Skip to content
Mixroutes
Kota Kinabalu
State capital city and district capital in Sabah, Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu, colloquially referred to as KK, is the state capital of Sabah, Malaysia.

Plan a trip to Kota Kinabalu→From Bandar Seri Begawan

It is also the capital of the Kota Kinabalu District as well as the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies to its west and Mount Kinabalu, which gave the city its name, is located to its east. Kota Kinabalu has a population of 452,058 according to the 2010 census; when the adjacent Penampang and Tuaran districts are included, the metro area has a combined population of 628,725. The 2020 Census revealed an increase in the municipal population to 500,421, while the wider area including the Penampang and Putatan districts had a population of 731,406.

Get in

Getting to Kota Kinabalu

There are direct international flights from these destinations to Kota Kinabalu: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (Royal Brunei Airlines), Hong Kong (Air Asia), Manila, Philippines (Cebu Pacific & Philippines AirAsia), Seoul Incheon & Busan South Korea (Air Busan, Air Seoul, Jeju Air & Jin Air), Singapore (AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines & Scoot), Taipei, Taiwan (Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia), Domestic flights from the…

  1. 01
    Kota Kinabalu International Airport

    Malaysia's second busiest airport and the main gateway to Sabah and around 8 km from the city centre.

  2. 02
    South Bus Terminal

    Bypass (across the road from Wisma Wawasan).

  3. 03
    North Bus Terminal
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Atkinson Tower
  2. 02
    City Park

    A small park and the only park in the city center opposite the court complex.

  3. 03
    Chinatown

    Located in the city centre surrounding Gaya Street and Pantai (Beach) Street.

  4. 04
    Sembulan Riverfront
  5. 05
    Double Six Monument

    A memorial site on the location of the 1976 plane crash which killed the state chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens and other state cabinet members.

  6. 06
    Sabah State Museum

    A good place to understand the history of Kota Kinabalu and Sabah.

Do

Things to do

Try dives, leisure diving, technical diving and snorkelling are all available from Kota Kinabalu. Several interesting dive sites can be enjoyed as day trips from Kota Kinabalu with nearby World War II wrecks accessible for scuba diving. Some are in the 24-45 m depth range whilst other wrecks are only suitable for technical diving.

Eat

Where to eat

Kota Kinabalu is a cultural melting pot. Here Chinese meet Malays and Bruneis, Javanese, Filipinos and even a couple of Europeans, all of whom have brought along their own cuisine. Try out the many specialties offered at the various kedai kopi (often in buffet form making it easy to order) and shun fast food chains. For meals, head to the outdoor food stalls fronting the sea or coffee shops along the streets.

  1. 01
    Night Market

    An outdoor street market with street food and music.

  2. 02
    El Centro

    32 Jalan Haji Saman (Opposite Wisma Merdeka).

  3. 03
    Tavern Kitchen & Bar

    Lot G-93, Imago Shopping Mall, KK Times Square Phase 2, Jalan Coastal (Opposite Soho Bar, same row as Starbucks on ground floor of Imago Mall), contactus@tavern.com.my.

  4. 04
    Gaya Vegetarian

    Vegetarian Chinese restaurant with large portions, especially the soups.

How locals move

Getting around Kota Kinabalu the local way

  • Get inTerminal 1 serves full-service airlines such as Malaysia Airlines, Asiana Airlines, while Terminal 2 serves air cargo, a tourist helicopter service, and charter flights.
  • Get inYou can also catch buses/minibuses doing the shorter run to Ranau.
  • Get inMinibuses leave once full from Terminal Bas Bandaran Berjaya (Updated August 2022).
  • Get inYou can also make the journey by minivans but you may have to change at Beaufort or even at Papar and Sipitang.
  • Get inCatch them from the minivan station opposite Wawasan Plaza.
  • Get inAgain, you can do this do this by minivans throughout the day, although they are more frequent in the morning.
  • Get inYou may also have to change at Papar if you cannot get a direct minivan.
  • Get inMultiple bus companies operate express buses between KK and Menumbok where there are ferries to Labuan.

From Wikivoyage: Kota Kinabalu, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.