What's on in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia through the year

Busy — Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Mount Kinabalu climb permit

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  Sabah Parks caps the summit climb at about 130 people a day, tied to beds in the mountain huts, and an accredited guide is compulsory. Peak weeks go months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Northeast monsoon swell (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Christmas and New Year (18 Dec – 2 Jan)

Peak crowds — Driest months, Ramadan and Hari Raya

• Season

  Driest months

  1 Feb – 30 Apr · usuallyDry seasonCrowded

  The best odds for the island boats out to Tunku Abdul Rahman park and for a clear summit on Kinabalu, which is otherwise in cloud by nine most mornings.

• Holiday

  Ramadan and Hari Raya

  5 Feb – 25 Apr · usuallyRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  Ramadan bazaars in the evenings, then two public holidays when the city's Malay quarter empties for the peninsula and the ferries and flights fill. Source ↗

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Northeast monsoon swell (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Driest months, Ramadan and Hari Raya

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Driest months (1 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Ramadan and Hari Raya (5 Feb – 25 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Driest months, Ramadan and Hari Raya

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Driest months (1 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Ramadan and Hari Raya (5 Feb – 25 Apr (usually))

Busy — Mid-year break in Malaysia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Kaamatan harvest festival

  30–31 MayMajor festivalClosures

  Sabah's own two-day state holiday, the Kadazan-Dusun harvest festival, with the main grounds at Penampang outside the city and a fortnight of village events before it. Source ↗

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Mid-year break in Malaysia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Term-2 break in Malaysia

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Term-2 break in Malaysia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Northeast monsoon swell

  1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyClosures

  The wind swings onshore and the crossings to the islands get called off on the rough days. It is also when the sunsets people come to the waterfront for are most often behind cloud.

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Year-end break in Malaysia

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  18 Dec – 2 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosures

  Sabah keeps Christmas properly — a state where a third of the population is Christian — and the city is on holiday twice over with the school break running through it. Source ↗

Still on: Mount Kinabalu climb permit (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Northeast monsoon swell (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))