Pulau Lankayan

The resort closes every January and February because of rough seas. It is open from March to December, but its own best months are March to October, when seas are calm; November and December are in the rainy north-east monsoon. The resort says whale sharks are occasional visitors from March to May, and that turtles nest all year, most from April to August. Peak-season rates apply from 1 July to 31 August.

Fly to Sandakan, which has daily flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, and land by 9 am. The resort's van takes you to its jetty in Sandakan, about 30 minutes, and its speedboat leaves once a day in the late morning, at about 10.30 am, for a crossing of 1.5 to 2 hours. The boat comes only with the package. It leaves the island at 7 am, so book flights out of Sandakan after 11 am.

There is one place to stay: Lankayan Island Resort, open since 1997 and now managed by Discovery Journey Tours and The Ark Kapalai Travel. There is no village; the only other people on the island are the Reef Guardian conservation team and Malaysian military personnel. Everyone comes on a full-board package, as a diver or a non-diver.

• Every package includes the resort van between Sandakan airport and the jetty, the boat both ways, breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon snacks, drinks such as tea, coffee and water, and snorkelling from the shore. Outside food and drink are not allowed.
• The resort’s 2026–27 brochure prices a 2-night stay in a beach chalet, twin share, at about RM3,143 per non-diver and RM3,798 per diver, from 1 September 2026 to 30 June 2027. That includes 8% SST and the conservation fee.
• Tourism tax of RM10 per room per night is extra. Bookings with fewer than 4 adults pay a fuel surcharge of RM870 on the return boat.
• Children aged 2 to 11 who do not dive pay half the adult non-diver rate, plus the full conservation fee. Infants up to 24 months cost RM400 a stay, plus the fee and SST.
• Book by WhatsApp on +60 16-270 8040 or by email at lankayanislandresort@gmail.com. The resort asks for a 30% deposit that is not refundable, and the balance 60 days before you arrive.

Lankayan is about 390 m long and 200 m wide; the resort says you can walk around it in about 15 minutes. It sits in the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA), about 46,000 hectares of sea and reef around Lankayan, Billean and Tegaipil, protected since 2003. The Sabah Wildlife Department oversees it, and Reef Guardian, a non-profit company appointed by the state, manages it. In 2022 it became Malaysia’s first site on the IUCN Green List.

• The resort says it has over 30 dive sites, all within 15 minutes by boat.
• The diver package gives certified divers 3 guided boat dives a day, plus unguided dives from the jetty and night dives. The dive centre runs PADI courses and Discover Scuba Diving.
• Kayaks cost RM38 an hour, and transparent kayaks RM60 an hour.
• Allow a day before you fly: the resort says no diving within 18 hours of your flight, and one agent says 24.

The SIMCA conservation fee is RM65 per person per night, collected by the resort as part of the package. There is no lower rate for Malaysians and no discount for children; infants pay it too.

• Fishing, netting, anchoring and collecting coral are not allowed in the conservation area.
• There is no ATM on the island. Bring some ringgit for tips and the shop.
• Wi-Fi, by Starlink, works only in the restaurant area.
• Sockets are 220 V and 110 V; the resort suggests a Type G adapter.
• The resort is not suitable for pregnant guests or wheelchair users, and pregnant women may not travel on the boat.
• Check-out is at 6 am, before the 7 am boat.
• UK government advice is against all but essential travel to the islands off eastern Sabah, Lankayan included. US advice keeps these islands at Level 2. Military personnel are stationed on the island, and the resort says ESSCOM, the eastern Sabah security command, patrols the area.