The Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre is a patch of 24 hectares of coastal mangrove forest located at the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, a few km to the northeast of the city. It was designated as a bird sanctuary in 1996 and gazetted as a state cultural heritage site in 1998. The Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre is a refuge for a large number of bird species. The site is open for tourists who can explore it walking on a 1.5km wooden plankway. Inside the site there is a bird hide and a look out tower.