13 Snorkelling Trips in Malaysia to Build a Day Around

1.Guided Snorkeling Day Trip, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 282 reviews · from $65Our pick

Join Borneo Dream from Kota Kinabalu for three guided snorkel sessions in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Guides such as Alex, Didi, Ian, and Azmi help first-timers feel safe while you look for turtles, reef sharks, rays, octopus, and tropical fish. Lunch, gear, water, and boat transfers are included.

“Fun short day out with 2 snorkelling trips and some chill time on the beach after lunch. Friendly guide and skipper”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Full-Day Guided Snorkeling Tour from Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 101 reviews · 7 hours · from $66

Join Borneo Dream Travel & Tours for a seven-hour snorkeling day from Kota Kinabalu. Guides such as Didi and Alex lead small groups to coral gardens in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, adapting sites to sea conditions and ability. Expect island lunch, fish spotting, and possible turtles, rays, sharks, and clownfish.

“An excellent day out and some lovely fish to swim with.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Snorkeling & Island Hopping Sapi & Manukan

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 97 reviews · 1 day · from $67

Spend a full day in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, traveling by speedboat from Kota Kinabalu to Sapi and Manukan. You get hotel transfers, a guide, snorkeling gear, lunch, beaches, and time for swimming. Optional parasailing, sea walking, jet skiing, and banana boat rides cost extra.

“Tour guide was friendly and positive, spent over three hours on the first island (sapi) and an hour on the second (Manukan) which was nicer of the two. Felt like the long stay on sapi was mainly to pressure you into paying for the additional activities. Lunch wasn’t bad but quite greasy and not worth the price”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Mangrove River Cruise and Snorkeling Tour from Langkawi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews

Set out at 3 pm from Kubang Badak with a JungleWalla naturalist guide such as Masyi, Jien, Shaf, Rodhi, or June. Cruise mangrove channels, pass an old charcoal kiln, enter Pinang Cave, then snorkel from Pulau Dangli with gear provided.

“Our trip with Junglewalla was very educational. Jien, our guide, knew everything about the important role of the mangrove forest in the ecosystem. We also got to enter the bat cave and snorkel among beautiful fish. A big thank you to Junglewalla and our guide Jien.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Manukan & Sapi Islands Snorkeling with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 61 reviews · 7 hours · from $74

Join an English-speaking guide, including guide Cris when assigned, for a seven-hour trip from Kota Kinabalu to Manukan and Sapi Islands. You’ll get boat transfers, park entry, lunch, snorkeling time, and beach breaks. Watersports cost extra, and outskirt hotel pickups add RM40 per person.

“Bardzo profesjonalna obsługa. Przewodnik był cały czas z nami i troszczył się abyśmy byli zadowoleni. Polecam tego organizatora.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Fun Boat Snorkeling and Island Visit from Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 35 reviews · from $130

Join a PADI-certified snorkeling crew from Sutera Harbour for two sea stops in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, followed by lunch and beach time on Pulau Gaya. The $130, eight-hour outing includes city hotel transfers, boat transport, park fees, equipment assistance, and lunch.

“Recomendado. Muy bonita experiencia de snorkeling, muy atentos y amables. Lo más bonito de Kk fue hacer este tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Langkawi Royal Mangrove Tour with Snorkeling Package

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 13 reviews · 3 hours

You’ll cruise Langkawi’s mangrove waterways with an English or Malay-speaking skipper-guide, visit Bat Cave and Crocodile Cave, view Gorilla Mountain and the Floating Restaurant, then snorkel at Dangi Island. The private boat suits groups of up to eight, though underwater sights can be modest.

“The tour was great, and the guide was very knowledgeable. However, the snorkeling part didn’t meet our expectations. There wasn’t much to see underwater, and only a few fish appeared when we tossed in some bread. The trip is worth recommending, but the snorkeling can be skipped.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Langkawi Tour A – Land Tour & Pulau Dangli Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · from $105

This 10-hour private Langkawi tour pairs major sights with quieter corners of the island. You’ll visit Eagle Square, snorkel from a boat at Pulau Dangli, stop at Tanjung Rhu and Sandy Skulls beaches, ride the SkyCab, and finish at Pantai Cenang. Pickup, lunch, equipment, and water are included.

“From the beginning until the end, the staff was all friendly and helpful. They have assisted in every possible way to make the trip perfect. We would recommend these amazing people to whoever plans to avail of the service.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Island Hopping with Snorkeling & Meal

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 9 reviews · 1 day · from $63Best value

Spend a full day from Jesselton Point visiting Manukan and Sapi Islands. You get boat transfers, entrance fees, snorkel equipment without fins, and a simple buffet lunch. This is independent beach and snorkeling time, not a guided snorkeling tour.

“Es war total schlecht organisiert. Ich habe im Vorfeld Anweisungen bekommen, die ich genau befolgt habe, allerdings wurde man gefühlt immer hin und her geschickt, wobei keiner genaue Informationen hatte. Auf den Inseln war der Strand wirklich schön, aber dieser Eindruck wurde gleich von vielen Touristen zerstört, die sich teilweise wie die Axt im Walde benommen haben. Das hat man beispielsweise an den vielen toten Korallenriffen bemerkt. Einige haben sich einen Spaß daraus gemacht die kleinen Komodowarane zu jagen. Bei der Wartezeit am Strand war es super chaotisch, weil es viele verschiedene Anbieter gibt, die jeweils nur ihre Gäste mitnehmen, was zu langen Wartezeiten und überfüllten Stege...”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Floating Restaurant & Snorkeling Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 6 reviews · 3 hours

Meet Mr Din at Kilim Geoforest Park for a private three-hour boat trip through mangroves to Pulau Dangli. Snorkel, feed fish, and visit a floating fish farm. You can add an à la carte or package seafood meal, but snorkeling gear costs extra.

“the boat trip was awesome. very scenic. the snorkeling stop was beautiful. we were allowed such time as we desired. we ordered the simple lunch which was simple yet still satisfying. we were free to tour the fish farm at our own leisure. yes there was no guide for the fish farm but a guide was not necessary. the tour operators were very friendly, snorkeling gear is available for rent too. Alll in all, a great experience for the price.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Dreamer Island Snorkeling Day Tour Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 4 reviews · 1 day · from $66

You’ll travel from Kota Kinabalu by coach and speedboat to Dreamer Island for guided snorkeling, coral reefs, clownfish, and possible sea turtles. The $66 tour includes gear, lunch, transfers, conservation and entry fees, plus several hours to relax on the beach or buy optional water sports.

“i like how free we were to just have our own time. was able to relax on the shore. our guide, was very informative.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Kota Kinabalu | Snorkeling Sapi Island/Manukan Island

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 3 reviews · 7 hours · from $69

Spend seven hours at Sapi Island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, reached by a 15-minute speedboat from Kota Kinabalu. You get snorkeling gear, a life jacket, buffet lunch, beach time, and an English or Malay guide. Expect clear water, coral, sun, and a busy island atmosphere.

“Veel te druk op sapi island daardoor geen tropisch eiland gevoel. Ook de manier hoe tijdens ons bezoek de bepaalde nationaliteiten hun vakantie willen vieren met grote groepen is niet wenselijk. Ook de hoeveelheid afval/plastic overal is zeer treurig om te zien. Geen aanrader.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Snorkeling at Ara Dinawan Private Island

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 3 reviews · 1 day · from $110

Spend a full day at secluded Ara Dinawan Island with shared transport, a short speedboat ride, guided snorkeling, lunch, kayaking, paddleboards, and beach time. English and Malay guides lead the outing, though the advertised sunset is not part of the actual return schedule.

“The island was quiet, felt secluded and rustic with ample lounge chairs. The food was delicious and staff amazing. The meeting times were confusing - the tickets said 7:30am. The booking info said 7am. The corresponding person who was very prompt and helpful said 9am! So we arrived at 8am and waited for an hour. With no hotel pick up its was a little over priced for the one snorkel trip only 3 mins from the island for 1 hr. The rest of the time was leisure time swimming.”

Check availability →Read our full review