Guide No. 18 of 20
Island · Sabah · Borneo
Pulau Gaya
- Boat from
- South Jetty, Kota Kinabalu
- Crossing
- 15–30 minSpeedboat
- Season
- All yearResorts open all year
- Park charge
- RM25MyKad holders RM8
Pulau Gaya is the largest island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, about 2 km across the bay from Kota Kinabalu at its closest, reached in 15 to 30 minutes by speedboat from South Jetty, the relocated Jesselton Point terminal.
Where to stay
Order is editorial, not paid. An editor sets each stay’s tier by hand; within a tier, stays follow the beach. Booking partners have no say.
Pick: our first choice on the island. Good: sound, with a catch. Listed: facts only.
PickOur first choice
2 stays- 1
Gaya Island Resort
Malohom Bay · Malohom Bay, inside the park
The most reviewed resort in the park on Trip.com, with its own turtle rescue centre and boats from Kota Kinabalu until 9 pm. The resort boat, its own conservation fee and the dining add a lot to the room rate.
- 2
Sutera Sanctuary at Manukan Island
Manukan · Pulau Manukan, inside the park
The best-rated stay in the park on Trip.com: villas and suites on Manukan. Day-trippers share the beach until the last public boat at 4 pm, and a guest in October 2026 reported no Wi-Fi in the rooms and a daily power cut of about an hour.
GoodSound, with a catch
1 stay- 3
Bunga Raya Island Resort & Spa
Polish Bay · Own bay, Gaya's north coast
48 timber villas on a bay of their own, rated 8.6 by Trip.com guests. Only one boat each way is free, at set times; any other crossing is a RM510 charter, and guests say biting insects make the beach hard to use after about 3 pm.
ListedFacts only
1 stay| No. | Stay | Beach |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Gayana Marine Resort | Malohom Bay |
Things to do
Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.
Coral Flyer zipline, Gaya to Sapi
Diving in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
Island hopping from South Jetty
Jet ski and banana boat
Marked trails on Gaya
Snorkelling at Padang Point and the park islands
Turtle rescue at the Marine Centre
When to go
Resorts open all year
The park and the boats run every day of the year; no source reports a seasonal closure. The jetty operator calls March to October the drier, clearer season. From November to February, the wet season, there is more rain and rougher sea, and boats can be cancelled for weather; the operator then refunds or reschedules. Dive operators give different best months and put visibility at typically 5–15 m, sometimes more on the outer reefs, with water at about 27–30 °C.
Getting there
- Kuala LumpurFly to Kota Kinabalu, about 2 h 30 nonstop.
- Kota Kinabalu airportCar or Grab to South Jetty, about 20–25 min.
- South Jetty, KK PortBuggy RM1 from the entrance behind Jesselton Quay. Return boat from RM48; pay the RM25 park fee at its own counter. Speedboat 15–30 min.
- Pulau GayaPadang Point or Base Camp; resort guests land at their resort.
Fly to Kota Kinabalu, then take a car or Grab about 20–25 minutes to South Jetty at KK Port, the temporary home of the Jesselton Point ferry terminal since 1 March 2026. Public speedboats take 15 to 30 minutes to Padang Point or Base Camp on Gaya and to the other park islands; the last boat out leaves at about 1 pm and the last boat back at 4 pm. Each Gaya resort runs its own boat, and Sutera Sanctuary on Manukan sails from Sutera Harbour.
Gaya for day visitors
Gaya is about 15 km² and rises to about 300 m in the centre, the largest of the five islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. Sabah Parks says the park lies 3 km offshore; Gaya’s nearest shore is about 1.7 km from Jesselton Quay. Most of the island is inside the park. A stilt village on its eastern corner lies outside it.
Most of Gaya is taken by three resorts, whose beaches are for their guests. Day visitors land at Padang Point, the main public access point, or at Base Camp.
- Snorkelling at Padang Point runs from 10 am to 4 pm, the jetty operator says. Some beach areas are marked as no-activity zones.
- Sabah Parks lists 20 km of marked trails, including a plank-walk across a mangrove swamp. The Base Camp trail is about 0.5 km.
- Police Beach fringes Bulijong Bay on the north coast.
- The Coral Flyer zipline runs from Padang Point across to Pulau Sapi, about 250 m.
- Camping is allowed on all the park islands except Manukan and Sulug.
The park was gazetted in 1974 as Sabah’s second national park, starting with Gaya and Sapi; Manukan, Sulug and Mamutik were added in 1979. It covers 50 km² of islands, reefs and sea. Wikipedia records a British North Borneo Company settlement on Gaya from 1882, burnt by Mat Salleh in 1897 and not rebuilt, and a forest reserve since 1923.
Pulau Manukan
Manukan is the park’s second largest island and the most developed, about 1.5 km long. The park administration centre is here, and Sabah Parks says the best beach is on the eastern tip.
- The exhibition centre is open 9 am to 3 pm and closed on Mondays.
- Sutera Sanctuary at Manukan Island is the only place to stay, reached by its own boat from Sutera Harbour.
- Camping is not allowed.
Pulau Sapi
Sapi is about 200 m wide and 0.5 km long, with 5 km of trails. A sandbank joins it to Gaya and can be waded at low tide. There is a café and water-sports counter, and the Coral Flyer zipline from Gaya lands here.
Pulau Mamutik
Mamutik is the smallest island in the park and the nearest to the mainland. The jetty operator recommends it for snorkelling and for families.
Pulau Sulug
Sulug is the farthest island, rocky and under 200 m across, with a long sand spit. Public boats do not go there; you need a chartered boat. Camping is not allowed.
Fees and practicalities
Sabah Parks charges an entrance fee per person per day: RM25 for international adults and RM8 for Malaysian adults. International visitors aged 17 and under, or 60 and over, pay RM20. Malaysians aged 13 to 17 pay RM5; Malaysians aged 12 and under or 60 and over, and Malaysians with disabilities, enter free. Pay at the conservation fee counter at the jetty, separately from the boat ticket, and bring your IC or passport. Non-Malaysians staying overnight also pay tourism tax of RM10 per room per night.
- Bring a card or e-wallet and some cash: the jetty operator says to bring cash for the fee, while the state tourism site says it is cashless.
- Bring cash for food, rentals and lockers on the islands; some vendors take cash only. Draw it in Kota Kinabalu.
- The park is open 8 am to 5 pm daily, though hours may differ by facility, activity and weather.
- No fishing in the park.
- Life jackets are free on the boats. A life jacket for activities on the islands is RM10.
- UK government advice against all but essential travel to the islands off eastern Sabah, from Sandakan to Tawau, does not cover Gaya, which is on the west coast.