How to get to Pulau Gaya

1. Kuala LumpurFly to Kota Kinabalu, about 2 h 30 nonstop.
2. Kota Kinabalu airportCar or Grab to South Jetty, about 20–25 min.
3. 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.
4. Pulau GayaPadang Point or Base Camp; resort guests land at their resort.

Be on a boat by about 1 pm: that is the last public boat out, and the last one back is at 4 pm. Facts checked 9 November 2026 against operators.

Public boats from South Jetty sell return tickets only, so the table shows a dash: RM48 for one island up to RM78 for four, including the terminal fee; children 3–11 pay RM43 to RM73, under 3 free. Gaya Island Resort's boat is MYR160 return per adult plus MYR10 fuel each way. Jesselton Point closed on 1 March 2026 for upgrading and its boats moved to South Jetty. Other jetties: DBKK Jetty behind Suria Sabah, and, according to the state tourism site, Sutera Harbour Marina and STAR Marina at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, with higher fares.

1. Fly to Kota Kinabalu

   Nonstop flights from Kuala Lumpur take about 2½ hours, on AirAsia, Batik Air, Firefly and Malaysia Airlines. From the airport, a car or Grab to South Jetty takes about 20–25 minutes.

   KL–KK about 2 h 30 · airport to jetty 20–25 min

2. Go to South Jetty

   South Jetty is at KK Port on Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens. Enter behind Jesselton Quay and take the buggy, RM1 per ride, about 350–400 m to the terminal, which is open 07:30 to 17:00 and has cafés, hawker stalls, a surau, luggage storage and a medical room. Park at JQ Central, opposite the entrance; port parking is for staff and operators only.

   Buggy RM1 · terminal 07:30–17:00

3. Buy a ticket and pay the park fee

   Buy a return island ticket at the counter or on Easybook and register with your IC or passport. Boat tickets take cash, card and Touch 'n Go. Then pay the Sabah Parks fee at the conservation fee counter: RM25 for international adults, RM8 for Malaysians. Bring a card or e-wallet and some cash. Use a licensed jetty: the state tourism site warns of unlicensed boatmen near the Central Market and Wisma Merdeka.

   From RM48 return · fee RM25 or RM8 a day

4. Cross, and be back by 4 pm

   The first boats leave at about 8–8.30 am and the last boat to the islands at about 1–1.30 pm. The last boat back leaves the islands at 4 pm, and there is no late boat. If the operator cancels for weather, it refunds or reschedules; if you cancel, the ticket is not refunded.

   15–30 min · last out about 1 pm · last back 4 pm

5. Staying at a resort

   Gaya Island Resort runs its own boats from the Gaya Lounge at South Jetty, about 10 minutes, leaving at 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 21:00; confirm return times with the resort. No other boats may drop guests there. Bunga Raya and Gayana run their own boats too; confirm the pick-up point when booking. Sutera Sanctuary on Manukan sails from Sutera Harbour, about 15 minutes.

   Gaya Island Resort MYR160 return + fuel