Tunku Abdul Rahman Park: An Amazing Island Hopping In Kota Kinabalu

One of the most popular activities in Sabah is island hopping in Kota Kinabalu. It does not come as a surprise because the islands off the coast are known to be beautiful and are famous for snorkeling and diving.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park of the coast of the city, houses a cluster of five islands. These islands are none other than  Sapi island, Manukan island, Mamutik island, Sulug island and Gaya island.

Each of these islands has beautiful reefs that attract tourists from all over the world. We managed to visit quite a few of them which means that we have a couple of tips to help you escape the tourists! Mind you on busy days, the islands can get really crowded.

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To start off your island hopping experience in Kota Kinabalu, you will first need to catch a boat to take you to the  islands. Luckily, getting to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is really easy. Head over to the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal.

On your right hand side you will see a building. Enter in and you will greeted by a number of ticket counters. These are various agents who will show you their rates for a 15-20 minute boat ride to whichever island you want to go to.

You can club many islands together to see more in one day. There are however three points that you should keep in mind.

• The timings are from 7:30 am to 5 pm. These will tell you when your first and last boat in and out is.
• These hop on and off boats do not include Gaya island. Getting to Gaya island is a whole different ball game and I will dedicate a separate post to that.
• You have to pay extra to rent snorkeling masks, fins and life jackets.

We were a big group so we decided to hire a boat specifically for us and we chose to head out to two islands: Sapi and Manukan. We did visit Gaya island but that is a story for another day since Gaya isn’t really part of the island hopping in Kota Kinabalu experience.

It is more off an island that you head to, to relax and spend the entire day.

Pro Tip: You can book your full day snorkeling tour online! This saves you so much hassle. For one thing, you get a hotel pick up and drop off. You also don’t have to worry about the tours being booked out which can happen during peak season.

In hind sight, I wish I had known this before. Oh and if you are traveling with a large group, you can make sure that you are all in a single boat which is pretty cool.

Land Ahoy!

The boats that take you across to the different islands near Kota Kinabalu are really efficient and rather standard. We found ourselves being ushered into one rather quickly and we had our own captain who would guide us through the experience. The 15-20 minute boat ride was really enjoyable. I’ve always loved the feel of wind on my face and the sea breeze is really refreshing.

The boats that were used were open and small but they go at considerable speed. That means that you get bounced around a lot. I did not mind too much but Shawn did get a bit green at the gills. That never deters him from heading out to sea. Remember, you have to tell the guy in charge of the boat what time you want him to collect you and you are good to go.

Note: Harbor rules state that you need to wear your life jacket at all times when traveling on the boat.

First Stop During Our Island Hopping in Kota Kinabalu: Sapi Island 

Our first stop on our island hopping in Kota Kinbalu experience was an island called Sapi. The first thing that we noticed as we stepped off the boat was the crystal clear water surrounding Sapi.

The second thing we noticed was the large crowds. Don’t worry. They didn’t bother us too much and I highly recommend not ditching Sapi just because of them yet. Why? Because in all the places I’ve snorkeled and dived, Sapi has the best reef I have ever seen.

That being said I have no idea about Sulug and Mamutik.

Once you are off the boat, follow the long boardwalk until you enter a shaded entrance. Here you will find that you have to pay and entrance fee for the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. At first we thought that the fee was included with the ticket that we had paid.

That was the understanding that we had had with the person at the counter of Jesselton point but I think something got lost in translation.

The entry fee is RM 10 for foreigners and RM 6 if the foreigner is below 18 years old. The fee is different for Malaysians and stands at RM 3 for adults and RM 1 for children. I would advise asking for a receipt at the counter if you are told that the fee is included when you book your trip.

The Snorkeling Area Around Sapi 

As I mentioned before, the reef that surrounds Sapi is beautiful and throughout our experience of island hopping in Kota Kinabalu, we could not stop talking about it. It is also relatively safe to snorkel and swim in. It is definitely a safe place to examine the coral in the area for both expert and novice swimmers.

The snorkeling area around is cordoned off by floating buoys and ropes. You need to swim within these areas. This prevents you from coming in the way of any passing boats. Safety is something that we put a lot of emphasis on and I was so happy to note that the lifeguards on the island were extremely alert too.

Pay attention to the flag system that is set up on the island. It warns you of different dangers so give it a glance before you enter.

Lunch In Tunku Abdul Rahman Park 

Lunch differs from island to island. You can pack yourself a snack or you can decide to eat a buffet lunch on whichever island you are on. We choose to go with the buffet on Sapi. It is a bit expensive (can’t remember the exact cost!) but you can negotiate and they may drop the price down a couple of ringgits.

The food is simple and covers both vegetarian and non vegetarian menus. I particularly loved the shrimp and the sweet potato.

Somehow, meandering around the tables with our plates piled high (we really built up an appetite!) was a really nice break from all the activity that we had.

A Visit From The Wild During Our Island Hopping In Kota Kinabalu

While we were busy eating our food, we heard a commotion amongst the other tourists on the island. ‘Lizard’ ‘very large lizard’ ‘extremely large lizard’… You get my drift. Curious I headed back to see what was attracting all the attention. What I saw made me forget all about my lunch. A monitor lizard and its family had decided to visit.

The monitor lizards were quite comfortable with human company and the locals fed them much to everyone’s glee. So I guess they weren’t as wild as everyone thought they were!

Though I would honestly prefer if people did not feed wild animals because it changes their ability to hunt and makes them more dependent on humans. The locals however had their heart in the right place.

Other Activities On Sapi Island 

When I was planning our island hopping in Kota Kinabalu experience, I thought all that we would be doing would be lounging on the beach and snorkelling. It turned out that I was wrong. Snorkeling is not the only activity that you can indulge in on Sapi island. Other popular activities involved zip lines, parasailing and scuba dives.

There is a lot that can be done and Sapi and completely take up your whole day. A few of our friend tried the zip lines and the parasailing. We however were too occupied with the snorkeling.

Did I mention that this is also one of the best places to head diving? If you haven’t got your diving certificate, then make sure to book your PADI Open Water Diver course in advance!

2nd Stop On Our Island Hopping in Kota Kinabalu: Manukan Island

With food and all the activities done it was time to head to the next island on our island hopping in Kota Kinabalu experience. This island was Manukan. Compared to Sapi, Manukan was much quieter. It had a similar boardwalk and a similar entrance. Since we had paid the entrance fees once we just had to produce the receipt at Manukan.

Manukan island has coral reefs too but they aren’t as pretty as the ones around Sapi. Though we swam in different locations we found very little coral and fish. We had just two hours on the island and we weren’t too disappointed.

The clouds seemed to be gathering overhead and it was time to leave. Our time spent island hopping in Kota Kinabalu’s Tunku Abdul Rahaman Park was definitely fun. I can see why it is such a popular tourist attraction.

If we had more time we would have probably tried to explore other islands too but then there are just so many hours in a day. Luckily we did manage to visit Gaya island and the Marine Ecology Research center. That however is a tale for another day!

Have you been island hopping in Kota Kinabalu? Let us know your experience in the comments below.

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