The Best Day Trips from Kota Kinabalu Borneo
Day trips are often the best way to see multiple places from one destination and Kota Kinabalu is no different. From climbing Mount Kinabalu, to snorkelling adventures and jungle experiences, if you are wanting to experience a lot of Borneo's activities, here are a great list of tours you can do from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo's capital.
Whether its a day trip or a multi day adventure, I found some great day trips that did exactly what I wanted to in Borneo. Here are my recommendations of some great activities from Kota Kinabalu.
Kota Kinabalu Snorkelling and Diving Day Trips
Head out to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park for some snorkelling or diving while in Kota Kinabalu. Most of these tours leave from the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal which is easy to find and the diving tours are operated by qualified PADI dive instructors.
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5 Star Rating from 85 reviews.
Guided Snorkeling Day Trip
From: $89 AUD
Snorkel Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with 3 different snorkelling stops. Snorkel gear is included, lunch and water are also provided and the group is limited to 12.
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5 Star rating from 12 reviews.
Try Scuba in Kota Kinabalu
From: $145 AUD
Try out scuba diving with a qualified PADI instructor before venturing your way under the water for a bucket list experience. Lunch, small boat & permits included.
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5 Star rating from 46 reviews.
3 Dives at Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
From: $150 AUD
Get 3 dives in different locations in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. PADI certified guides, lunch included, small boat experience. Includes Permits.
Alternatively, you could do a 3 day learn to dive course with PADI open water training from Kota Kinabalu.
Climb Mount Kinabalu Tours
Mount Kinabalu isn't for the faint hearted. However, I did this hike about 8 months after having my Achilles tendon reconstructed so it is possible if you aren't a dedicated hiker or don't have your usual fitness level. Today, the hike is made easier by the fact that you have to do it over 2 days (you could do it in one when I completed this hike). There are different routes too now so you can choose your poison so to speak.
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5 Star rating
Mount Kinabalu Via Ferrata (Walk The Torq) | 2 Days
From: $1080 AUD
Climb Mount Kinabalu with an experienced guide. Training on using the cables will be provided. I nights accommodation in the mountain hut and Dinner, Breakfast and lunch provided also. Return transfers to and from hotels in KK.
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5 Star rating from 41 reviews.
2 day Mount Kinabalu Via Ferrata | Private Tour
From: $1250 AUD min 2 pax
Climb Mount Kinabalu without the pressure of a group. This is a private tour which enables you to go at your own pace and get as many photos as you wish. 5 meals, hut stay and return transfers to and from hotels in KK are included.
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5 Star rating from 162 reviews.
2 day Mount Kinabalu Climbing Trip
From: $1080 AUD min 2 pax
Pickup from hotels in Kota Kinabalu included. 5 meals, porters, dorm accommodation, summit photos and of course qualified guides are included.
If you would like to ad an extra day and see the park as well, this 3 Day trip gives you time before your climb to check out the rest of Kinabalu National Park.
3 Day Trip to the “Tip of Borneo” From Kota Kinabalu
This 3 day trip from Kota Kinabalu, visits the tip of Borneo and the beaches this area is known for. Borneo typically doesn't have the white sand beaches of other Asian islands, mostly because or the surrounding reef. It does however have many turtles, a wide range of reef fish and heaps more to see under the water. The best beaches in Borneo are at the tip of the island and this tour will allow you to choose between snorkelling and just swimming or lazing on the beach if that is how you would like to spend your day.
Tip of Borneo Kudat 3 Days Private Tour
From: $560 AUD min 2 pax
Pickup from hotels in Kota Kinabalu included. Private transportation. Snorkelling, light house visit, sunset cruise, and the following meals:
Lunch (3), Breakfast (2), Dinner (2)
Kota Kinabalu Boat Trips and River Cruises
There are more than a few options for river cruises or sunset cruises from Kota Kinabalu. Here are some of the best rated tours on Viator. Why book with Viator? I love that Viator enables me to book tours of local areas with the security of a major company holding my money. That's the same reason I also use Get Your Guide regularly.
White Water Rafting Tours from Kota Kinabalu
If you feel like some action and adrenaline, consider doing a white water rafting trip from Kota Kinabalu. There are multiple companies that offer this tour, the best 3 are below.
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5 Star rating from 4 reviews.
Kiulu White Water River Rafting
From: $98 AUD
Pickup from hotels in Kota Kinabalu included. Relax for an hour and a half while you are driven to the river. Learn about rafting from your English speaking guide and then take to the river for an afternoon of fun!
Beware: Pickups start at 5:00am!
Padas White Water Rafting
From: $106 AUD
Travel to the Padas river before learning the basics of rafting and then taking to the rapids to test your skills. Qualified guides, pickups from your hotel and lunch is included.
8 Hour Tour
8:30 am start
Kiulu White Water River Rafting from Kota Kinabalu
From: $150 AUD
Kiulu offers the thrill of white water rafting with lesser class rapids. Suitable for beginners, lunch is included with free hotel pickup and drop off as well.
Borneo Multi Day Tours
If you are visiting Borneo, it would be a shame not to see everything it has to offer. These 2 tours below are 17 and 10 days respectively and are with Intrepid Travel who are a supremely reputable tour company.
The first tour is 17 days and includes Kuching, Bako National Park, Mulu National Park, the Head-hunters Trail, Labuan Island and then on to Kota Kinabalu and into Sabah from there. The 10 day version starts in Kota Kinabalu, so misses Bako, Mulu and the places I mention above. Both cover all the animal places you would want to visit so you choice would be based around seeing more of the national parks on the longer version, or a more condensed trip that touches on all the animal sanctuaries.
They both visit
- Mt Kinabalu National Park
- Poring Hot Springs
- Kinabatangan River
- Sandakan
- Turtle Island
- Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
- Sun Bear Santuary
- Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
Best of Borneo (Intrepid Travel)
From: $4628 AUD
A great tour that covers heaps of the very best of Borneo. It covers multiple national parks, Kuching, a great hike on the Head-hunters Trail, Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Turtle & Sun Bear Sanctuaries & wildlife spotting on the Kinabatangan River. Use the Book Now button to see the tour.
Sabah Adventure (Intrepid Travel)
From: $2848 AUD
A great tour that covers must see destinations in Borneo. You will visit Kinabalu National Park, Poring Hop Springs, see the Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Turtle & Sun Bear Sanctuaries & also go wildlife spotting on the Kinabatangan River. Use the Book Now button to see the tour.
Wrapping up: Day Trips From Kota Kinabalu
While you won't see the main animal sanctuaries from Kota Kinabalu, it is a great place to base yourself to see everything you can in the surrounding are before moving on to Sabah to spend time there. You could reasonably easily see a good about of Malaysian Borneo by basing yourself in Kota Kinabalu for a few days and then flying to Sandakan and doing the same thing there.
Whatever you decide I'm sure you will love Borneo as I did. It is wonderful and a great place to start adventuring abroad.
Meet Jenny, a passionate Australian travel blogger who has explored 103 countries to date. With over 30 years of travel experience, Jenny has a wealth of knowledge to share with her readers about the cultures, landscapes, and people she has encountered on her journeys. She's always battling unfashionably frizzy hair and you will never catch Jenny in anything but comfortable shoes. Learn more about Jenny and her travels.
Check out my Borneo Destination Page for all the info, posts & places to visit in Malaysian Borneo.
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