by Kota Kinabalu City (KK) is the gateway to Sabah. Some of our islands are only 15 minutes away from KK by boat. In KK, there are three boat / ferry terminals that can take you to most Sabah islands at west coast. However, their services and charges are slightly different to one another. All of them opens from 8am to 5pm every day (boat service ends about 4:00pm).
Pic: map of 3 boat terminals (green) and neighboring islands of KK
1. Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal
Jesselton Point is the most popular public ferry terminal at the edge of KK city centre, and it’s packed with local and foreign tourists during weekends. If you stay in KK city centre, it is within walking distance.
Pic: entrance of Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal. The building at the right is ticketing hall.
Their boat service can start as early as 7:30am in weekends, but the boat only moves after it’s full with passengers (about 10 to 12 people). If you go in big group, you can negotiate for discount. Their fares are the cheapest so most people use their boat service to visit islands off KK.
Pic: the ticket counters run by over 10 operators competing with one another. This is the place where you buy return boat fare.
Pic: after you buy the ticket, you can sit in the hall (toilet is at the left corner). They will inform you once the boat is full and ready to depart. The waiting time is short if there are many tourists.
Destinations
Below are a list of islands you can go from Jesselton Point:
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
(Manukan Island, Mamutik Island, Sapi Island and Sulug Island)
Return Boat Fare (as of Jan 2023)
- Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik: RM23 (≈US$5.35) per Adult, RM18 (≈US$4.20) per Child (below 11 years old)
- Island Hopping
Two Islands: Adult RM35 (≈US$8.15), Child RM30 (≈US$7)
Three Islands: Adult RM55 (≈US$12.80), Child RM50 (≈US$11.60)
Four Islands: Adult RM65 (≈US$15.10), Child RM60 (≈US$14) - The ticket prices above are inclusive of Terminal Fee: RM7.20 (≈US$1.70) per Adult, RM3.60 (≈US$0.85) per Child.
- The fare doesn’t include Conservation Fee imposed by Sabah Parks and to be paid on island (see fees below).
- Malaysian: Adult: RM8, Child (7 to 17 years old): RM5
- Foreigner: Adult: RM25 (≈US$5.80), Child: RM20 (≈US$4.65)
- You can tell them what time to pick you up for return. The last boat transfer is around 4pm.
Pic: jetty of Jesselton Point
Though their fare is the cheapest, the boatmen ride the speedboat like cowboy, making the trip very bumpy. Anyway, it’s only 15 minutes so most people can put up with this.
Gaya Island
To go to Gayana Eco Resort or Bunga Raya Resort, you can book the tour at the office of these resort operators in this terminal. However, these resorts are private zone, they only allow resort guests to enter, unless you purchase a tour such as lunch package from them.
(Currently Not available) Labuan & Brunei
You can go to Labuan and Brunei from Jesselton Point. They have regular ferry service as the following:
- KK → Labuan: departs at 8:00am daily (take 2.5 hours)
- Labuan → Brunei: depart at 8:00am on Friday and Sunday (transit Labuan, take 6.5 hours)
You may visit their website for more info such as fare price.
Other Islands
You also can go to the following islands in west coast. Most operators will require you to book an island tour in advance, so they would or would not accept walk-in customers. Since these islands are far away, they usually use catamaran instead of speedboat.
Pic: boats parked at Jesselton Point
Amenities
Jesselton Point is more like an activity centre for tourists and locals. Besides island transfer, there are many things you can get or do here. You can charter a boat to go fishing or even fish at their jetty (for a fee). For islanders, they can rent snorkeling set (fin, snorkel, mask) before they depart to islands. You can park your car in the parking lot next to the terminal (for RM1 per hour).
Pic: Jesselton Point has some shops where tourists can buy sunblock lotion, swimwear, sunglass, flip-flop, swimming float, soft drink, snacks, insect repellent, beach mat, souvenirs, etc.
Pic: there are good variety of food and beverages in their hawker centre.
Contact
Below is the contact of the management of Jesselton Point:
Website: www.jesseltonpoint.com.my
Ticketing: eticketing.jesseltonpoint.com.my
Facebook: Jesselton-Point-Ferry-Terminal
E-mail: jesseltonpoint@suriaplc.com.my
Phone: +60 88-249709
Address: Jalan Haji Saman, Kota Kinabalu
2. Sutera Harbour Marina Jetty
Sutera Harbour Marina Jetty is a harbour between Pacific Sutera Hotel and Magellan Sutera Resort. Going to islands is very convenient if you stay in one of these hotels (which is 3 KM away from KK City Centre). The services also open to public. Some locals also like the ample free parking space there.
Pic: Sutera Harbour is a beautiful port parked with many private yacht port and sailboats. At the background is Pacific Sutera Hotel.
Pic: at the right are the kiosks of tour operators who offer boat transfer and island tour. The popular agents here are Sea Quest and Summer Cruise Holiday.
Destinations
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
(Manukan Island, Mamutik Island, Sapi Island)
Same as Jesselton Point, they also offer island transfer to Manukan, Sapi and Mamutik Island. The return fare costs RM60 (≈US$16.75) per adult and RM30 (≈US$9) per Child, which has included jetty fee. Conservation Fee (entry to island) is not included. Island hopping is available for an additional fee of RM10 (≈US$3) per island. The fare may be slightly higher than Jesselton Point, but I like them for a few reasons:
- Their staff and boatman are more professional (less bumpy ride).
- The boat departs on time at fixed schedule (no matter it’s full or not).
- They have staff stations on island to guide you if required.
- The boat looks newer or well-maintained.
Other Islands
They also offer trip to the following islands (required booking of island tour in advance).
- Gaya Island Resort
- Dinawan Island
- Mengalum Island
- Pulau Tiga Island
Amenities
Besides boat transfer and island tour, they have watersport centre that offers diving courses / services, parasailing, jetski, flyfish, banana boat ride, sea-walking, kayak, sunset cruise, fishing, etc. The harbor also has short and long term rental berthing services for boats.
Contact
Website: www.suteraharbour.com
Facebook: suteraharbour
E-mail: marinaO@suteraharbour.com.my
Phone: +60 88-318888
Address: 1 Sutera Harbour Boulevard, Kota Kinabalu
3. STAR Marina
STAR Marina is located behind Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort (STAR) and operated by Borneo Divers, about 7KM away from KK. They offer full-fledged professional services on all island tours and watersports, not just boat transfer.
Pic: STAR Marina (right) and its jetty (left)
Destinations
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
(Manukan Island, Mamutik Island, Sapi Island, Gaya Island – Base Camp)
They have fixed schedule to these islands. The fee of return boat transfer is RM65 (≈US$19.50) for Adult and RM40 (≈US$12) for Child (12 & below), which includes 10% service tax. You can purchase optional items such as picnic box for RM50 (≈US$15) and snorkel gears. You may download the brochure of Island Transfer Services for details. They are willing to provide extra service such as sending you to the best spot for snorkeling.
Pic: 60-Metre-long jetty designed by Design B.U.BE from Singapore
Pic: air-conditioned service centre of STAR Marina
Pic: tour service counters of STAR Marina
Pic: snorkeling set for rent
Pic: they also look after your belonging during the island trip, or you may keep some of your things in the locker in STAR Marina.
Amenities
You can find the most complete motorised and non-motorised watersport activities in STAR Marina. Just to list some, diving (and PADI certitication courses), coastal and deep-sea fishing at Mengalum Island and Pulau Tiga Island, windsurfing, jet-ski, waterski, wakeboard, ocean kayak, paddle board, banana boat, Hobie Cat (a small sailing catamaran).
Pic: Dive centre of STAR Marina
To learn more detail about the activities, you may download the following brochures:
Pic: souvenir shop
Pic: refreshment corner
Contact
Website: www.shangri-la.com
E-mail: marina.tah@shangri-la.com
Phone: +60 88-327888
Address: 20 Jalan Aru, Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu
Illegal Operators
A word of cautious to those who want to get island transfer other than the three locations I mentioned above. There are some illegal and unlicensed boat operators around KK Central Market and Wisma Merdeka Shopping Mall lobbying ignorant tourists to employ their services. In one case, a group of tourists were robbed and left on an island. I would say they are lucky because it can be worse, e.g. kidnap, rape (though these haven’t happened yet).
Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
