Kota Kinabalu (referred to as KK by locals) is the capital of Sabah, a state in eastern Malaysia Borneo. It’s my starting point for exploring Borneo and I’ve dedicated a few days here because there’s a bunch to see, not the least of which is Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.
Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is a group of five islands just off the coast of KK. I’ve purchased a cheap ferry day pass to explore three of them — Mamutik Island, Manukan Island, and Sapi Island.
I start on Sapi Island, and it ends up being my favorite of the three. I’m in love with the clear aqua water.
I snorkel on each of the three islands and this is where I find the best marine life. But to be honest, none of it is very impressive and I only have two fish photos to share with you:
Next up is Manukan Island. I was originally most excited to see this one, and at first it looks promising:
But then I snorkel… and there’s almost no marine life. Worse than that is the layer of trash on the surface of the water. I give up after a few minutes.
This photo is pretty… but you can see the clouds moving in. Rain is on the way.
I end my day at Mamutik Island. Unfortunately it begins to pour. There’s no sign of lightening so I snorkel for a bit and then take shelter at a cafe where I order a late lunch.
I watch these guys play soccer in the pouring rain with impressive dedication.
While I found them to be sort of disappointing, I’m still glad to have seen these islands. The ferry is quite cheap and a daily snorkel rental was only a few dollars. In nicer weather this would be a perfect day trip from KK.
I was at Kota Kinabalu about 5 years ago. I did the same island hopping trip and snorkel. It was the same no fish and plenty of rubbish. I went during holiday season it was packed. Couldnt find a spot to sit on the beach. I saw a lot of nice pictures of fish and corals from these islands online but unfortunately like many of these reefs in asia none of the tourist dollars are put towards conservation or education. When I was there I saw kids picking star fish and throwing them at each other like it was a frisbee. People stepping all over coral reefs … makes me sick.
That starfish image makes me angry. What a bummer to hear that trash has been polluting the area for over five years now. From above the water looks lovely and you can see how much potential the beaches have, it’s just unfortunate they’re not better protected.
I am from Sarawak, which is the other Malaysian state on Borneo island. KK has always been a popular holiday destination for me and I have been to the islands numerous times. But it was only during my last visit in 2012 that I managed a proper snorkel. I asked the guy selling us the boat tickets about which island had the best snorkelling spot and was told to go Mamutik.
It was September and it was during the Ramadan month (Malay new year) so the island was pretty quiet. My cousin and I was snorkelling around the shallow water when a lifeguard approached us and offered to show us where to snorkel. We were really lucky and man… I was really impressed! There were so many things to see underwater… little nemos and an array of other fish… little sting rays, coral reefs… it was so much better than I expected. We wouldn’t have been able to see so much if we didn’t have the lifeguard guiding us (and saving me from exhaustion by letting me rest on his fin once in a while).
Manukan is my least favourite because it is the most commercialised and crowded, hence the dirty water. Sapi, is not known for snorkelling… it has clear waters but that’s about it. I remember it having a lot of urchins too… so you need to be careful when you swim.
Malaysia is lacking in its conservation and preservation of nature and it’s pretty disheartening to see the conditions of these attractions. I hope you still had fun and enjoyed yourself though..
Jay, thank you for that information! Sounds like you got good advice about Mamutik. Makes me wish I could go back in time and ask a local for snorkeling tips! I would’ve loved to see little sting rays and nemos. Thank you for sharing those tips!
Do tourists have the option to not snorkel and just roam around the island? (Hoping for cheaper package price if guest wont use the snorkelling gear). I just want to photograph the islands
It’s been awhile, but I think I only paid $15 USD for the boat trip to these islands. I can’t remember if that included the snorkel rental or not — if I paid extra for the snorkel gear, then it was only around $5. Either way, not very expensive to see these beautiful islands. Good luck with your trip!
Hi Erica, Thank you for sharing your KK island tour photos. Amazing ones! I plan to go on a trip to KK on Nov. 2016 together with my Mom. Did you do all the island hopping in one day? How much does it cost? Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Jean
Hi Jean, it was very easy to do the island hopping. I did do all three in one day. In retrospect I would’ve been happy with visiting just two because I remember feeling a little rushed trying to squeeze them all in. I do not recall how much it costs because it’s been a few years but my best guess is the equivalent to $15 USD for the multi-ride ferry ticket plus maybe $5 USD to rent snorkel gear. I did not reserve in advance, just showed up at the dock where all the ferry companies operate from (there are dozens of boats all doing the same trip for the same prices). I simply picked the next one going out. I hope this helps! Have a great time!
Thank you, Erica. It’s good to hear back from you. I’ll take note of the information. This will be a big help for me. Once again, thank you. You too have a great time!