Borneo Sandakan Malaysia Travel Pictures & Info

Padas Jetty boat to Libaran Island and lunch at the lodge

Rather than base the Turtle Island part of the tour in Sandkakan, which is on the open Sulu Sea, the tour company arranged to use this private jetty -- Padas -- to take guests to a lodge at Libaran.

It's not only a shorter trip from Libaran to Turtle Island (the big draw for most visitors), but also has the advantage of smoother seas in rough weather. We arrived here at the jetty just about noon, and would have lunch at Libaran.

Libaran Island to Padas Jetty return trip

I took this photo the following day, on the return trip to Sandakan, via the Padas Jetty. Early morning light proved better for picture taking than the deep noontime shadows the day before, when we were the only boat on the river. This morning, in between periods of torrential rain, we saw we were following another of the river boats. Our guide, Rose, lifted the rain flaps on one side of our boat, so I could hang my camera out to take a picture. As you can see, the jungle growth comes right to the shores. Our wake sent waves over the banks.

Lubo Borneo stilt homes

Where the river widened, there were several settlements along the banks, the homes built on stilts in an attempt to keep them above the waters, and so, safe from bad spirits. This photo shows a few homes in the village of Lubo, and the style of boat they used.

With the intermittent downpours, most people were indoors, though every so often, we'd pass a few who gave a wave. Most of the time, we saw no one else -- truly a feeling of being at the end of the world, or some Shangri La.

Stilt Home Borneo

A closer look at one of the typical river homes -- thatched roof, woven stick sides, and poles to support the structure.

I can hear seasoned travelers thinking 'malaria', so perhaps now is a good time to mention the success of the Malaysian Public Health malaria control program.

Although after reading about the program's success, and after checking with a local tour guide about current reports of malaria, I, myself, decided against anti malarial pills. I relied instead on insect repellants. I urge (as did the local tour guide urge me) all travelers to check with a travel health clinic for conditons and recommendations.

Sulu Sea Fisherman

When, after a half-hour ride on the river, we reached the open Sulu Sea, we found ourselves in very shallow water, for some great distance from shore. Fishermen who come out from shore -- wading out or being dropped off by a small boat -- can easily stand and tend their nets and lines. It was, at first, most unsettling to see a human figure so far from shore, apparently walking on water. Our boat was moving at a fairly good speed, so I snapped the only picture I had time for. The fisherman is the black dot almost dead centre.

Libaran Island Wharf

Once we left the shallow seas, the driver opened the boat's throttle and we sped along for about 15 minutes more, past several small islands, until we came around one point of land to the tip of this wharf at Libaran Island.

The water is still shallow a long way out as you can imagine from this photo and hte one below. Our boat came in as far as it could to drop us off for our lunch and check-in at the Libaran Lodge.

Wharf dogs Libaran Island

This is a longer shot of the wharf, taken from in front of the cabins at Libaran. In this photo, you can get an idea of how long the wharf really is.

These two dogs, who appeared to belong to no one in particular, spent most of the day chasing fish in the shallows, and generally frolicking and having a great time. As we were on our way to Turtle Island right after lunch, we didn't spend much time on the beach.

Libaran Island Sunset

The sunsets on Libaran Island are reputed to be wonderful, fabulous, etc. so it was with some anticipation that I gathered camera, water bottle and repellant, and settled down in a beach chair to wait for the big show. Unfortunately, this night, this is as good as it got. As entertaining as the sunset were the two dogs, who seemed delighted to have us for company, and the sudden eruption of a school of 'flying fish'. As we sat there waiting for sunset, a mass of very small fish leaped about two feet or more above the surface of the water, like they were a pod of very small dolphins performing in unison. They moved much too swiftly for us to snap a photo, or for the dogs to catch them. As it turned out, that was the evening's highlight. This is one quiet spot!

Libaran Lodge Room

After staying at the Nexus in Kota Kinabalu, this basic, but comfy room was my home for the night. I had been a little apprehensive on learning that the night would be spent here, as beach huts in the tropics are not my idea of a good time. But the room was clean and dry, no bugs at all (at least none that showed themselves to me). Mosquito netting had been hung over each bed. The door at the right is the ensuite bath, with hot water on demand and a shower, no bath. My suitcase (orange, on table, right) is the only bag I travel with (I have a backpack for my camera, etc) and I was on a 3 1/2 week trip. (See travel-packing-luggage for more tips to travel light.)

Turtle Island Borneo

I took this picture as we left Turtle Island -- on the way to the island, it had been raining. I include it here NOT because it is a great photo -- far from it -- but because it shows how very much alone we seemed in the Sulu Sea. It also gives an idea of how small Turtle Island is. At one point, our guide pointed out two smaller islands, to the east (we are heading roughly northeast at this point). He named them as two of the outer islands of the Philippines.

Pulau Selingaam

Turtle Island turtle hatchery sign. Some tours offer overnight stays here at Turtle Island. There's a two storey building just past this sign, with rooms and baths, but no other facilities to speak of. Overnight guests at Turtle Island stop at Libaran Island for lunch, then return for dinner and for breakfast the following morning. While they took all meals at the same open air restaurant at Libaran that we did, we never mixed. Before dinner, guests speakers talked to the overnighters about the work done at the hatchery, and briefed them in how to conduct the mid-evening turtle egg walks on this island, and totally ignored other guests.

Turtle Island Hatchery

Turtle eggs recovered from the sands on one of the beaches are buried here, awaiting hatching.

On the flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, several of us began chatting about our plans in Sandakan, One young man, clad in shiny travel gear with a backpack so new and hi-tech is positively glowed, said he was going to Turtle Island, too, before heading into the heart of Sabah. It seems he was here as a winner of the National Geographic Young Geographer award or somesuch, and as such, was the beneficiary of such shiny new travel gear. He hadn't done much traveling before now, and was absolutely thrilled to find himself in Borneo. Well, who wouldn't be!

Beach at Turtle Island

After a walk around the Turtle Hatchery area, and a tour of the main building to show us where to change and find the restrooms, we headed down a path to this beach, where we could swim, snorkle or snooze for a few hours. The water was clean and clear, very warm and shallow for some distance out. Small fishes scrabbled about me in the water, and a fine time was had by all. As I sat under a tree for shade -- for the sun decided to stay out for while -- I thought how alike beaches can be. If I had not known I was in Borneo, I could think I was on Green Island in Queensland or the Sosua area beaches in the Dominican.

Turtle! Mating! Free!

On the way back to Libaran Lodge for the night, our driver suddenly cut the boat's speed, then slowed to a stop. As we bounced in the wake, he spoke softly to us, and pointed to two distant shapes in the water. There really are two turtles mating in this picture -- though we felt like voyeurs, it was such an amazing sight in the wild, we HAD to try to get a shot. Last night's overnight guests on Turtle Island had paid extra to stay there, in hopes of getting sights of turtles in the wild. Here, we dallying daytrippers got to see not only one turtle, but two, out in the Sulu Sea, mating. We could hardly wait to tell them at breakfast the next morning. (You know what terrible one-uppers we travelers are!) See Borneo main page for general Borneo Malaysia travel information.
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See more Borneo Sabah travel pictures

• Borneo Island Poring Hot Springs and canopy walk

• Borneo Sepilok Orang Utans at the rehabilitation centre

• Borneo Sabah Mt Kinabalu Highest peak in southeast Asia

• Kinabalu Mountain lodge and market

• Kota Kinabalu City and Nexus Hotel pictures of KK
  

• Hotels, attractions page for hotels in Sabah Malaysia (and On the KK Page)

See Borneo Sarawak Pictures

• Mulu Park riverboat ride

• the Royal Mulu resort

• the Gunung Mulu Park Show Caves.