Manukan Island, the sea and the rocks
Fishing in Kota Kinabalu is an important part of life. There are many fishing boats, house boats, and combination of both boats. These boats are just beside the central market on the main waterfront of the city. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
After KL, we headed to Kota Kinabalu and flew Malaysia Airlines again. They were consistently the best airline we travelled on. From Hong Kong to KL we flew on the new Airbus A380 which is the largest passenger plane in the world and not only had large seats and a quiet cabin, but also got Hagen Daz ice cream as well. This trip had just as good food and I also sat beside a military police man who I tried to talk with but only got so far because of the language.
By the time we arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Yuki and I were pretty comfortable with getting from the airport to our hostel, having a good hostel, and staying in a private room. Arriving in Kota Kinabalu meant a few things, namely that I had finally gotten to Borneo and that were just days away from taking on the biggest hike we’d ever done. Like in Hong Kong, we confirmed the buses into town with a Tourist information desk and then picked up the necessary town maps and brochures. Getting to the hostel was pretty easy after that and there were plenty of other travellers around headed our way.
Our Hostel, the Bunibon Lodge, simple and good. We had a private room that was downstairs near reception so it was pretty noisy in the morning when we were trying to sleep in but there was a large common area and complimentary breakfast.
We expected the town to be along a beach but it was infact pretty rocky and polluted. A short distance away is the central market where we would get dinner for the next few days. One reason for choosing the Bunibon Lodge apart from the low cost, cleanliness, and high reviews, was it’s central location. While in KK we had a lot of seafood, pretty much every night, and it was all fresh, cheap and cooked right there in the market. The town has several markets and they’re without a doubt the best places to get food. While there are restaurants around, they mostly cater to tourists so they’re not very good.
Other than hiking Mt. Kinabalu, we came to KK because the flight centre agent recommended Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park as an excellent snorkelling and swimming location. It is a group of 5 islands off the coast named for Malaysia’s first prime minister.
Yuki at Manukan Island in Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, Kota Kinabalu Malaysia.
I was pretty excited to go and upon further research we decided to go to Manukan Island as oppose to the more crowded Sapi island. Unfortunately, we were somewhat late getting up and when we arrived at Jesselton Point which is the only ferry terminal to the islands, it didn’t seem like any of the 12 speed boat operators were very interested in going there.
The systems is kinda dumb because there’s a building with some 12 speedboat operators that all go the different islands and provide rental gear like snorkels and stuff. They all run when the boat is full but do keep a schedule of when they think they’ll be running. Apparently, unlike most of the world, to go to this park requires getting up early and leaving early. When we arrived at 1145am we were told we were quite late and there were only two boats going. I never read about this online but the people there said that most people go at 9 or so. The guy we ended up paying was an ass and didn’t give us directions to where the boat was or when it would leave so we almost missed it. That would have been bad because the last boat back is at 5pm.
We still figured that the afternoon was a good chunk of time and I’d scheduled 2–3 days for the park anyways so that we could go to some of the other islands as well. Riding the speed boat was pretty thrilling and worrisome at the same time because it bounced up and down over the waves. The guy dropped a few people off at Sapi that we saw to be as crowded as we’d been told it was.
Manukan was much less crowded and a much longer beach. Something else we weren’t told was that there was a conservation fee to be paid upon arrival at the island. I thought this was pretty dumb because we already paid a fee with the speedboat operator and I only had cash as emergency change. The island is crescent shaped, like a moon, but narrow enough to see the other side from one side. We went to the far side to see if it was less crowded but, facing the ocean, it was all rock. Eventually we settled on an end of the beach that was furthest from the ferry landing. The waves were bigger here but we wouldn’t have people around.
Manukan beach, the waves tumbled over us as if we were these the rocks. I climbed over here to get these photos while Yuki dried off in the sun and looked at Mamutik island. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
From the speedboat, the beaches looked like pristine sand where upon entering the water we found that it was all broken up coral. I think the speedboats roaring around all day, day after day, and all the tourist that come and trample the coral has effectively destroyed most of it. It was hard wading out because it seemed like sharp rocks and rough coral and in the spray we could fill our hands with coral pieces. The beach also dropped off very fast and we got pushed around in the waves so it wasn’t anything like Hong Kong.
After we’d had enough water, I got some photos and then I suggested we check out a trail that pointed towards “sunset point”. I wasn’t sure if we’d have enough time to get there and back before 5 but we decided to try it out anyways. Neither of us ever want to wonder what we might had missed out on. It’s a good thing we went too because after a good half hour walk we ended up at the other end of the island. We’d gone from the tip of the crescent to the other and found a great view spot.
The point where the ocean meets. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Across the point was the small Sulug island which we figured was probably the most private beach in the park. We figured it would probably be pretty good for swimming but if it was anything like Manukan, we’d be better off waiting until Thailand for going back to Hong Kong.
I think this was another example of going where few others go just by wondering where the other path might lead. It certainly paid off and was probably the most interesting part of the island. I wasn’t sure, but I thought that between Sunset point and the boat dock there might have been some more sheltered beaches that were empty but we didn’t have time to explore them.
It’s worth noting that right where the speedboat dock is is also the shallowest slope into the water and the clearest water. On the contrary, it also has the most garbage and people but we saw several schools of fish swimming around. We didn’t really want to leave at 5pm but had no choice. In terms of an attraction, one day made for a great visit but we decided it probably wasn’t worth coming back another day as there wasn’t much to see snorkelling/swimming wise. That’s alright, because we found other things to do and other beaches to go to.
