By bus the journey from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna takes 11 hours 28 minutes.
Bus Times from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna
There are 7 direct bus services a day from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna which are available to book online.
| Kota Kinabalu | Semporna | Cost | Company |
| 08:00 | 19:28 | 78 MYR | Amin Jaya Express |
| 08:00 | 19:28 | 78 MYR | Sabariah Express |
| 14:00 | 01:28 | 78 MYR | Sabariah Express |
| 19:30 | 06:58 | 78 MYR | Manis Liner Express |
| 19:30 | 06:58 | 78 MYR | Amin Jaya Express |
| 19:30 | 06:58 | 78 MYR | Sabariah Express |
| 19:30 | 06:58 | 78 MYR | Sentosa Express |
Buy Tickets from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna
Use the Search Box below to buy your bus tickets from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna.
Kota Kinabalu Bus Station
Bus services from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna depart from Inanam Bus Station Terminal.
Semporna Bus Station
Bus services from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna depart from Semporna Bus Terminal.
About Travel to Semporna
Semporna is coastal town with a population of about 35,000 permanent residents. Semporna has plenty of hotels, restaurants and a handful of Western style bars. Semporna itself is not a particularly attractive place. It has no beach, evident social problems stemming from the poverty of the indigenous but also stateless Bajau Laut people, and no effective urban planning controls. Semporna has a long history of being a dangerous place going back several hundred years when the area used to be infested with pirates. Recently, however, the Malaysian Government has stationed large numbers of soldiers and police in this part of Sabah and the thefts and abductions have largely stopped allowing foreign and domestic tourists to visit in relative safety. The Bajau Laut still live in poverty although a smaller proportion of the children of this ethnic group now spend their days sitting on the street begging as charitable organisations have started offering the schooling to the children of this unrecognised group (which the Malaysian Government does not).
Beach in SempornaSemporna may lack charm, but the nearby islands ooze magnificence in a way that rivals the Maldives. Most tourists to Semporna will spend relatively little time on the mainland, except for sleeping and eating, and if they are lucky attending the Regatta Lepa in April when the Bajau Laut hold their annual boat races. From the pier in Semporna there are frequent speedboat services to nearby islands considered by many as amongst the best diving and snorkelling sites in the world. The most famous of these being Sipadan Island. If you want to dive at Sipadan Island we suggest that you book ahead with a local diving company as a permit is required to dive and a limited number (120) are given out each day in an attempt to converse the coral reef.