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Semporna (Sipadan & Mabul) in March
Mixed month: March is outside the recommended season (April – September). Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri can fall this month. Nothing in our data flags March as a problem, but it isn't the season the place is best in.
The season opens in April, next month.
3 days in Semporna (Sipadan & Mabul) in March · from ₹37,563 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book March
Closures, crowds and rules at Semporna (Sipadan & Mabul) this month.
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.
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.
What’s on in March
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitridates shift yearly
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.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 3 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹37,563 for two
- Room a night₹2,560
- Food a day, each₹1,508
- Main sight entry, each₹3,260
Mid-range
₹61,952 for two
- Room a night₹6,510
- Food a day, each₹3,480
- Main sight entry, each₹3,260
Luxury
₹1,38,070 for two
- Room a night₹25,580
- Food a day, each₹8,120
- Main sight entry, each₹3,260
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Malaysia yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Kuala Lumpur (KUL), 1883 km away
Then: Flight · 7h (AirAsia / Malaysia Airlines, KUL–TWU nonstop + shuttle to Semporna)
Flights from India: from 8 cities, one way from ₹9,500
Fly into Penang (George Town) (PEN), 2028 km away
Flights from India: from 1 city, one way from ₹10,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
No visa needed for up to 30 days
- In the 3 days before you land, fill in the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my. It is free (sites that charge are not official); keep the confirmation email. One card per traveller, children included.
- At immigration, show your passport, the MDAC confirmation and, if asked, your return ticket, hotel bookings and money for the stay. You are stamped in visa-free for up to 30 days.
- Flying on to Sabah (Kota Kinabalu) or Sarawak (Kuching, Mulu)? Those states run their own immigration check, so keep your passport with you on the domestic flight.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive; Confirmed return or onward ticket leaving Malaysia within 30 days; Hotel bookings (or a host's address) for the whole stay; Money for the stay: cash, a forex card or a bank statement; MDAC confirmation (screenshot or printout).
Visa-free entry for Indians is in force until 31 December 2026, and no extension had been announced by late October 2026. For a trip that starts in 2027, check the Malaysian High Commission or malaysiavisa.imi.gov.my before you book: without an extension you will need an eVISA.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Malaysia in March
Instead in season this month.
- Cameron Highlands · great month
- Langkawi · great month
- Gunung Mulu · good month
- Kinabalu Park · good month
- Kota Bharu · good month
- Kota Kinabalu · good month
- Kuala Terengganu · good month
- Penang (George Town) · good month
Nearby in Sabah (Borneo):
Want this as a real plan?
Semporna (Sipadan & Mabul) in March, day by day, priced for your group.