Kota Kinabalu Itinerary and Travel tips
I always believe ASEAN countries are #travelgoals because of our rich culture and heritage and stunning places. It was years ago when I first set my foot in the Land of Indigenous Malay, I was only able to see little of its beauty; just the capital Kuala Lumpur. Knowing that Malaysia still has a lot of things to offer, I vowed to come back and explore Penang and Kota Kinabalu. Only after 5 years I was able to fulfill half of this promise. And I am so glad that I did!
Primary challenge I experienced when planning this trip was: only few write about their travel in KK. Hence, you only know so little when you arrive (which sucks!). So… I’m sharing our itinerary for this trip and some travel tips.
o KK city is very small. You can explore it in 2 full days. But if you don’t want to stress yourself that much, go for 4-5 days holiday.
o KK is still a developing country, so their plastic usage is at it’s peak. Please bring your own mug/bottle water and bamboo/metal straws. Vendors love to put everything you buy in a plastic bag, if you have backpack or hand bag, do not ask for plastic bags and use your own!
o Most of the budget hotels are in the city center and walking distance to some of the tourist attractions. However, city center is also where all the hustle and bustle can be found. So, if you want to have a quiet and good night sleep, find a hotel that is quite distant from this. We were supposed to stay at Le Meridien because of my SPG membership but I am glad we didn’t because 1. It is expensive and 2. The location is right in front of the market. Like seriously – a market place where all the vendors, taxi, ukay ukay, tambays, etc are! Glad we stayed at ASIANA Hotel (Sembulan area).
o Do not worry about public transport. Myfriend! GRAB got you! In our (almost) 5 day stay, we spent 150 RM in total. (Mind you, I hate walking!)
o It is better to avail travel tours (we use KKday) for convenience. The price is just 100 (or less) RM difference. This is excellent idea when you want to do island hopping, most of the people we saw doing DIY need to wait for some time for their boats to arrive in the island. Some are not even sure if there are still boat available. If you are part of a tour package, everything is arranged, and you get to leave first.
o Mobile data connection is super-fast in KK!!!! Even better than Athens, Greece! Don’t miss the opportunity to share your travel on social media. Buy your simcard online and pick it up in the airport. (Cost: 252ph – good for 7days, unlimited data)
o The best place to buy pasalubong is at Filipino Market. You will see the SRP displayed in the product but still ask what is the last price (Divisoria feel ganyan!), they tend to lower down the price in half!
o Better pack some snacks when you are going for island hopping. Price at the islands are VERY EXPENSIVE. Coconut costs 16RM but in the city it’s just 5RM. Gelato costs 45 RM!
o Ladies are required to wear the city mosque prepared dress (for a price!) 5RM/10RM
o There are Korean BBQ restaurants available. They are not cheap. =)
o Gaya Street is where all the best places to eat are located.
o You have to pay 5RM per cameraphone/camera at the Canopy Walk if you want to take pictures. This is good business!!! HAHAHA!
o Here’s the Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu visiting hours. You’re welcome!
Day 1: Afternoon flight from Manila. We arrived in KK just after sunset. First Malaysian meal (dinner) in KK.
Day Tour: Desa Cattle Farm, Mt. Kinabalu, Poring Hot Spring, Himbaan Bongol (Wild Boar experience) and Canopy Walk
Handicraft and Filipino Market (best place to buy pasalubong)
Manukan and Sapi Island Trip
Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu
Tun Mustapha (Sabah Foundation Building) and Sabah State Administrative Centre
Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (one more time!!)
