To the east of Lahad Datu is the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Although logging encroached on the area in the 1970s and 1980s, the re-growth has provided a home for larger mammals such as the elephant, rhino and banteng (wild ox). Comfortable chalets with fans and a restaurant are available, with nature trails for exploring the environment.

Bird eye view of Tabin Wildlife Reserve

From the Tawau district, the north coast can be reached by road via Keningau (over the Crocker Range), and via Sapulut in the interior, travelling close to the Indonesian border along logging tracks passing by the Maliau Basin. Four-wheel-drive vehicles, which have obtained permission to carry passengers through the logging concessions, make the trip daily. The drive from Tawau to Keningau takes between 8 and 10 hours, depending on the condition of the tracks. The road north to Sandakan is easy and open, passing through mile after mile oil palm plantations on what was once rainforest. Buses-which travel north almost to Sandakan before heading west across the Crocker Range-take 12 hours to Kota Kinabalu, and cost half the price of the airfare, although the flight takes just 40 minutes.

Waterfall at Maliau Basin

Semporna which is the gateway to Pulau Sipadan is Malaysia’s only oceanic island and famous with the international diving fraternity as one of the world’s five best dive sites. A one and a half hour drive east of Tawau brings visitors to the small settlement, where Bajau fishermen, Suluk tribespeople, and Chinese traders lend a village atmosphere and a far-flung feel. Fringing the town are numerous settlements built on stilts over the water, an architectural style utilised by many of the newer resorts being built in the vicinity. The rich marine life around Semporna yields delicious seafood, which can be bought at the restaurant Dragon Inn. Prepared by Chinese chefs in any style you wish and served with fresh, locally-grown vegetables, it is among the best seafood found in Malaysia.

Semporna’s main jetty, where Dragon Inn’s restaurant and chalets perch over the shallow waters, is always a hive of activity, with locals from the nearby islands coming and going in narrow wooden boats, and sleek speedboats leaving for dive resorts. Various dive companies maintain their offices on the jetty, while a couple of hotels, a souvenir shop and an air-conditioned restaurant cater to those en route for the nearby islands.

While Pulau Sipadan is the most exceptional dive site off Sabah’s east coast, the jade and sapphire seas around Semporna are dotted with countless idyllic islands, surrounded by coral reefs. Unfortunately, dynamiting by fisherman has caused considerable destruction, but since the deportation of large numbers of illegal immigrants, the reefs are slowly regenerating.

The large islands of Bodgaya and Bohey Dulang to the northeast of Semporna, and several surrounding isles, have been gazetted as the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. As yet, facilities have not yet been developed, but the region promises to be a magnet for divers in the near future. Not far from Bodgaya, Mataking, the last island before the international border with the Philippines, is shared by an exclusive diving resort and the Malaysian army, which-along with navy patrols-ensures security along the entire east coast.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park

South of Semporna, Pulau Sipadan is Malaysia’s only oceanic island. A pinnacle of limestone and coral rising up 600 metres (2,000 ft) from the floor of the Celebes Sea, it spreads out like a mushroom cap to form a 12-hectare island. The first divers to Sipadan in the 1980s slept in tents, disturbed at night only by nesting sea turtles burrowing in the sand before laying their eggs.

Pulau Sipadan

The stunning visibility and the incredible range of marine life-including large pelagic fish, brilliantly colourful hard and soft corals and underwater caverns-greatly impressed the late marine ecologist and diver, Jacques Cousteau. It also impressed the first foreign divers who stayed with the pioneer operator, Borneo Divers. Tales of schooling barracuda, mating sea turtles, huge jacks, moray eels, white-tip reef sharks and shimmering schools of exquisite reef fish soon spread. Perhaps inevitably, tiny Sipadan eventually became over-run with dive resorts and divers. In an effort to avoid environmental degradation of Sipadan and its surrounding reefs, the Malaysian government closed all resorts on the island in December 2004, permitting divers to dive in the surrounding reefs but not land on the island. Limited day visits may be permitted in future. Most dive operators have transferred their resorts to the nearby low-lying island of Mabul, while Kapalai is occupied by a single beautiful resort perched on stilts. Both Mabul and Kapalai are renowned “muck diving” sites, great for macro life and all kinds of unusual critters that won’t be seen on Sipadan.

Tawau which is Sabah’s main town of the southeast has being the hub of an essential timber and cocoa growing area. This little town has a very mixed population, where Muslims Filipinos from Mindanao and Indonesian estate workers have helped create a different atmosphere to the towns of the west coast. As well as the present timber capital of the state, Tawau is also the home of a reforestation programme situated at Kalabakan, where 30,000 hectares (70,000 acres) have been planted with fast-growing trees such as Albizia facalaria; the fastest is said to have soared 30 metres (100 ft) in just five years.

However, Tawau’s real pride is the cocoa plant, which thrives in the region’s volcanically-rich soils, making Sabah the largest cocoa-producing state in Malaysia; oil palm is grown, too, in huge estates that stretch mile after mile across the country. Tawau also boasts several good hotels, and Tawau Hills State Park, a nature reserve where hot springs and waterfalls can be found.

A trip to Kinabatangan River is now one of the Sabah’s most popular tours and the river is dominated by tour operators who shuttle guests, by bus, to Sukau or Bilit, stopping off at the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre as well as the Gomantong Caves along the way. It is also possible however, to charter a boat and explore the river, beginning from Sandakan Bay.

After crossing Sandakan Bay, the first stage of the journey is dominated by mangrove swamps and twisting waterways of the lowland floodplain. The occasional Orang Sungei (river people) settlement of stilted houses can be seen along the banks. Much of the original forest along the river has been replaced by oil palm, yet pockets still remain. Its role as an important wetlands area - the biggest in Malaysia - has been recognised by the WWF. The region has recently been gazetted as the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Proboscis monkeys at the riverbank of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary

The Kinabatangan and its tributaries are famed for the wildlife, not least of which is the long-nosed, pot-bellied proboscis monkey. The best place for close up sightings of these unique animals is the swampy forest along the small Menanggol River, a tributary of the Kinabatangan, just upstream from Sukau. Boats leave in the cool of the afternoon (around 3.30pm to 4pm) in time to catch the monkeys as they crash through the trees, making their way to the riverside, for their nightly sojourn.

Even more exciting to many visitors are the wild elephants that roam through the Kinabatangan area. Sightings of elephants along the river are not uncommon and recently, some pleasing encounters with a group of 40 or so elephants were reported by some happy tourists.

The ox bow lakes, formed as the river has changed its slow course over the years, are exceptionally rich sources of birdlife, and you’re likely to find a visit particularly rewarding. More than 100 species of bird live in these habitats, including waterfowl, snake birds and hornbills.

Pulau Selingan, Pulau Bakkungan and Pulau Gulisan are the Sabah Islands which make up of the Turtle Islands Marine Park, a 1,740-hectare (4,300 acre) tropical paradise in the Sulu Sea, about 40km (25 miles) north of Sandakan. Green (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) or sisik, as the locals call them, come here to lay eggs nearly every night of the year, but the best time to watch is between July and September. Rangers will take you out to the beaches where you can observe female turtles after they have commenced laying their eggs. Later, the eggs are scooped into plastic buckets and reburied at a nearby turtle hatchery, where they are safe from predators. Earlier in the evening, if you are lucky and a previous batch of eggs has hatched, you can witness their release and watch them start their struggle for life as they make their way down the beach to the sanctity of the sea. Only some 3 percent of these turtles will reach maturity.

Pulau Selingan

A previously uninhabited coral island, Pulau Lankayan which is the exclusive and reclusive tropical retreat located 40km (25 miles) to the north. The Lankayan Island Resort is a tranquil place of white sand beaches that provides a wonderful escape - and utter peace. It is particularly good for divers, with accessible wrecks to explore, and vivid marine life of hard and soft corals. Only one dive resort is established on the island.

Pulau Lankayan

Bats galore can be seen in Gomantong, where some of Sabah’s largest caves are found. These caves are also home to one million swiftlets, whose nests are collected to furnish the tables of Cantonese restaurants both in town and abroad. Collectors scale the hanging rotan (cane) and bamboo ladders which hang from the cave roof up to heights of 90 metres (300 ft) above the bat guano-covered ground, to collect these treasures in the vast caves. The bats are only in evidence at dusk, as they make their nightly flight out to forage for food, just as the swiftlets return home. The large, odorous guano pile is gradually raising the cave floor level. At one time the guano was harvested for use as fertiliser, but the cave’s swift population declined so quickly that the guano now stays in an ever-mounting carpet, alive with cockroaches and other tiny cave dwellers. A wooden boardwalk makes is possible to tour the main Simud Hitam cave with ease. If visiting these caves, bring a flashlight and mosquito repellent. The fastidious might wish to bring a pair of gloves.

Gomantong Cave

Entrance of Simud Hitam Cave

How to Get to Simud Hitam Cave :
# Daily flights link to Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau from Kota Kinabalu or 7 hours road transfer by air-conditioned coach and mini bus, to Sandakan.

# Overland from Sandakan or Lahad Datu, taking the turnoff Kg. Sukau for about 20km (12.4 miles) to the main entrance of the caves. From here it is another 6km (4 miles) to the base of the caves and reception area. The road to Sukau is a dirt/gravel road that only 4WD vehicles or “hardly” village buses are suitable.

# The best time to visit Turtle Islands Marine Park is between July and September when green turtles converge on the island to hatch their eggs.

# Pulau Selingan, the largest of the Turtle Islands, has everything you could ask for: coconut palms, sandy beaches, with chalets nearby. However, accommodation is limited and must be booked in advance.