Malaysia / Sabah (Borneo) / Semporna (Sipadan & Mabul)Semporna (Sipadan & Mabul)
Gateway to Sipadan's World-Class Reef
A fishing town in south-east Sabah and the base for the islands of the Celebes Sea: Sipadan, a wall dive famous for turtles, barracuda tornadoes and reef sharks (dive permits limited each day), Mabul's muck diving and water-bungalow resorts, and day trips to the blue lagoons and the Mount Bohey Dulang viewpoint in Tun Sakaran Marine Park. Fly to Tawau (about 1 h 15 by road) from KL or KK. A night-time sea curfew has been in force in these waters for years; resorts and boat operators work around it.
Highlights
- Diving Sipadan's Barracuda Point and Drop-Off
- Muck diving and turtles at Mabul
- Bohey Dulang viewpoint over the blue lagoon
- Snorkelling at Mantabuan and Sibuan
- Water-bungalow night on Mabul or Kapalai
- Bajau Laut stilt villages
Things to do
- Sipadan dive day (permit needed)Morning · 7h
- Island-hopping & snorkelling: Bohey Dulang, Mantabuan, SibuanMorning · 7h
- Mabul reef snorkel & turtle spottingAfternoon · 3h
- Semporna seafood market dinnerEvening · 1h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – September
Heads up
Sipadan Dive Permits Are Limited
Only a fixed number of divers may visit Sipadan each day, and the permits go through the dive resorts and centres in Semporna and on Mabul. Book a package that guarantees a Sipadan day, well ahead for April to September.
Worth knowing
Travel Advice for the Islands off Eastern Sabah
The UK government advises against all but essential travel to the islands and dive sites off eastern Sabah, Semporna, Mabul and Sipadan among them, for the risk of kidnap. Check your own government's advice and your travel insurance before booking.
- Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri — During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk: Malay restaurants are quiet by day and the evening Ramadan bazaars, with food stalls at every mosque and market, are the best street food of the year. Don't eat or drink in the street in Kelantan and Terengganu. At its end, Hari Raya Aidilfitri brings the "balik kampung" exodus: buses, trains and flights sell out weeks ahead and KL empties for a week. Dates move about 11 days earlier each year; they are set by the new moon.