Camping at Kokol Hills is an activity that can be carried out at Sabah’s popular sunset spot.
The road up to Kokol Hill winds narrowly away from Kota Kinabalu’s waterfront.
The air is hot and humid, and even a five-minute walk is enough to work up a sweat.
With the car’s small engine straining, the air conditioning is switched off to give it more power for the climb.
But as the window is wound down, a cool breeze rushes in – a hint of the highland air waiting above.
The drive threads past kampung houses, small orchards and pockets of jungle.
Smoke from wood-fired kitchens drifts through the air, sometimes mingled with the sweet scent of ripe chempedak.
Kokol Hill is close – just a 45-minute drive from Sabah’s capital – yet the journey feels like a passage into another world.
As the car climbs higher, the South China Sea comes into view, gleaming through the afternoon haze.
A quiet embrace at Kokol Hills, watching the sun set over Kota Kinabalu and the islands beyond.
Tankers and oil rigs dot the waters, tiny against the expanse.
On the slopes, the Kadazandusun community tends to their small farms and gardens, some carved into terrain so steep it seems impossible that anything could grow.
Weekends bring Kota Kinabalu folk to these highlands, where quiet ridges transform into gathering places for one of nature’s finest shows.
At the hilltop, locals and visitors wait together, leaning against railings near a grassy verge.
Small stalls line the roadside, selling grilled corn, barbecued chicken wings, coffee and tea.
But as the sun nears the horizon, all eyes turn westward towards the massive yolk hanging at the edge of the world.
The sky commences its slow performance. At first, the light softens, the horizon paling as though reluctant to yield.
Then the sea turns molten, islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park silhouetted against streaks of tangerine, violet and pink.
Even the oil rigs appear majestic, fixed like silent guardians against a blazing canvas.
A hush falls over the crowd. Cameras soon break the silence, phones lifted to frame the glow.
Some strike poses, others stand quietly, holding on to the moment as the sky deepens to orange, then crimson and then a soft purple.
Even the food vendors pause to watch the day slip away.
As the last sliver of sun disappears, attention shifts downwards.
The city below flickers to life: streetlights, neon signs and glowing buildings edging into view.
From the hilltop, Kota Kinabalu twinkles like a sea of stars, a second performance set against the night.
The crowd lingers before slowly dispersing and the return journey begins.
The road winds back into the hum of traffic and the roar of motorcycles, yet the afterglow of the evening lingers.
At 900m above sea level, Kokol Hill is part of the Crocker Range foothills, a vantage point that offers sweeping panoramas of the city and the sea.
For those who make the climb, the reward is more than a view – it is a reminder that beauty often requires a journey and that a day can end in colour and silence, the memory etched long after the sky has faded.
Photos by LEON KUAN can be found on:
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