Experience the best of
Kota Kinabalu with Withlocals
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Enjoy Kota Kinabalu like a local
Let our local experts guide you through a handpicked selection of things to do on a private tour. Think hidden gems, insider stories, and all the local vibes. Ready to find your private tour of Kota Kinabalu? Your adventure-packed day is just one click away!
Top 3 tours in Kota Kinabalu
Make your stay in Kota Kinabalu complete with these things to do
- With Withlocals
1The 10 Tastings of Kota Kinabalu: Street Food
3 hours • food toursBook nowFrom €33.09 per person - With Withlocals
2Highlights & Hidden Gems of Kota Kinabalu
3 hours • city highlight toursBook nowFrom €18.38 per person - With Withlocals
3City Kickstart Tour: Kota Kinabalu
2 hours • city highlight toursBook nowFrom €10.30 per person
Why you should book a Withlocals tour
100% Customizable
Let your local host tailor the tour
completely to your wishes.Private guided tours
No strangers on your tour.
It’s just you and your local host.Responsible
Our tours are designed with
people, places & the planet in mind
Private tours with locals in Kota Kinabalu
Our locals will give you the best experiences that Kota Kinabalu has to offer
- With Withlocals
The 10 Tastings of Kota Kinabalu: Street Food
4.73 hours • food toursfrom €33.09 per person - With Withlocals
Highlights & Hidden Gems of Kota Kinabalu
4.73 hours • city highlight toursfrom €18.38 per person - With Withlocals
City Kickstart Tour: Kota Kinabalu
4.72 hours • city highlight toursfrom €10.30 per person - With Jae Fatima
Private Half Day City Tour
5.0 32 reviews3.5 hours • city highlight toursfrom €18.24 per person - With Jae Fatima
Night Market Food Tour
5.0 32 reviews4 hours • food toursfrom €23.53 per person
Explore Kota Kinabalu with our incredible locals
Learn about their personal stories and find out how you can explore Kota Kinabalu with locals
- Jae FatimaLaid-back personSee More
Travelers love our locals
What other guests say about our tours and locals
- 5.0
Local feels
"The half-day tour in Kota Kinabalu City with our local guide was an intimate experience tailored just for my friend and me. Exploring the city, we embraced the local lifestyle—dressing and dining authentically. The personalized touch made it a memorable and immersive adventure. "
- 5.0
Awesome evening with Jae
"We booked this experience on our last night in Malaysia, what a way to finish an amazing trip, Jae was amazing! So friendly, felt like sitting down to dinner with an old friend, everything was excellent. Thank you Jae"
- 5.0
A charming and knowledgeable guide
"Jae met us on time, took us to see the sunset and then escorted us around the different markets on the waterfront. Jae's english is excellent and she explained all the fruits and vegetables that we don't have in our part of the world. We particularly enjoyed the busy vibrant fish market. We had a superb fish dinner by the sea, guided by Jae as to what to eat and enjoyed a walk down 'durian 'street', looking only! Would highly recommend Jae, she was only too pleased to share her knowledge not only of KK but answered any general questions we had about Sabah."
- 5.0
Night Market tour
"Fatima picked us up with her car at our hotel and drove us to the markets. It was great to see these places with a local person because thanks to her knowledge we learned a lot about the food, customs and life in Kota Kinabalu. She adapted the tour to our requests which was excellent! Highly recommend her. She is a wonderful person."
- 5.0
Jae is Fantastic! We had the Best Time
"I’m so glad we booked our tour with Jae. She is so fun, funny, knowledgeable and flexible. And her English is flawless. We had her tailor the tour to meet our needs (a little shopping and a lot of food). We tried lots of different snack and treats (and bought quite a few to take back to the hotel with us as well). We enjoyed a cocktail together at what would have been sunset time, but it was rainy. And we had dinner at a fantastic fish market where you pick out what you want to eat and how you want it prepared. No worries about food safety - Jae has it covered. Delicious and totally safe. The entire experience was a highlight of our trip. And like others have said, I feel like we’ve made a friend. "
- 5.0
Great Tour of Kota Kinabalu
"Jae picked us up on time and showed us around KK. She was great with kids and a safe driver. We enjoyed our time and would highly recommend this experience to those visiting Kota Kinabalu. "
- 5.0
KK Tour with Jae
"Had a great time with Jae. Visited many great locations finally ending up having a superb Fish Dinner in the Market. Would highly recommend Jae. Great experience, Thank you Jae"
- 5.0
Great Local Guide Experience
"Even though we had difficulty with our timing due to the re-booking of a missed flight, we just barely made the tour, and Jae worked with us to make it work out much better than I thought would happen. I was looking forward to good local food and Jae took us to where we could have fresh seafood. We did go to the Filipino market and then I did try Durian (a small one) and frankly I liked it. Then we went out for souvenirs and the night market. Jae was patient with us and I can't thank her enough for giving us probably the greatest first time Kota Kinabalu experience you can have!"
- 5.0
You'll fall in love with Malaysian food
"Jae took me on a tour of the fruit and fish market. We tasted many of the local items that were available for sale. When it was time for really g getting down to tasting the local fare, Jae clued me in on the local secret - while there is plenty of food available in the main market area, the freshest and best is about a block away - it's where the locals go to select the freshest seafood and have it cooked to their liking. Each dish was a local recipe using fresh local ingredients - I was in food heaven. I wasn't too familiar with Malaysian cuisine before, but I'm a fan now! Thanks to Jae's knowledge and willingness to share it. I highly recommend Jae and WithLocals."
- 5.0
Tour of the night market and seafood resta
"I would highly recommend booking this tour. I wanted to find out more about the Malaysian food/meals and Jae was excellent at answering my questions and helped me order a delicious range of seafood dishes. She explained in depth about the Malaysian culture. Don't hesitate to book this! Xx"
Enjoy the Best of the Kota Kinabalu
Like a Local
Private & Personalized Tours in Kota Kinabalu with a Local
When you hit the road and land in a new city like Kota Kinabalu, there's an exciting way to dive into its soul: personalized local tours. Forget the typical touristy routes – these tours are like having a local friend show you around all the cool spots.
Imagine having someone who lives and breathes Kota Kinabalu spill its secrets. That's what local guides bring to the table. They know the hidden alleys, the best bites, and stories that never made it to the guidebooks. Whether you're into munching through food tours, wandering the city's streets, or going off the beaten path, a local guide hooks you up with a private tour that's authentically Kota Kinabalu.
The best part? These tours are all about you. No herding in big groups or rushing through places you're not interested in. With private tours, you're the boss. Whether it's snapping pics at iconic landmarks, diving into history, or checking out the art scene, the tour is tuned to your vibes at your tempo.
But it doesn't stop at city limits. Day trips let you escape the urban jungle and explore nearby wonders. And if you're just setting foot in Kota Kinabalu, kickstart tours give you a taste of everything. Think of it as a crash course in Kota Kinabalu awesomeness, guided by a local who knows the city like the back of their hand.
So, next time you're in Kota Kinabalu, ditch the ordinary. Grab a local tour and unlock the city's real magic – the stories, flavors, and places that make it uniquely Kota Kinabalu. Get ready to explore like a local!
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