The 15 Best Snorkelling Trips in Malaysia

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 snorkeling sessions in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. A PADI professional leads a group of up to 12, with equipment, boat transfers, purified water, and island lunch included. Guides such as Alex, Didi, Ian, and Azmi are praised for calm, attentive help.

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

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2.Full-Day Guided Snorkeling Tour from Kota Kinabalu

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

Meet at 8:45 AM at Kota Kinabalu’s DBKK Jetty for a guided catamaran trip into Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Guides such as Didi, Alex, and Asri tailor the snorkel sites to sea conditions and your confidence, with reef fish, turtles, rays, and clownfish possible. Lunch is served at an island café.

“Highly recommend this tour. Alex was a very knowledgeable and wonderful tour guide for our snorkelling day tour.”

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3.Snorkeling & Island Hopping Sapi & Manukan

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

Spend a full day touring Sapi and Manukan islands from Kota Kinabalu. You’ll get hotel pickup, boat transfers, snorkeling gear, a guide, lunch, and beach time. Sapi offers easy shore snorkeling and optional water sports, while larger Manukan gives you more room to swim, stroll, and relax.

“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”

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4.Mangrove River Cruise and Snorkeling Tour from Langkawi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews

Spend about three hours with a private boat, a naturalist guide, and snorkel gear as you explore Langkawi’s mangroves, an old charcoal kiln, Pinang Cave, and the waters near Pulau Dangli. Guides such as Masyi, Shaf, Jien, Rodhi, and June have led this outing, which begins at 3:00 pm in Kubang Badak.

“Our Mangrove River Cruise with JungleWalla was fantastic. Masyi was a friendly and knowledgeable guide who created a great atmosphere for everyone. One of the highlights of the tour was JungleWalla’s strong focus on environmental respoRead more”

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5.Manukan & Sapi Islands Snorkeling with Lunch

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

Join an English-speaking guide, including guide Cris on some departures, for a full day at Manukan and Sapi Islands. You’ll ride from Jesselton Point, snorkel, swim, enjoy lunch, and have time for optional watersports at your own cost. Shared transport covers pickup, boats, entrance fees, and return to your hotel.

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

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6.Bohey 3 Islands Hike, Snorkel/Dive Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 50 reviews · 7 hours - 450 minutes · from $58

From Semporna, you’ll spend about seven hours visiting Bohey Dulang, Mantabuan, and Sibuan. Hike Bohey Dulang’s 600-meter trail for wide sea views, then snorkel or take two instructor-led 20-minute scuba sessions. Guides speak English, Chinese, and Malay, and lunch is served at a quiet island stop.

“The mountain and the view absolutely breathtaking. Going up to the top was tiring but it’s worth it. The guys and really nice even tho they didn’t speak English except for a few words so the communication was really low. A part from that the second island was beautiful and the snorkeling point amazing. The best I had so far in Semporna”

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7.Explore 3 Islands Tour Snorkel or Dive & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 44 reviews · 7 hours · from $57

Meet your multilingual English, Chinese, or Malay-speaking crew at Semporna Jetty for a full day around Timba Timba, Mataking, and Pandanan. You can choose three snorkeling sessions or two 20-minute introductory scuba sessions plus snorkeling. Expect long speedboat rides, simple local lunch, reef time, and extra cash fees for two islands.

“wunderschöne tour auf die drei Inseln,viel snoorkeln,einfach Traum”

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8.Fun Boat Snorkeling and Island Visit from Kota Kinabalu

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

Spend about eight hours cruising from Kota Kinabalu to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park with PADI-certified instructors, two snorkeling stops, and lunch on Pulau Gaya. Hotel pickup, boat transfers, park admission, and jetty fees are included. The group can reach up to 40 people, so expect a social, shared-boat outing rather than a private trip.

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

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9.Dangli Island Snorkel and Swim Speedboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 15 reviews · 3 hours

Meet your English-speaking skipper at Kilim Jetty for a private three-hour speedboat trip to Dangli Island. Snorkel among schools of fish, feed them with bread bought at the jetty, then swim at Pantai Pasir Panjang or another beach if conditions change. A roofed boat, life jackets, and guide are included.

“really good trip and well worth it. so you normally arrive at the park carpark. make sure you get a picture of where to go before you set off as many tourists don't seem to get reception on the island. the guide took is straight from the disembarkation jetty (100meter walk from the car park). be ready with swim wear when you arrive and dry bags. also, bring a bag of bread to feed the fish. the boat ride is very fast and gets you to a good spot off the island to snorkel for about 30 minutes. you will not be disappointed with the fish! there are so many…”

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10.Langkawi Royal Mangrove Tour with Snorkeling Package

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 13 reviews · 3 hours

Meet your English or Malay-speaking skipper at the AD Mangrove Tour counter for a private three-hour cruise through Langkawi’s Kilim Geopark. Expect mangrove wildlife, Bat Cave, Crocodile Cave, Gorilla Mountain, the Floating Restaurant, and snorkeling at Dangi Island. Bring water, sunscreen, swimwear, and dry clothes.

“Snorkelen was helaas veel dezelfde vissen maar de tour door de Mangrove was heel erg bijzonder en mooi”

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

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

Spend about 10 hours exploring Langkawi by road and boat. You’ll visit Eagle Square, snorkel near remote Pulau Dangli, stop at Tanjung Rhu and Sandy Skulls beaches, ride the SkyCab, and finish at Pantai Cenang. Hotel pickup, lunch, water, equipment, and the return boat ride are included. The SkyCab and Sky Bridge cost about $13 extra.

“Fantastic day seeing the main sites of Langkawi. The whole day was well planned and packed with activites. Really enjoyable and I have no hesitation in recommending this tour.”

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12.Mabul and Kapalai Trip in Snorkel or Dive & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 12 reviews · 6h 30m · from $57

Spend about six and a half hours traveling by speedboat from Semporna to Mabul and Kapalai. You get reef time, swimming, a visit to Mabul’s water village and resorts, lunch, equipment, and an instructor. Choose snorkeling or two short beginner scuba sessions. Bring cash for Mabul’s MYR 50 entrance fee.

“It was my first time to diving, but could watch 2 turtles and lots of big fish! instructor was really kind and made me relaxed.”

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13.Island Hopping with Snorkeling & Meal

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

Spend a full day island-hopping from Jesselton Point to Manukan and Sapi islands. You’ll get boat transfers, entrance fees, snorkeling equipment excluding fins, beach time, and a simple buffet lunch. This is an independent snorkeling day rather than a guided marine tour, so it suits confident swimmers who value flexibility over instruction.

“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...”

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14.Mamutik + Sapi Island SnorkelingTrip from Kota Kinabalu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · from $95

Set out from Kota Kinabalu’s Jesselton Point for a half-day island trip in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. You’ll snorkel among clown fish, relax on Manukan Island, and may add Sapi or Mamutik Island. Hotel pickup, boat transport, equipment, entrance fees, and a beachside BBQ lunch are included. The small group is limited to four people.

“I can’t say enough about this tour, it was the highlight of our trip! We were able to see so many islands and see lots of marine life. We were able to customize the experience a little, and ask for certain islands. There’s basically a huge boat taRead more”

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15.Floating Restaurant & Snorkeling Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 6 reviews · 3 hours

Join Mr Din at Kilim Geoforest Park for a private three-hour boat trip through mangroves to Dangli Island. You will snorkel for about 75 minutes, feed fish, and stop at a floating fish farm and restaurant. The boat has a roof, safety jackets, and an English-speaking skipper-guide. Meals and snorkel gear cost 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.”

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