Beaches: T.A.R. Marine park - Malaysian Islands - Malaysia

PULAU SAPI
LOCATION: Pulau Manukan is located off the coast of downtown Kota Kinabalu. From Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, a 2-minute drive or 10-minute walk will bring you to the jetty at Jesselton Point (formerly Sabah Port Authority ferry terminal).

There are a number of tour operators here that will bring you to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (which consists of the islands of Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Sulug and Pulau Mamutik). The rental is charged per boat, which can range anywhere between RM100 and RM200. One boat can fit 4-6 people. A short 30-minute breezy boat ride will bring you here.

DESCRIPTION: In general, the beach at Pulau Manukan is a bit less spectacular compared to the one in Pulau Sapi. Nonetheless, the its shortcomings above the water surface is compensated by the rich and colourful marine life that you can find underneath it. Really, people come to Manukan for the diving and snorkeling.

There is a resort on the island called Manukan Island Resort, operated by the leisure outfit by the name of Sutra Sanctuary Lodges. Other than that, there are basic tourist facilities provided on the beach, such as water-based activity centre (for renting kayaks, snorkeling gears, life jackets, etc), a small caf and public bathroom.

Overall, I think the beach is quite nice. There are still plenty of tourists coming here for the underwater actions. In general, the beach can be regarded as sufficiently long for your personal space where you can spread your beach towels and put on your sunglasses.

MALOHOM BAY
LOCATION: Pulau Sapi is located off the coast of downtown Kota Kinabalu. From Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, a 2-minute drive or a 10-minute walk will bring you to the jetty at Jesselton Point ferry terminal from which you may charter a boat to get to this beach.

To be exact, Malohom Bay is located on the eastern side of the massive Pulau Gaya, the biggest island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) Marine Park. Fast boat transfer will take anywhere between 10-15 minutes. Gayana Island Resort is located in this massive bay which contains a number of separate sandy beaches throughout its length.

DESCRIPTION: Malohom Bay is regarded as a less popular beach on the expansive island of Pulau Gaya as compared to Bulijong Bay (or locally known as Police Beach) and Camp Bay. On my guess, the beach here is probably mostly being patronised by the hotel guests of Gayana Island Resort which is located right in the centre of the massive bay area.

Overall, I feel that the beach here is acceptably good with crystal-clear water and endowed with some signs of marine life, although I cannot vouch how good is the underwater scene at this bay because I did not snorkel or dive around the area. There are two dive sites published in local dive maps, namely Tanjung Point and Banana Beach which are located on the far end side of the long bay. There is also an unnamed ship wreck site here located right in the middle of the bay area.

Molohom Bay does not offer any breathtaking sunset view commonly associated with the area of Kota Kinabalu. Nonetheless, facing northeast, the beach offers really spectacular sunrise view (you have to wake up early for it as the sun rises around 0600 hrs in this region). I got the chance to witness the multi-coloured hues of the horizon as the sun emerges from the landscape. Right in the middle of the action stands Mt Kinabalu, which at 4,095 metres, is the highest mountain in South East Asia.

Actually, the bay is disconnected by rocky capes and mangrove forests at various points. On the easternmost side of the bay is a secluded beach which marks the official border between the gazetted marine park area and the infamous water village of Pulau Gaya known for its illegal immigrants and the crimes commonly associated with them. Nonetheless, this beach is sparsely populated away from the actual kampong air. Other than that, there is another sandy area called Hornbill Beach which seems to be accessible only by boats provided by Gayana Island Resort (unless you count a 3-hour jungle trekking across the bay as another access). There are 3-4 scheduled boat trips from the resort to Hornbill Beach.

PULAU MANUKAN
LOCATION: Pulau Manukan is located off the coast of downtown Kota Kinabalu. From Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, a 2-minute drive or 10-minute walk will bring you to the jetty at Jesselton Point (formerly Sabah Port Authority ferry terminal).

There are a number of tour operators here that will bring you to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (which consists of the islands of Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Sulug and Pulau Mamutik). The rental is charged per boat, which can range anywhere between RM100 and RM200. One boat can fit 4-6 people. A short 30-minute breezy boat ride will bring you here.

DESCRIPTION: In general, the beach at Pulau Manukan is a bit less spectacular compared to the one in Pulau Sapi. Nonetheless, the its shortcomings above the water surface is compensated by the rich and colourful marine life that you can find underneath it. Really, people come to Manukan for the diving and snorkeling.

There is a resort on the island called Manukan Island Resort, operated by the leisure outfit by the name of Sutra Sanctuary Lodges. Other than that, there are basic tourist facilities provided on the beach, such as water-based activity centre (for renting kayaks, snorkeling gears, life jackets, etc), a small caf and public bathroom.

The information on Malaysian Islands is provided by:

ISLANDS OF MALAYSIA The Independent Travel Guides to Malaysian Islands