Planning on crossing from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia? Crossing between Brunei and Malaysia seems confusing at first. This is especially true because the transit system in Brunei can be confusing. In this blog post, you will learn the easiest way to cross from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu.
What you need to know before crossing from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu
Crossing from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu actually requires two ferries. The actual ferry port is not in Bandar Seri Begawan but in the port city of Serasa located north east of the capital city.
To cross from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu, follow the following steps:
Step 1: Go to the Serasa ferry terminal
Head over to the city centre (ask your hotel for directions) of Bandar Seri Begawan and either take a bus or hire a taxi to take you to the Serasa ferry terminal. Don’t be late because the ferry will leave you!
Step 2: Take the ferry from Serasa to Labuan Malaysia
Buy your ticket from the counter and make sure you arrive early. The tickets gets sold out quickly forcing you to take a later ferry. However, another option to reaching Labuan from Serasa is to hire a water taxi to take you there. The price is roughly the same but expect a rougher ride.
Step 3: Wait in Labuan for a few hours
The ferry to Kota Kinabalu doesn’t arrive until later on. This is the perfect time to grab a bite to eat and get yourself a Malaysian sim card. That’s what Karen and myself did and we had a great time. Labuan is a really nice city and I’d like to stop by and visit it again one day.
Step 4: Take the ferry from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu
The ferry from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu takes much longer than from Serasa to Labuan. This is the final stretch in your journey to Kota Kinabalu.
Other crossing option
The only other option is by taking a bus from Bandar Seri Begawan to Kota Kinabalu. This option takes a long time and requires several border crossing. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have no other choice.
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4 thoughts on “How to Cross from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu Malaysia by Ferry”
Very informative traveling tips to those far away landscapes. I am definitely learning from your articles and looking forward to the next write up and photos.
Glad you are finding the information informative, Angela! Good luck in your future trips.
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