Sipadan Island

Sipadan Island (Pulau Sipadan in Malay) lies off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo. The island is known above all for some of the best scuba diving anywhere in the world.

Getting in requires some effort. Most visitors fly to Tawau from either Kuala Lumpur (3 hours) or Kota Kinabalu (50 minutes), continue by minivan or taxi to the port town of Semporna (1-2 hours) and from there to Sipadan itself (1 hour by fast boat).The beautiful sandy beaches and the coral reef with its rich marine life. On the island there are large monitor lizards (more than 1m in length) which sometimes come out onto the beach or even into the water.


Diving

Sipadan claims to be the world's best dive site. While this is a big claim, the diving here is certainly world class. Sipadan used to have resorts but to protect the environment these were closed around the year 2002. To dive on Sipadan you have to stay somewhere nearby, such as on Mabul or in Semporna, and take a boat onto the island.

Because Sipadan is now a protected site, only 120 dives are allowed daily (as of 8/26/08). It's best to try to dive as early as possible to beat the crowds and increase your chances of getting on the roster to dive.

From the main beach of the original resort it is a mere 20m wade over the reef to reach the top of the reef wall dropping 1000-2000m. Sipadan is surrounded by very rich reef life consisting of both hard and soft coral as well as all manner of reef fish. Sea turtles and white tip reef sharks can be seen on almost every dive and hammerhead and leopard sharks can also be seen at times. Visibility ranges from 10m to 30m and above.

Snorkeling

For non-divers snorkeling is an option on Sipadan. From the beach the reef is easily accessible, and parts of the reef further out can be reached by boat. A wide variety and number of reef fishes, corals, and with a bit of luck, the sharks, barracuda and turtles can be seen without leaving the surface. Note that currents and boat traffic (especially if duck diving) are the major hazards in the offshore areas, and cryptically coloured stone fish may be a hazard in the shallows.

A bouyed-off area from the 'safe' side of the jetty gives snorkellers the safest and potentially most productive snorkeling area. Note that the phenomonal drop-off that makes this island so special, starts where the jetty ends.

Several dive tour operators bring snorkelers to the island at an all-inclusive rate of around RM490.

Pangkor Island

Pangkor Island is in Perak, on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, about 100 km west of Ipoh and halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Penang.


By plane
Pangkor Airport (IATA: PKG) is not currently served by scheduled airline operations. Previous services operated by Berjaya Air between Kuala Lumpur and the relatively new airport on Pangkor were suspended on 3 May 2010. Pangkor Airport, was previously served by flights from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (IATA: SZB)

 By ferry

With the recent development of the private resort island Marina Island Pangkor, you will now need to take a 7 min ferry ride to Pulau Pangkor saving you hours of waiting compared to the existing ferry services from Lumut. From the private jetty, ferries and private charters depart regularly to different parts of Pangkor Island. Since, it is a private resort, all ferry passengers must be a member of the resort to board the ferry services.
A payment of a RM5 annual fee for a single membership and RM10 annual fee for a family membership category is required. Only 2 way ferry ticketing is available. The first departure is at 7:15AM, the last is at 8:30PM. Departure are at hourly for the non-peak period and during peak periods departures are at 15 min intervals.
The existing and the oldest mainland settlement is the town of Lumut, an attractive, laid-back place about 7 km away. Buses from KL and other places will drop you off at the bus station next to the pier.

• From the Lumut pier, ferries depart regularly to different parts of Pangkor Island. A single fare is RM5 per person (return is RM10), and bicycles are free.

• First departure from Lumut is at 7AM, last at 8:30PM.
• First departure from Pangkor is at 6:30AM, last at 8:30PM.
• Departures are at 30-45 min intervals, depending on the time of day, and the crossing usually takes no more than 45 min.

Activities-
*Bird Watching
*Puteri Dewi SPA
*Land and Sea Sports
*Snorkeling and Diving

Langkawi Island

Langkawi,(Jawi:لانكاوي ) officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah) is an archipelago of 99 islands (an extra 5 temporary islands are revealed at low tide) in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. On July 15, 2008, Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah had consented to the change of name to Langkawi Permata Kedah in conjunction with his Golden Jubilee Celebration. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Langkawi is also an administrative district with the town of Kuah as the capital and largest town. Langkawi is a duty-free island.

By plane
Langkawi International Airport (IATA: LGK | ICAO: WMKL) is located at Padang Matsirat, on the northwestern part of the island. In 2008, it handled 1.2 million passengers.
The following airlines offer service to/from Langkawi: AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly , Happy Airways, and SilkAir.
Direct flights are available to Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hat Yai, and Phuket,

By boat

• Langkawi Ferry operates fast air-conditioned boats from Kuala Perlis (RM18, 75 minutes), Kuala Kedah (RM23, 105 minutes), Penang (RM60, 165 minutes), and Satun (RM30 or THB300, 75 minutes)(Satun ferry to Langkawi: last boat departs Satun at 4pm(2011.02).

• Telaga Harbour operates ferries from Ko Lipe, Thailand twice per day during the high season, at 9:30 and 14:30 (RM128 one-way, RM248 return, 75 minutes). These boats dock at the south end of Pattaya Beach. Bookings can be made online.

Must see places-
*Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls aka Seven Wells
*Gunung Raya, (Take the snaking paved road through the jungle).
*Crocodile Adventureland
*Laman Padi Rice Garden
*Legend Garden
*Underwater World
*Eagle Square
*Oriental Village
*Galeria Perdana
*Summer Palace
*Ibrahim Hussein Foundation Museum

Tioman Island

Tioman is in Pahang ("East Coast") within the Mersing Marine Park, which contains less commerical islands such as Sibu Island. The primary gateway Mersing is in Johor ("South").
Tioman's beaches were depicted in the 1958 movie South Pacific as "Bali Hai". In the 1970s, Time magazine selected Tioman as one of the world’s most beautiful islands. The densely forested island is still sparsely inhabited. Also it is surrounded by numerous white coral reefs, making it a haven for scuba divers from around the region.

Tioman beaches - Salang Beach, Monkey Bay, Panuba Bay, ABC, Tekek, Genting,Juara.

Most visitors arrive by ferry from Mersing on the mainland. Bluewater Express operates the ferry services and its boats are fast and comfortable taking approx 1 hour 20mins to the first jetty.

In Mersing, the ferry terminal and main bus terminal were in the same building. The bus terminal has been moved to a new location about 1.5km away, so check with the bus agent if they can drop you off at the ferry terminal before booking your ticket. Local Boat available for private boat charter, scuba dive, fishing & Islands Tour along Jalan Dato Onn, Mersing.