The western coast islands, less popular than the those on the oriental coast, will delight the visitors who venture there. Easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur, they present a diversity of landscapes and auras as well as a rich cultural heritage.

In search of the west coast islands

Malaysia is a surprising country in every way. And the cluster of lakes linked to one another that go by the name of Tasik Chini will definitely live up to expectations! If this is not the case, then maybe the lake's monster will leave you speechless; rumour has it that it haunts the depths!

Tasik Chini legends

Bako

Sipadan

Labuk

Turtle island

If you like nature,  Sandakan is an interesting place to walk round during your trip to Malaysia. It has turtles, orang-utan, proboscis and other endemic monkeys...

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I had already used my time in the region to visit the organg-utan rehabilitation centre and Labuk Bay reserve. I didn't have enough time to explore far as Sandakan was the last place I was staying in during my trip to Borneo. So I decided to visit the town. A visist to the market and then Puu Jih Shih Buddhist temple. I was intending to walk there but a woman, probably because she saw me rushing through the tropical rain, offered me a lift in her car and put me down in front of the temple. I just had to wait for the shower to stop, wondering about the temple's garden sculptures, and then went back down and finished my day with a picnic on the sea front, where the young Malaysians meet up at the end of the evening.

If you like nature, Sandakan is an interesting place to walk round during <a href="/malaysia/">your trip to Malaysia</a>. It has turtles, orang-utan, proboscis and other endemic monkeys...

I arrived in Sandakan after spending several days in <a href="/malaysia/"> Kota Kinabalu, </a> and I found the town rather depressing and of limited interest. The town centre with its grid patterned streets ends in a covered public market, a big shopping centre and a rather pleasant pedestrian street by the seaside (ideal to have something to eat).  Still, this historical town offers an interesting walk to see old-style middle-class houses, a Chinese and a Japanese cemetery, a World War Two memorial, as well as the old clock tower . Lastly, it does have a reputation as an eco-tourist stop, for being an ideal gateway to the turtle islands, the orang-utan sanctuary and proboscis monkey reserve. All interesting stops to enrich a trip centred on the discovery of Borneo’s animal world.

Sandakan, as the second most important town of Sabah state, enjoys a strategic position for tourism.

Sandakan Vacations

Sandakan: How to get there?

Sandakan: When to go?

Sandakan: For how long?

Sandakan: What to see in the surroundings?

Malaysia: our articles for your vacation