Everyone is talking about how beautiful the view is in Kota Kinabalu from the tip of one of the highest peak on a mountain in South East Asia. The beaches and the oceans there are breathtakingly beautiful too. Imagine waking up to the sound of the ocean; seagulls screaming and high waves beating against the sandy floor of the beach, then you move to the window of your beautiful hotel to the sight of heaven; blue skies and crystal-clear-turquoise-colored water of the salty sea. It is infinitely ideal to every beach-person and if you know someone who is not a beach-person, they will fall in love with Sabah immediately. If you like this write up, be sure to check out 5 Places To Visit When You’re in Sandakan, Sabah as well!
What is the next best thing about islands? Besides sunbathing, sand castle building and cuci mata because a lot of girls wear bikini there..heh. Girls also can cuci mata, a lot of buff guys on the beach (if you’re lucky lah LOL)! Anyway, if you’re planning on going to Sabah for your sem-break or end of year holidays, this is the perfect plan for you! Island hopping at Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park covers 5 islands all in a day and they are all beautiful! Your soul can finally rest and you may just find inner peace…ommmmm.
ISLAND HOPPING IN KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
Get on a boat ride in Kota Kinabalu that takes about 15-20 minutes to the first island. The boat departs every hour from Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal or Sutera Harbour Marine (details on the prices of the boat rides are stated at the end of this article). Sutera Harbour Marine, however, is a private jetty only for their in-house customers. However, you will be covering 5 beautiful islands that aren’t too far away from each other, which also means you can spend a lot of time on each of the islands! They are, Pulau Gaya, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Mamutik, Pulau Sapi and Pulau Sulug! Refer to the picture below for a better vision.
Tunku Adbul Rahman National Park is open daily from 8.30am to 5pm. The last boat is at 4.30pm but if you missed it then you have two choices. One; you could arrange private transportation from one of the islands that you are stranded in or, two; you could set up a tent and camp! Obviously option two is a better option since it suits your adventurous self, just saying. *wink* The best time to visit is said to be between March and October when the ocean and the weather is calm.
One of the activities that can be done besides snorkelling or diving is…drum rolls please…flying fox! *ba dum tss* That is right, friends. There is flying fox. Imagine flying through the zip line with the ocean below you! There is a zip line running through from Pulau Gaya to Pulau Sapi (you can refer back to that picture of the map above). It is 250 meters long and it is called the Coral Flyer Zip-Line and once you land on Pulau Sapi, you can go to Pulau Manukan for some awesome jungle trekking. Here’s a little sneak peak on the Coral Flyer.
PULAU SAPI, KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
PULAU GAYA, KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
PULAU MANUKAN, KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYx_yObg8vM/?taken-by=e_v_g_e_n_i_y_a__k
PULAU SULUG, KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
PULAU MAMUTIK, KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
These islands are certainly the best place to be one with Mother Nature. Air, water and land all in one place. For those who have been to these places are extremely lucky and for those who are planning to go here, we envy you! But one should be free to do whatever and go wherever one pleases to. HostelHunting supports going green and saving the earth. When you are there, make sure you don’t litter and remember to work to save the earth too!
PRICES FOR BOAT RIDES, CORAL FLYER AND ISLAND ENTRANCE
BOAT RIDES: Adult – RM23; Child – RM18
CORAL FLYER: RM64/ride. Open Daily 10am – 3.30pm, Tickets from Sapi Island Jetty.
ISLAND ADMISSION FEE:-
Adult/Child: RM3/RM1 (Malaysian)
Adult/Child: RM10/RM6 (Non-Malaysian)