It is like a big basin with a mile of lush green forest inside. On top of Maliau Basin, it¡¦s a montane forest with cool weather.
The 588.4 km² Maliau Basin Conservation Area, encompasses the whole of Maliau Basin itself (390 km²), plus an additional 198.4 km² of forested land to the east
and north of the rim, including the fabled Lake Linumunsut (Sabah¡¦s only true lake), formed by a landslide blocking a small tributary of the Pinangah River.
While this entire region is rugged, the saucer-shaped Maliau Basin is distinguished by its almost circular perimeter, sharply delimited on all
sides by cliffs or very steep slopes, making it insurmountable on foot from most directions. The highest point is on the north rim, at over 1,675 m in
elevation, but has yet to be accurately surveyed. Resembling a volcanic caldera, the 25 km diameter Basin is in fact a sedimentary formation comprised mainly of gently inclined beds of sandstone and mudstone.
The 390 km2 Maliau Basin was originally part of a 10,000 km2 timber concession
belonging to Yayasan Sabah (the Sabah Foundation), an organization formed in 1966 through an Enactment by the State Legislative Assembly, with the objective of improving the standard of living and education of Malaysians in
Sabah. In 1981 Yayasan Sabah voluntarily designated Maliau Basin as a Conservation Area for the purposes of research, education and training, along with Danum Valley Conservation Area further to the east.
This entire region is rugged, saucer-shaped Maliau Basin is distinguished by its almost circular perimeter, sharply delimited on all sides by cliffs or very
steep slopes up to 1,500m in height, thus making it insurmountable on foot from most directions. The highest point is thought to be Gunung Lotung on the north rim, which is over 1,600 m in elevation, but has yet to be
accurately surveyed. Resembling a volcanic caldera, the 25 km diameter Basin is in fact a sedimentary formation comprised mainly of gently inclined beds of sandstone and mudstone.
The Basin represents a single catchment, and is drained by a set of radiating tributaries of the Maliau River, one of which descends a magnificent series of waterfalls, known as Maliau Falls. Numerous smaller waterfalls have also
been discovered throughout the Basin. The Maliau River then drains through a gorge out of the southeast of the Basin into the Kuamut River, which in turn feeds into the Kinabatangan, the longest river in Sabah. The water here is
tea-coloured and acidic, due to the tannins leaching out of the peaty leaf litter. The stunted montane heath forest occurs on flatter areas of the Basin on nutrient poor acidic soils.
The basin was 'officially discovered' in 1947, by a pilot. But it was not until 1988 that the first major scientific expedition organised by Yayasan Sabah and WWF Malaysia took place. However, international pressure became increasingly
strong to preserve the world-unique area. In 1997 the Maliau Basin Conservation Area was upgraded by the Sabah state government to a Protection (Class One) Forest Reserve.
A four-year project was initiated by Yayasan Sabah in 1999 collaboration with DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance) to prepare a management
plan for the area and to establish a new facility, the Maliau Basin Studies Centre, at the southeast edge of the Basin, for conservation, research, education and ecotourism purposes.
In 2000 intensive field surveys started as part of the preparation of the Maliau
Basin Conservation Area Management Plan. The objective of the project was to secure the conservation of Maliau Basin for the benefit of Sabah, Malaysiaand the international community.
The first major expedition to Lake Linumunsut in the northern part of Maliau was conducted in 2001. By now, only about 25% of the total area has been mapped,
and less than 10% have been studied intensively. Yet, the Basin has already yielded more new species of plants and animals than many other places over many more years of studies.
In 2002 we celebrated the ground breaking for the Maliau Basin Studies Centre Site by HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark and Tan Sri Datu Khalil bin Datu Haji Jamalul, the Director of Yayasan Sabah.
The Murut, who traditionally inhabit the area but have never settled in the forbidding basin have since time immemorial organised a yearly hunting expedition to
the rich grounds of Maliau, and knows of the seven-tiers waterfall, the Maliau Falls that forms its heart ¡V but they also know of many more stories and legends that surround the place. | 
Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sabah