Guide No. 15 of 20
Island · Sabah · Borneo
Pulau Mantanani
- Boat from
- Rampayan jetty, Kota Belud
- Crossing
- 45–60 minSpeedboat
- Season
- All yearResorts open all year
- Stays ranked
- 3
Pulau Mantanani is a group of three small islands about 30–40 km off the Kota Belud coast in Sabah, reached by resort or tour speedboat from Rampayan, about 45 minutes, after a 2-hour drive from Kota Kinabalu.
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
1 stay- 1
Sutera@Mantanani Island Resort & Spa
Mantanani Besar · East end, own beach
The simplest stay to arrange on Mantanani: a published boat timetable, packages that include the transfers, breakfast and free snorkelling. The rooms and fittings are old, there is one pricey restaurant and no pool, and Wi-Fi reaches the lobby only.
GoodSound, with a catch
2 stays- 2
GreenHouse EcoLodge
Mantanani Besar · West end, own bay
A five-room lodge run by its owners, Fred and Sook Peng, with home cooking and a quiet beach at the far end of the island from the resorts. Transfers cost extra and run on a fixed schedule, you pay by bank transfer before you arrive, and the rooms have fans, not air-con.
- 3
JSK Mantanani Island Resorts Trademark by Wyndham
Mantanani Besar · North-east shore
The newest and best-equipped resort on Mantanani, with full board, a pool, a spa and a dive centre. It costs more than Sutera, it has only just finished building, and a second phase of 128 villas is planned.
Read the entry: JSK Mantanani Island Resorts Trademark by Wyndham
Things to do
Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.
Diving from the resorts
Owl walk for the Mantanani scops owl
Snorkelling day trip from Kota Kinabalu
When to go
- JanPart
- FebPart
- MarOpen
- AprOpen
- MayOpen
- JunOpen
- JulOpen
- AugOpen
- SepOpen
- OctOpen
- NovPart
- DecPart
Open: resorts and boats run, best months for snorkelling and diving. Part: resorts stay open, but boats can be delayed or cancelled in rough seas during the north-east monsoon. No month is shut. PADI gives no monthly visibility figures, so none are shown.
The best months are March to October, and PADI says the water is clearest from June to August, when visibility often reaches 20 m. From November to February, the north-east monsoon brings heavy rain and strong winds that can delay or cancel boats and cloud the water. No resort or operator publishes closure dates, so the islands stay open, but the crossing is less certain in those months.
Getting there
- Kuala LumpurFly to Kota Kinabalu, about 2 h 40 nonstop.
- Kota KinabaluResort shuttle, tour van, taxi or car to Kota Belud, about 90 km. Allow 2 h.
- Rampayan jetty, Kota BeludResort speedboat, 45 min to 1 h. No public ferry.
- Pulau MantananiMantanani Besar, about 30–40 km off the coast.
Fly to Kota Kinabalu, about 2 h 40 from Kuala Lumpur, then allow about 2 hours by road to Kota Belud. Every resort arranges a speedboat from Rampayan, about 45 minutes to an hour; book the boat with the room. Some day tours use Kuala Abai jetty, about an hour by boat. There is no public ferry and no public bus to either jetty.
Day trips
Most visitors come for the day from Kota Kinabalu. Majestic Leisure & Tours, a licensed operator (KPL/LN 5987), publishes these 2026 rates, valid to 31 December 2026 and the same for Malaysians and foreigners:
- RM210 per adult (RM190 for a child aged 3 to 11) if you make your own way to the jetty at Kota Belud. This covers the boat, lunch and snorkel gear, which is a mask and a life jacket only.
- RM305 per adult (RM285 child) on a shared tour with pickup from a Kota Kinabalu hotel.
- Private tours from RM370 to RM420 per adult, depending on group size. Minimum two adults.
The shared tour picks up at 7 am, boards at 9.30 am and reaches the island at about 10.30 am. It makes two snorkel stops, serves a buffet lunch and leaves the island at 3 pm, back in Kota Kinabalu at about 5.30 pm. Cancel more than 14 days ahead and you lose 30%, at 7 days 50%, and inside 7 days all of it.
Wildlife and diving
Mantanani is three islands: Mantanani Besar, the largest, with two fishing villages and every resort; Mantanani Kecil; and the islet of Lungisan. It is the only place in Malaysia to see the Mantanani scops owl. Megapodes and imperial pigeons live here too, and Lungisan has a swiftlet cave and a frigatebird roost.
- PADI rates diving best from March to October, and clearest from June to August. The Second World War wrecks nearby were largely salvaged for scrap.
- Dugongs feed in the seagrass, but sightings are rare. They are totally protected under Sabah’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
- JSK Mantanani runs turtle nesting-site protection and hatchling releases.
Rules and practicalities
Mantanani is not a marine park, so there is no conservation or landing charge. The Sabah government has proposed a marine park several times, most recently as “Mantanani Waters” under Sabah Parks in March 2025, but none has been created. Resorts charge non-Malaysians tourism tax of RM10 per room per night.
- There is no ATM. Sutera@Mantanani takes cards and e-wallets only, not cash; carry cash for anything else on the island.
- Wear the life jacket on the crossing. Local boats have capsized on this run, and operators may cancel or turn back in unsafe seas.