The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park of Kota Kinabalu is a marine park that is made up of a cluster of five idyllic islands namely: Palau Manukan, Palau Mamutik, Palau Sapi, Palau Gaya and Palau Sulug.

There are also tours that are being offered by various travel agencies. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is labelled as the Island Hopping Tour and rates range from RM 100 (US$ 31) to RM 150 (US$ 46 ). The most expensive tour would include the following: Entrance Fee, Port Fee, Boat Fee, Land Return Transfer and even a buffet BBQ lunch at the island of your choice.

If you are a little bit tight on the budget then there’s no need to fret. All these islands are only about 20 – 30 minutes speedboat ride from the city. You would have to ride a cab from your Kota Kinabalu hotel and proceed to Jesselton Point which is located downtown at Jalan Haji Saman where you can purchase speedboat tickets to the islands. The boat trips start as early as 7:30am and the last trip is at 5pm. Prices may vary as these are highly dependent on the number of islands that you would like to visit. If you decide to visit the islands on your own arrangements, then you might have to wait for other people to share the speedboat ride with you. Each go can take about 6 to 8 passengers. The same thing goes for your return trip. Visitors are highly advised, though, to make use of only licensed boats from the Kota Kinabalu Jetty Terminal.

Aside from the Jesselton Point, you can also try other jetties which are located in Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort and the other one is at Sutera Harbor Resort.

It doesn’t really matter where you’ll be coming from as you’re already assured of a fantastic time the moment you ride that speedboat.

All the wonderful islands have shallow waters, rich coral beds and white sand shorelines. The islands have exciting things to offer diving enthusiasts or even underwater photographers.

The biggest among all the five islands is Gaya (also called Gayana). Once you get there, you can see the rainforest and even see the mangroves. You’ll also get to visit the Gayana Eco Resort, the famous resort on stilts! In this resort you’ll find a nice seafood restaurant, a spa, an infinity pool that appears to be connected with the ocean, a marine research center, and a dive center. Gaya Island is also home to the Marine Ecological Research Center where they provide shelter to sick marine animals. The entrance to the center is free and you can also visit their interactive tanks and try touching a starfish.

You can also visit Palau Manukan. This island is also great for snorkelling and kayaking. I would have to say that the beach is a little bit rocky due to the dried broken corals so it is highly recommended that you wear your aqua shoes before heading to the water. While you’re at the Manukan Island, you can also visit the Marine Education Center. This is quite interesting as you’ll get to view a whale skeleton, the life cycle of turtles and other interesting display windows on various marine creatures. Another thing that you can enjoy while on this island is FOOD! There are numerous food stops to choose from. You can find small food stalls that serve hamburgers and hotdog sandwiches. There are also long buffet tables for you to try if you are not very particular about your budget.

Sapi is just as wonderful! This is another island where you can go snorkelling or see some monitor lizards and interesting birds. Just like in Manukan Island, you can also enjoy a sumptuous BBQ buffet here complete with picnic table. There’s also a hiking trail that you can check out or you can try parasailing.

If you are looking for a quiet island where you can enjoy some privacy, then Palau Sulug is for you. This island also has a lovely shoreline where you can stroll along the beach with the shallow waves caressing your feet.

The smallest island is Mamutik. Just like with the other islands, you can also go diving here and get a taste of the rich marine life in this part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. You can also camp and spend the night here but not without getting the necessary approval or permission from the Sabah Park Office.

Are you excited to try something new? Why not try Sea Walking? Sea Walking literally means to walk under the sea. It is a different kind of water sport that can be enjoyed by kids as young as 7 years old. Sea Walking allows you to experience an undersea adventure without any diving equipment. That’s right! You’ll dive in the middle of the sea with only an air-hosed helmet. The best part is you don’t even have to know how to swim because it is absolutely safe and you will be sea walking with highly trained guides. This experience usually lasts from 20 – 30 minutes and will include interaction with a wide assortment of fish species, corals, starfishes and ultra colourful marine plants.

You can enjoy Sea Walking in two islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park: Manukan Island and Sapi Island. In Manukan Island, they even have 6 monitors at the shore where your friends can watch your entire sea walking adventure. Your underwater sea walking will be recorded and you can get a copy for a fee. The rates for Sea Walking range from RM 120 (US$37) to RM 250 (US$77).

This island hopping experience will definitely not disappoint you. You see, the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park of Malaysia has got everything covered because if you don’t find what you’re looking for in one island then all you have to do is move on to the next one.

Posted in Beaches, Malaysia, Things to do

This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 12:01 am and is filed under Beaches, Malaysia, Things to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.