Best things to do in Kota Kinabalu with kids

With its fantastic location near the beach, jungle and mountain, there’s no shortage of amazing things to do in Kota Kinabalu with kids.  Whether you’re looking for culture, wildlife or adventure, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy, so it’s worth allowing a few days into your itinerary for a stopover.

If you are planning a visit to Borneo, you’ll probably need to pass through Kota Kinabalu.  After all, it is the gateway to Borneo and its many unique attractions.  Plus, Kota Kinabalu has an international airport, so is an ideal place to start your Borneo travels.

Kota Kinabalu is a modern city in the north west of Borneo.  It’s the capital of Sabah and is a bustling metropolis with high-rise condos, busy roads, markets and apartments  However, it is also by some stunning beaches, at the foot of the beautiful Mount Kinabalu and surrounded by rainforest, so the perfect hub for some natural adventures.

Come with us to discover the best things to do in Kota Kinabalu with kids.

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Kota Kinabalu’s prime location provides a wealth of choice when it comes to adventure activities.  White-water rafting, zip-lining and hiking are just a taste of the things to do in Kota Kinabalu.  All this makes it the perfect destination for a family holiday.  There’s so much for kids to do in Kota Kinabalu.

We visited on our recent family holiday to Borneo.  We flew in from Singapore and spent 5 days there after visiting Sandakan and the north east side of Borneo.

Here’s a round up of our top things to do with kids in Kota Kinabalu and some practical tips for your trip.

One of the best things to do in Kota Kinabalu with kids is a full-day snorkelling adventure.  All the snorkelling trips start at Jesselton Point, which is the main ferry terminal for the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.  It’s located north of downtown Kota Kinabalu.  It’s easy to get a taxi (or grab) there.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is made up of a group of 5 islands in the South China Sea; Gaya, Mamutik, Manukan, Sapi and Sulug.  Some of the larger islands have luxury resorts, where you can stay overnight.

You can book a day trip in advance or just turn up at the ferry terminal.  The day trip includes a professional snorkelling guide, boat transfers, equipment hire, and lunch.

You’ll stop at two or three different diving sites off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.  Each session in the water lasts 45 minutes, during which time you can explore the coral triangle.  You’ll see exotic reef fish, rays, jelly fish, black-nose sharks, and if you’re lucky spot a turtle.  The snorkelling trip includes a stop on an island and a Malaysian lunch.

Snorkelling off the coast of Kota Kinabalu is a fantastic experience and the kids loved it.

Another way to see the beautiful beaches near Kota Kinabalu is to go island-hopping in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.  Each of the five tropical islands has something different to offer, whether it is a jungle hike, snorkelling or golden sands.

You can book a day trip in advance or just turn up at the Jesselton Point ferry terminal. There are plenty of companies offering trips, and the prices are the same, depending on how many islands you want to visit.  You will also have to pay a small terminal fee and conservation fee.

If your family likes a thrill experience, take them for a ride on the world’s longest island to island zipline.

The Coral Flyer zipline will take you through the air at speeds of up to 60 km per hour from the tropical island of Gaya to Sapi.  You’ll be able to look down on the clear water and sandy beaches.

If you want to organise it independently, the ticket desk for the trip is on the jetty at Pulau Sapi.  However, you’ll also find several organised tours, which include lunch, safety equipment and transfers.  You can also add it on to the snorkelling day-trip.

One of the best ways for kids to learn more about the lives of the local Sabah people is a day trip to the local Mari Mari Cultural Village.  This is in interactive experience which includes seeing the traditional homes, demonstrations and a live performance by local natives.

During your visit to the Mari Mari Village, you’ll learn how to make a blow-pipe, start a fire, and taste some traditional delicacies.  You can even join in with some local dancing!  It is a popular trip, so worth booking an organised tour in advance.

Of course, you can’t visit Kota Kinabalu without a trip to the beach.

If you want a beach near to Kota Kinabalu’s city centre, head to Tanjung Aru.  This is a long sandy beach, popular with locals, but has a backdrop of skyscrapers.  It’s a great spot if you want a fantastic sunset.

We were at the Nexus Beach Resort, so enjoyed the beach here.  The resort has 6km of white, sandy beach so is a perfect play area for children.  It also has some spectacular sunsets in the evening.  However, the sea at Nexus Beach Resort was quite rough and had some strong undercurrents.

I didn’t allow the children to swim unsupervised, but it was a perfect opportunity for jumping some giant waves.  The was a fun thing to do with the family, but you really need to hold onto your swim wear!

If you are staying at a beach resort, they are likely to offer an recreation programme for children.  The Nexus Beach Resort had a timetable of events each day and the children were very keen to join in.  They took part in water polo, tae kwondo, arts and crafts sessions,  and Batik painting.

One of the more unusual reasons to visit Kota Kinabalu is to see the colossal rafflesia flower.

The rafflesia flower is the national flower of Malaysia and the world’s largest bloom.  It can grow up to one metre in diameter, but only grows in a few places on earth, including the Borneo rainforest.  Unfortunately, the rafflesia only blooms for 3 to 5 days a year, so we weren’t lucky enough to see it.

However, if you are there at the right time (April-May or September-October), head to Rafflesia Information Centre.  This is in Tambunan, about an hour’s drive from Kota Kinabalu.  From here you can trek through the rainforest in search of the elusive, giant flower.   Several organised trips go directly from Kota Kinabalu.

A word of warning – the rafflesia is apparently very smelly.  Consequently, it has the nickname “corpse flower”, as it smells like decaying flesh!

Kota Kinabalu has its own international airport (KKIA), located about 20 minutes outside of the city. From here you can take a taxi or bus into the city centre.

You can fly direct from from Kuala Lumpa (capital of Malaysia) to Kota Kinabalu with Air Asia.  The flight takes about 2.5 hours.  Alternatively, you could come direct from Singapore or Hong Kong.

We came via Singapore, after spending four days there first.  Singapore is an amazing place to visit and we really could have stayed longer.  It’s worth a visit just to see Singapore’s amazing airport, The Jewel Changi.

If you’re looking for accommodation in Kota Kinabalu, you’ll find plenty of choice to suit all budgets.  You need to choose whether to stay in the city centre on in one of the beach resorts further up the coast.

The city centre has the advantage of being more accessible to Kota Kinabalu, but the beach resorts offer fantastic beaches and luxury.   If money is no object, stay at the Shangri-La Rasa Rasa Ria, which is about 22 miles from the city.  The accommodation is beautiful, but is top budget.  You can book the Shangri-La here.

Other popular beach resorts include Borneo Beach Villas or the Nexus Spa Resort, where we stayed.  The resort is amazing, but you do have to factor in transport into Kota Kinabalu.

If you want to stay in the Kota Kinabalu City Centre, there are plenty of budget and mid-range options, including homestays, apartments and hotels.  On our first stopover in Kota Kinabalu we stayed at the HotelSixty3.  This is only 20 minutes from the airport, so ideal if you arrive late or have an early flight.

HotelSixty3 is a clean, safe hotel, with a large family room.  It is walking distance from a couple of local restaurants and the Gaya Street Sunday Market.

Kota Kinabalu has a good network of local and national buses:-

• The air-conditioned City Bus follows 3 routes around the city.
• The Local Bus (known as Mini-Bus), which will transport you to suburban areas and outside of Kota Kinabalu.
• The Airport Bus provides a shuttle service between the airport and Kota Kinabalu.
• The Express Bus is good for long distance journeys.  It can take you to other towns in Sabah or to popular attractions and destinations, such as Kinabalu Park and Sepilok.

Alternatively, it is easy to use a taxi or Grab(Asian equivalent of uber).

As we were staying at a beach resort, we used a Grab  for most journeys.  They were readily available and reasonably priced.  The main advantage of using Grab is that you know in advance how much to your journey costs. Remember to download the app before you travel.

If you’re visiting Borneo, you’ll want to visit Sandakan, to see the jungle and amazing wildlife on the east side of Sabah.

The easiest way to get from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan is to fly direct, as it only takes about 40 minutes.  There are 3 airlines that offer cheap flights, Air Malaysia, Firefly and Air Asia.  They offer about 66 flights a week, so you’ll have plenty of choice when to fly.

Alternatively, a cheaper option is to take the bus, which takes about 6 hours.

The main language spoken in Kota Kinabalu by the Chinese community is Hakka, but Mandarin and Cantonese are also widely understood and spoken.  English was also widely understood at the tourist places.

The official currency of Borneo is the Malaysia Ringitt (RM).  You can order your currency from the bank before you travel or take US dollars to exchange.

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