SCUBA TOURS WORLDWIDE - Representing the world's finest diving
Malaysia - Sipadan & Borneo
Kapalai | Mabul | Layang Lanyang | Lankayan | Borneo Jungle Add-On | Sample Itinerary |
Introduction to Borneo & Sipadan
Sabah, Northern Borneo, offers a wealth of stunning scenery and wildlife experiences. The imposing Mount Kinabalu, at over 4000m in height, sits amid the vast Kinabalu National Park; a World Heritage Site and one of the most important biological sites in the world. The rich rainforests harbour some of the rarest and most exotic species of flora and fauna, including the Rafflesia - the largest flower in the world growing over a meter wide. The rainforests are also one of the few remaining places on Earth where orang-utans survive in the wild and Sabah is very active in protecting these wonderful creatures.
Northern Borneo also offers superb and varied diving. To the west lies the atoll of Layang Layang, plunging 2000m into the South China Sea and where schooling hammerhead sharks perform mating rituals. To the north, whalesharks come into the seas around Lankayan Island to feed. And to the east are three islands that combined offer some of the best diving to be found anywhere; Kapalai, Mabul and Sipadan.
Mabul and Kapalai are famous for their critter and muck diving and Sipadan for it's 1000 feet drop-off, labrynth of caves and the huge populations of turtles that breed there. To promote the conservation of Sipadan, it is no longer possible to stay on the island but the dive centres on Mabul and Kapalai access the Sipadan dive sites regularly. The number of divers visiting Sipadan is controlled on a rotational basis and a permit is needed to go there. The combination of critter and muck diving at Mabul and Kapalai and fish and wall diving at Sipadan is a perfect mix for an incredible dive holiday.
Kapalai Dive Resort
Kapalai Dive Resort is a beautiful village built on stilts over the Ligitan Reefs of Kapalai Island, now no more than a sand spit. With access to many dive sites, including its own fantastic house reef, and being just a few minutes boat ride from Sipadan, Kapalai is unique and is a diver's paradise.
Accommodation is in 59 elegant and spacious air-conditioned, en-suite chalets with large private balconies and spectacular sea views. Rooms are linked to the main building by long wooden jetties.
The main restuarant and bar is spacious and airy with stunning views over the sea. Meals are served buffet style with varied and delightful dishes. Faciltiies on the island include a games room, with a pool table and tennis table, and gift shop. Internet access is also available.
Kapalai has a superbly equipped dive centre and three boat dives per day are typically scheduled to offshore sites, including the islands of Mabul and Sipadan. Immediately in front of the dive centre are wooden steps leading down to a fantastic house reef and guests can enjoy inlimted diving here day and night.
Mabul SMART Divers Resort
Mabul is a small, lush island with beautiful, white sandy beaches. The Smart Diver's Resort is nestled in a coconut grove on the south-east side of the island overlooking the sea and nearby Sipadan Island. Accommodation is in 40 spacious wooden duplex chalets with en-suite bathrooms and air-conditioning. Facilities at the resort include a large swimming pool.
Smart Divers have a second resort on the other side of the island; the new Mabul Water Bungalows. Built on stilts and sprawling out over the vast lagoon, the resort comprises of 14 elegantly furnished wooden bungalows reached by long walkways. Each room is equipped with remote control air-conditioning, ceiling fan, private bathroom-hot/cold shower and toilet, spacious private balcony offering panoramic vistas of the blue sea, colour TV with satellite channels, mini bar and in-room safety box.
Facilities at the resort include a large and airy bar and restaurant, a souvenir shop, and a wonderful over water spa, offering a range of beauty treatments and massages.
Smart Divers offer unlimited shore diving and three boat dives per day to the surrounding reefs and to Sipadan. The dive centre offers a full range of courses and Nitrox is available.
Layang Layang
Between March and August divers have the opportunity to visit the remote dive resort of Layang Layang, situated 180 miles off the north-west of Borneo. Part of the volcanic ridge known as the Borneo Banks, Layang Layang is surrounded by 2000m of deep tropical water offering spectacular drop-offs, superb corals and prolific fish life. Layang Layang is famous for the scalloped hammerhead sharks that gather here in huge schools to perform their mating rituals.
Layang Layang Island Resort is a former Malaysian Naval base now converted into a modest three-star dive resort with 86 air-conditioned, en-suite rooms. Facilities at the resort include a swimming pool, a restaurant serving a range of Asian and International cuisines, a fully stocked bar, souvenir shop, and a spa offering a range of treatments and soothing massages.
The fully equipped dive centre offers a range of courses and equipment hire and three boat dives per day are scheduled to the surrounding dive sites. The diving around Layang Layang is excellent and usually in superb visibility. Within the atoll’s lagoon are such treasures as seahorses and cuttlefish, while the outer walls and drop-offs teem with fish and pelagics. .
Lankayan Island
A tiny jewel-like island in the Sulu Sea, just an hour and a half boat ride north of Sandakan, Lankayan has been declared part of an immense Marine Protected Area to adopt the eco-tourism concept. Unpopulated and covered by thick tropical vegetation, the island is ringed by a pure white sandy beach and offers simple yet elegant accommodation in 23 en-suite wooden seafront chalets.
Lankayan has a well run dive centre offering boat dives to around 30 sites and there is a mix of excellent macro life, good corals and schools of fish. With seasonal plankton blooms, Lankayan is most well known for the whalesharks that come into the area each year to feed.
Borneo Jungle Add-ons - Sepilok Nature Reserve
Borneo has incredible tropical rainforest that is home to some amazing wildlife and we recommend highly that you add an extension to your dive trip to incorporate a jungle experience. We can arrange an itinerary to suit your requirements, from full guided tours across the jungles of Sabah, to a simple stop-over at the exceptional Sepilok Nature Reserve; home to the world famous Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
Sepilok Nature Reserve is 15 minutes from the east coast town of Sandakan and is a sanctuary for orang-utans. Over 4,500 hectares of jungle is designated as a forest reserve and orang-utan sanctuary and to date over 200 have been successfully rehabilitated back into the wild.
Situated amid beautiful tropical plants, huge trees and spectacular orchids, the resort offers all the comforts and amenities needed after a day spent trekking in the rainforest. The timber chalets have en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold water, shower and bathtub. Meals are served in the central building under covered terraces overlooking the very picturesque lake. A typical stop-over here will include a guided night forest trek and a daytime visit to see the feeding of the orang utans at the Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Sanctuary.
Sample Itinerary
Malaysian Airlines offer daily flights from Heathrow to Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur so you can be very flexible with your itinerary. From Kota Kinabalu it is a simple one hour flight to Layang Layang, or a 45 minute flight to Sandakan if you are going to Lankayan. For Mabul or Kapalai it is a 45 minute flight from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau, followed by a land transfer of just over an hour to Semporna and a scenic 60 minute speedboat ride to your choice of island.
The following is a 16 day sample itinerary with Malaysian Airlines for a 10nt stay at either Mabul or Kapalai, followed by a stop-over in Sepilok Jungle Reserve to see the orang-utans:
Day 1 Depart London Heathrow at 1200hrs for overnight flight to Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur
Day 2 Arrive Kota Kinabalu and transfer to hotel for 1 night
Day 3 Depart Kota Kinabalu at 1315hrs for flight to Tawau, arriving 1400hrs. Transfer to Mabul or Kapalai for 10nts
Day 4 Begin 8 days of superb diving on the wonderful reefs of Mabul, Kapalai and Sipadan
Day 13 Transfer to Tawau airport for 1115hrs flight to Sandakan, arriving 1155hrs, and transfer to Sepilok Nature Reserve for 2nts. After an evening meal take a one hour guided night trek in the jungle to see the amazing wildlife.
Day 14 Visit to the wonderful Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Sanctary and walk through the rainforest to spot other incredible wildlife.
Day 15 Afternoon transfer to Sandakan for 1850hrs overnight flight to Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur.
Day 16 Arrive Heathrow at 0521hrs.
