Sabah is huge and travelling between places of interest can take a lot of time. Below you will find an overview of the most common means of transport to get around Sabah easily.
By Air
Due to the size of Sabah, flying is a very popular mode of transportation.
AirAsia operates flights from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and Tawau. The more expensive Malaysia Airlines flies Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu and Tawau to Sandakan.
Flights within Sabah are also very cheap. For example, you can get a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan from 79 myr.
By bus
A cheaper but much slower form of transport is buses. You need to be prepared for the journey between the more distant destinations to take a really long time.
The most used routes among tourists include:
- Kota Kinabalu - Semporna: 5 times a day, 11 h 30 min, from 77 myr
- Kota Kinabalu - Sandakan: 4 times a day, 7 h 30 min, from 47 myr
- Sandakan - Semporna: 1x daily, 6 hrs, from 50 myr
- Semporna - Tawau: 2 h, from 30 myr
- Kota Kinabalu - Kudat: 2x daily, 4 h 30 min, from 25 myr
By rental car
If you want to be able to discover Sabah freely, you can rent a car. The main roads are in good condition, driving here is not difficult and there is no heavy traffic outside the big cities.
You can rent a car directly at Kota Kinabalu airport, or it's possible to rent a car a little cheaper at one of the rental agencies in town.
Sabah car rental prices
Car rental in Sabah is not particularly expensive, with prices being highest in high season (June - August).
Below are the approximate prices for car rental in Sabah:
- Weekly car rental in high season (June to August) - from 1 200 myr for the smallest car
- Weekly car rental in low season (September to May) - from 1 900 myr for the smallest car
- Compare car rental prices in Kota Kinabalu
What to look out for when driving in Sabah?
To rent a car in Sabah, you will need an international driving licence according to the Geneva Convention. In practice, however, most car rental companies will be happy with an ordinary Czech driving licence, but have an international one ready in case of a police check.
The speed limit in Sabah varies and is always indicated on signs. There is zero tolerance for drink driving in Malaysia.
