Thursday, September 6, 2012

The KK Diaries: Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park

Day 4 - Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park

Finally, now on our fourth day, diary!

It was a fine, sunny morning when the Sensi Hostel Team (composed of yours truly, Brenna, Yancy, Cho and the two Spanish duos - Jaime and Alberto) walked all the way to the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal. We planned to visit three out of five islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park namely Mamutik, Manukan and Sapi.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu


My Kota Kinabalu experience would not be complete if I totally miss this marine park!

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park or TAR Marine Park is a park off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia. It is made up of five islands namely Gaya, Manukan, Mamutik, Sapi and Sulug.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu


I was a bit surprised when we boarded the speed boat. Back in the Philippines, we seldom use speed boats for island hopping as pump boats were more common. So, the speed of it caught me off guard. It reminded me of my bumpy jet-ski ride back home. But nonetheless, I really enjoyed it.


Pulau Mamutik

First stop was Mamutik Island. As part of the park's requirements, we paid RM10 for the Environmental Conservation Fee, payable upon arrival to the first island of the day visited. While talking to Brenna and Yancy in Tagalog, the speedboat operator overheard us and started talking to us in Tagalog too. Thank God! No matter how fluent we are in English, nothing beats the feeling of talking to your fellow kababayan in our mother tongue.

We arrived there at around 10 minutes before 10 in the morning and we were only allowed to stay there for two hours before sailing to our next destination.

The beach of Mamutik Island is clean although the sand was not that fine. Despite that, there were a lot fishes. Got nibbled by some of them... and in fairness ha masakit ang nibble nila! And because this particular island is small, you can explore it on foot for more or less 45 minutes.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu


Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu
Doing some crazy stuff at Mamutik Island

Fearing that the boat would leave us, we went to the pier fifteen minutes prior the departure... only to find out that the boat was almost 45 minutes late. Gee.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu
While waiting for our boat to Manukan Island. España y Filipinas represent!

Pulau Manukan

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu


Our second stop. Instead of hitting the beach, we went straight to the one and only cafeteria of the island. Swimming under the heat of the sun made us as hungry as lions. We even spotted a group of Filipinos, who like us, enjoying their vacation. I surmised they were also deprived of sun, like Brenna due to the monsoon rains.

I decided not to swim, fearing that I'd be a million shades darker. So, I just sat on a reclining chair and had a siesta for almost two hours.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu
The last thing I saw before I closed my eyes.

Ahhhh, good life.

I think Manukan Island is the most decent place to have an overnight stay. The island has several cottages for rent. They were all actually beautiful but judging from its beautiful facade, it's quite pricey.


Pulau Sapi

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Kota Kinabalu


We left Manukan Island at around 2PM. Last destination - Sapi Island. What I really loved about this island is the beach itself. The water is not too deep (especially fronting the southwestern tip of Gaya Island) and there are lots of corals! Perfect place for snorkeling. It was a wonderful trip indeed and we realized that in this kind of situation, we have to make plans to travel the whole world and enjoy all the beautiful beaches.

I swam for an hour before heading back to the shore and slept for an hour. It was cloudy during that time and it was just perfect - calm waters, hindi masyadong mainit na weather and most of all, a perfect time to play poker games or any other board or card games with your friends! Jaime and Alberto even asked me if I brought a deck of cards. Too bad, none of us brought one so the three of us just slept. Haha! Sleepyheads!


Things that you ought to know about Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park:
  • Try visiting the island on a weekday. It gets busier on weekends.
  • You can choose to spend as little as an hour on one island, or all day, or hop in between islands depending on how many trips you purchase at the terminal.
  • Swimmers should be extra cautious when swimming on any of these islands. Because of the park's rich marine biodiversity, the sea is filled with sea creatures, including the jellyfish. The park authority posts warning signs during jellyfish season.
  • Unless you are spending the night on any of the islands, or have chartered a boat, the last boats back to the city leave at 5PM. Be on time, because the boat operators will charge you a rather exorbitant fee for after hours pickups.
  • The western part of Gaya Island, directly opposite to downtown KK, is inhabited by mostly illegal immigrants. Crime rate there is high ergo it is dangerous to visit that part of the island.
  • The Marine Park has a diverse wildlife. Some of the islands are home to wild boars, long-tailed macaques, monitor lizards and proboscis monkeys (found on Gaya island). Also on Gaya island, you are likely to find green pit viper and the yellow banded mangrove snake. An albino python has also been seen there.
We actually enjoyed our trip to the marine park. Kudos to the local government of Kota Kinabalu for maintaining the TAR Marine Park. Everything's organized and the everyone's disciplined.

When in KK, you shouldn't miss this!

_______________________

Read more of my Kota Kinabalu adventures here!

32 comments:

  1. Did a Tunku tour twice but on both occasions we weren't able to visit Manukan. And yes, the accommodation there's pricey. We camped on Mamutik instead :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Waaaa ang sarap mag camping sa Mamutik!!! Pati rin sa Sapi... ay wait... may mga monitor lizards pala doon. HAHAHA! Miss ko na tuloy ang KK!

      Delete
  2. Really love your travel shots and posts. I wish I can visit those places as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tropical na tropical ang dating ng KK! Ganda ganda! - ed

    ReplyDelete
  4. Here's the continuation of the journey... Nice set of photos here bro!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This place is really nice. Thanks for the tips wish I could go to KK too =)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Now, the outdoor and island hopping part of your KK adventure. The islands you visited look really beautiful. At least, with a speed boat, you can visit more island.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The place is beautiful and good for swimming .You all did enjoy the trip.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow! great photos and seems a nice place to visit. Mapag-ipunan nga.

    ReplyDelete
  9. WoW! Ang ganda ng lugar ha. Parang Calaguas Island yung Pulau Manukan!

    ReplyDelete
  10. good thing they are able to preserve their marine ecology, I just hope Philippines would be more caring of its islands and ecology and not commercialize tourist destinations to the extent of polluting and destroying them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True!!! To be honest, beaches in the Philippines are MORE beautiful than this marine park, although dito sa Tunku Abdul, alagang-alaga talaga siya.

      Delete
  11. I should visit KK. I have been to Malaysia KL and Penang but never been to KK. The marine parks seems to be a good place to snorkel or scuba.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your introduction with KK to me makes me want to go there. Thanks bro. I will hit that spot one of these days

    ReplyDelete
  13. I now wish to go to KK too. The places that you went looks stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wish I could to that head stand thing. Lol Nice place. Perfect to step back and relax. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I just noticed you're always doing a headstand :3

    Blue waters, blue sky = perfect summer ♥

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow Renz, you had a very nice vacation! The photos are sooo inviting... Hehehe! The names of those islands sound funny in our language. hehehe!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The place seems to be really nice. I hope to be able to visit there too, someday. haha!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I want to go there, too. It is nice to know about Kota Kinabalu. I always heard that place but I don't have enough information on that place.

    ReplyDelete
  19. what a breathtaking view of the sea. i miss the white sand there in Philippines.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Awesome view, although we have some of the great places here in the philippines

    ReplyDelete
  21. Kota Kinabalu has been featured so many times by a lot of tourists. I wish to visit the place soon :) I so love beaches and breathtaking views!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hmmmm is that headstand inspired by SoloflightEd? ;) Anyway, I can't imagine sleeping instead of swimming in the inviting waters. You should've let Brenna lather you with sunblock. :))

    ReplyDelete
  23. Adding KK to my list of to-visit places as my list starts to pile-up already. :D

    ReplyDelete
  24. Are there chickens in Manukan Island? hoho. Kidding! I want to go there too...now na...huhu. :<

    ReplyDelete
  25. Punta tayo ng KK next year! Tamang-tama Manila based ka na. May makakaladkad na ko yehey wehey!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Of course, it is highly recommended to check whether the company is registered with the authority that handles this type of industry so that you are guaranteed of the products' safety. https://petguidepro.com/anti-barking-devices-for-dogs/

    ReplyDelete

Comments are highly appreciated. Spread love, not hate! :)