Has an inconvenient, arduous process (or high costs) ever soured your youthful mood to travel when trying to make arrangements for a relaxing island escape?
I’m here to tell that when in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, that is not the case! In a matter of minutes you’ll be on a boat or even on an island enjoying the sounds of waves. Plus the booking agents, who albeit do benefit from your tourist dollars, are down-to-earth guys who crack a lot of jokes and speak fluent English.
Here’s what to know before you take your trip
Starting off
First, make your way to the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal. It is right in town, next to the duty-free shopping center and was only a 10-minute walk from most hotels including my accommodation (CJ Residence – please support by using my affiliate link).
Once you get there, do not immediately shrug off the guys standing trying to sell you a tour. I admit, it was my instinct at first to just tell them no and walk in another direction. But that is their job and they are trying to help you (and get you to spend money at their shop).
Either way, enter the big room with the benches and the number of ticketing booths. There are some classic historical photos on the wall of what Jesselton and Kota Kinabalu used to look at. All of the different stalls will offer almost identical travel packages so don’t fret too much about getting the best deal. The prices are all fair and include the cost of the boat and national park entry. Round-trip boat rides for a non-Malaysian adult to one island was 35 Ringgits while four islands were 65 Ringgits.
They also offer tour packages away from the islands – you can read my post on the Kinabalu Park tour here.
Basically, you customize your trip based on how you want your day to look. I arrived a little after noon, so I chose to go to only one island. But if you have more time and itchy feet, you can go to two, three or all four islands (Sapi, Gaya, Manukan and Mamutik) in one day at a higher cost. Equipment for activities (fins, snorkels, beach mats etc.) are also available for daily rentals and if you are looking for more, like diving or jet-skiing, you can ask the agents about that.
Once the tickets are booked, you can step over to the pier where you’ll wait until your boat is full of tourists. The boat is small and you’ll get a life jacket for the ride, even if you didn’t pay to rent one.
On the way to the islands
The boat ride about 20 minutes to Gaya and Sapi, but it is a choppy ride. Sit near the captain for a smoother ride. On the way, you’ll get a closer look at the Gaya slums, occupied mostly by Bajau-Filipino people.
After stopping at Sapi Island to drop off some tourists, the boat then went to our destination – Manukan Island. Upon arriving, the staff informed us to be ready at the agreed upon time (4pm) for pickup, or else we would have to sleep on the island or hire a private charter back.
Manukan did have a surprise conservation fee to pay upon arrival (20 MYR/person – about 5 bucks) but you’ll just have to deal with that. There is a small shop selling water and snacks at a premium price, so you might want to bring your own.
Once you’re on the island
Manukan is beautiful from afar with white sand beaches, but unfortunately up close you can see its flaws. To be fair, it was a windy day. As a result, there was no visibility in the water for snorkeling and I felt pretty foolish for renting snorkel gear. There was an uncomfortable amount of trash on the beach and in the water, and the island looked like it was hit by a hurricane with the amount of plant debris scattered around. Some of the restaurants and building facilities seemed to be abandoned.
Despite that, it was still not a bad day to sit on the benches and enjoy listening to the sound of the waves. There are hotels and guest houses on the island and there is also a jungle trek that you can take – but with limited time and rubber slippers, I was not cut out for that.
Overall, getting away from the activity of the town for a few hours and hassle-free was worth it. I had bad luck going on a day with unfriendly waters, but the ease of travel made the cost seem low. If I were to go again, I would want to check out Sapi Island where you can enjoy more of the water activities and snorkeling.
Final advice
Make sure you’re at the pier in time for the boat to pick you up to return to the mainland – you don’t want to be stranded on the island overnight.
You’ll probably get hungry by the time your boat gets back to the mainland. Having a tasty plate of nasi goreng Jesselton (spiced beef and shrimp) at the pier is my choice.
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