Pulau Sipadan Travel Guide

 
by lotharscheer
 
  •   Pulau Sipadan
    by lotharscheer
  •   Pulau Sipadan
    by lotharscheer
  •   Pulau Sipadan
    by lotharscheer
  •   Pulau Sipadan
    by cgf
  •   Pulau Sipadan
    by cgf
 

Pro

Restless-in-kl profile photo

 Dreamy island with a more beautiful world underwater 


Con

cooltrudy profile photo

 you can't sleep there because of terroristic, ecological and politic reasons 


In a nutshell

CGarnett profile photo

 Great diving but Basic Accommodation 

 

Explore Pulau Sipadan

Things to Do  

Sipadan Scuba diving

Sipadan Scuba diving, Pulau Sipadan

 Sambawalk Says:  I dived with Sipadan Scuba, a PADI 5 star dive shop and National Geographic dive centre. It is located in Semporna and the dive master and instructors are professional. They have 2 cavern instructors (I think out of 3 in Sabah) who can bring divers to go in turtle caves.... 

Diving

Diving, Pulau Sipadan

 amish Says:  Sipadan is well known for its great diving and there are quite a few dive companies to choose from.I went with Dive Junkie. They have very good equipment for rent and knowlegable friendly staff. Seemed like all their dive masters were Westerners which may help raise the... 

Hotels  

Sipadan-Kapalai Island Resort

 1 Review and 252 Opinions  Fell in love with this place especially my water bungalow. It's huge with comfy beds, big bathroom... 

Restaurants  

Only a fast Snack is granted !

Only a fast Snack is granted !, Pulau Sipadan

 cooltrudy Says:  Sipadan has not restaurants, bars, fast food or something like that. You can walk in a spot, long almost 100 metres, between army and the guards for the protection of nature. So if you plain to eat there you should bring a snack with you !I suggest you to ask your travel... 

resort food

resort food, Pulau Sipadan

 eelaine Says:  most resorts will offer food as part of the package.. with sipadan being pretty secluded, it is a good idea to just go with this and not have to worry about food.. most of the time, yummy fresh seafood will be served! ;) 

Nightlife  

along the beach: Turtle walk

along the beach: Turtle walk, Pulau Sipadan

 Fish_Fish Says:  Be quite, no torch, follow the foot print. Oh is there, the turtle is digging the hole and start laying the eggs. It's wonderful. The local people will collect the eggs and centralize in place and lable with the date collect. So you will see the new born turtle everyday. You... 

Drop-Off Cafe: Sundowners at Drop-Off Cafe

Drop-Off Cafe: Sundowners at Drop-Off Cafe, Pulau Sipadan

 CGarnett Says:  Fantastic place to sit, have a drink, watch the sea turtles play and the sun setting over the Celebres Sea (and if the bar there is closed, you can buy drinks at the nearby Borneo Divers Lodge and bring them out to the pier). 

Transportation  

Journey to Sipadan

Journey to Sipadan, Pulau Sipadan

 Restless-in-kl Says:  To get to Sipadan from Kuala Lumpur :1. Via Kota Kinabalu with Malaysia Airlines of Air Asia- take an evening flight from Kuala Lumpur (2.5 hours)- stay a night in Kota Kinabalu- take the 1st flight out of Kota Kinabalu to Tawau (1 hour)- take a van (arrange with resort that... 

Dive in Pulau Sipadan

Dive in Pulau Sipadan, Pulau Sipadan

 cooltrudy Says:  Pulau Sipadan is one of the most beautifull island in the world but unfortunately it is not possible sleep there because of terrorism and ecological reasons.So if you want to dive, or snorkel, there i reccomend you 3 options:-Sleep in Semporna (the closer town to Sipadan... 

Shopping  

local village market: anything from the sea

local village market: anything from the sea, Pulau Sipadan

 eelaine Says:  you can get anything that you see in the sea.. it's pretty shocking to see all the colourful fishes that divers and snorkellers marvel over lying dead on the market stalls.. so, it all depends on if you dare to eat them.. :P there's a dive master who once said that the... 

at the Pier to the Sipandan Island: Natural Shell Necklace

at the Pier to the Sipandan Island: Natural Shell Necklace, Pulau Sipadan

 Fish_Fish Says:  The are the local people and sell the handmade shell necklace at the pier. The necklace was in different kind of marine life that made of natural shell. e.g. Manta ray, turtle, squid, butterfly fish, shark, angel fish. Bargain and get cheaper price. I buy five at USD 4... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Terrotism !

Terrotism !, Pulau Sipadan

 cooltrudy Says:  As you know Sipadan island is actually closed to tourism, in fact all restaurants, pubs, bars are closed. As a result only a limited number of divers can go to the island and if you go to Sipadan you can dive, snorkel but you can't stay on the land of the island excluded 100... 

sipadan - unpredicatable currents

sipadan - unpredicatable currents, Pulau Sipadan

 cpastandard Says:  Sipadan and Mabul and Kapalai are brilliant. So many big and small critters to see - robust ghost pipefish, ornate ghost pipefish, frog fish, leaf fish, bamboo sharks, decorator crabs, sea horses, cowfish, a school of 15 devil rays.Be aware that the currents are not... 

Tourist Traps  

Pre booking your accomodation/diving
largerama profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

largerama 190 reviews

Dont pay the price on the website or in brochures. Just get to East Malaysia. You can fly cheap to Tawau through AirAsia and there are reps at the airports or get to the jetty in town and there are some more reps. All these will offer locals price. Much cheaper than advertised.

Unique Suggestions: Have a big fat wallet

Fun Alternatives: Get a sugar daddy

Written Apr 14, 2005

Related to:
 Diving and Snorkeling

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What to Pack  

One for the album?

One for the album?, Pulau Sipadan

 SengQuee Says:   Camera, underwater camera to be specific.You don't want to be missing out on your prized shot, do you? 

Have backpack will travel

Have backpack will travel, Pulau Sipadan

 Restless-in-kl Says:  Backpacks are the best as there are a lot of stops/transfers which require a lot of loading and unloading Light clothing, shorts, T-shirts and swimsuits Pack up well as Tawau and Semporna are very small towns with limited shops and selection of products Hand carry with... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Sibuan; a "Battleship Island"

Sibuan; a "Battleship Island", Pulau Sipadan

 cooltrudy Says:  Sibuan is one of the smallest islands in the whole bay but it is very popular for swimmers and snorkelers. Sibuan Island, also called "Battleship Island" for its shiluette that much assembles a WW2 battleship, is located about 30 minutes by speed boat from Semporna. Only... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Diving in Sipadan; the best spot to dive!

Diving in Sipadan; the best spot to dive!, Pulau Sipadan

 cooltrudy Says:  Expert divers tell that Sipadan Island has one of the best underwater in the world ! It's true !! Sipadan underwater is amazing...stupefying...unequalled ! During scuba diving you could meet plenty of sharks, Barracudas,Bluespotted Stingray, LionFishes, Bigeye Travelly... 

Scuba Diving!!!

Scuba Diving!!!, Pulau Sipadan

 R.Dettmann Says:  The thing why going to Sipadan is diving!!! Diving is program on that island. You have 3 bootdives a day and you can do as many dives off shore as you like. The housereef is the best I've ever seen! 600m drop off!!! You can be lucky and see everything from gostpipe fish to... 

Favorites  

Diving

Diving, Pulau Sipadan

 cheekin22 Says:  Hi all, other than those mentioned above, you also can try NAUI. I'm with NAUI :)The National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI Worldwide) has been teaching the world to dive safely since 1959. As the largest non-profit and most respected dive training and... 

Me and my Nikon Coolpix 5200

Me and my Nikon Coolpix 5200, Pulau Sipadan

 Restless-in-kl Says:  Diving with an underwater digital camera makes such a huge difference. Sipadan was my first trip with my Nikon. It's an absolute must to have a camera to capture all the things you see as you may not see some of these creatures elsewhere in the world. If you don't have one,... 

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Map of Pulau Sipadan