Best Time to Visit Sabah — Month-by-Month Weather Guide

Quick Answer

Go in February or March for the best overall experience. February is the driest month of the year in Kota Kinabalu (78mm across about seven rainy days) and March is second driest (93mm). Both sit in the shoulder band for crowds, so you get the driest weather of the year without peak-season prices. If you're on a budget and flexible, April or May are the two quietest months of the year by visitor arrivals. September is not a quiet month — it is the second busiest of the year, ahead of both July and August. December is the busiest month by a wide margin.

Month-by-Month Guide

Weather Patterns

Sabah does not have one wet season and one dry season — the two coasts run on different calendars, and a guide that gives you a single answer is describing only one of them.

West coast — Kota Kinabalu, Papar, Kudat

The driest stretch is February to April, and February is the driest month of the year at 78mm across about seven rainy days. The wettest month is October at 387mm over 18 rainy days — about a third more than any other month. June to September are wetter than most visitors expect, at roughly 279 to 288mm each, but the rain usually arrives as an afternoon downpour rather than an all-day storm. Kota Kinabalu averages 2,718mm across about 147 rainy days a year.

East coast — Sandakan, Semporna, Lahad Datu

The east coast is the wetter of the two and peaks at the opposite end of the year. Its driest months are April and May, with May the driest at 138mm, and its wettest are December and January (449mm and 444mm). These are Sandakan figures — it is the only northeast coast station with published normals. Sandakan averages 3,220mm across the year, about 500mm more than Kota Kinabalu.

Which coast the monsoon hits

The Northeast Monsoon runs from November to March and hits the northeast coast hardest. Sandakan averages 449mm in December against Kota Kinabalu's 262mm: the northeasterly flow off the South China and Sulu Seas strikes Sabah's northeast-facing coast head on, and the Crocker Range is generally credited with sheltering the west. Tawau, in the southeast, barely follows the pattern at all. Kota Kinabalu's own wettest month, October, falls in the inter-monsoon rather than the Northeast Monsoon — which is why its driest stretch, February to April, sits inside the monsoon window. The Southwest Monsoon, late May to September, is drier across most of Malaysia but not in Sabah, which stays wet on typhoon-fed squall lines tracking past the Philippines.

Temperature & Humidity

• Coastal areas: 24-33°C year-round — nights around 24°C, days around 31-33°C. The change across the year is under 2°C; the swing between dawn and mid-afternoon is 7-8°C, several times larger
• Highlands (Kundasang): noticeably cooler, roughly 18-25°C by day and dropping towards 13°C at night. Research stations on Mount Kinabalu measure 15.4 to 23.8°C at Park headquarters (1,560m) and 6.7 to 13.8°C at Laban Rata (3,270m), falling about 0.55°C per 100m climbed. No official weather station publishes normals for Kundasang itself
• Humidity: high all year. Expect to feel sticky from dawn, washed clothes to take more than a day to dry, and glasses to fog the moment you leave air-conditioning. No official humidity normals are published for Sabah, so any precise percentage you see is modelled rather than measured
• Typhoons: Sabah lies outside the main typhoon track and direct hits are rare, but not unknown — Tropical Storm Greg crossed the northern part of Sabah on 25 December 1996. The flooding that followed killed around 230 people, almost all of them in Keningau.

Best Times for Activities

Mountain Climbing (Mount Kinabalu)

• Best: February-April — the driest months on the west coast
• Workable: May-September — climbable, but these are wet months and July to September are the busiest; expect cloud and book permits far ahead
• Avoid: October-November — Heavy rain, low visibility, difficult conditions
• Permit booking: 3-6 months in advance for peak season, 1-2 months for off-peak. Sabah Parks packages take 20 climbers a day at Lemaing Hostel (Malaysians only) and 30 a day at Panalaban Hostel (Sabah Parks, checked 7 October 2026).

Diving (Sipadan, Tun Sakaran)

• Most reliable: roughly March or April to September: named by Borneo Dream (peak June to August), Seaventures (March to September) and PADI (April to December); these are operator reports, not an official survey
• Operators differ: Scuba Junkie names February to June and October to December as calmest, with slightly bigger waves from July to September; conditions vary from year to year
• Rougher: about November to February: most operators report rougher crossings and lower visibility more often; diving still runs, apart from the Sipadan closure below
• Sipadan closure: November — Sipadan closed for the whole of November in 2023 so the reef could recover (Sabah Parks, 30 October 2023), and Scuba Junkie says it closes every November (checked 6 October 2026), so confirm the dates with your operator before booking.
• Permit booking: Maximum 6 months in advance, 252 permits issued daily (Sabah Tourism Board figure). Most dive operators can help arrange.

Whale Shark Watching

• Lankayan (Sulu Sea): March to May — the best-supported window, reported by operators there
• Off Kota Kinabalu: roughly February to April — most dated sighting reports fall in these months
• Semporna: late March to June — reported by one operator only
• Never guaranteed: whale sharks are migratory (a shark tagged in Palawan, Philippines, swam to Lahad Datu Bay and back, and one photographed at Sipadan matched a shark seen off Cebu), and no survey of their seasons has been published for Sabah. They are protected under the Fisheries Act 1985: don't disturb or harass them.

Orangutan Encounters

• Best: April-September — Peak fruit season, more sightings
• Peak: May-June — Fruiting season, easier encounters at Sepilok and Kinabatangan
• Available year-round: Mari Mari Cultural Village (semi-wild orangutans)

Pygmy Elephant Spotting

• Best: April-July — the driest months on the east coast, where the Kinabatangan is; low water brings elephants to the banks
• Peak: April-August — Highest sighting rates
• Tour option: Kinabatangan River 2-day trips; elephants more active in evening

Sea Turtle Nesting (Selingan Island)

• Green turtles: July-October — Peak nesting season
• Hawksbill turtles: February-April — Nesting season
• Year-round activity available — Hatchery visits possible any time

Birdwatching

• Best: May-October — Local fruiting season, resident birds active
• Also good: November-March — Migratory birds arrive (winter visitors)
• Hotspot: Kinabatangan River (most biodiverse birdwatching area)

Rafting (Kiulu River, Padas River)

• Best: February-September — Good water levels, stable conditions
• Avoid: October-November — Too much water, dangerous conditions

Firefly Watching

• Best visibility: Moonless nights between 7-10 PM
• Year-round available from Klias, Kinabatangan, and Weston
• Tip: Check lunar calendar before booking for optimal darkness

Events & Festivals

Kaamatan (Harvest Festival)

Dates: May 30-31, 2026 (celebrations throughout May). This is Sabah's biggest cultural festival, celebrating the Kadazan-Dusun rice harvest. Expect parades, traditional food, competitions, and cultural performances across the state. Hotels book up 2-3 months in advance — reserve early if interested.

Regatta Lepa

End of April (3-day event in Semporna). Traditional wooden boat racing festival with cultural performances and seafood markets. Smaller and less crowded than Kaamatan.

Chinese New Year

February 17-18, 2026. Celebrated especially in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. Night markets, lion dances, and special food offerings.

Hari Raya (Islamic Festival)

March 21-22, 2026 (Hari Raya Aidilfitri, end of Ramadan — Feb 17 to Mar 18, 2026). Holiday season with increased traffic and celebrations. Some restaurants may have modified hours.

Christmas

December 25 (Friday in 2026). Holiday crowds and festive atmosphere in Christian-majority areas and tourist spots. Good time for year-end travel if you enjoy holiday energy.

Sabah Jazz & Other Events

Check the Sabah Tourism Board website closer to your travel dates for cultural performances, food festivals, and sporting events. New events are added regularly.

Seasons Explained

Two different calendars both get called "seasons" in Sabah, and mixing them is what makes most advice contradictory. The crowd and price seasons below rank the twelve months of 2025 by recorded visitor arrivals. Weather seasons are a separate thing and differ by coast — see Weather Patterns above. A month can be quiet and wet, or busy and dry.

Peak — December, September, July, August

The four busiest months by visitor arrivals. December is the busiest of the year by a wide margin, and September is second — ahead of both July and August, which is the opposite of what most guides say. Expect the highest room rates, the tightest availability and the most competition for permits. Book flights and Kinabalu or Sipadan permits months ahead.

Shoulder — June, March, February, January

This is the smart traveller's window. Arrivals sit close to the annual average, so rates and availability are reasonable, and February and March are the two driest months of the year on the west coast. Near-peak weather without peak-season pressure.

Quiet — November, October, May, April

The four quietest months by arrivals. April and May are the quietest of all and still sit in the west coast's drier stretch, which makes them the best value of the year. October and November are quiet for a reason — October is the wettest month in Kota Kinabalu at 387mm, and Sipadan closed for the whole of November in 2023 (Sabah Parks), with Scuba Junkie saying it closes every November.

Long Weekends in Sabah 2026

Sabah observes all Malaysian national public holidays plus several state-specific holidays — including Good Friday, Kaamatan (Harvest Festival), and the Governor's Birthday. When a public holiday falls on a Friday or Monday, you get an automatic long weekend. Here are all the confirmed long weekends for 2026.

* Islamic holiday dates are approximate — confirmed by JAKIM typically 1–2 days in advance. Highlighted rows are confirmed long weekends (3+ consecutive days off). Sabah-specific holidays do not apply to other Malaysian states.