Getting to Mabul Island – Complete Travel Guide

Getting to Mabul Island – Complete Travel Guide

Everything you need to know about getting to and visiting Mabul Island in Sabah, Borneo.

Wondering how to get to Mabul Island?

Unless you're staying at an expensive five-star island resort, you'll probably have to organize how to get to Mabul Island yourself. In this quick guide, I will give you an up-to-date report on how to arrange a trip from Semporna to Mabul Island.

Location of Mabul Island

Mabul Island is located in the southeast corner of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. The island is one of dozens that dot the Semporna coast.

The island itself is a flat sandbar island surrounded by a shallow coral reef system of 2 square kilometers.

Getting to Mabul Island – Best Travel Options

Getting to Mabul Island requires either a private boat or a ferry from one of Semporna's ferry and boat terminals. The trip takes approximately an hour depending on how fast the boat is.

Below I have described some common ways to get to Mabul Island, mainly for readers on a budget. Otherwise, if you have already arranged 5-star accommodation on the island, transport is most likely already included.

KK to Mabul Island

The first step on your journey is of course to Semporna. If you want to research how to get from Kota Kinabalu (KK) to Mabul Island, you can either take a flight to Tawau followed by a Grab car or a taxi to Semporna Port. You can also take an intercity bus from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna and then a ferry to the island.

ARRIVAL TO SEMPORNA

Surprisingly, flying from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna is relatively affordable. I usually stick to budget travel options so I overlooked the flight to Semporna. Air Asia offers daily standard flights from KK to Tawau starting from just $18. However, you will need to pay for a Grab car to Semporna (80 ringgit) or find a shared 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 CheapOAir or Sky Scanner flights directly with Semporna.

ARRIVAL TO SEMPORNA BY BUS

The more popular option for budget travelers visiting other parts of Sabah is the intercity bus. From Kota Kinabalu there is a morning and evening bus from Inanam Station departing at 7:30am and 7:30pm for 75 ringgit per person.

If you are coming to Semporna from Sandakan, Sepilok or the Kinabatangan River, you can also hail a bus from the main road. Depending on where you board, expect to pay around 45 ringgit for this bus ride. It's best to ask your accommodation for help to get the bus to Semporna from these locations.
alt=“BUDGET ACCOMMODATION IN MABUL ISLAND”>Amazing accommodation in Mabul, Sabah

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Arrival to Mabul Island – Semporna Public Jetty

There are a few different jetties in Semporna. The most important, however, is where most boats depart for island hopping tours and for transfers to the outer islands. I have marked the location on the map below.

The boats usually leave in the morning as there is a curfew on boating activities at night. If you show up without a reservation, it's up to you to bargain for a fair price. Of course, the more people, the more you can spread the costs.

Semporna to Mabul Island Boat Price:

Expect to pay around RM160 – RM200 per boat going to Mabul Island.

TIP: If you have booked your budget accommodation on Mabul Island, I would definitely recommend asking them if they include transfers. This could save you at least a large part of the transfer fee.

Don't miss: Bohey Dulang Viewpoint

Cheap accommodation on Mabul Island

When you first think of Malaysian holiday islands, budget isn't 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 trips and also boat ferries there and back. After booking, make sure to send a message on 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 about this place was that there was a huge plastic trash area behind the lodge where they would dump trash. I talked to them about clearing it out or moving it further away from the water, but they obviously didn't care. So we made it our mission to organize a clean-up operation. We were quite disappointed to see that not a single member of staff, including the owner, offered to help or even say thank you. If budget is your top priority – stay here. But until they sort out their plastic waste and poor environmental attitudes, I'd rather try Spheredivers.

Second Budget Option: SpherediversThis is the second budget accommodation option on Mabul. Unlike the first option, this place does not offer free meals, only a buffet breakfast. However, there is a restaurant attached to the property and they are known for hosting inexpensive diving trips. I've noticed that Spheredivers are much more environmentally conscious about their plastic disposal.

Compare: all cheap accommodation on Mabul Island

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How long does it take to get to Mabul Island?

Getting to Mabul Island is only part of the trip – the rest, of course, is enjoying this tropical piece of Borneo paradise.

So how long does it take you? Typically the length of your stay depends on how much diving you want to do. If you want to visit the local diving spots as well as a day trip to Sipidan, I would suggest a 3 day and 2 day trip.
alt=“ANGLERFISH DIVING AT MABUL ISLAND HOUSE REEF”>Frogfish on the house reef of Mabul Island

What if I don't dive?

If you don't like diving, there honestly isn't much else to do. Of course, you can hike around the island, relax on the beach, explore the inland villages and even go on a snorkeling trip.

However, 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 hopping tour from Semporna or just spending one night here.
alt=“MABUL ISLAND MARINE LIFE”>Snorkeling on Mabul Island

Is Mabul Island safe?

Mabul Island is considered fairly safe. However, many travel safety websites advise caution for the Semporna area and surrounding islands due to a history of kidnappings.

These kidnappings and attacks were carried out by the southern Philippines-based terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and were largely inspired by ransom demands.

In response, the area around Mabul Island is heavily monitored by the Malaysian military, which has established bases on almost every island. There is also a tight curfew preventing any boat traffic after dark.

As a result, there have been no recent attacks in recent years. However, that's not to say it couldn't happen.
alt=“SEA GYPSIE COMMUNITY ON MABUL ISLAND, SABAH, BORNEO”>Refugees on Mabul Island – Escaping terrorism and conflict on Sulu Island in the southern Philippines. They now live on Mabul Island and make a living by selling seafood to tourists.

Cheap diving on Mabul Island

A few budget hostel-style lodges also offer affordable diving on Mabul. Mabul Backpackers, for example, offers a diving package for RM610 per person, which includes four dives, two nights' accommodation, all meals and return boat transfer from Semporna to Mabul Island.

If you want to save money, I would recommend haggling with your accommodation for discounts on diving since you've already booked there.

If you want to book some dives in advance then I also found this deal online that offers three fun dives for $85 which is a pretty good price and has some excellent reviews.
alt=“DIVING NUDIAN BRANCH ON MABUL ISLAND”>

Parasailing on Mabul Island

If you've ever wanted to try parasailing, then Mabul Island is a great place to do it as you can actually find great deals. To save money and book a spot, I booked parasailing through Viator where I found a deal for $25!

Photos of Mabul Island to inspire your travels

alt=“SEA GYPSIE COMMUNITY ON MABUL ISLAND, SABAH, BORNEO”>
alt=“SEA GYPSIE COMMUNITY ON MABUL ISLAND, SABAH, BORNEO”>
alt=“SEA GYPSIE COMMUNITY ON MABUL ISLAND, SABAH, BORNEO”>
alt="MABUL ISLAND PEOPLE">
alt="BASKETBALL COURT ON MABUL ISLAND">
alt="REFUGEES OF MABUL ISLAND">
alt="MABUL ISLAND DRONE">
alt="MABUL ISLAND DRONE, SABAH BORNEO">
alt=“JUNGLE BASKETBALL COURT IN MABUL ISLAND”>Epic Basketball Court on Mabul Island – Let me know if you find it.

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