Tour Guides in Kinabalu Park, Wetlands Cruise, Tunku AR Park

I hope someone can help with our KK tour puzzle...

My parents (~65 yrs old), sister and I fly to KK in Dec, staying for 4 days. We%26#39;d like to visit Kinabalu Park %26amp; Canopy Walk, Klias/Garumu Wetlands Cruise, Tunku AR Park, but not with a large organized group.

My parents are healthy but not walk as fast as young. Then, is it possible to either join a tour group fr KK or hire a taxi fr KK to drive and show us around? How do we arrange this??

I found that Dec is the wet season, is it good to go for a half-day wetlands cruise to search for moneys and fireflies?

Plus, are there any jetty in the Sapi, Manukan or other islands in TAR Park? You know, its dangerous for elderly to board the boat from wavy beach.

Thanks, once I know all this - we%26#39;re all ready to go ... and I just can%26#39;t wait!!

Connie

Tour Guides in Kinabalu Park, Wetlands Cruise, Tunku AR Park

Dear Connie,

Your selected places of visit sounds good. If you want to have a guided tour at a cheaper price, it%26#39;s always better to join those Seat-In-Coach package. It%26#39;s normally in a 2 - 8 or may be 10+ group. It seldom go with a large organised group.

If the rain is not too heavy, you can still proceed going to the river cruise as there are roof attached to the boats. However, if your parents have difficulties in walking, may be it%26#39;s not such a good idea to go during a rainy day as the getting in and out of the boat will be harder as the floor gets slippery.

Don%26#39;t worry, Islands such as Sapi, Manukan and Mamutik have jetty.

Tour Guides in Kinabalu Park, Wetlands Cruise, Tunku AR Park

Hi Connie,

True enough that Manukan, Sapi and Mamutik at TAR do have jetty for you, so, it is ok. For Garama, it is also ok as long as you are extra careful if the jetty is slippery, but, it is not that bad. It is the monsoon season and for December, it will be a bit wet but not necessarily that it will be raining in the afternoon and evening. It is really your luck then.

Joining a seat-in-coach is a good idea but you would have to understand English as commentary is done in English only. I am more concerned for your parents in this. On the other hand, getting a taxi to visit touristic places is something I always do not recommend to tourists. Illegal guides giving wrong information is bad enough but when taxi drivers pose as professional guides giving absolute wrong info is worse. I have seen that happening very often.

The other choices you could have is rent a car and get a licenced tourist guide to guide you around and there are guides who offer both guiding services and can drive you around too. You can have all the privacy and will definitely enjoy and make the most of your holidays.

dear,

fequent travel. have you vist KK in Dec. can you pls advise me which agent did you used?

Nqmich,

Yes, we had been to KK around Christmas for 5 days.

We joined a tour to watch Proboscis Monkeys and Fireflies that was organized by ';Only in Borneo';. This tour was booked from www.journeymalaysia.com a week before I departed to KK. This was the second time I booked a tour from journeymalaysia.com and I am very satisfied by their service and the price they offered.

We stayed in Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort in KK and there were several concierge desks in the hotel lobby representing different travel agencies and they offer all kinds of day tours and activities.

We had been to Sapi and Manukan but we were not in a tour. There was a jetty in the resort and we simply paid to the “Sea Quest” company next to the jetty, told them the time of transfer to the next island and the time back, then we boarded our speed boat and departed. It’s absolutely unnecessary to book for a tour to the islands.

As for the Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring, we didn’t join in a tour. We hired a van from our resort for a whole day and the driver took us there. Just followed the signs and one can get to the canopy and hot springs easily. It’s much cheaper than in a tour as we are a family of 5 adults.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Connie

Hi Connie

How much did you pay for the van which took you to Mt Kinabalu park? Is that a day-trip?

Mege,

In my memory, it was about MYR 400 but I am not very sure as it was more than 3 months ago. The van we hired could carry up to 10 adults, and the price could be cheaper if you rent for a smaller one. Unlike travel guides, our driver just did his driving job as he was shy to speak in English and he didnt walk with us. It%26#39;s impossible to get lost in the canopy and hot spring, dont worry.

Connie

Thanks Connie, for the info.