Lankayan Island

Why go

A Sulu Sea atoll

Ninety minutes by scheduled speedboat from Sandakan, this coral atoll in the Sulu Sea covers just 0.05 square kilometres of sand and trees. You share the island's single resort with nesting sea turtles and the juvenile reef sharks that hunt beneath the dining deck. Expect a quiet daily rhythm defined by buffet meals, charted dives and night calls to watch hatchlings head for the surf.

Lankayan sits roughly 2 hours by boat from Sandakan. It is a classic coral atoll covered in tropical vegetation and ringed by a continuous white beach. The entire island and the surrounding waters are strictly protected by the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA). A conservation fee applies to every stay and funds the Reef Guardian patrols that enforce the fishing ban.

Because there is only 1 resort the island never feels crowded. You will not see day-trip boats or other dive operators. The daily routine is set by the dive schedule and the buffet meals in the central open-air restaurant. The central deck acts as a natural observatory where you can watch juvenile blacktip reef sharks actively hunting just feet beneath the wooden pilings.

A quiet beach stop

Lankayan is the right choice if you want to combine a wildlife trip in eastern Sabah with a few days on a quiet beach. Because the boat leaves from Sandakan it connects easily with the orangutans at Sepilok and the river safaris on the Kinabatangan.

The diving is excellent for macro photography and the island is peaceful. Life on this quiet island follows a fixed schedule. The meals are buffet-style at set times and the room allocation is decided by the management on arrival. The island's rhythm makes for a very relaxed stay.

Coral reefs and shipwrecks

Lankayan offers 32 charted dive sites and 2 artificial reef wrecks within a very short boat ride of the jetty. The underwater topography mixes healthy fringing coral reefs with sandy flats that suit macro diving. Frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish and a huge variety of nudibranchs are realistic targets for your dives. The Jaw Fish Lair site is 5 minutes away and sightings of the giant jawfish are a realistic target.

The macro diving offers the chance to find the flamboyant cuttlefish which 'walks' along the sandy substrate using its modified arms. You might also spot the highly venomous blue-ringed octopus. Divers must maintain absolute neutral buoyancy and never touch the substrate to avoid disturbing these highly cryptic species.

The marine protection also supports larger species. Schools of yellowtail barracudas, jacks and humphead parrotfish are resident here. Leopard sharks, marbled stingrays and giant groupers are realistic targets on the reef.

Lankayan Island Dive Resort operates a fully equipped PADI 5 Star Dive Centre. The dive team enforces strict environmental rules to protect the coral. Before you enter the water you must attend a briefing on the 'no fins landing' and 'no coral touching' policies. The dive boats use mooring buoys rather than anchors to prevent damage to the reef. The island's small size means boat transit times to the sites are exceptionally short so you spend more time underwater.

Between March and May nutrient-dense currents sweep through the Sulu Sea and migrating whale sharks pass through the sanctuary. Sightings of these huge filter-feeders are a bonus for divers on the scheduled boat trips in season.

Non-divers have access to excellent snorkelling directly off the beach or from the balconies of the water chalets. The resort also offers ocean kayaking and the chance to participate in terrestrial conservation efforts.

The sea turtle hatchery

Lankayan is a vital nesting ground for endangered green turtles and critically endangered hawksbill turtles. The nesting season runs from June to September and the island operates an active turtle hatchery to protect the eggs.

Green turtles are primarily herbivorous and feed on seagrasses and algae in the shallows. The hawksbill turtles use their narrow beaks to extract sponges from the reef. Because marine turtles lack eyelids you must be careful with underwater cameras as high-intensity flashes can temporarily blind them.

If you want to see the turtles you can use the island's turtle call service. You hang a specific tag on your chalet door before you go to sleep and the conservation crews will wake you in the night if a female comes ashore to lay eggs or if newly hatched turtles are ready to be released into the surf.

The monsoon weather closure

Lankayan closes completely every January and February. The north-east monsoon generates high seas and unpredictable weather during these months so the 90 to 120-minute speedboat crossing from the mainland is not safe for passengers.

During the closure the resort dismantles the sea-facing facilities and undertakes annual maintenance. The island is open and operates normally from March through to December.

Beach and water chalets

Lankayan Island Dive Resort is the only property on the island. It has 29 air-conditioned guestrooms spread across 23 wooden chalets. The chalets are built from local wood to blend with the island's casuarina pines and tropical foliage. The beach chalets sit just behind the tree line with direct access to the sand while the water chalets are built on elevated wooden boardwalks over the sea.

The central building is the hub of the resort. It houses the administrative desks and the dining area. Fresh water for the en-suite bathrooms is piped and transported from the Sabah mainland. The resort generates electricity on-site to deliver power to the chalets.

Every room has an en-suite bathroom with piped hot water, a mini-refrigerator, coffee-making facilities and a private balcony. Families are well catered for as every room features an additional twin bed to allow for comfortable triple-share occupancy without needing rollaway beds.

The resort provides 24-hour power and high-speed Wi-Fi across the public areas and within the guestrooms. The island also has a dedicated media room for reviewing underwater photographs, a boutique, a fitness centre and a sunset bar. Accessing some of the upper-floor facilities requires stairs and you will need to traverse slatted wooden boardwalks to reach the water chalets.

The Sandakan speedboat

You reach Lankayan by a scheduled speedboat from the Sandakan Post Office Jetty. The crossing takes between 90 and 120 minutes depending on the sea conditions.

The resort runs 1 boat a day. It departs Sandakan exactly at 10am. If you are arriving on a flight the team provides a transfer from Sandakan Airport to the jetty as long as your flight lands before 9am. The return boat leaves the island at 7am to connect with onward flights.

If you are diving you must allow 24 hours between the last dive and a flight.

Macro photographers and couples

Lankayan suits macro photographers, eco-conscious divers and couples who want a very quiet island experience. The terrain suits people who are steady on their feet as you need to negotiate a working speedboat and a wooden pier on arrival.

It is a great fit if you want a relaxed schedule with home-style buffet meals and midnight turtle hatchings. If you want a la carte dining, nightlife or more flexibility with arrival times, consider staying in Sandakan. The boat crossing is for guests under 80 who are not pregnant.

The Sandakan planning team

Send the team your dates, your party size and whether you want a diving or non-diving package. They will check the availability and come back to you with the itinerary that works best for your flights.

--- Sources referenced on this page: Reef Guardian, Sabah Wildlife Department. Facts verified 9 September 2026.