Kota Kinabalu Itinerary for 3 Days : Ultimate Kota Kinabalu Travel Guide

Day 1 | Morning

Kota Kinabalu City Mosque

Opening Hours: Open 24 hours

Ticket Price: 5 MYR

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Hours

Location: Jalan Pasir, Jalan Teluk Likas, Kampung Likas, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

The Floating Mosque, also known as the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, is located on the shores of Likas Bay on the northeastern side of downtown Kota Kinabalu. The mosque is a classic example of contemporary Islamic architecture and offers an unforgettable view of the sunset. The stunning scenery features the white mosque reflected in the lake surrounding it, accented by a backdrop of clear blue sky.

Reviews from Real Guests:

K-TravelMuse: Very beautiful architecture. Major tourist attraction. Please wear conservatively when visiting all places of worship, not just this mosque. If you don't, the guards at the compound entrance will lend muslim compliant clothes. There is a long row of food outlets just outside the mosque building. Worth checking out. Mostly local dishes, western snacks and tidbits. Strictly no smoking here. The building would really stand out if the lake is full and no wind. Beautiful mirror image during sunrise/ sunset.

Trip.com User: A must see in Kota Kinabalu! I went to the Blue Mosque, and as soon as I saw it, I was impressed. I think you can actually feel that wonder, and it's pretty in the front, but it's more solid in the side, and it's more beautiful. If you go to Kota Kinabalu, I recommend you go to the city mosque !!! ^^

Day 1 | Afternoon

After finishing the tour at Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, you can head to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, the most worth visiting place around the corner.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

Opening Hours: Open from 8:30am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 25 MYR

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-2 Days

Location: Sabah, Malaysia

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is a famous marine-type national park in Malaysia. It consists of five islands, namely Gaya Island, Sabi Island, Mamudi Island, Manukan Island and Solo Island. These islands have beautiful sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. The sea is home to a large number of corals and marine life. The jungle is rich in plants and many rare wild animals. You can choose to island hop, taking a stroll through the woods, diving in the water, or choose an just one island to enjoy the blue sky and a leisurely holiday.

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: Go without any conditions !! You can snorkeling at the beach thanks to the beach in Zanjanhang, which you never see in Korea ㅠㅠㅠ !! Sapa Island Seawalk, parasailing is the best !! Snorkeling is the best Manukan Island !! I recommend Gaya Island Resort if the date is free

Trip.com User: One of the nicest place in Sabah! The view there is amazing! Very Beautiful island located in Sabah about 15mins boat ride there. Good place for swimming and snorkeling!

Day 1 | Evening

If you want to explore other popular attractions later, Hilton Kota Kinabalu is a suitable place for you to stay and refresh.

Hilton Kota Kinabalu

The Hilton Hotel Kota Kinabalu is a five-star hotel located in downtown Kota Kinabalu, providing guests with easy access to local attractions, commercial district, retail and entertainment facilities.

The 306-room Hilton Hotel Kota Kinabalu features a first-rate fitness center, with modern weight and cardiovascular equipment, complemented by an outdoor pool, jacuzzi and steam room facilities.

Day 2 | Morning

Mari Mari Cultural Village

Opening Hours: Open on Sat-Sun,10:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 175 MYR

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-3 Hours

Location: Jalan Kionsom, Inanam, 88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

In the Mari Mari Cultural Village (MariMari in Malay, meaning to come), you can get a glimpse of the life of the Maolu headhunters, who are said to be fierce by nature, and the life of the Dushun people in Jiadashan. Once in the village, you will pass through the buildings built in the traditional style of Sabah, including the famous Longhouse of the Longus people and the residence of the Maolu people with spacious living space, and you can even step into it to find out. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of the real situation of their daily routines. In addition to personally experiencing the taste of cooking with bamboo fire, you can also enjoy authentic food flavors here, and learn the survival skills of making fire, hunting, and building houses. Getting along with the friendly "villagers" in the cultural village and watching cultural performances will definitely leave you with a profound and very different experience and impression of customs and customs.

Day 2 | Afternoon

When time permits after visiting Mari Mari Cultural Village, don’t forget pay a visit to Pulau Tiga Park.

Pulau Tiga Park

Opening Hours: Open on Mon-Fri,8:00am-5:00pm;Open on Sat-Sun,9:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 200 MYR

Recommended Length of Stay: 1-1 Days

Location: Pulau Tiga, Sabah, Malaysia

Tiga Island is located on the coast of Sabah. Tiga (tiga) means three in Malay, that is, Tiga Island is composed of three islands, the larger one is called Tiga Island, and the other two are Ka PulauKalampunianBesar and PulauKalampunianDamit are also known as Snake Island because of the many species of sea snakes found on the island. It takes about 20 minutes by speedboat to reach Tiga Island from Kuala Penyu. There are many mammals on the island, including the ubiquitous macaques, monitor lizards, exotic birds, and countless insects and wild orchids are not to be missed.

Day 2 | Evening

Don’t forget to book The Pacific Sutera in advance, because all the tourists head to Pulau Tiga Park love staying at it.

The Pacific Sutera

Located within the Sutera Harbour Resort with beautiful sunrise overlooking the lush green terrain of 27 hole golf course. Located within minutes away from Kota Kinabalu City centre and 10 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu International Airport. This resort-hotel also have its share of the marina; housing the luxury travelling cruisers and private boats.

Restaurant includes an award winning Chinese restaurant serving dim sum, authentic Chinese cuisines and live seafood and an international restaurant serves international buffet and local cuisine. Other Hotel facilities available are international spa, fitness center, snooker, squash, badminton, hair salon, tennis, theater and more.


The free form swimming pool is designed for children and adults to share the fun. “Bouncing Castle” is the children’s favorite pool game. Also daily scheduled activities available for kids include blow-pipe, pottery painting, sand art, cupcake baking, water aerobics and more Couples can tanned along the wooden decks while enjoying their drinks. The beach is just a mere steps away from the swimming pool.

Enjoy the club lounge on the 11 floor for those who stay in club room. With the Morning view of the blue sky over the South China Sea, and evening view of sunset between the islands.

Suitable for family, leisure and business travelers

Day 3 | Morning

Sabah Museum

Opening Hours: Open from 9:00am-5:00pm

Ticket Price: 2 MYR

Recommended Length of Stay: 2-2 Hours

Location: Jalan Kebajikan, Kota Kinabalu 88998, Malaysia

Sabah Museum is a prestigious museum in Sabah, which records and displays Sabah's rich historical, social and natural history. The main building of the museum adopts the shape of the Longus longhouse, and the beams extending outwards on the roof resemble the Somasau dancers with outstretched arms. This is the perfect place for those looking to delve into Sabah's rich historical, social and natural history. In addition, the cultural village near the main body of the museum is quite distinctive. It imitates the traditional residence characteristics of the Aborigines in Sabah, and has built many houses. Tourists can enter each room and hall to visit and explore. There are even real people who demonstrate daily life and use tools. .

Reviews from Real Guests:

Trip.com User: well done and well curated museum. they have many other attractions outside the main museum such as heritage houses and flora park etc. for local, really cheap admission fee for RM2, worth it and at least need to spend 2/3hours here.

Ismi Hakem: Although many times coming here.. Im never boring n can see something new every month n year wht expose in this museum..I thing I like n apricite local historical n internationally so much

Day 3 | Afternoon

Now we come to another great highlight in the city: Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre.

Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre

Opening Hours: Open on Tue-Sun,8:00am-6:00pm

Ticket Price: 10 MYR

Recommended Length of Stay: 3-4 Hours

Location: Jalan Bukit Bendera Upper， Taman Likas， 88400 Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu Wetland Center is located in the mangrove swamp area only two kilometers away from the city center, covering an area of about 24 hectares. It is an important habitat for migratory birds from North Asia in this area. A large number of birds, such as purple heron, are a good place for local and foreign tourists and scholars to visit the natural environment. It is recommended to arrange one more day to come to the Wetland Park, and you can apply for a local day trip. The natural environment of the entire wetland is very good. Taking a cruise to visit this mangrove swamp is mainly to see the ecological environment here and feel the tropical characteristics here. Look for the jungle proboscis monkeys in Malaysia, enjoy the beautiful sunset on the river beach, feel the dazzling fireflies of the night elves in the night, and spend a wonderful day!

Reviews from Real Guests:

Klchic: easy to get there and has lots of activities! if you wanna get a way from the city vibe come here

* All reviews in the blog are machine-translated.