Kota Kinabalu: Bongawan River Cruise, City Tour & Fireflies

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

4 to 8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off round trip (If selected)
2 boat cruise separated in two segments, wildlife and fireflies experience.
Sky mirror beach sunset viewpoint
English and Malay speaking instructor
Hi-Tea refreshments upon arrival & Dinner
Filipino market & chocolate kingdom (for private pickup only)
Chocolate kingdom + floating mosque (for shared pickup only)
All necessary permits, fees and taxes
Life jacket

Personal expense and itinerary

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup point

The Shore, Jln Lapan Belas, Pusat Bandar Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
infront of the Orange Convenience Store, next to Burger King outside of the store

Pickup details

The pick up will be infront of the Orange Convenience Store, next to Burger King outside of the store, please take note this pick up in the town of city of Kota Kinabalu area and we will start the city tour before head to Bongawan with transfer inclusive, Your guide is familiar with your name and personal details, so no worries. 5 ringgit entry fee each person to floating mosque need to be paid extra (for this shared transfer option except Friday only). for those choose without pick up, they need to go bongawan directly at own transport, there are no transport for pick up for those choose no transfer service.

Meeting point

RIVER PARADISE BONGAWAN
Jalan Kuala Bongawan, Blok Pidada, KG SERI SERBANG, 89700 Papar, Sabah, Malaysia
This applies ONLY for those who do not choose transfer pick-up service option If choose this option, you'll need to arrange your own transport to reach us. If there are any changes, we will definitely keep you informed!

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Kota Kinabalu

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

River Cruise Jetty

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Bongawan

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Bongawan Firefly Tour

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kota Kinabalu (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
The itinerary may be modified due to bad weather, governments rules, and current road conditions.
Just a friendly reminder that this is a wildlife area, so wildlife or fireflies sightings aren't guaranteed.
Please be aware that weather, river, traffic, and local regulations may cause delays in the tour's start and end times.
If you opt not to include transfer pick-up, please ensure arrive at the meeting on time.

Pls be advised that if the group is too large, a larger cruise or boat might be used.
A private tour can request quick stop along the way with experience to filipino market visit.
A shared cruise with pickup run with potential extra stop such as chocolate factory and floating mosque (except Friday)
For entry ticket without transfer, a valid ticket is required before arrival otherwise not possible on board tours.
Sky mirrors depending on weather, it is same for all.
This tour run in day and shine.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.3

based on 10 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Seasonal monkey sightings

Jonathan_B, Aug 2026

Seeing the monkies and firfeflies are by chance. The fireworks at the sky mirror beach is commendable tho.

First off, Timmy was...

JooLing_W, May 2026

First off, Timmy was great and full of knowledge and fun! It was unfortunate that we got rained on, I guess it is expected in that region. Overall was a great experience, got to see proboscis monkey, the firefly was great too. Overall good experience and value for the money.

Very disaapointing

mike_j, Feb 2026

Very disappointing tour. The whole experience was rushed including having to leave mid way through dinner, and the river cruise was spoilt by the awful plastic and rubbish floating in the water everywhere. I would not recommend this trip to anyone.

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Dear, Thank you for your honest feedback – and we’re truly sorry that the tour didn’t live up to what you were hoping for. Just to kindly clarify a couple of points for future travelers and for your own understanding: You're right that both the product description and the voucher clearly state this is a shared tour. That means the itinerary, timings, and stops are fixed to make sure everyone in the group can enjoy all the planned attractions. Shared tours aren't designed for personal customization, though we absolutely understand the desire for a more tailored experience. If that's what you're looking for, we’d recommend considering a private tour next time – it’s more flexible, less rushed, and can better match individual preferences. You also mentioned the pace feeling rushed. Unfortunately, most day trips to Bongawan do have tight timing because of the distance and shared schedule. Private tours are the only way to really slow things down. Now, about the environment – we completely respect your concern for nature. You mentioned things like trash or palm oil plantations, and we want you to know we hear you. While we as a small tour operator don’t have direct control over regional environmental issues, we do care deeply about Borneo’s beauty and want to be honest with travelers: in some rural or developing areas, you may see things like litter or land use changes that can be surprising or upsetting, especially if you’re used to different standards. We never want anyone to feel shocked or disappointed. That’s why we gently suggest that if environmental conditions like these would seriously affect your travel enjoyment, Bongawan might not be the right fit right now – and that’s completely okay. We’d rather you have a wonderful time somewhere that aligns with your values and expectations. Our main goal has always been to give guests a memorable, enjoyable experience. We’re sorry we missed the mark for you this time. Please know we’ll keep working to improve how we set expectations upfront. Wishing you all the best in your future travels – and thank you again for helping us learn. Warm regards,