First Beach Tanjung Aru Direction Route

How to Reach Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Fast ferries (236834) leave daily for Pulau Labuan (economy/1st class RM31/36, two hours) from the ferry terminal just north of the city centre. From Labuan, you can connect with services to Brunei (RM53). The ride is generally smooth as long as the sea is not too rough. As well as the ticket price, a terminal fee of adult/child RM3/1.50 is charged for departures from KK. There are usually two departures daily, one at 8am and one in the early afternoon, returning at similar times. Boarding is 15 minutes before departure, and because Labuan is a federal territory you will need to take your passport with you.

Kota Kinabalu by Road:

The new bus terminal at Inanam, north of the centre, has simplified things considerably for travellers: all express buses, minivans and shared taxis heading north now convene here, and a handy counter system makes it easy to find the service you want. The only downside is the distance from the centre – a shuttle bus (RM1.50) runs here supposedly every 15 minutes from the old bus station, but allow plenty of time if you’re aiming for an early start. Transport for southern destinations (and some closer northern towns) still congregates either around the old long-distance bus park on Jln Tunku Abdul Rahman or behind Wawasan Plaza, south of the Api-Api Centre. Note that some companies serve both depots, and the asking price may not be quite the same. Touts hang around all the bus stands, but most are helpful and will guide you to the right place. Schedules for express buses on the longer routes should be checked in advance. It’s advisable to book ahead on weekends for Mt Kinabalu and Sandakan, but generally you can just turn up before the scheduled departure time and hop on. In any case, the bus may wait for an hour or so for more passengers. Departures on all forms of transport are frequent in the early morning for most destinations; there are often far fewer later in the day. The general rule is to travel early, and the further you travel the earlier you should leave.

Kota Kinabalu by Train:

Tanjung Aru train station (254611) is 5km south of the city centre, close to the airport. Sabah’s only railway runs from here to Tenom via Papar and Beaufort. The four-hour journey to Tenom is very cheap (economy/1st class RM7.50/11.50) but delays and cancellations are common; the most scenic section begins after Beaufort.

Kota Kinabalu by Air:

KK is the hub of the Malaysia Airlines network in Sabah, which currently includes frequent services to KL, Sandakan, Labuan and Tawau, plus regular flights to Kuching in Sarawak. Air Asia has seven daily flights to KL and two to Johor Bahru, with promotions starting from as little as RM130, plus two daily services to Miri and one each to Kuching and Tawau. KK is also the hub for Sabah’s rural air services: FAX flies Fokkers to Lahad Datu (five daily), Sandakan (twice daily), Bintulu (twice daily), Sibu (twice daily) and Mulu (three weekly), plus two weekly Twin Otters to Sandakan via Kudat. If you’re flying to Singapore, it’s often cheaper to take the flights to/from Johor Bahru and cross the Causeway on the Malaysia Airlines bus. Malaysia Airlines currently has two weekly flights to Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) in Brunei and one or two daily to Hong Kong and Kaoshiung in Taiwan. The airline also flies to Taipei daily and Manila, Cebu City, Shanghai and Seoul twice weekly. Air Asia flies three times weekly to Bangkok and daily to Clark, in the Philippines.