In Sabah – Day 2 (Part 2)

… continuation

Next up was island hopping. It’s a must-thing-to-do when one is in Sabah, especially in Kota Kinabalu. There are 5 islands in total;

1. Pulau Gaya
2. Pulau Sapi
3. Pulau Manukan
4. Pulau Mamutik
5. Pulau Sulug

Out of 5 above, the first four islands are the famous ones tourists would go to. And to get to the said islands, one would need to board a speedboat from a jetty.

The most common jetty, which I went to, was called Jesselton Point jetty. It’s about 15 to 20 minutes walk from Gaya Market itself and I had to walk along the main road.

Upon entering, the ticket counter / building was on the right side. In there, there’re 9 counters with different company occupying each counter. I had coupon / voucher with me, which was provided by the accommodation, and so, I got a slightly cheaper rate than others.

As recommended and since it was a Sunday, I picked only one island that has the least tourists. I was told that there weren’t many tourists going to Pulau Mamutik as there are no resorts or any fancy stuff in there. Besides, Pulau Mamutik is the smallest amongst all islands and it’s the nearest to Kota Kinabalu.

It took about 15 minutes to reach to the said island. Word of advice, try to sit at the back (of the boat) as the ride will be bumpy. And before entering the island, one needs to pay entrance fee. The rates vary according to one’s nationality.

Honestly, what I was told about was pretty true. There weren’t many things to see. It took me 15 minutes to walk from one end to another and I’m done with the island.

There were a couple of small huts and that’s it.

One could opt for diving or snorkelling as the coral reefs are beautiful. There are pit areas for barbeque too but you’ve have to pay additional fee for that.

Other than those activities, one could just lay back and do nothing while enjoying the sight of greenish-blue sea. I spent almost 3 hours on that island itself. The sight of hot chicks sunbathing, coral reefs and clear waters was just so pleasing to the eyes. It was one of those relaxing moments when there was no interference from what-so-ever.

Around the jetty itself, there were fishes ‘camping’ in groups. One could just buy a couple pieces of bread and feed those fishes.

It was around noon time when I decided to hop on a speedboat to get back to the mainland / jetty.

to be continued…

Chronicles of Sabah Trip 2009 :-

• In Sabah – Day 6
• In Sabah – Day 5
• In Sabah – Day 4 (Part 2)
• In Sabah – Day 4 (Part 1)
• In Sabah – Day 3 (Part 2)
• In Sabah – Day 3 (Part 1)
• In Sabah – Day 2 (Part 3)
• In Sabah – Day 2 (Part 2)
• In Sabah – Day 2 (Part 1)
• In Sabah – Day 1
• In Sabah – Prelude