The 13 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 gear, boat transfers, purified water, and island lunch included. Guides such as Alex, Didi, Ian, and Azmi are praised for patient instruction and close attention to nervous swimmers.

“A great experience! Swam with turtles on my 60th birthday! I felt this was a well run trip. 3 Borneo Dreams staff and 8 guests. (1 driver, 1 guide with 7 snorkelers and 1 guide with one diver). Equipment was good and we felt safe at all times on the boat and in the water. We did 3 x 45 mins in three locations off Gaya Island with a basic but adequate lunch after the second one. Lots of lovely fish to see, sting Ray, jellyfish, and three turtles. Sadly, the coral is very bleached but there were some amazing structures and it is a wake up call, along with…”

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2.Full-Day Guided Snorkeling Tour from Kota Kinabalu

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

Meet your RAID-certified guide at Kota Kinabalu’s DBKK Jetty for a seven-hour catamaran trip into Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Guides such as Didi, Alex, and Asri adjust reef stops to sea conditions and your confidence, help identify fish, and support beginners. Expect two or three snorkeling sessions, island lunch, and possible turtles, reef sharks, rays, or clownfish.

“From start to finish, the Borneo Dreams crew (Alex, Ashre, and Ashme) were informative and professional. We were very fortunate the day of the snorkel trip as we saw a big Hawksbill sea turtle, squid, a small stingray, several reef sharks and of course many fish. They took us to three snorkel areas and provided a tasty lunch on one of the islands. I've been on many snorkel excursions around the world and I was very pleased with this tour.”

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3.Snorkeling & Island Hopping Sapi & Manukan

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

Spend a full day in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with hotel pickup, boat rides, snorkeling gear, a buffet lunch, and time on Sapi and Manukan islands. Sapi is smaller and busier, while Manukan offers more room and facilities. 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”

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4.Mangrove River Cruise and Snorkeling Tour from Langkawi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews

Spend about three hours with a JungleWalla naturalist guide on a private boat from Kubang Badak. Cruise mangrove channels, see an old charcoal kiln, enter Pinang Cave, and use included snorkel gear at Pulau Dangli. Guides including Masyi, Shaf, Jien, Rodhi, and June are noted for clear, engaging explanations.

“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.”

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5.Manukan & Sapi Islands Snorkeling with Lunch

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

Set out from Kota Kinabalu at 8:20 AM for Manukan and Sapi Islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. You get boat transfers, a guide, lunch, entrance fees, and several hours for swimming and snorkeling. Optional banana boats, jet skis, sea-walking, and parasailing cost extra. Guide Chris is noted for staying close and helping guests enjoy the day.

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

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6.Fun Boat Snorkeling and Island Visit from Kota Kinabalu

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

Spend about eight hours from Kota Kinabalu exploring two snorkeling sites in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. PADI-certified instructors can assist in the water, while lunch, boat transfers, park fees, and city hotel pickup are included. You’ll also have time to relax on Pulau Gaya before returning to the mainland.

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

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7.Langkawi Royal Mangrove Tour with Snorkeling Package

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 13 reviews · 3 hours

Take a private three-hour cruise through Langkawi’s Kilim Geopark with an English- or Malay-speaking guide. Look for eagles, monkeys, and crocodiles, visit Bat Cave and Crocodile Cave, then stop at Dangi Island for snorkeling. The $119 rate covers up to eight people, but meals, hotel transfers, and snorkeling equipment details should be confirmed before booking.

“Super leuke mangrove tour gehad. Guide nam ons goed mee in alles wat we te zien kregen en nam de tijd. Geweldige ervaring. Als je een privé mangrove tour wilt doen dan kun je hier prima boeken!”

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

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

Spend about 10 hours exploring Langkawi by private vehicle and boat. Visit Eagle Square, snorkel around remote Pulau Dangli, relax at Tanjung Rhu and Sandy Skulls beaches, ride the SkyCab, and finish at Pantai Cenang. Hotel pickup, lunch, water, boat transport, and snorkeling gear are included. SkyCab and Sky Bridge admission costs about US$13 extra.

“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.”

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9.Island Hopping with Snorkeling & Meal

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

Spend a full day island hopping from Jesselton Point to Manukan and Sapi in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. You get boat rides, entrance fees, snorkeling gear, and a simple buffet lunch. This is an unguided beach and water outing, so non-swimmers and anyone seeking structured marine-life instruction should choose carefully.

“A day full of fun on and in the water. Most recommended!”

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10.Floating Restaurant & Snorkeling Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 6 reviews · 3 hours

Join Mr Din at Checkpoint 2 for a private three-hour boat trip through Kilim Geoforest Park. You’ll cruise mangroves, feed fish and stingrays, snorkel at Pulau Dangli, and optionally eat Malay or Thai seafood at a floating restaurant. The boat has a roof and safety jackets. Lunch and snorkeling 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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11.Dreamer Island Snorkeling Day Tour Ticket

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

Spend a full day from Kota Kinabalu at Dreamer Island, reached by coach and speedboat. Snorkel with clownfish and possibly sea turtles, relax on white sand, and enjoy lunch by the beach. English-speaking guides, gear, conservation fees, and hotel transfers are included. Extra water sports cost more.

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

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12.Kota Kinabalu | Snorkeling Sapi Island/Manukan Island

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

Take a 15-minute speedboat from Jesselton Point to Sapi Island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. You get snorkeling gear, a life jacket, buffet lunch, and about two hours of free beach time. English and Malay support is available, with optional hotel pickup in Kota Kinabalu.

“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.”

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13.Snorkeling at Ara Dinawan Private Island

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

Spend a day at Ara Dinawan Island, reached by shared transport and short speedboat rides from Beringgis Riverside Seafood Restaurant. You get a tea ceremony, guided island visit, one hour of snorkeling, lunch, kayaking, paddleboards, and free beach time. The setting is peaceful, but the sunset claim does not match the usual early return.

“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.”

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