Kudat is the Rungus's
home town, district covers 1,247 sq.
km. It is located in the most northern
tip of Sabah and in fact the tip of
Borneo Island. The district is comprised
of the western peninsula (the eastern
one is Bengkoka in Pitas district),
Banggi Island, Balambagan Island and
Pulau Malawali. The district is
practically surrounded by the sea, South
China Sea to the north and west, and
Sulu Sea to east. The Kudat mainland is
bordered by Kota Marudu district to the
south. Kudat town, located facing Marudu
Bay is 192 km from Kota Kinabalu and
only can than three hours pleasant
drive.
Over the past couple of years the
peninsula has seen tremendous upgrading
of infrastructure, and Kudat as well as
the very tip of Borneo, the world's
third largest island, is now accessible
by car in little under three hours. But
why the rush: take your time, stop by at
the many markets, visit the 'one village
one trade' kampungs of Gombizau (honey),
Sumangkap (gongs), Tinanggol (beads) and
Bavanggazo (longhouse living culture).
Meet the locals and chat with them;
stroll through the fish markets of Kudat
where some of Sabah's best seafood comes
from. And enjoy a sumptuous meal, be it
for lunch or dinner, of the best the
seas can offer at unbeatable prices.
Relax on some of the most beautiful
beaches you'll ever see, and if you are
a diver you will find the area not only
intriguing for its marine life, but also
for the treasure trove of ancient wrecks
that can be found in the north of Sabah.
Who knows, you might even make an
important discovery.!
For the
traveller there is now a wide choice of
accommodation, ranging from homestay
programmes in villages where you can
taste longhouse living over simple town
hotels to the newly completed Kudat
Marina & Golf Resort. Kudat remains a
destination a select few visit, despite
its upgraded infrastructure that brought
better accessibility and accommodation.
It is a truly fascinating area to visit
and a visit to Sabah should not be
complete without having seen the very
Tip of Borneo at least..!
The early history
in Kudat and discover of North Borneo.
The island of
Borneo, the third largest in the world
after Greenland and Papa New Guinea, has
been discovered by Chinese Explorers
even before the first Century AD but no
attempts have been made to conquer it.
There was, however, a powerful Brunei
Sultanate which ruled over most of
Borneo. In 1521, Magellan's fleet
visited Brunei thus establishing the
first recorded contact between
Westerners and the people of Borneo.
Between 1521 and 1764, changes in the
Sultanate of Brunei eventually let to
the handover of North Borneo (first
English name for Sabah) to the British
East India Company in 1764.
In 1881, the Dent brothers of London
signed all rights to a company which was
granted a royal charter. Kudat
became the first capital of British
North Borneo. The British North Borneo
Chartered Company was officially formed
in 1882 and Sandakan became the first
capital of British North Borneo.
Jesselton (now Sabah's capital Kota
Kinabalu) was founded in conjunction
with the constreuction of the Trans
Borneo railroad, and developed into a
flourishing trading post until the
Japanese occupied the whole of Borneo
during the Second World War. Jesselton
and Sandakan were, like many towns,
destroyed in Allied air raids targeted
at the Japanese. After the Second World
War the British Chartered Company was
not able to rebuild the war devastated
country and ceded it to the British
Crown, and Sabah became a colony.
In 1963, North Borneo became independent
and reverted to its pre-colonial name,
Sabah, on becoming the 13th state of the
Federation of Malaysia. In 1967,
Jesselton, originally named after a
director of the North Borneo Company,
was renamed Kota Kinabalu
The Rungus Song "
tak tak do lungkaki"
