Welcome to Mamutik Island

Though the smallest among the five islands, Pulau Mamutik offers all tourist comforts in a smaller scale. It has also the advantage of being quite near the mainland. Since it is located at a distance of 3 km from the mainland, a boat ride of less than five minutes from the ferry terminal of Tanjung Aru Beach Hotel is sufficient to reach Mamutik Island. Fishes are so abundant around the island that you will be able to see shoals of them as soon as you land there.

Beaches of Pulau Mamutik are excellent. The perpetual conjugation of land and sea, the sight of the silvery white sands and gentle combers embracing each other and separating instantly, is a breathtakingly beautiful sight that you will never tire of watching. All you have to do to sit and watch the sight is buy the park ticket. Provision for comfortable seating is provided all across the park.

The marine life of the area is rich and colorful. The coral distichopora is generally brightly colored, but Mamutik has a rare variety of white corals of the genus. Fishes commonly found here are butterfly fish, parrot fish, angle fish, sergeant major, and the unique orange-and-white clownfish that lives among anemones. Besides swimming and snorkeling, there are facilities for some water sports also.

Since seafood is abundant, the restaurants offer various seafood delicacies to the visitors, besides BBQ style dishes, and different chicken and vegetarian preparations. It will be a very satisfying experience to have your food in the open, under the awning provided by the thick canopies of trees. Even in summer, the beach is pleasant because of the moisture-laden sea breeze.

Since Pulau Mamutik has less of cafeterias and shops than Manukan and Sapi, there is enough space in the island for camping. Among the five islands of TAR Marine Park, it is the only one where camping is allowed. After taking permission from the park authorities, you can pitch your tent in Pulau Mamutik and have the experience of sleeping directly on the bosom of the earth.

There is a burial ground towards the center part of the island. The grave markings there have only historical importance since the place is no longer used for burying people. In 1979 the five islands were together turned into the marine park, and after that no one is allowed to bury their dead there.

Borneo Divers, the professional dive operators based in Kota Kinabalu, have a diving center in Mamutik. They offer short diving courses for beginners, as well as full PADI-certified courses. A 3-day training session is enough to train a person in sea diving. The first day's classes will be only theory classes, where the student will be taught the safety rules to be followed underwater. On the second day he will be introduced to various diving equipments, and taught to use them shallow waters, and on the third day, he will be taken to the deeper sea in full diving gear. On the western side of Pulau Mamutik, there is a sea wall that offers the divers a challenging and satisfying diving experience.

Situated near the island of Borneo, TAR Marine Park, or Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, is a conglomeration of five different islands, namely Gaya, Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik, and Sulug. Of these, Pulau Gaya is the largest, with an area of 15 sq. km, while Pulau Mamutik is the smallest, with an area of 60000 sq. m. Pulau Manukan is the best developed in the group, and attracts lots of tourists round the year. Though smaller than Pulau Manukan, Pulau Sapi also caters well to tourist needs. It is also full of shops, diners, and public toilets, and provides facilities for diving, snorkeling, and water sports.

Speed boats leave from the jetties of Kota Kinabalu to Mamutik every hour. The major jetty is the Jesselton Point ferry terminal while there are two smaller jetties at Tanjung Aru Beach Hotel and Sutera Harbour. Commuting time may vary based upon the terminal at which your board the boat, but the maximum time taken for reaching Pulau Mamutik will not be more than 15 minutes.

The charges for boat transfer to the island and back is between RM 17 and RM 50. The cost of park entry ticket is RM 10. If you have a MYkad, then the charge will be only RM 3. The park is functional from 8:30am to 5pm.