Things to Do in Kota Kinabalu
Things to Do in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia - Kota Kinabalu Attractions
Things to Do in Kota Kinabalu
Popular things to do
Nature and Wildlife
Bus Tours
Shopping Malls
Day Trips
4WD Tours
Flea & Street Markets
Hiking
Climbing
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Full-day Tours
Half-day Tours
Islands
Night Tours
City Tours
Scuba Diving
Airport & Hotel Transfers
Top Picks
Luxury & Special Occasions
Walking Tours
Ports of Call Tours
Sporting Events
Family Friendly
Air, Helicopter & Balloon Tours
Book these experiences for a close-up look at Kota Kinabalu.
Top Attractions in Kota Kinabalu
Lookouts • Scenic Drives
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Gardens
Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks
Points of Interest & Landmarks
What travelers are saying
- Stella A8 contributionsIt's a nice clean beach with clear water but dont expect much for the underwater. Their facilities and maintenance is quite goodWritten July 13, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- dennis2020Leicester, UK7 contributionsOur daughter playing with the hard sand . We went there at sunset. An nice beach to go to in the evening, for you out there… very good but crowded.Written March 29, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Steven_TeoTawau, Malaysia542 contributionsThe setup and the different tenants give this mall an upmarket feel. It is a better-managed mall than others in the KK area. Also, the only mall that I know in KK does not charge visitors for using the toilet.Written March 16, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- sher88Petaling Jaya, Malaysia578 contributionsVisited during Raya 2019. This was my 3rd visit after a few years. It has improved in the variety of stalls but still mostly selling the same touristy stuff. Good place for getting souvenirs as you can bargain. Tried the infamous blended watermelon juice and it was really refreshing especially in the hot weather. Great place to stroll would definitely recommend to others.Written October 20, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- catiger30Pasig, Philippines121 contributionsWe were so excited to visit this popular Kota Kinabalu City Mosque or also called Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu. Unfortunately when we arrived there, they showed us a big signage stating that the mosque is no longer open for tourists. We asked the locals why it was closed, and they said due to the Corona Virus. They really take good care of their people here in KKCity.
We were only allowed to stay across the street where there's basically nothing but landscapes.
Behold, it didn't stop us for being creative. We needed to take at least some pictures and had some fun!Written February 25, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - charlotte BSouthampton, UK147 contributionsWe were staying in KK and easily got a boat transfer from the Jessington point to Sapi Island. We chose to just go here instead of doing more than 1 island. It cost around 24 MYR each for the return boat and then 20 MYR each for the conservation fee. It is a nice island but quite busy with tourists and probably isn’t your dream white beach setting. The snorkelling is quite good and there were plenty of fish to see. We went for a walk around the island and saw a few Komodo dragons and we did the zip line from Gaya island to Sapi which was good.
I would still recommend coming here as it is a relaxing beach break from the city and you can easily have your own little space on the beach.Written April 5, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - Rick WSevenoaks, UK1,880 contributionsMamutik is the smallest of the offshore islands and the quietest too. We visited it on an island hopping two island boat journey purchased from a booth at the Jesselton point ferry terminal at one end of Kota Kinabalu town. You pay 1 ringgit an hour to park the car there - so perfectly reasonable. We took a 9am boat out to Sapi island first - but Mamutik (our second island) was much better. There is plenty of shade on the beach and there is good snorkelling to the right of the small pier (as you look out to sea from the island). There are places to buy drinks and sandwiches too. We could have stayed longer - it was very relaxing and enjoyable - and beautifully clean water!Written March 22, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- MayfairjockLondon, UK94 contributionsI first went 20 years ago and whilst it’s still very pretty the predictable explosion of silly ‘tourist stuff’ has occurred since - zip line, sea walking, inflatable course etc. The major disappointment is the amount of rubbish everywhere, this is supposed to be a ‘national park’. Boats are freely available from 3 marinas and en route the plastic floating around is painfully obvious. We picked up bag after bag of trash from the beaches on Sapi, Mamutik and Manukan right under the noses of the ‘lifeguards’ who were ‘pretending not to notice’ they clearly think that doing this is below them. There’s a charge to visit this islands and it makes me think where that money is going?Written May 12, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- CMSoonKuala Lumpur, Malaysia121 contributionsTakes about 2.5-3 hours drive from KK city depending on traffic as the road is single lane to and fro with many heavy trucks going this route and slowed the journey. Would need to spend 3-4 hours here tracking within the park and enjoy the multiple hotspring. Water is clean and not too crowded in the afternoon. It closes by about 3pm.
Would recommend to put a night in Kundasan to fully enjoy the trip around the area. See rafflesia, Kinabalu park, dairy farm which a single day trip along the route would be too short to leisurely enjoy.Written May 14, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - Princess_AceSingapore, Singapore12 contributionsI was kind of lost when I was there for the first time. This place is very big. It divided into three parts: market that sells all kind of food and fruits, food section and handicraft. Local went there to do their marketing and meals. I think is a good place to have a peek of the local life.Written January 19, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Katy SantosPhilippines516 contributionsBefore having an island hopping, you've to drop by in Jesselton Point which is the getaway point for island hopping. You can book your ferry tickets to Manukan Island, Sapi Island, Gaya, Mamutik, and Sulug.
Jesselton Point has a lot of souvenir shops and local restaurants to choose from. We had our lunch here before we head to Manukan Island.
You can island hop to these islands: Manukan, Sapi, Mamutik. Gayan, Sapi and Sulug.
The three main islands are Manukan, Mamutik, and Sapi.
You can choose to book one, two, or three islands at a certain price. You can also add water activities like kayaking, snorkeling, sea walking, parasailing, flying fish, jetski, etc.
In our case, we only choose one island, which is Manukan Island, as we have to compressed our itinerary.Written May 1, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - sher88Petaling Jaya, Malaysia578 contributionsWent there during Raya 2019. Definitely worth the drive up there as the sunset views were AMAZING! Decided to go to the roadside burger joint as there isn't any entry fees and there were hardly anyone there. Parking can be challenging as there weren't any designated parking spots. Just roadside parking and the roads were narrow. Be careful when driving especially after dark because certain parts of the road did not have any safety railing and it was very dark.Written October 20, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- WorldGluttonKuala Lumpur, Malaysia20,137 contributionsWe return to have dinner at the Filipino Market after 2 years but at different stall totally. Very busy night market with plenty of food and beverage choices. Pick your own seafood & vegetable, the stall chef will cook to your preference.
The fish is steam good, crispy calamari , butter prawns are perfectly done but the wild fern is fiberous and slice of snail meat too tough to bite in. Glass of avacodo juice tasted raw !!!
Not very comfortable dinner time spent here as the smoke from stall doing bbq chicken wings were blowing straight to our side. !!!Written February 5, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - dennis2020Leicester, UK7 contributionsI like the animals and the forest. Maybe they could put some English writing on the signs…still very good though. The houses were nice too.Written March 26, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- yogurtmanismalaysia9 contributionsThe island is stunning with crsytal clear, turquoise sea. The staffs where i stayed (Sutera @ Mantanani) were very friendly and helpful. The scenery is more beautiful with the background of mount Kinabalu.
Sadly , the island is full of trash , mainly plastic. We had to clean the place before started to swim.
Hopefully the resort owner and Sabah government can do something about the trash issue.
We are very very lucky because they are not many people around the resort. The resort is taking extra pre caution in view of Covid 19.Written August 4, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kota Kinabalu
- The top attractions to visit in Kota Kinabalu are:
- Manukan Island
- Tanjung Aru Beach
- Imago Shopping Mall
- Gaya Street Sunday Market
- Kota Kinabalu City Mosque
- The best outdoor activities in Kota Kinabalu according to Tripadvisor travelers are:
- Tanjung Aru Beach
- Tanjung Aru Perdana Park
- Mamutik Island
- Manukan Island
- Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
- The best day trips from Kota Kinabalu according to Tripadvisor travelers are:
- Kinabalu Park With Rumah Terbalik & Desa Cow Farm
- Kinabalu Park & Poring Hot Spring & Canopy Walk
- Klias Wildlife Safari River Cruise - Proboscis Monkey & Fireflies
- Quad Biking Tour in Kiulu
- Island Hopping
- The most popular things to do in Kota Kinabalu with kids according to Tripadvisor travelers are: See all kid friendly things to do in Kota Kinabalu on Tripadvisor