Getting Here
Sipadan Island, Mabul Island and Kapalai Island are very near each other. These
3 islands are off Semporna town, East Coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
From your location, fly to Kota Kinabalu, then fly for 40 minutes to Tawau. From
Tawau, go to Semporna by bus or taxi which will take about 1 hour. From Semporna,
you will take the resort speed boat to Mabul Island where your resort is located.
The boat ride will take another 45 minutes. Mabul Island will be your gateway to
diving around the 3 islands.
If you prefer a leisurely pace, you can spend a night either in Tawau or Semporna.
Tawau is the bigger town compared to Semporna. But both offer unique experiences
and excellent fresh seafood.
Transfers to Resort
If you are already in Tawau or Semporna, your resort has free transfers to Mabul Island. The resort transport pickup schedule is:
|
Pick up location |
Time |
|
Tawau |
0700 hours |
|
Semporna |
0900 hours |
If you are flying in and want to reach Mabul Island as quickly as possible, plan to arrive at Tawau airport by 1400 hours and
your resort transport can pick you up at the airport and whisk you away to the island right away.
Otherwise you might have to spend a night in Semporna or Tawau. We recommend the following flights:
| Flight № |
Departs |
Departure Time |
Arrival Time |
Boat Schedule from Semporna |
MH2121
Malaysia Airlines |
Kota Kinabalu |
0700 |
0745 |
0930 |
AK5152
Air Asia |
Kuala Lumpur |
0720 |
1005 |
1230 |
AK6122
Air Asia |
Kota Kinabalu |
0930 |
1020 |
1230 |
MH3063
Malaysia Airlines |
Sandakan |
1015 |
1055 |
1230 |
MH2137
Malaysia Airlines |
Kota Kinabalu |
1315 |
1400 |
1600 |
International Airline Routes
Most likely you will arrive at Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur. But there are also
a number of flights from other countries flying direct into Kota Kinabalu.
From Brunei, you can fly direct to Kota Kinabalu from Bandar Seri
Begawan via:
- Royal Brunei Airlines –
Royal Brunei Airlines has been around since 1974 and flies to 21 destinations
cross Asia, the Middle East, Australasia and Europe.
From Hong Kong, you can fly direct to Kota Kinabalu via:
- Dragon Air – Dragon
Air has been around since 1985 and flies to over 31 destinations across Asia.
-
Malaysia Airlines
– Malaysia Airlines has been around since 1974 and flies to over 100 different
destinations today. It is an award winning airline and has recently won the coveted
Airline of the Year (Top 10 Airlines of the Year) by Skytrax, UK.
From Philippines, you can fly direct to Kota Kinabalu from Cebu,
Manila and Clark via:
- Air Asia – Air Asia
has been around since 1974 and flies to 21 destinations cross Asia, the Middle East,
Australasia and Europe.
-
Malaysia Airlines
From Thailand, you can fly direct to Kota Kinabalu from Bangkok
via:
From Singapore, you can fly direct to Kota Kinabalu via:
- Malaysia Airlines
-
Silk Air – Silk Air is the
regional wing of Singapore Airlines. They cater for both business and leisure passengers
focusing on destinations around the region.
There are also direct flights into Kota Kinabalu International Airport from
China (Guanzhou and Shanghai) Japan (Tokyo and Osaka),
South Korea (Seoul) and Taiwan (Taipei and Kaoshiung)
via Malaysia Airlines.
If you are from Middle East countries, Europe,
United States or United Kingdom, you will likely
be flying to Kuala Lumpur International Airport first before flying to Kota Kinabalu
International Airport.
Transfers Out from Your Resort
I know, I know. I shouldn’t be talking about the end of your diving holiday even
before it starts. But this might be useful information for your planning. So please
bear with me.
The resort also has free transfers out of Mabul Island to either Semporna, Tawau
or the Tawau Airport. Many divers take the following flights out of Tawau:
|
Flight № |
Arrives |
Departure Time |
Arrival Time |
Boat Schedule from Mabul Island |
AK5153
Air Asia |
Kuala Lumpur |
1030 |
1315 |
0700 |
AK6123
Air Asia |
Kota Kinabalu |
1045 |
1135 |
0700 |
MH3062
Malaysia Airlines |
Sandakan |
1115 |
1155 |
0700 |
MH2134
Malaysia Airlines |
Kota Kinabalu |
1440 |
1525 |
1100 |
AK6127
Air Asia |
Kota Kinabalu |
1715 |
1805 |
1100 |
MH2665
Malaysia Airlines |
Kuala Lumpur |
1750 |
2030 |
1100 |
AK5155
Air Asia |
Kuala Lumpur |
1800 |
2045 |
1100 |
AK5157
Air Asia |
Kuala Lumpur |
2110 |
2355 |
1500 |
AK6116
Air Asia |
Kota Kinabalu |
2135 |
2225 |
1500 |
MH2148
Malaysia Airlines |
Kota Kinabalu |
2140 |
2225 |
1500 |