiddler and mangrove…

8. Museum of Islamic Civilisation

1.4 MILES

This collection of historical objects from all over the Islamic world is very engaging. Look out for replica mosques from Melaka and Sandakan, ornate…