I do not know where to begin to tell you about Pulau Manukan. So, can I just tell you to just GO THERE YOURSELF! If I live in KL, I will probably fly to Sabah at every opportunity when Air Asia offers cheap flight.
(all photos taken with cheap point & shoot cam because I dare not bring my DSLR on a beach trip)
I have been to Redang, Perhentian and most of the islands here in West Malaysia. It is a hassle getting to those island. However, getting to Manukan is such a breeze. The jetty is in Kota Kinabalu. Grab a ticket, hop on a boat and you are heading to one of the beautiful islands in Sabah. The boat trip is around 45 minutes, I think. I should write this much earlier but I keep postponing and now, I have forgotten the fare and time.
This is Manukan island. The beach is not exactly powdery soft as it has lots of corals and rough sands. However, the water is clear. You can go scuba diving or snorkelling.
The journey begins at Jesselton Pier. Once you get there, a few boat operators will be calling out to you to buy their tickets. It is rather noisy and confusing to me with all of them shouting at their loudest voices. We got our tickets from one operator who calls themselves SOB! LOL.
This is what I love about Sabah. You can get to the nearest mountain, beach, island in just a few minutes. You can see the crystal clear water of Pulau Manukan from the below photo.
There are other islands but we chose Manukan because it seems to be the nearest. My children had a good time there, feeding fishes, playing in the sand, getting sunburn and running around.
I have forgotten the name of this thing. It is sort of like scuba diving. You get into that glass capsule and sink down to the bottom of the sea to see the corals. The tank of oxygen will provide you air and they also provide you with a guide. If I remember correctly, the chap there offered two of my older sons a trip for RM300 for two persons. My good kids decided to save me the money. I dare not ride because I have problems with tight spaces and will probably die in that little class capsule. Sort of reminds me of that classic tale of dunno-how-many leagues below the sea?
(yes, I love my gold beach sandal)
So, go to Sabah. It is really fun. Forget Kuching, head for KK.
Thanks for introducing this island as it’s my first time knowing about this Pulau Manukan. The water is really very very clear! And their scuba diving session looked so cute and different. Wish I could go there for a trip too… 🙂
BEAUTIFUL!!!!:)
hi there, just checked on yr blog, may I know what and which brand of camera are you using, the pics u taken was so cool.
belinda – Actually, I have several cameras. For the above photos, they were taken with my sons’ cameras. Pentax and Nikon. I highly recommend Nikon. I got a photography blog too at http://digitalphoto.malaysiabest.net. Do take a look! And thanks .
christy – Yes, Sabah is really nice to visit. And cheap too.
cookies_cream – Actually, if Air Asia has cheap flights, it is cheaper to get there than our own West Malaysia islands of Redang and Perhentian. No hassles, just hop on the plane and the airport is so near KK. And from KK, you just hop on a boat over to the islands. No need to travel all the way to the East Coast of West Msia. Plus their seafoods are so cheap and plenty of weird foods not found here.
ohhhh you hurt me when you ask every one not to come to Kuching 🙁
so bad…
I agree with belinda, your photos does look cool. Nikon is the best? I have got Kodak DX6490 and a stupid Sony DST 100. i love my kodak more but the lens is not in a good shape any more.
your photo does look stunning!
cheers
p/s I’m going to KK almost every month… because of work I never actually stop enjoy myself there. I’ll try to go there. 🙂
Lilian, I don’t recall the boat ride being that long. If I remembered correctly, it took about 20 – 25 mins only. Been there a few years ago. I love Sabah!
Thanks for introducing this beautiful island! Look forward to this island in my next trip! 🙂
i feel the breeze now..ehehe
So fun! I want go underwater and c!, didn’t go down before. my mom’s friend told me Sabah is so nice and looks like new zealand, is it real?