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Sipadan Island

There are many divers come to Sipadan Island Malaysia for diving every year. For your information, Sipadan Island (Pulau Sipadan) is located on the East part of Sabah, Malaysia. There are living corals growing underwater on top of an extinct volcanic cone. The underwater scenery is beautiful and therefore it is a popular location. It is near a town called Semporna and it is less than 1 hour away on a boat ride. On the left hand side shores a Sipadan Island Picture.

There are many marine habitats live in the ocean of Sipadan Island. They estimated about 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species live there. There are some other species of animals live here too. Examples: Pelagic species such as manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks, turtle and whale sharks.

During diving, you will encounter plenty of big fishes. At Barracuda Point, it is not surprised to be surrounded by a spiralling vortex of barracudas. At South Point, you will see large schools of reef sharks, passing trevally and parrotfish. You will definitely enjoy the experience.

Sipadan Island Tours Travel Package

Some other basic information that you need. Sipadan is a location for average to advanced dives, not so for beginner divers. The depth is from 5 meters to 40 meters and visibility is 10 – 30 m. The current can be strong sometimes, depends on season. The surface conditions can be choppy, different from site to site. Water temperature is about 26 – 30°C which is the typical temperature for South East Asia. There are total of 12 dive sites there. Just to name a few popular dive sites: Barracuda Point, Coral Garden, The Drop Off, Hanging Gardens, Sipidan Midreef, South Point and others.

There are many different Sipadan Island tours package depends on which dive sites that you want to visit and also the duration that you want to visit there. The best place to get this information is from the local travel agents, they are very helpful and they can help you to choose the best one that you need.

Sipadan Island Resort, Hotel and Accommodation

If you want to dive in Sipadan Island, you will have to travel by ferry from the mainland or nearby islands. You can fly from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau and the flight will take about an hour. Then you want to rent a taxi to Semporna which will take another hour. From Semporna, you should ne able to find speedboat service and it will take about 40 minute to reach the island. It is recommended that you book all the transportation beforehand.

You can from many of the resorts and hotels near the Sipadan Island. One of your choices is Kapalai Island Dive Resort. This resort is located within a few minutes away from the islands of Sipadan and Mabul. The design of the resort is giving the tourist an airy, comfortable, sunny water village. With its sturdy stilts on the shallow sandbanks of the Ligitan Reefs, you will know that it is easy to dive around Kapalai. The water around the resort is shallow and crystal clear. The unforgettable experience from you is to be expected.

Cnother choice would be Sipadan Water Village. It is a unique over the water resort that is constructed with Bajau architectural design. You can dive right in front of your room! Their design using the ironwood with the purpose to minimize damage to the existing reef. You will definitely have a wonderful experience with the resort.

Pulau Sipadan Island Map and Review

Sipadan has great reviews from fellow divers. Here are just some of them.

“I would highly recommend it. The following day Vic and I joined another dive group to go snorkelling around Sipidan island. This was also fantastic and we saw loads. Vic took a little persuading to get in the water…”

“Sipadan Island is one of the the worlds most famous dive sites, and justifiably so. The marine life here is simply staggering, with sharks, turtles and barracuda all being the norm. There’s only 140 people allowed on this island per day..”

Below is a map on Sipadan Island and also some hotels and resort around the island.

Mount Kinabalu

Climbing Mountain Kinabalu

Are you planning to climb Mountain Kinabalu? I believe that you will have a wonderful experience for climbing the mountain. Mount Kinabalu is popular tourism destination in Sabah. It is the 5th highest mountain in South East Asia. The picture of mountain kinabalu is on the left hand side.

The highest point at mount kinabalu is known as Low’s Peak with altitude or height is at 4,095 metres (13,435 ft). It was wrongly promoted as the highest mountain in South East Asia by not-so-ethical tourism markers years back. The other 4 mountains that are higher than Mount Kinabalu are Hkakabo Razi, Burma (5881m), Puncak Jaya, Indonesia (5030m), Trikora, Indonesia (4751m) and Mandala, Indonesia (4701m).

If you want to challenge yourself physically and mentally, then climbing Mount Kinabalu is for you. If you are new in climbing mountain, you should have trained for at least 1 month. You should also make sure that you have good physical condition, no heart or lung related problem, strong knees and ankles. For your information, you are required to get a mount kinabalu package tour if you want to climb. As per rules, you can not climb on your own.

Initially, there was only 1 route or trail to climb mount Kinabalu which is through Timpohon Gate. Recently, there is one new route opened which is climbing from Mersilau gate. For your information, the distance from Mesilau gate is longer but it is less steep while the route/trail through Timpohon is steeper but shorter. If you choose Mersilau route/trail, you will have chance to see beautiful flora and fauna that you can take photos. However, the two trails meet about two kilometres before Laban Rata.

If you were to ask for for our recommendation, we will recommend you to take the Mersilau route when you are going up and take Timpohon route when you are coming down. With less steep on going up route, it will reduce the chances of hurting your knees at the very beginning of the climbing journey. With the beautiful scenery around the Mersilau route will help you to stay fresh mentally.

As per national park regulations, all the Climbers must be accompanied by accredited guides at all times due to national park regulations. The Accommodation is available in Laban Rata at 3270m (10,728 ft) and to reach there will take about 3 hours to 8 hours, depends on your climbing ability. Hot food and beverages, hot showers and heated rooms are available at Laban Rata Resthouse.

You will take a rest at Raban Rata before continuing the journey to the top of the mountain which is low’s peak. The journey will normally begin at 1 am in the morning and reach the top before sun rises.

Mount Kinabalu Hotels, Heritage Resort & Spa, Golf

Around the Mountain Kinabalu and the National Park, there are some hotels and resorts. The national park is the first Malaysia National Park and it is about 754 square kilometers.

Some people who do not want to climb mount Kinabalu can always pay a visit to the National park to enjoy the natural scenery and spend a relaxation time there. Mount kinabalu heritage resort & spa is one of the most popular resort over there. The resort is about 5,000 feet above sea level. The atmosphere is cool enough and it is quite close to the Poring Hot Spring – another tourism location.

Nearby, there is a mount kinabalu golf club too, it is perfect for you who know how to play golf. The golf course is 18 holes and some of the facilities that you may find are Golfers’ lounge, Practice putting and Clubhouse.

Mountain Kinabalu Map, National Park and Weather

Below is a map of Mountain Kinabalu which include the Mount Kinabalu National Park.

Islands of Sabah

There are many islands around Sabah. In fact, Sabah is located on the Third Biggest Island in the world – Borneo Island. A few popular islands are Pulau Sipadan (Sipadan Island), Pulau Tiga (Survivor Island), Turtle Islands Park, Pulau Manukan (Manukan Island) and more.

Pulau Sipadan Island

The most famous island in Sabah is Pulau Sipadan Island. It is one of the most popular diving location for divers around the world because for its living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone. A lot of marine habitats live around the ocean in Sipadan Island and there are more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species under its ecosystem. A few popular dive sites in Sipadan are the Turtle Cavern, Barracuda Point, South Point and Hanging Gardens. All existing onsite dive resort operators have been move out of the Sipadan Island since 2005 to conserve and maintain a balanced marine and land ecosystem on Sipadan’s environments. Therefore, if you want to dive in Sipadan Island, you will have to travel by ferry from the mainland or nearby islands.

Survivor Island or Pulau Tiga

Survivor island is quite famous recently, especially after the release of the USA Reality Television show – The Survivor Season 1 – Borneo Island. The show was filmed there. Because of the show, it has attracted thousands of visitors to the island every year. It is a beautiful island with crystal clear water. There are crabs live in the island and you might see them walking down the sea during the sunset.

Turtle Islands Park

Turtle Islands Park (Pulau Penyu National Park) is located about 40km north of Sandakan in the Sulu Sea and consists of Selingan, Bakungan Kecil and Gulisan islands. As the name described, the islands are visited often by turtles. There is a high chance that you will see the endangered species like Green Turtle or Hawksbill Turtle to land on the islands and lay eggs. The best chance of seeing turtles are during between July and October when the seas are calmer. Selingan Island is the only more developed island that has some basic tourist facilities and you can get there from Sandakan. The other 2 islands are conserved by Malaysia government.

Pulau Manukan Island

Manukan Island is part of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park consists of about sea and 5 islands. Manukan Island is the second largest island among them but it is the most developed for tourism. There are many resorts and facilities that you may find on the island. You can get to the island easily from Ferry service in Jesselton Point, Kota Kinabalu. There is only one restaurant in the island and the food there is quite pricey. If you want to save money, you can buy your own food before you come to the island and have a wonderful picnic on the island. You may swim, snorkel and scuba diving there.

Below is a map of Manukan Island:-

Hotel in Sabah

Best Hotel in Sabah

Looking for Hotel in Sabah Malaysia? You come to the right place. Which part of Sabah that you want to stay? For your information, the biggest towns in Sabah are Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau. There are more air flights in Kota Kinabalu compare with other towns because Kota Kinabalu is the Capital of Sabah. So, decide which part of Sabah you are going then you may look for the hotel in those area.

If you are planning to travel to tourism location like Mount Kinabalu, Sipadan Island, Pulau Tiga (Survivor Island) and others then the accommodation there could be slightly. They are more like resort-type hotel and they are more expensive than normal hotel. It is recommended to book earlier if you want to travel to those locations as the resort or hotel are quite limited. If you check in without booking, most of the time, it will be more expensive.

Sabah Hotel Map and Rates

Hotel in Sabah are mostly affordable. The Budget hotel price can be ranging from RM 20 to below RM 100 per night. Hotel that are more classy can be priced between RM 150 to about RM 500 per night. It is all depends on location and the class of the hotel.

If you might want to check the calender in Sabah to see if you are coming during the peak season. During normal season, the hotels are plentiful and the price is cheaper. But during peak season, the hotel in sabah can be limited and you should book them in advance to prevent any inconvenience that might affect your trip.

Here is a map of Sabah Hotels in Kota Kinabalu. Most of them are located along Jalan Coastal (Coastal Road). The possible location are like Karamunsing, Bandaran, Kampung Air, Asia City and Gaya Street.

List of Sabah Hotels and Resorts

Here is a list of Sabah Hotel Kota Kinabalu: Promenade Hotel, Sutera Harbour Resort, King Park Hotel, Imperial Boutec Hotel, Hotel Asia City, Beverly Hotel Kota Kinabalu, Jesselton Boutique Hotel, Le Meridien and more.

Most of these sabah hotels are at least 3 starts hotels. Most of them have a website and you can book these hotel online through their online booking system. Sometimes, there will be promotional deals from these hotels, especially during low or normal season.

If you are tight in budget or you think you do not require a classy hotel, please pay a visit at Budget Hotels in Sabah.

About Sabah

Sabah is part of the Borneo Island which is the Third Largest Island in the world. Sabah is a controversy land because it was belong to Sultanate of Sulu from Philippine. But now, it is officially belong to Malaysia.

There are actually 3 countries in this Borneo island. Indonesia takes the largest portion of the island which consists of about 63% of the island. Next is Malaysia which consists of Sabah and Sarawak – About 26% of the island. Lastly, Brunei is a small country with only 1% of the entire island.

Sabah is a beautiful place and people here are friendly. Sabah is given a name as “The land below the wind” because of it is near the typhoon-prone region around the Philippines. Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah and it is located at west part of Sabah. For short, It is often called as KK. On the other hand, Sandakan is the second largest city in Sabah and it is located on the east coast of Sabah.

You will find many beautiful attractions in Sabah. Some of them are Mount Kinabalu, Poring hot spring, Pulau Tiga (Survivor Island), Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Sipadan Island, Tips of Borneo, Gua Gomantong (Gomantong cave), Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary and more.

The fifth highest mountain in South East Asia is Mountain Kinabalu. It is the UNESCO World Heritage Site and is protected as part of Kinabalu National Park. The height is 4,095 m (13,435 ft). You will have to go through some agents that will prearrange your climb routes and also the stay on the Mount Kinabalu if you want to climb mount Kinabalu.

Sipadan Island is located East part of Sabah. It is near to a town called Semporna but still it is about 35km away. There are living corals growing underwater on top of an extinct volcanic cone. The underwater scenery is beautiful and it has been one of the most popular locations for diving. There are many marine habitats live near Sipadan Island. They estimated about 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species live there.