Lankayan Island: Protected Paradise in the Sulu Sea

Lankayan Island is a small, low-lying island off the northeast coast of Sabah (Malaysia) in the Sulu Sea, best known as a quiet, nature-focused stop for diving, snorkeling, and turtle watching. Reaching it from Sandakan is typically by speedboat: Sabah’s tourism information describes a transfer of about 1.5 hours from Sandakan Jetty to the island’s resort, while other published travel sources describe departures via the Sandakan area (often the yacht club) and commonly quote around 2 hours. Lankayan sits inside the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA), which covers the islands Lankayan, Billean, and Tegapil and their surrounding waters (reported size 46,317 hectares), and has been managed as a protected marine/wildlife conservation area since October 2003. Officially promoted wildlife highlights include nesting green turtles and hawksbill turtles, and Sabah tourism sources also note that whale sharks are regularly sighted from March to May.

The Lankayan Island Dive Resort is a small, well-run retreat right by the water, with wooden chalets lining the beach. The food is a clear strong point: varied, fresh and well prepared, so that the buffet meals are something you can rely on rather than just “filling up.” The staff are consistently friendly and helpful without being intrusive, which gives the place a relaxed, easy-going atmosphere. The rooms are very comfortable and thoughtfully designed, and in the seafront units you can see the sunrise directly from your bed or veranda, with the beach and sea only a few steps away. Overall, it is a calm, luxury base for diving and relaxing, with awesome service and a clear focus on the customer.

On the security context: multiple governments’ travel advisories warn that parts of eastern Sabah and offshore islands (a category that includes islands in this area, including Lankayan in some advisories) carry an elevated kidnapping/abduction risk, which is why travelers are urged to exercise heightened caution. There is a permanent military presence on the island, this is most clearly documented in operator descriptions, which state that Malaysian armed/security personnel are stationed on Lankayan and that transfers may sometimes involve armed escort. But despite their constant presence, most of the time you don’t see any of the soldiers. But the mere fact that they are there gives one a good feeling of security in this area, which is not entirely without its problems.