Things to do in Kota Kinabalu

I would like to to used this review opportunity to thank ATV Borneo Adventure and our tour guide Mr Kelvin for providing a memorable trip for me and my parents. Mr Kelvin is a professional and engaging tour guide. He explain very clearly to all the question we ask and give us a very detail informative tour. He have made the tour an unforgettable ones. ATV Borneo Adventure organize the trip well from picking up to drop off at the hotel. They have given sufficient time on breaks,meals, resting and self exploring for us. They are professional photographer too. I was very surprised that every of their tour guide are so good at taking sunset photos and even willing to wet the shorts just to take a perfect photos with our phone. They even teach us how to take photos and video of the "fire play". Really thank you Mr Kelvin and ATV Borneo Adventure for givings us a wonderfu memorable Bongawan River Cruise. Thank you.

I joined a mixed group tour alone this time. Everyone, including myself, was from Singapore and I was with a Singaporean, a Chinese couple, and a Korean family. I was contacted about the pick-up time via WhatsApp in advance, and the communication was prompt upon arrival, so everything went smoothly. The guide and driver spoke easy-to-understand English and kept us informed of the time required for each part of the itinerary, so I felt at ease. It was a pity that the weather wasn't good enough to see the shape of Mount Kinabalu, but I was able to fully enjoy nature at Poring Hot Springs, the Rafflesia Garden, and Desa Farm. The yogurt gelato at Desa Farm and the BBQ pork on the way back were both exquisite and worth trying. Lunch was also Chinese food with flavors familiar to Japanese people. Since you will be traveling on mountain roads in a large van, it is essential to take measures against motion sickness in advance. (They were considerate enough to let me sit in the front of the van when I requested it.) It cost an additional RM80 in total for admission to Poring Hot Springs and the Rafflesia Garden, but considering the distance traveled and the tour content, it was reasonably priced, and overall a highly recommended tour.

my daughter and I really enjoyed our island hopping tour to Sapi and Manukan Islands. Our tour guide Nanak was very nice and knowledgeable about the two islands. He also watched our belongings for us which allowed us to snorkel and enjoy our time in the water worry free. Both islands were beautiful, but we enjoyed our time on Sapi Island the most. The water was great for snorkeling at Sapi Island. We also enjoyed our buffet lunch on the island and Nanak even came over to make sure we saw the humongous lizard that came by for a visit. Manukan Island was beautiful. But, the water wasn’t as clear in the snorkeling area so we didn’t see many fish. However, we did see a few black tip sharks in the water near the jetty as we were leaving. Overall, I enjoyed our and would recommend this tour to others.

Highly recommended as this ATV sports is a new experience for me. All the safety guard, helmet are well provided. The person in charge was well verse with knowledge. The tour guide was also good as they will stop and given us ample time for a short photo session. Will come again.

it was well arranged. we had pickup service and a guide to guide us through the day. the boat ride is a bit chaotic so it was good we had a guide to bring us through. snorkelling is great. managed to see a stingray and few varieties of fishes at manukan island. sapi was a little bit too crowded.

The one-day tour was exceptionally well-organized, it felt like not a single minute was wasted... Mantanani Island's white sand and turquoise sea are truly beautiful. The crew members fed a lot of bread at the snorkeling spot, attracting many beautiful fish, making me feel surrounded by schools of fish. In the evening, the mangrove night tour allowed us to see many fireflies. The crew members used lights to attract the fireflies, as if we were in a fairy tale world. We even saw a tree covered in fireflies, resembling a Christmas tree with lights, corresponding to the twinkling stars in the sky, washing away the fatigue of busy city life for every tourist. The only regret was not seeing proboscis monkeys during the afternoon mangrove cruise, but travel is all about having some regrets, so we have the motivation for our next trip! Secondly, I must emphasize how enthusiastic, gentle, polite, and experienced the tour guide Nelson was. He took great care of us throughout the entire trip, arranging for us to sit in the best spots on the boat for optimal viewing and travel experience. He helped us watch our belongings so we could take photos with peace of mind. A big thumbs up for Nelson! 👍

It was a really fun and pleasant experience for my friend and me at Mari Mari Cultural Village! The staff were so helpful when we were trying on the traditional costumes and getting our hair done. The photography session was super cute too! We were pleasantly surprised that we got to wear the traditional costumes for the rest of the tour. The explanation of the rich heritage was very interesting. We also got to try some traditional food and rice wine during the tour. The dance performance was outstanding, and the talented team playing the instruments made it even more enjoyable. Big shoutout to one of the intern staff, Ika, for helping us throughout the tour. We absolutely love the photos you took for us! 🥰🥰🥰💖💖💖

We booked a private tour and had such a great time visiting Pekan Nabalu, Tamparuli Bridge, and Desa Dairy Farm in Kundasang. The ride was super comfortable and pleasant. We skipped the National Park since we were traveling with our elderly mom, but still had an amazing day. At Pekan Nabalu, we were lucky to catch a clear view of Mount Kinabalu — sometimes it’s hidden behind clouds! It’s also a nice spot to grab some souvenirs. Tamparuli Bridge might just be a suspension bridge, but the view and the local legend make it worth a stop. Our last stop at Desa Dairy Farm was beautiful — loved the cool breeze, hillside views, and getting to feed the calves and goats. Our guide, Vincent, was soft-spoken, informative, and super helpful. We really enjoyed his company. Highly recommended!

20th June 2025, family and I having this trip, overall is enjoyable especially having tour guide Jeff who is a biophilic person. We are the only group thus able to go with our own pace. The weather was bad in the week we arrived kota kinabalu, so Jeff proposed to switch the sequence of Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring as hot spring there is small hiking part where not suitable for raining. The morning started with sunny day and we managed to enjoy the small hiking with hot spring. Lunch we took opposite hot spring, malay restaurant with chinese style cooking, personally not use to the taste. The weather turned bad when visiting Desa farm. When arrived Kinabalu park(last point), it is raining, we had a short stay here. Probably will visit Kinabalu park if here again. For rafflesia it is not included, but Jeff managed to find one for us to visit. Before trip, Jeff did informed us some entrance fees will be needed, including the rafflesia. Thank you Jeff once again.