Arrival to Mabul Island - complete travel guide
Arrival to Mabul Island - complete travel guide
Everything you need to know about the journey and visiting the island of Mabul in Sabah, Borneo.
Ask yourself how to come to Mabul Island?
If you do not spend the night in an expensive five-star island resort, you will probably have to organize yourself how to get to Mabul Island. In this short guide, I give you a current report on how to arrange a trip from Semporna to Mabul Island.
Location of the island of Mabul
The island of Mabul is located on the southeastern corner of Sabah in Borneo Malays. The island is one of dozens that dispel the coast of Semporna.
The island itself is a flat sandbar island that is surrounded by a flat coral reef system of 2 square kilometers.
Arrival to Mabul Island-Best travel options
To get to Mabul Island, either a private boat or a ferry from one of Semporna's ferry and boat terminals is required. The journey takes about an hour, depending on how fast the boat is.
In the following I have described some common ways of how to get to Mabul Island, mainly for readers with a small budget. Otherwise, if you have already arranged a 5-star accommodation on the island, the transport is most likely already included.
KK according to Mabul Island
The first step on your trip naturally leads to Semporna. If you want to research how you can get to Mabul Island from Kota Kinabalu (KK), you can either take a flight to Tawau, followed by a grave car or a taxi to the port of Semporna. You can also take an overland bus from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna and then a ferry to the island.
Arrival to Semporna
Surprisingly, a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna is relatively affordable. I usually stick to cheap travel options, so I overlooked the flight to Semporna. Air Asia offers standard flights from KK to Tawau every day from just $ 18. However, you have to pay for a grave car to Semporna (80 Ringgit) or find a common minivan at the airport.
Note that it is also possible to fly directly to Tawau from other parts of Asia, including Kuala Lumpur.
You can compare flights with Cheapoair or Sky Scanner directly with Semporna.
Arrival to Semporna by bus
The more popular option for price -conscious travelers who visit other parts of Sabah is the overland bus. From Kota Kinabalu there is a bus from the Inanam train station in the morning and evening, which runs at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. for 75 Ringgit per person.
If you come from Sandakan, Sepilok or the Kinabatangan River to Semporna, you can also go to a bus from the main street. Depending on where you get in, about 45 ring git for this bus ride. It is best to ask your accommodation for help to get the bus to Semporna from these places.
Alt = “Budget accommodation in Mabul Island”> Amazing accommodation on Mabul, Sabah
Do not miss: Sabah travel plan 7 days-things that can be done in Sabah Borneo
Arrival to Mabul Island-Semporna Public Jetty
There are some different boat stems in Semporna. The most important, however, is the place where most boats for island shopping tours and for transfers to the outer islands. I marked the location on the map below.
The boats usually take off in the morning, as a locking lesson applies to boat activities at night. If you appear without a reservation, it is up to you to act a fair price. The more people, the further you can divide the costs.
Semporna according to Mabul Island Boots Prize:
await you about 160 - 200 RM per boat that drives to Mabul Island.
TIP: If you have booked your budget accommodation on Mabul Island, I would definitely recommend asking if you contain a transfer. This could save at least a large part of the transfer fee.
not missed: Bohey Dulang
viewpointCheap accommodation on Mabul Island
When you think of Malaysian vacation islands for the first time, budget is not exactly the first word that comes to mind. However, there are cheap accommodations on Mabul Island. Here are a few options.
Where I stayed: Mabul Backpackers This place had the cheapest accommodation on Mabul Island that I could find. They organize diving excursions and also boat ferries back and forth. After booking, make sure that you send a message to Booking.com to arrange the transfer. There are dormitories and simple single and double rooms. All meals are also included.
My experience; The only criticism I had in this place was that there was a huge plastic waste area behind the lodge where they would dispose of garbage. I talked to you about clearing it out or getting away from the water, but obviously you didn't care. So we have made it our task to organize a cleanup. We were quite disappointed to see that not a single employee, including the owner, offered to help or even thank you. If the budget is your top priority - stay here. But until you have sorted your plastic waste and bad setting for environmental protection, I would rather try out sphered diverse.
Second budget option: Spherediverse this is the second budget accommodation option on Mabul. In contrast to the first option, this place does not offer free meals, but only a breakfast buffet. However, there is a restaurant that is connected to the accommodation and you are known to organize inexpensive diving trips. I noticed that SpheredIsvers are much more environmentally conscious with their plastic disposal.
Compare: All cheap accommodations on Mabul Island
alt = “Mabul island-resort”>
How long do I need on Mabul Island?
The journey to Mabul Island is only part of the trip-the rest of course is to enjoy this tropical piece of borneo paradise.
So how long do you need? As a rule, the duration of your stay depends on how much you want to dive. If you want to visit the local diving sites and a day trip to Sipidan, I would suggest a 3-day and 2-day excursion.
Alt = "Fishing fish at the Mabul Island House Reef diving"> Angler fish on the house reef of Mabul Island
What if I don't dive?
If you don't like to dive, there is honestly not to do much. Of course you can hike around the island, relax on the beach, explore the villages in the country and even take a snorkeling trip.
Since the island is so small, you could easily do it all in one day. For non-divers, I would recommend either booking an island shopping tour from Semporna or just spending one night here.
Alt = “Mabul Island Marine Life”> Snorkeling on the island of Mabul
Is the island of Mabul safe?
Mabul Island is considered pretty safe. However, many travel safety websites advise caution for the area of Semporna and the surrounding islands due to a history of kidnapping.
These kidnaps and attacks were carried out by the ABU Sayyaf terrorist group from the southern philippines and were largely inspired by ransom demands.
In response to this, the area around the island of Mabul is strongly monitored by the Malaysian military, which has built bases on almost every island. There is also a close output lock that prevents any boat traffic after dark. As a result, there have been no recent attacks in recent years. However, this does not mean that it could not happen.Alt = “Sea Gypsie Community on the island of Mabul, Sabah, Borneo”> Refugees on the island of Mabul - escaped from terrorism and conflicts on the island of Sulu in the south of the Philippines. You now live on the island of Mabul and live from the sale of seafood to tourists.
Cheap diving on Mabul Island
A few inexpensive hostle-style lodges also offer inexpensive diving on Mabul. For example, Mabul Backpackers offers a diving package for 610 RM per person, which includes four dives, two overnight stays, all meals and the return transfer by boat from Semporna to Mabul Island.
If you want to save money, I would recommend your accommodation to haunt discounts for diving because you have already booked there.
If you want to book some dives in advance, I have also found this offer online, which offers three funny dives for $ 85, which is a pretty good price and has some excellent reviews.
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Parasailing on the island of Mabul
If you always wanted to try parasailing, Mabul Island is a great place for it because you can actually find great offers. To save money and book a place, I booked parasailing via Viator, where I found an offer for $ 25!
Photos of Mabul Island as inspiration for your travels
alt = “Sea Gypsie Community on the island of Mabul, Sabah, Borneo”>
Alt = “Sea Gypsie Community on the island of Mabul, Sabah, Borneo”>
Alt = “Sea Gypsie Community on the island of Mabul, Sabah, Borneo”>
Alt = "Mabul island-people">
Alt = "Basketballplatz on the island of Mabul">
Alt = "Refugees of the island of Mabul">
Alt = "Mabul island-drone">
Alt = “Mabul island-drone, Sabah Borneo”>
Alt = “Jungle Basketballplatz in Mabul Island”> Epic basketball court on Mabul Island-let me know if you find it.
alt = “Arrival to Mabul Island - Budget Travel Guide”>
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