Signal Hill Observatory in Kota Kinabalu

2017-11-12 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

After a surprisingly nice visit to the mosque, I headed to Signal Hill Observatory, which is said to offer a panoramic view of downtown Kota Kinabalu. It was hot and quite a distance, so I immediately caught a Grab. The road up is a beautiful scenic drive, much like the Bugak Skyway in Seoul. Of course, my driving companion was my Grab driver.

On the way up, I noticed a strikingly large building with a wide lawn. I asked what it was, and the driver told me it's where the King of Sabah lives. I didn't know much about Malaysian politics, but I learned a lot thanks to the Grab driver. Apparently, the kings who historically ruled these regions still exist as the kings of their respective islands. There are nine kings in total though I'm not sure if that's exactly right, and the King of Sabah is one of them. It's a bit hard to wrap my head around a monarchy and democracy coexisting, but anyway, there's a palace on the way to Signal Hill Observatory. Unfortunately, visitors aren't allowed inside.

Once I actually arrived, the view wasn't as wide open as seeing Seoul from Namsan Mountain. The buildings are clustered closely together, but as someone who was expecting a beautiful ensemble with the ocean, I was a little disappointed. Still, the photos came out great, so that's a relief.

Another bummer was the beer situation. I had planned to grab a cup of coffee or a beer while enjoying the nice scenery at the top, but there wasn't a suitable shop. There is one place, but it just made me think, "Nah, I'll just head down and eat something delicious later." So I just stood quietly taking in the view, while some other people drank juice or canned coffee they had brought with them. I guess everyone feels the same urge to quench their thirst while looking out over a landscape like this.

For the way down, I thought about just strolling casually along the road, but I came across a really nice-looking walking trail halfway. Conversely, this means you can also use this trail to hike up. My impression of the trail in a single word: wild. Since it's a tropical region, the trees grow endlessly upward, so it doesn't have the calm vibe of a Korean hiking trail. It's a short distance, but you can really feel the wild rainforest, and the path is well-maintained.

Even though it's a charming trail in its own right, the reason I don't recommend it is that this is Malaysia, not Korea. Walk for just 30 seconds, and your sweat glands start working so hard it feels like someone turned on a sprinkler on your back. If you're thinking about walking this path with your girlfriend or wife, please think at least three times about whether you can finish the route without getting cursed out before making your decision.