Adventure travel in sabah
Looking for that perfect holiday destination where you can scuba dive one day, trek through ancient ...
Scuba diving in
SabahExplore one of Asia’s top adventure destinations, where reefs, sharks and turtles thrive, and ancient rainforests, incredible wildlife and spectacular adventures await on land.
Diving Highlights
- Visit the world renowned island of Sipadan - home to schooling barracuda and jackfish, turtles, sharks and bumphead parrotfish
- Swim with whale sharks during the season around the islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
- Hunt for unusual ‘muck’ critters hidden amongst the reefs of Mabul and Kapalai on Sabah’s east coast
- Dive with schooling hammerhead sharks, rays and other pelagics on the remote atoll of Layang Layang
- Trek in ancient rainforests in search of orangutans, stunning birds and pygmy elephants
Situated at the northern tip of Borneo is the Malaysian state of Sabah, home to some of Southeast Asia’s most exciting diving, along with ancient rainforests and towering mountains. With its easy access and well-established tourism industry, Sabah easily ranks as one of Asia’s top tourist destinations.
Because Sabah lies within the Coral Triangle, its seas are host to a rich assortment of marine life - from healthy coral reefs and amazing macro critters, to schooling barracudas, pelagics, turtles, sharks and even whale sharks during the season. Combine this diversity with plunging reef walls and energetic drifts, and it’s no wonder that Sabah’s marine environments are considered amongst the richest on the planet.
Sabah’s forests and mountains - including famous Mt Kinabalu, Danum Valley and Maliau Basin - are home to an unique diversity of plants, insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. This amazing natural heritage makes for some unique adventures - visitors can dive with sharks, turtles and schooling fish one day, then head to the jungle in search of orangutans, pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys the next. Very few places in Asia offer such an incredible opportunity to explore such contrasting environments within a short space of time - and it’s no surprise Sabah is among our favourite destinations for adventure travel!
Destinations in Sabah
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Top Sabah experiences
April to October
Dive with Sipadan’s turtles and reef life
Healthy corals, huge schools of barracuda and jackfish, turtles, reef sharks, bumphead parrotfish and more make this oceanic island one of the best dive spots on the planet!
February to July
Dive with hammerheads at Layang Layang
Dive with schooling hammerhead sharks, schools of fish and rays on the pristine reefs of Layang Layang - a remote atoll in the South China Sea.
April to October
Muck dive at Mabul and Kapalai
A network of reefs and shoals boasts vibrant corals, muck critters, impressive fish life and plenty of turtles. Combine the underwater action with lazy island life and you’ve got the perfect dive destination.
April to October
Climb Mt Kinabalu
The perfect challenge for adventurers on Sabah’s west coast, Mt Kinabalu is a spiritual landmark for the local Kadazan-Dusun people, where jaw-dropping views and unique cloud forests make for an extraordinary experience.
Year round
Cruise down the Kinabatangan River
Stay overnight in a village on the Kinabatangan River, then join a dawn cruise in search of proboscis monkeys, orangutans and pygmy elephants along the mist-shrouded river.
Year round
Visit the orangutans at Sepilok
Combine your diving with a tour of the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre at Sepilok, where guests can observe this endangered species and learn more about their conservation.
Year round
Explore Danum Valley's ancient rainforest
Trek through untouched lowland rainforests in the heart of Borneo, keeping an eye out for orangutans, pygmy elephants, beautiful birds and even the elusive clouded leopard.
When to dive in Sabah
Sabah lies just south of the typhoon belt and is known as the 'Land Below the Wind'. Any tropical storms that develop in the Pacific Ocean track towards the Philippines, sparing Sabah the full force of these storms. However, Sabah will sometimes catch the tail end of any bad weather and as such, can get some rough seas and winds in the main typhoon season, particularly in August. The east coast can also experience storms in the middle of the wet season, especially in January.
Diving is great year-round thanks to Sabah’s warm tropical climate - air temperatures are normally 27-32C, humidity is high and the sea temperatures are 26-29C, with some colder upwellings in deeper water. Sabah doesn’t have a well defined monsoon such as that of South Asia. Instead it typically rains all year round with more rain in the Northeast wet season between November and March, and less in the Southwest ‘dry’ season. On the west coast, the wet season typically starts a little earlier and January and February can already be dry. But be prepared for rain whatever time of year you visit.
