Where our island fees and fares come from

Our fees and fares come from official pages first, then operator pages, then news reports and booking sites, and each one is marked with its source and the date we read it. The further down that list, the more we ask you to confirm. This guide shows the order and two real examples.

It is part of how IslandQuest decides what to recommend. For how old a figure is, see how we label facts.

In what order do we trust sources?

We rank sources by how close they are to the person who sets the price.

1. Official pages, such as a park authority or a government department.
2. Operator pages, such as a resort or boat company, which are accurate for their own product.
3. News reports that quote an official source.
4. Booking and aggregator sites, which can lag behind the operator.

Practical implication: a figure from step 3 or 4 is a clue about the level, not the number you will pay.

What does an official fee look like?

Sabah Parks publishes its entrance fee for Tunku Abdul Rahman Park by nationality and age. For a Malaysian adult it lists RM8 per person per day.^[1] Malaysian children aged 12 and below, Malaysian seniors aged 60 and over and disabled visitors are listed as free, and international adults are listed at RM25.^[1]

We still add “confirm before use”, since a fee page can change. But this is the strongest kind of source we have. See Kota Kinabalu to Manukan, Mamutik and Sapi: boat basics for how the park fits into a day.

What does a reported fee look like?

For the Terengganu marine parks, we found amounts through a ferry booking site and a 2022 news report that cited the Fisheries department. They show RM30 for a non-MyKad adult and RM15 for a child, with MyKad holders at RM5 and RM2.^[2]

We could not read the official schedule, so we call this reported. We use it to help you budget, and we say so on each page that quotes it. Ask your operator whether the fee is in your price or paid at the jetty, as set out in marine park fee: included or paid on arrival.

Why do we not copy boat fares?

Boat fares move with the operator, the route and the season, and the same route can have a shared and a private price. A fare we copied once would age quickly. Where we found a reported range we show it as such, and our cost calculator asks you to type your own quoted amount.

How do you ask for a fee in writing?

Send one message with the dates, the number of adults, and each child’s age. Then ask:

• What is the marine park fee for each person in my group?
• Is it inside the package price or paid separately?
• Is there any other charge at the jetty or on the island?

Keep the reply. It is the figure that counts, and it is the one to enter in the calculator.

A better fit if…

This guide suits you if you are building a budget from fee amounts and want to know how firm each one is. It suits you less if you already have a full written quotation. In that case, read it line by line with reading an island quotation line by line.