Trip Moments Recommendations

A low-key tourist destination! Semporna

Located in a county of Tawau City, Sabah, Malaysia, Semporna is an underestimated resort. Once just a small fishing village that couldn't be found on the map, it has now developed into a world-famous underwater tourism center. Semporna has nearly twenty islands of different sizes, including the overwater bungalow Kapalai Island known in Southeast Asia, the one-island-one-hotel Mabul, the home of the sea gypsies Mabul Island, the hometown of sea fish Bum Bum Island, and the Tun Sakaran where you can overlook the panorama of Semporna. Each island has its unique features. Here are some recommended islands: Bum Bum Island: This is a typical private island with pure white beaches and a variety of beach houses and overwater bungalows to choose from. There are two resorts on the island. Mataking Island: This island is larger in area, lush in vegetation, without overwater bungalows, only sea view and garden view cottages, very suitable for experiencing deep diving. Kapalai Island: Strictly speaking, this is not an island, but a sandbar. The resorts on the island are all small wooden houses built on the water, which are popular honeymoon destinations for couples. In addition, Tun Sakaran also has a marine park with eight islands of different sizes, including Gaya Island, Sleeping Beauty Island, Mandabuan and Meiga Island. Except for the military island where troops are stationed, the other three islands all have Bajau villages.

Mataking island 🏝️

Mataking Island in Semporna was our second spot to visit on our island hopping tour. Mataking is another paradise in the area, offering white sand beaches and turquoise waters too. The marine life in Mataking is better than the one in Timba Timba island at least from our own experiences. We were so lucky to see many sea turtles and different types of marine life and coral reefs. Diving or snorkelling here is a must-do. The island had some small shops selling snacks, fruits and beverages. Definitely Mataking island is a must visit on your trip to Semporna and island hopping tour is one of the best options! . . . #beachvacation#beachlife #asia #trip #beaches #beachvacation #beach #beaches #malaysiatravel #instatravel

Semporna 4 days 3 nights trip

Address - Semporna Mataking island, Pom-Pom island, Timba-Timba island Ambiance/Facilities - Super nice view to take photo Highlights - It is a good place to check in because of the beautiful scenery. It makes people feel very relaxed and has nothing to worry about. For those who love snorkeling, you can see the turtles, and those turtles are very close to the shore. With crystal clear water quality, many fish snorkel with you. Avg. Price per Person - RM85+ for three island Rating - 8/10

CRSYTAL CLEAR WATER WITH CORAL REEF

MATAKING ISLAND is a one of the well-known island among the tourist if they go to Semporna. This island located in the Celebes Sea and connected with another island called Pulau Mataking Kecil thru narrow sand bank. Island area is almost 40 acres which surrounded by coral reef, small fishes and another marine life. For those who love nature warmth and can blend in with nature, this placed is a great island which promised breathing view and majestic treasures mostly for divers.

CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER AT MATAKING

Mataking island is one of the favourite placed to visit if you staying at Semporna Island. Small island located at Semporna, Sabah always welcome us as guest. This placed well known among scuba divers member because of beautiful coral, fish and if you are lucky enough to snorkeling together with sea turtle. Plan your holiday here around march till november to avoid monsoon and rainning season. #familytrip #sabah #semporna #awesomepic #travel #island

Want to go snorkeling? Tioman Island in Malaysia is definitely a great choice, with many businesses offering scuba diving certification. Most hotels in Tioman Island are equivalent to domestic guesthouses, but if conditions permit, you can stay at Kapalai Island or Mabul Island. From Kuala Lumpur to Tawau, it takes about 3 hours by flight. If you book Kapalai, there are airport pick-up and pier transfer services available. If staying in a regular town, be sure to ask about the airport transfer fee and the snorkeling fee. Mataking Island has two islands, big and small. The water on the small island is clearer. You can snorkel but not go to the island. The small Mataking Island is a private island.

Famous Underwater World Tourist Center • Semporna

🌟Highlight features: Semporna is a famous underwater world tourism center, which means "perfect" in the Bajau and Malay languages. Xenbenna was once just a small fishing village, but as the neighboring diving paradise Sipadan became more and more famous, Xenbenna gradually became known to outsiders. It is surrounded by turquoise sea water, and it and its affiliated islands are like a dream island in the real world. The white sandy beaches 🏖️, towering coconut trees, colorful corals 🪸, and fish 🐟 swimming in the sea 🌊 always attract tourists from all over the world. The indigenous people of Simpang Beluru belong to the Bajau tribe, also known as the Bajao tribe. They "live by the sea" and rely on diving to catch fish 🐟 for a living, and are considered the last oceanic nomadic ethnic group. Most of them live in long-legged wooden houses 🏠 in the sea, and use a water transportation tool called "lepa" in their daily lives. Many fishermen also live on handmade boats all year round. ❤️Recommendation reason: In the waters of Semporna, there are islands of all sizes, and the four most popular👏 islands are: Pom Pom Island, Mataking Island, Kapalai Island, and Mabul Island. Each of the four has its own unique style, suitable for tourists with different preferences. ✅Bang Bang Island: A typical private island with pure white sandy beaches 🏖️ ✅Madajingdao Island: With a large area and lush vegetation, it is an excellent place to experience deep diving 🤿. ✅Kapalai Island: Actually, it can't be called an island, it's just a sandbank. The holiday ⛱️village here is directly built on the water with small wooden houses. It is a honeymoon paradise popular among couples. ✅Ma Bu Island: Half of the island is a resort, while the other half is inhabited by the Bao Yao ethnic minority. The life and cultural atmosphere of the indigenous people, combined with other beautiful coastal scenery, form the unique landscape of Xianbenna. Here, you can go diving 🤿, boating, surfing, or set off to several famous islands from here. I am Xiaomo, love traveling, love taking photos 📷, love sharing... Remember to give Xiaomo a like and follow. Xiaomo will continue to update travel records from around the world.

A Must!

Mataking Reef Resort at Mataking Island is an exclusive romantic & diving destination in the Celebes Sea, located just 40 minutes boat ride from Semporna, East Coast of Sabah in Malaysia. I have strong recommended for this Island. The resort over there is caressed by the tropical sea breeze. The buffet for lunch and dinner provided is most of the local food with fresh seafood and it is including in the package! I have stay in the Executive King Chalet that designed in traditional architecture. The room is very chill especially during night time.

Semporna has fulfilled all my fantasies about an island paradise

Malaysia's visa-free policy makes it even more convenient to visit Semporna! It boasts Malaysia's most beautiful islands🏝 and the only stateless sea gypsies, the Bajau Laut, in the world. The numerous islands, big and small, are scattered like pearls, forming a secret haven waiting to be discovered by the world~ Activities: There are various islands to explore according to personal preference. Mabul Island and Sipadan Island are more suitable for snorkeling🤿 and sea fishing, and also great for macro underwater photography. Kapalai Island, Mantabuan Island, and Timba Timba Island are perfect for leisure and photography. Mataking Island: Rich underwater resources, beautiful scenery, but only accessible to guests staying at the island's resort! On Bohey Dulang Island, you can hike and enjoy distant views. There are no direct flights to Semporna; you can choose to transfer through Kota Kinabalu. A longer transfer time might just reward you with a stunning sunset you won't regret. Accommodation: The conditions in Semporna town are average, so it's recommended to book a better hotel near the jetty. Many might want to experience staying in an overwater bungalow! But don't blindly book one just because it's labeled as such, check the reviews or the environment. Some are built by locals and may have poor facilities! Little tips: Use a Celcom SIM card. It's good to have some cash as many convenience stores and restaurants only accept cash. When encountering begging Bajau Laut children, don't give them anything, or you'll be surrounded by a group of kids asking for more. Overseas hotels do not provide free toothpaste and toothbrushes, so remember to bring your own!

Semporna

The best season is from March to October each year, when the weather is clear and the sea is calm. Generally, you would fly domestically to Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu, then take a connecting flight to Tawau from Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu airport. It's more than an hour's drive from Tawau to Semporna, and this part of the trip is very expensive by taxi. It's more cost-effective to book a shared ride online in advance. There are three routes: 1 Mabul Island 2 Marine Park 3 Madajin line, with the Madajin line being the most scenic. If you're short on time, prioritize by importance: 3, 1, 2. Beware!!! Do not trust the 'Malaysia Grouping Team' mentioned in some books. The group is full of shills pretending to be tourists, who invite you to join them for a seafood meal and end up serving you an awful seafood feast. The group also has various diving shills, water house shills, and resort shills.

The Semporna guide in Kota Kinabalu fulfills all fantasies about the sea

Malaysia 7-day 7-night travel guide✈️ day0️⃣ Flight✈️ Hangzhou-Kota Kinabalu (20:10-00:30) day1️⃣ Morning Yifeng Lisha➕pharmacy to buy sunscreen aloe vera gel Afternoon Turtle Garden Mangrove Forest, arrive at hotel 9:30pm day2️⃣ Morning circumnavigate the beach island, arrive at hotel 4:30pm Hotel rooftop pool sunset Evening Daqielai➕Shuguang Square to buy chocolate day3️⃣ Morning mamutik➕sapi Island, arrive at hotel 3:30pm Afternoon buy big meal at Hongjin Evening massage day4️⃣ Flight✈️ Kota Kinabalu-Tawau (12:15-13:10) Taxi🚖 Tawau-Semporna (1.5h) day5️⃣ Madajin Island➕Tingbatinba Island➕Bangbang Island day6️⃣ Kapalai Water Chalet➕Mabul Island day7️⃣ Taxi🚖 Tawau-Semporna (1.5h) Flight✈️ Tawau-Kota Kinabalu (10:25-11:15) Flight✈️ Kota Kinabalu-Hangzhou (14:40-19:10)

Malaysia's only underwater post office, where lush palm trees are everywhere

🗓Itinerary: Madakin Island + Bangbang Island + Tingbatinba + Bantannan Island hopping ⏳Play time: 1 day 🌟Highlights: This route is far from the town, the sea water is clear as glass, the water quality is better, in addition to the popular islands, you can also check in the small islands such as Tingbatinba, Bantannan Island, etc. First, Madakin Island Features: One island one hotel, trailing white beach, sea swing, sea church, best water quality island Number of hotels on the island: 1 How to get to the island: Participate in island hopping day tour / stay in island hotel Located 50 minutes by boat from Semporna Pier, it is composed of Big Madakin Island and Small Madakin Island. The two islands are half a kilometer apart. When the tide rises, they are separated by the glass sea; when the tide recedes, the two islands are connected by a white 'sand bridge', revealing a romantic trailing beach, making it a landmark that tourists linger on. ❤Recommended reason: Because it is far from Semporna town, there are no residents on the island, so the waters around Madakin have the best water quality. The jelly-colored sea water is clear to the bottom, the park environment is shaded by green trees, and lush palm trees can be seen everywhere. I believe this pure island will shock you. You can directly jump into the sea to snorkel and watch the fish, or you can row a kayak, a glass boat to play on the sea, and have fun. Under the water of Madakin Island, there is the only underwater post office in Malaysia. You can send exquisite postcards to your family or friends from here. There are only 5 underwater post offices in the world~ Second, Bangbang Island Features: Pure holiday island, no village, sea turtle conservation base Number of hotels on the island: 2 How to get to the island: Participate in island hopping day tour / stay in island hotel Located in the northeast of Semporna town, it is 50 minutes by boat from Semporna Pier. The island is beautiful with white sand and trees, no village, and has not been overdeveloped, so the environment remains in its original state, natural and charming. The original small island, the holiday feeling is super strong. Wherever you go, there are tropical plants and fine white beaches. The hotel area is scattered with comfortable loungers and hammocks on the beach, as well as beach swings, sea piers and other suitable for taking pictures and checking in. ❤Recommended reason: The ecology is invincible! Snorkeling on the shore can see big sea turtles, enjoy dancing with coral grass, chasing with starfish and shrimp. Bangbang Island is popular with children, especially the small sea turtle hatching base on the island, which is loved by children. The whole family is watching the little sea turtles rushing to the sea, which is warm and interesting.

First snorkelling at MATAKING island

Best experience ever

Mataking Island

Hey Beach, my wonderlust adventure!

#timetotravel The trip was early this month, it’s truly a place you don’t wanna miss us you are a beach lover like me. Check out for Mataking Island at Semporna Sabah Malaysia. White Sandy beach and crystal clear water😍#beach #wateradventure

Enjoy the trip

MATAKING, TIMBA2

daytrip paling epik.. mmg best. air nye yg sngt² jernih #semporna #sabah #awesomepic #mytripvlog #urbanexplorer

Lovely trip to Mataking island

Nice trip to Mataking, Pom Pom and Timba Timba islands with numerous diving and snorkeling spots. The sea, fish and corals are just amazing!

Short trip for Mini Mataking Island. Not so many ppl here… can snkorkeling also but not recommended at here. The water not beautiful as Pulau Mataking Besar the water is so remarkable that one recommended place for dive snorkeling and nice photos also #cikyongtrips #lingkatviewbycikyong

Famous Underwater World Tourist Center • Semporna

🌟Highlight features: Semporna is a famous underwater world tourism center, which means "perfect" in the Bajau and Malay languages. Xenbenna was once just a small fishing village, but as the neighboring diving paradise Sipadan became more and more famous, Xenbenna gradually became known to outsiders. It is surrounded by turquoise sea water, and it and its affiliated islands are like a dream island in the real world. The white sandy beaches 🏖️, towering coconut trees, colorful corals 🪸, and fish 🐟 swimming in the sea 🌊 always attract tourists from all over the world. The indigenous people of Simpang Beluru belong to the Bajau tribe, also known as the Bajao tribe. They "live by the sea" and rely on diving to catch fish 🐟 for a living, and are considered the last oceanic nomadic ethnic group. Most of them live in long-legged wooden houses 🏠 in the sea, and use a water transportation tool called "lepa" in their daily lives. Many fishermen also live on handmade boats all year round. ❤️Recommendation reason: In the waters of Semporna, there are islands of all sizes, and the four most popular👏 islands are: Pom Pom Island, Mataking Island, Kapalai Island, and Mabul Island. Each of the four has its own unique style, suitable for tourists with different preferences. ✅Bang Bang Island: A typical private island with pure white sandy beaches 🏖️ ✅Madajingdao Island: With a large area and lush vegetation, it is an excellent place to experience deep diving 🤿. ✅Kapalai Island: Actually, it can't be called an island, it's just a sandbank. The holiday ⛱️village here is directly built on the water with small wooden houses. It is a honeymoon paradise popular among couples. ✅Ma Bu Island: Half of the island is a resort, while the other half is inhabited by the Bao Yao ethnic minority. The life and cultural atmosphere of the indigenous people, combined with other beautiful coastal scenery, form the unique landscape of Xianbenna. Here, you can go diving 🤿, boating, surfing, or set off to several famous islands from here. I am Xiaomo, love traveling, love taking photos 📷, love sharing... Remember to give Xiaomo a like and follow. Xiaomo will continue to update travel records from around the world.

the beautiful place of semporna sabah.. its call Maldives malaysia..so pretty n speechless❤️

Marking Island Resort . Semporna Sabah

mataking island

the best things i did in my life diving in the ocean #matakingisland

scuba diving on mataking island

Little Piece Of Paradise

We stayed in MataKing for 4 days in Jul 2019. It is a beautiful location which provides great opportunities for snorkelling. The food is very mediocre. We are vegetarians and had informed the resort upfront so they did help us with vegetarian food options. The rooms/villas are great but service is poor. Everything is charged. The resort doesnt have laundry facility. The beach is not clean and has lot of sharp glass pieces. I had a freak accident on the first day and had to do self-medication as there was no medical support available. Just a blessing that it was me and not the kids! There is no mention of this on their website. We had to complain to the GM of the resort and only then did the staff attend to us especially given my knee injury which put us in a difficult spot. #mataking #sipadan #sabah #heavensgate #malaysia

MATAKING ISLAND, SEMPORNA

Mataking Island is a Malaysian island located in the Celebes Sea on the state of Sabah. Mataking Island is home to the first 'Underwater Post Office' in Malaysia and is connected to Pulau Mataking Kecil (Small Mataking Island) via a narrow sand bank. Mataking Island is a private island belonging to the Reef Dive Resort featuring luxury chalets and a dive center serving divers visiting Sipadan. Such a splendid scenery. The snorkeling is included in the island hoping package. We can see the sea creature from above. The sand is as white as paper. However during my visit, there are a lot of jelly fish making it not safe to get into the water. There are also shop located there owned by the locals. The best part is we can see the philippines border just not far from the island. #matakingisland #asiatrip #gooutside #passionpassport

Restaurant in Mataking Island

Mataking island is a beautiful location which provide great opportunity for snorkelling and scuba diving. Here’s the restaurant view in Mataking Island. It given opportunity to enjoying the food and also the view at the same time. The staff has arrange a table for six of us inside the restaurant. After we had our meal, we been to the outside for chilling and enjoying some drinks.

4days and 3 night in maglami-lami

#awesomepic #gooutside

Interesting place for loved ones ❤️

Mataking Island is a Malaysian island located in the Celebes Sea in the state of Sabah. Mataking Island is home to the first 'Underwater Post Office' in Malaysia and is connected to Mataking Kecil Island (Pulau Mataking Kecil) via a narrow sandbank. Mataking Island is a private island owned by Reef Dive Resort which features luxurious chalets and a dive center that serves divers who visit Sipadan. You do not need to sleep here, because many people come here for snorkeling trips and return today. If you are in this category, you will often snorkel at Mataking and several other islands in your trip. To get to Mataking from the Semporna area, the speed boat ride is in 40 minutes. #niceplace #niceview ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Drunk in Madin, watching the sea in Semporna ~ To say which sea in Malaysia is the best, I will not hesitate to introduce you to Semporna. There is a mint-colored sea that will be planted at a glance. There is a segregated "sea gypsies", and there are the world's top ten diving sites - Spartan, which is like a sea of God's eccentricity. Among the many islands, I want to introduce you to Madin. [Motorin] Distance: 45 minutes boat trip Highlights: Submarine mailbox, sea in the sand Machine Island, is the underwater photography base for underwater photographers. There is a magnificent view that can't be finished, and there is a magical underwater mailbox on Little Madonna Island, you can send a letter to yourself (only AOW diving card can be here). Mokinok Island will have a long sea beach in the two islands at low tide (only tourists who live on the island can go to ), divide the island into two, divided into Da Ma Jing and Xiao Ma Jing . Photography paradise, where you can not only take a variety of beautiful photos on the beautiful islands and beaches, but also take a small plane to take aerial photography, even if you can take your water. Under the camera to fear the wonderful world of Madinna underwater. Is there a more enjoyable photography paradise than this?