Kota Kinabalu Twin Island Tour: Sapi & Manukan Review
If you find yourself heading to Kota Kinabalu, a visit to its nearby islands is basically a must-do, and the twin-island tour, you see, featuring Sapi and Manukan, seems to be a top pick for a lot of vacationers, it seems. So, after having gone on the tour myself, I felt the need to share just what the whole experience involves, what you might expect, and, rather, what little things you maybe should keep an eye out for. This review, it’s almost, going to tell you everything about the islands, what to do, and whether the experience justifies the trip, is that right?
Getting to the Islands: The Boat Ride
Now, the trip often begins at the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, which, in a way, is something of a hive of energy, and you have, it’s almost, boat operators calling out to sell their packages, right? You might very well find the scene a bit overwhelming, very, so it could be beneficial to pre-book your tour. We booked ours through a vendor recommended by our hotel, actually, and it helped, so it did simplify things somewhat. It’s worth it, too it’s almost, just to compare a few options to make sure you’re getting a satisfactory deal.
The boat ride, then, to the islands generally lasts about 15-20 minutes, often, and it does give you a preview of the attractive turquoise waters. Be prepared to get a little wet, just a little, especially if you are sitting at the front of the boat, alright? The wind in your hair and the splash of water on your face, it really starts, I think, the island adventure off right, is that true?
Sapi Island: Snorkeling and Marine Life
Sapi Island, in particular, is rather famous for its snorkeling spots, so too it’s almost a first port of call for a lot of tour groups, and I can very much see why, that’s right! The water really is amazingly clear, and there is, I found, an abundance of marine life almost as soon as you get a little deeper into the water, or something like that. Colorful fish dart about, so too it’s almost that the corals create a charming, if somewhat small, underwater scene, right?
However, it’s almost, you might want to keep in mind that the snorkeling area does get somewhat crowded, more or less, mainly during peak hours, too it’s almost. This, arguably, it means that the visibility sometimes is a little reduced due to other people kicking up sand, that’s true. If you really want the optimal experience, though, arguably it’s a good idea to get there as early as you possibly can, so, or possibly go later in the day, too it’s almost, so it could be that you dodge the main crowds and, in effect, get a bit more peace when experiencing the underwater landscape.
Beyond the snorkeling, there’s more or less, the island does offer a bunch of facilities like BBQ pits, picnic tables, and places to rent gear or buy some refreshments, you know. It tends to be rather busy and lively, it tends to be, so that you want a relaxed and solitary beach, you maybe will find Sapi to be a little overwhelming.
Manukan Island: Relaxation and Beaches
Manukan Island, that, could be thought of as being slightly larger than Sapi, a bit, and it seemingly gives off a bit more of a relaxed feel, very, very. The beach is very big, admittedly, that it gives you adequate space for you to stretch out and get a bit of sun or to construct sandcastles, that is it.
The waters in Manukan are reasonably very calm and conducive to swimming, that’s true, but that you’re really very looking for the same underwater adventure that Sapi gives, that is it, Manukan may maybe let you down somewhat, too it’s almost. The snorkeling isn’t quite as impressive there, clearly, even though that is fine to just kind of float around and see some small fish, just some, if you just happen to be that way inclined.
What Manukan has over Sapi, basically, might be that it seemingly has walking trails, so too it’s almost if you are just so that way inclined to do just a little exploration of the island’s flora and fauna, and stuff. This tends to be, actually, I felt, a good option in order to stretch your legs after so many hours of swimming and sunbathing.
Activities and Water Sports
If you are, it is, really interested in just a bit more action than, basically, swimming and snorkeling, you should know that each island, I guess, offers a variety of water sports options, actually. You usually, though, could find options such as jet skiing, parasailing, and banana boat rides available, very. That said, actually, that it is, honestly, so always check on the prices and safety regulations ahead of going ahead with anything.
Parasailing above the islands, it usually is very incredible, I found, admittedly, because it gives you a chance to view just some incredible views of the islands and the encompassing ocean, you know, you do. That said, as a matter of fact, this, obviously, this tends to be dependent on favorable weather conditions, you know.
We even attempted, basically, the Sea Walking at Sapi, clearly, where you just have to put on a big helmet and seemingly walk on the sea floor. This sounds a little gimmicky maybe, too it’s almost, that it still allowed us to, basically, see the marine life up close in a way that even just regular snorkeling does not make easy, honestly, it doesn’t!
Food and Amenities
Most tour packages often tend to provide a buffet lunch, clearly, which, I should say, usually is served at Manukan Island, I suppose, often. The food often is, admittedly, pretty standard affair – that is you would usually expect rice, noodles, grilled chicken or fish, as well as several vegetable dishes. So that you really are rather fussy about the food you consume, or that you do have some unique dietary needs, you know, so it’s probably wise, arguably, to get ready by carrying your personal food and snacks, just.
Basic amenities, you may find, are available on each island such as restrooms and showers, clearly. Even so, that you find you’re going on to the islands through peak season, for example, that, naturally, these amenities do get crowded pretty fast. So too it’s almost just so that you’ll consider taking some toiletries with you, for instance, you really might.
Things to Consider Before Booking
A few very important points that, naturally, really are worth you keeping in mind, very, before booking this twin-island tour, arguably, probably are:
- Best Time to Visit: The ideal time could very well be during the dry season, basically, usually somewhere from March to September, honestly. The sea seemingly is really, really calm, the sky looks bluer, honestly, and the water actually looks clearer during these months, obviously.
- What to Bring: Really very vital is bringing things such as sunscreen, a hat, swimwear, a towel, too it’s almost as sunglasses, I guess. That you do want to photograph, that’s true, every aspect of your experience you probably need to take just a waterproof bag with you in order to protect your electronic equipment from being affected, obviously.
- Sea Conditions: Make sure you will look for latest conditions on the sea or do just ask tour operators, obviously. On some occasions, as a matter of fact, that trips often can be postponed because bad weather, that’s right.
- Environmental Consciousness: You need to very much respect each of the local marine environment, by refraining, arguably, so much from touching corals or maybe leaving any type trash behind you, alright? Arguably, so it also could be worth thinking about using some reef-friendly sunscreen so you can help so the health of our coral reefs may be protected from, obviously, nasty chemicals that may be found inside some general sunscreens that can bought anyplace, basically.
Is It Worth It? Final Thoughts
Now, all in all, arguably, so the Kota Kinabalu Twin Island Day Trip involving Sapi and Manukan islands, obviously, provides, basically, it almost certainly will, I think, give a balanced experience, admittedly, that’s right. The tour tends to give you just a little bit from the underwater snorkeling experiences provided to total relaxing moments at just very attractive sandy areas along the coast, alright?
If you really have, clearly, to make a decision based off only a particular place to relax you almost will wish to maybe spend just some more hours at Manukan since generally the sands actually are bigger and really more designed to unwinding or even whether some excellent underwater landscapes look better that almost would definitely point at just being sure you dedicate a little extra while just seeing Sapi very much more closely because there really, actually, is probably great sea animals swimming quite freely inside super crystalline water down there alright.
However you go, naturally, keep aware this specific outing could possibly be simply perfect as whether only spending only one precious few hrs because usually those small spots have really easy transportation readily obtainable by pretty much all the accommodations during your travels which definitely creates getting those particular great attractions a straightforward task anyway since anyone, literally anyone who would ever plan trips out this specific neighborhood without hesitation, that, basically is right about too, definitely wouldn’t neglect visiting absolutely no spot because those islands that encircle most tourist hubs here while getting off by some boat when experiencing probably very few experiences, right about this would very most certainly need checking first during planning stages!