PULAUMY

Guide No. 17 of 20

Island · Sabah · Borneo

Pulau Selingan

Palm trunks frame a sandy beach at dusk on Pulau Selingan, with two low islands on the horizon across calm water.
Evening on Pulau Selingan, looking out to Bakungan Kecil and to Great Bakkungaan, in the Philippines.Photo: Negaraku, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Boat from
Sabah Parks jetty, Sandakan
Crossing
45 min–1 h 15 minSpeedboat
Season
All yearResorts open all year
Park charge
RM60MyKad holders RM20

Facts checked 9 November 2026 against operators and Sabah Parks.

The short version

Pulau Selingan is an 8-hectare island in Sabah's Turtle Islands Park, about 40 km north of Sandakan, where turtles nest every night of the year; you visit on a one-night package, about an hour by speedboat from the Sabah Parks jetty in Sandakan.

Stays, rankedThe boat from Sabah Parks jetty, Sandakan

I

Where to stay

Order is editorial, not paid. An editor sets each stay’s tier by hand; within a tier, stays follow the beach. Booking partners have no say.

Pick: our first choice on the island. Good: sound, with a catch. Listed: facts only.

GoodSound, with a catch

1 stay
  1. 1

    Selingan Turtle Island Chalet

    Selingan · Middle of the islet, a short walk to the nesting beach

    The only way to stay on Selingan and watch a turtle lay its eggs, with the boat, meals and the rangers' night programme in one package. The rooms are basic twins with cold showers, and you get one night: in at 11 am, out on the 7 am boat.

    Read the entry: Selingan Turtle Island ChaletNo booking link

II

Things to do

Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.

  • Snorkelling in the marked zones

    Marked zones off the island only. No gear for rent on the island; bring a mask and snorkel or buy a set at the jetty office, about RM30–35

  • Turtle nest adoption

    Optional, RM150 per person at the Sabah Parks rate; the operator's own page and a traveller's blog say RM100

  • Turtle nesting night with Sabah Parks rangers

    Every night; green turtles peak roughly Jul–Oct · Included in every overnight package: rangers call guests to watch one turtle lay, then tag it, plant the eggs in the hatchery and release hatchlings

III

When to go

  1. JanPart
  2. FebPart
  3. MarOpen
  4. AprOpen
  5. MayOpen
  6. JunOpen
  7. JulOpen
  8. AugOpen
  9. SepOpen
  10. OctOpen
  11. NovPart
  12. DecPart

Open: the chalets and the daily boat run. Part: open, but boats can be cancelled in bad weather during the north-east monsoon. No month is shut. No source publishes visibility figures, so none are shown.

Turtles nest on Selingan every night of the year, so the chalets and the boat run all year. Green turtles peak roughly from July to October and hawksbills from February to April; Sabah Parks and the operator give slightly different months for the green peak. From November to February, during the north-east monsoon, boats can be cancelled in rough seas. No source reports a seasonal closure.

IV

Getting there

  1. Kuala LumpurDirect flight KLIA to Sandakan, about 2 h 50.
  2. Sandakan airportGrab about 15 km to the jetty, about 20 min.
  3. Sabah Parks jetty, SandakanRegister by 09:30. Package speedboat about 1 h. Pay the RM60 Sabah Parks fee here or on the island.
  4. Pulau SelinganTurtle Islands Park, about 40 km north of Sandakan.

Fly to Sandakan (direct flights from KLIA take about 2 h 50), then take a Grab about 15 km to the Sabah Parks jetty on Jalan Buli Sim-Sim. Be at the jetty by 9.30 am. The package boat leaves mid-morning, between about 10 am and 10.45 am, and takes about an hour. There is no stand-alone fare: the boat comes with the overnight package, and it brings you back at about 7 am the next morning.

Boats, times and fares

V

Packages explained

There is one place to stay: Selingan Turtle Island Chalet, run by Crystal Quest Holidays Sdn. Bhd. from its office at the Sabah Parks jetty in Sandakan. In the park, overnight stays are allowed on Selingan only, and only overnight guests see turtles laying eggs. Everyone comes on a 2D1N package: the boat from Sandakan, a twin room with air-con, lunch, dinner and breakfast, and the night programme with the rangers.

  • Booked direct with Crystal Quest, a package was about RM500 per adult in October 2026, with the Sabah Parks fee extra. Book by WhatsApp on +60 11-5166 5923; email replies are slow. The operator’s website is unfinished and shows no prices.
  • The operator says you can also buy a place at its jetty office on the day, before the boat leaves, if any are left.
  • Sandakan agents sell the same night for about RM1,000 to RM1,500 per person, with a hotel pickup; some include the park fee. In 2026 one agent added RM100 to RM200 per person from June to September.
  • Agent packages include a pickup. If you book direct, take a Grab to the jetty.
VI

The turtle night

Selingan is one of three islands in Turtle Islands Park, with Bakungan Kecil, known for its mud volcanoes, and Gulisan. The park covers 1,740 ha and has been a marine park since 1977. Selingan itself is about 8 ha, a half-hour walk around.

At night the rangers wait for a turtle to come ashore, then call the guests to watch it lay. You see one turtle. The rangers then collect the eggs, tag the turtle, plant the eggs in the hatchery and release hatchlings on the beach.

  • The beach is closed from sunset to sunrise, and you may not wander alone between 6 pm and 6 am.
  • No flash photography during the programme.
  • The exhibition centre is open 9 am to 4 pm and free; a video show starts at 7 pm.
  • Adopting a nest is optional and costs RM150 per person, the fee Sabah Parks sets. The operator’s own page and a traveller’s blog say RM100.
  • Pulau Libaran, outside the park, has a village-run turtle hatchery and campground (Walai Penyu). Check it is operating before you plan around it.
VII

Rules and practicalities

Sabah Parks charges a conservation and entry fee per person per day: RM60 for non-Malaysian adults (RM30 aged 17 and under) and RM20 for Malaysians (RM10). Pay it at the jetty or on the island, unless your package includes it. Non-Malaysians also pay tourism tax of RM10 per room per night.

  • Bring both cash and a card: sources disagree on which the operator and Sabah Parks take.
  • Since 1 January 2026, Sabah Parks bans single-use plastic bags in all its parks.
  • Snorkelling is allowed in marked zones only. There is no snorkel rental on the island, so bring your own mask and snorkel or buy a set at the jetty office (about RM30 to RM35).
  • Agents say a RM10 camera fee applies, phones included.
  • Bring your passport or MyKad to register, plus sunscreen, insect repellent, a torch and toiletries. The first meal on the island is lunch, so eat before the boat.
  • There are no porters. Leave big bags in the lockers at the jetty.
  • Expect weak or no phone signal, and turn off data roaming.
  • The operator says the General Operations Force is stationed on the island, and armed officers escort the night programme.