Things To Do in Semporna & Tawau

Post a mail at underwater post office in Mataking Island

Mataking island, which name can roughly be translated as “eye of the king”, is privately-owned by the Reef Dive Resort, and there are plenty of activities that you do with them. Divers will be in for a treat because there are more than 30 dive sites around the area that you can visit. Mataking Island is also home to Malaysia’s first underwater post office. The letters are put into a waterproof bag and postmarked using a special rubber stamp—perfect as a commemoration of your feat.

Besides diving, there are also plenty of activities you can do on the island itself: sunrise and sunset watching at the watchtower, fishing in the nearby island, kayaking, snorkelling, batik painting, and jungle trekking in the island itself, just to name a few. In fact, you can also have your wedding on the island!

Here are some relaxing and dive packages in Mataking Island:

3D2N Mataking Reef Dive Resort Stay

3D2N Mataking and Timba-Timba Diving Package

Mataking, Timba-Timba and Pom-Pom Island Hopping

Dive in one of the world's best diving site at Sipadan Island

For many people, Semporna is diving heaven waiting to be discovered. In the 1989 film, Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle, famed diver Jacques Cousteau said of Sipadan Island as “untouched piece of art”. Over the years, Sipadan has cemented itself as one of the world’s best diving sites. Before experiencing the magical moment of diving in Sipadan Island, be sure to apply your dive permit. Do note that Sipadan Island is a protected area, and Sabah Parks only allocates 250 permit daily as of April 2023. Additionally, you need to hold at least an Advanced Open Water diving certification to dive at Sipadan Island.

How to successfully get Sipadan dive permit? Our suggestion would be to stay at least 3 days in a Semporna resort for a guaranteed permit.

Here are some resorts and dive centres for your dive permit application:

Seaventures Dive Rig

Mabul Water Bungalow

Borneo Divers Mabul Resort

Dive to Sipadan with Semporna's only liveaboard

Join Celebes Explorer 9 as you cruise across the Celebes Sea, home to some of Borneo's most rare and unique sea creatures. This liveaboard is the best way to dive into Sipadan Island, Mabul Island, and other nearby dive sites since it lets you reach areas you normally are not able to. Celebes Explorer 9 offers daily dives to Sipadan Island, perfect for those who want to explore and dive there to their heart's content! 

Here is Semporna's only liveaboard:

Celebes Explorer 9 - Sipadan Liveaboard

Stay in Mabul Island's water chalet

Mabul Island is small in size and located in the northeastern part of Semporna. Situated close to Sipadan Island, Mabul Island is a great diving site alternative to the famous Sipadan Island, minus the fuss for diving permit. Hence, it has attracted adventure lovers around the world and has become one of the most popular diving spots. Travellers go to Mabul to engage in various water sports while staying in amazing water chalets or beach resorts. Exploring the water reveals an assortment of captivating fish and coloured corals.

Here are some water chalets and beach resorts for you staycation in Mabul Island:

Borneo Divers Mabul Resort

Mabul Water Bungalow

Relax on a secluded resort at Kapalai Island

Kapalai is a sandbank on top of the Ligitan Reefs that was formed due to the erosion on the island that took place over many years. The only building on the island, which is the Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort, built on wooden stilts surrounded by blue crystal clear water. This allows visitors to see the bottom of the sea clearly and makes the building looks like a floating structure. The waters around it also resemble an aquarium because of the diverse types of fish that live in the reef and its sandy bottom. A trip to Kapalai Island is a wonderful view that you should not miss.

Here are some island packages in Kapalai Island:

Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort

Mabul and Kapalai Discover Scuba Diving

Check out these too! We have shortlisted the best activities in Semporna, from hiking, snorkeling to diving;

Visit chocolate factory at Teck Guan Cocoa Museum

Perfect for chocolate lovers out there! Learn more about cocoa, and its processing at Sabah's biggest cocoa producer, Tech Guan Cocoa Museum. Being Sabah's cocoa producer, it is no surprise to have a museum dedicated to educating the public about the wonders of cocoa. When you are there, look forward to tasting some of their delicious cocoa-derived snacks, such as chocolate popcorn and chocolate batang buruk.

Address: Mile 2, Tanjung Batu Laut, 91000 Tawau, Sabah.

Operating Hours: 7:30AM - 11:30AM & 1:00PM - 5:00PM (Monday to Friday); 7:30AM - 12:30 (Saturday); Closed on Sundays.

Hotline: +60 16 826 9579 / +60 89 772 277

Buy local snacks and souvenirs at Tawau Tanjung Market

You could also visit Tawau Tanjung Market, which is one of the biggest indoor markets in the whole of Malaysia. It houses 6,000 stalls, which sell various things, such as dried fish, hand-woven baskets, and the ever-popular keropok amplang (a local fish cracker snack), which people often buy as a souvenir.

Address: Majlis Perbandaran Tawau, P/S No. 412, 51007, Tawau, Sabah.

Operating Hours: Daily 5:00AM - 5:00PM

Go for a hike at Gemok Hill

If you are a fitness junkie, a hiking session at Tawau’s Gemok Hill is something that you do not want to miss. The hill is a part of the Gemok Hill Forest Reserve and you will need to pay a small to enter. The trek is 1170 metres long and at the peak, you will be able to see a panoramic view of Tawau township from the Titian Selara canopy walkway. With a length of 231 metres, Titian Selara is one of the longest walkways in Malaysia.

Tawau District Forestry Office

Contact: +60 89 761 833 / +60 89 761 835

Go on a Gastronomic Adventure

You might be surprised by this but Tawau is a good place for you to go on a food hunt. Due to its unique location and community, there are plenty of different cuisines you can try here, including seafood, Chinese dishes and Javanese cuisines. All this can only mean one thing: happy tummy for visitors to Tawau! Some of popular restaurants that you should try include Union Tea House, Leong Porridge House and Papa's Kopitiam.

Union Tea House Address: 1703, Jalan Sin Onn, Taman Shamrock, 91000 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia

Operating Hours: Daily 8:00AM - 4:00PM

Leong Porridge House Address: Lot 19, Taman Perindustrian Prima Jaya, Mile 3.5, Jalan Air Panas

91000 Tawau, Sabah

Operating Hours: Daily 5:00PM - 10:30PM

Papa's Kopitiam Address: Perdana Square, Batu 3 1/2, Jalan Apas, Taman Megah Jaya, 91000 Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia

Operating Hours: Daily 6:30AM - 3:30PM (Except on Mondays)

Renting a car

If you prefer to drive yourself, renting a car is the obvious answer. There are many ways you can rent a car, and the easiest and safest way is to rent the car from the airport. The rental fee should be around RM90 per day, which is perfect if you are travelling in a group and are planning to drive around to different places in Semporna and Tawau. However, do note that finding parking around Semporna could be a challenge.

Ride-share services

Travelling has gotten so much more convenient with the emergence of ride-share services, like Grab, over the last years. Just install the app on your mobile phone and book your ride to your preferred destination. A trip from Tawau Airport to Semporna's public jetty will usually cost you around MYR83 to MYR142. It may not be the cheapest option, but if you are travelling in larger group, you can share the fee among yourself and save your budget.

Tour operator

Since Semporna is one of Sabah's top tourist destinations, you will have no problem finding a tour operator that can take you from the Tawau airport to Semporna township. 

The way the operators work is that they will charge you based on the occupancy of their van. For two to four people, expect to fork out MYR35 to MYR40. For bigger groups, it should only cost you about MYR25. So, if you plan your trip well, going on a tour operator can give you the most bang for your buck!

You can also opt for a private shuttle, which can give you the most savings if you are travelling with many people. During low season, booking a private shuttle costs around MYR100.

Tips: Book before you go to avoid any unwanted situation.