Lankayan island is a tiny jewel-like island in the Sulu Sea, an hour and a half boat transfer north of Sandakan. Here is a private paradise island that non-divers can enjoy by relaxing on the beach, snorkelling the warm clear waters while sea eagles screech overhead and egrets dive for their next meal.

Divers will find this new frontier in the Sulu sea a macro paradise. Enormous bio-diversity, excellent macro life and species waiting to be discovered await your dive adventures.

Unpopulated and covered by thick tropical rainforest on its topside, this peaceful,untouched little bit of paradise is ringed by an endless pure white sandy beach. One of the highlights are the 20 juvenile blacktip sharks that continuously circle the island looking for their next tasty morsel.

Lankayan island dive resort boasts the whole island to itself. It offers elegent and exquisite accommodation in a handful of wooden, roomy and perfectly appointed seafront double-occupancy chalets.

An informal, relaxed and casual environment adds to 'getaway' feeling, the chalets are so well spaced out across the island that you could be forgiven to think that you are the only one here.

Traditional warm and friendly Borneon hospitality tops off this memorable resort. All staff do their utmost in making every guest feel welcome.

Rooms and facilities

All 16 units of chalets are sea facing and are spacious coming complete with King size bed plus another single bed, air-conditioning, fan, bath tub, kettle, mini-fridge, coffee and writing table and verandah chairs.

Deluxe rooms are also spacious with air-conditioning, fan, bathtub, double bed, cofee or writing table set and verandah chairs.

Diving
The dive centre is fully equipped and situated at the end of the pier. For diving, small species reign supreme: varieties of multi-coloured nudibranchs, cuttlefish and macro lobsters. Fish considered rare are common here such as: mandarinfish, blue-rined octopus, giant jawfish and frogfish. The larger residents spotted are blue spotted rays, bamboo sharks, barracudas and huge scorpion and stonefish. Whalesharks patrol the open water in season from March to May. The wrecks, some of them sunk on purpose to create new homes have attracted giant groupers, scorpionfish, lionfish and other huge pelagics. Visibility can vary from 5-20 metres.

WHOA! Dive rating
3 stars

Food & Beverage

Meals are informally served at the central open building, which boasts a beautiful wooden terrace, the ideal spot for after dinner relaxation and chatting. Packages come with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. A typical meal will include tasty western dishes such as seafood pasta alongside local favourites such as rice, chicken curry and other delicacies. Breakfast is also surprisingly complete with a station to fry eggs to your liking and an assortment of pastries.

Cost for April 1 2008 to 31 Mar 2009 (Ringgit Malaysia) 

Package includes:

• Built in conservation fee for the SIMCA marine area.
• Land/ Sea Transfers - SandakanAirport/Lankayan and return
• 3 meals per day plus afternoon tea and snacks.
• Accommodation on twin/triple sharing basis in Lankayan Island.
• Guided tour to the Sepilok Rehabitation Centre
• 3 boat dives daily around the Island except on arrival/departure day unlimited beach dive.
• Provide tanks/ weights and belt. Limited gear available for rental.
• Night dives in front of Dive Centre with a buddy are included if you are an Advanced diver.

Getting here

The normal route to the island is through Kota Kinabalu International Airport. From there, a connecting flight takes the guest to Sandakan where transfers can be arranged from the airport without staying overnight in Sandakan. If you are arriving from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) via MAS or AirAsia, a one night stay is required in Sandakan. We highly recommend Sepilok Nature Resort as a start of finish to this trip, home of the endangered orangutan, and only 25 minutes from the jetty.

There should be no security concerns as there is a permanent army outpost located on this island. Beach patrols are performed nightly by army personnel.

Boat schedule
Sandakan to resort: 10:00
Resort to Sandakan: 07:00

Responsible Tourism practices

Lankayan plus its 2 neighbouring islands was declared in 2000 as part of the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) spanning more than 47,000 hectares. Part of a joint private and public sector initiative, it is reassuring to note that destructive fishing that once occurred on these islands have ceased and recovery has well been underway. Within SIMCA are important marine habitats such as coral reefs, patch reefs, coral atolls, seagrass beds and shallow coastal areas  providing both breeding and hunting grounds for marine fish.

SIMCA is managed and patrolled by the 'Reef Guardian', a private company setup designed to enforce conservation within its juridiction. Turtle landings are monitored nightly by staff and there is a turtle hatchery for green and hawksbill turtles. A radar system installed on the island allows fishing vessels that enter the boundaries to be instantly detected where its enforcement officers together with army staff are dispatched immediately. SIMCA also conducts research studies into the bio-diversity of the area. 

Our Say

Here is a resort that satisfies both non-divers and divers alike with its high quality and spacious accommodation, food and service. Warm, friendly and hospitable smiles from the staff make you feel welcome and sad to leave. As a diver, you will be amazed at the macro life so patience and a good eye for detail is required especially for taking photographs.

It is also comforting to see a resort playing such a big role in conservation by ensuring that SIMCA is protected from any destructive fishing practice allowing growth to regenerate and flourish.

A stay at the 'Sepilok Nature Resort' is a must to meet and be charmed by orangutans. The Orangutan Rehabiliation Centre's (5 minutes from the resort) carries out crucial conservation work and a visit to the centre for the feeding time and video show is highly recommended.

This is certainly one of Borneo's highlights and a visit would be incomplete without visiting Lankayan and Sepilok.