Sipadan Island

Sipadan is one of the most beautiful scuba diving spots in the world. Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, the huge pillar that forms the atoll functions as a shelter for many sea animals and fish. Furthermore there are only a few places in the world that have such a concentration of sea turtles. Sipadan is not easy to visit; you can only stay at the surrounding islands Mabul and Kapalai. The permits these days make it even harder to dive at Sipadan; because only a handful of people per day may dive at the small island (regulations permit 120 dives per day). Accommodation at Mabul or Kapalai is not that cheap. Budget travelers that find Mabul or Kapalai too expensive (or when the facilities are fully booked) could opt to stay at the village of Semporna. This fishing village mainly serves as a gateway to Sipadan and other great scuba diving spots as Mabul, Kapalai and Mataking. The several fish restaurants in Semporna offer great food, though the village itself is often described as a bit dull.

"I have seen other places like Sipadan 45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art". Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle (1989).

 Scuba diving at Sipadan

It is almost impossible to list all the fish and other sea creatures that you might encounter under water when diving at Sipadan. Among the species are schools of big-eye trevallies, many turtles, tornado-like formations of barracudas, schools of humphead parrotfishes, giant mantas, eagle rays, schools of tunas, many species of sharks including schools hammerhead sharks, (sometimes even) whale sharks and thousands of other species of fish (mostly big pelagic fish as Sipadan is known for this). Diving rates are pretty high compared to other dive destinations within Malaysia (usually over RM120 per dive). Do not dive with diving schools that operate without proper permits. Diving at Sipadan Island is possible daily from 6am to 4pm. No night dives are allowed.

International disputes and other dark pages in history

Sipadan once was center of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2002 the International Court of Justice declared the island to be part of Malaysia.

In 2000 members of the Filipino Islamist terrorist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 tourists at gun point. Armed terrorists arrived by boat and brought the victims to the nearby island of Jolo. All victims were eventually released after payment of a ransom. Some countries still mark the area around Sipadan as rather unsafe, though tourists have come here for years without any problems.

Langkawi Island

Geopark Langkawi is the most Northern archipelago located on the Westside of Peninsular Malaysia; located 30 km off the mainland. The archipelago consists of the main island Langkawi and almost 100 small surrounding islands; only four of them are inhabited. Langkawi lies very close to the border of Thailand, the nearest island Koh Lipe is only a 30 minute boat ride away. The island falls within the district of Kedah, and contains 479 square kilometers of tropical grounds. Langkawi has more than 62,000 inhabitants, most of which live in the capital town of Kuah, the rest of the population is spread over a number of small villages and around a large number of resorts on the island. Most inhabitants of Langkawi are of Malay origin (around 90%) followed by a small Chinese and Indian community; in contrary of neighboring island Penang, where the majority is of Chinese origin.

 Beautiful tropical island of Langkawi

After tourism the main source of income for the islands population comes from fishing, padi and rubber cultivation. The island has a duty-free status; this means that prices throughout the island should be a bit cheaper although we have never really noticed this, since this is mainly relevant to perfumes, liquor and tobacco. A good bottle of wine in Kuala Lumpur can easily cost you around RM70, while an equally good wine in Langkawi is often sold for half the price. Alcoholic beverages that are sold at the resorts and bars (around Pantai Cenang for example) are very cheap compared to prices in other parts of Malaysia. Langkawi is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations within Malaysia; over 2.5 million tourists visit the island yearly. On June 1 2007, Langkawi Island has been given a World Geopark status by UNESCO; which will eventually attract even more tourists to this wonderful island.For many travelers Langkawi is the first acquaintance with the beautiful country Malaysia as it is not only one of the most beautiful islands of Malaysia; it is also very easily accessible. You have amazing beaches and the inland is very beautiful. There is more than enough to experience and to keep you entertained for at least a week. If you prefer to relax on the beach a longer stay is also very nice. Langkawi is a wonderful tropical island, but unfortunately the seas directly around the islands aren't suitable for scuba diving and snorkeling. For that you can best visit the islands to the east coast of the Malay Peninsula (Perhentian, Redang and Tioman) or some of the Thai islands a bit up north. You can visit Langkawi throughout the entire year; there is no real monsoon season. It can rain daily (sometimes quite heavily) but this is quite normal in these parts of the world. Should it rain, it usually doesn't last for more than an hour. The rainy season in Langkawi falls between the months of May and September. During these months it rains a bit more then it usually does. We were unlucky once when it rained non-stop during our complete stay at the island.

 History of Langkawi

The archipelago of Langkawi has a relative young history. In contrast to the turbulent history of the adjacent island Penang; there have been hardly any significant historical facts on Langkawi. Langkawi has not been the place for a number of major developments that where responsible for the emergence of Malaysia. Langkawi was a place where pirates did hide, but unlike the island of Penang Langkawi did not turn into a place where pirates and travelers actually settled. A long time ago the area in which Langkawi is located was known as a pirate area. This history is the origin for many of the legends and myths that are circulating currently. Myths and other mysterious tales are being told until now.

"Princess Mahsuri was unjustly accused of adultery and was executed as a result. It was said that she bled white blood which proved her innocence, however just before she died, she put a curse on Langkawi that it would not prosper for 700 years."

Langkawi wasn't that popular among foreign tourists until a former inhabitant of the state of Kedah where Langkawi falls under became the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad rolled out great plans to put Langkawi Island on the world map. His efforts soon turned into more tourist arrivals and nowadays Langkawi is one of the most visited destinations by tourists within Malaysia. National Geographic recently listed Datai Beach at Langkawi as the 9th best beach in the world.

Scuba diving and snorkeling

 Although Langkawi is a beautiful tropical island, scuba diving and snorkeling is not possible directly around the island. People that would like to enjoy diving or snorkeling have three options; they can book a day-trip to Pulau Payar (one hour by boat from the island of Langkawi); second option is a day-trip (or even an overnight stay) to the neighboring Thai island of Koh Lipe. Lastly you can take a flight from Langkawi to one of the islands that are renowned for diving and snorkeling possibilities like Perhentian, Redang or Tioman.