The Danum Essential
2 nights at the flagship lodge: the canopy walkway at dawn, a night drive, and dinner beside the river.
Full board · on enquiry
Enquire
Land-based dive resort
Sipadan-Mabul Resort
15 minutes north of Sipadan, Sipadan-Mabul Resort is a dedicated dive base set in a coconut grove on Mabul's south-east beach.
Land-based dive resort
The resort grounds
Fifteen minutes north of Sipadan, this dedicated dive base sits in a quiet coconut grove on Mabul's south-east beach. Explore the macro house reef directly from the resort's wooden jetty and rely on 24-hour power for charging heavy camera rigs. Plan a stay of at least six days to secure a Sipadan permit and spend the vast majority of your time underwater.
Sipadan-Mabul Resort is resolutely land-based and sits entirely on the sand rather than on stilts over the sea. The wooden chalets are scattered beneath the palms just steps from the sand. The resort occupies a large section of an actively producing coconut grove. Every palm tree here is numbered and assigned to a specific individual who cares for it and harvests the coconuts. The layout is straightforward and practical. A main open-air pavilion serves as the dining area and a large lock-up airing shed secures your dive equipment overnight. There is a vinyl swimming pool set alongside jacuzzi whirlpool spas, a small boutique selling everyday sundries and an air-conditioned television room. The wooden diving jetty extends over the water and acts as the launch point for the boats.
The resort runs on 24-hour continuous electricity. This is a vital detail if you carry heavy camera rigs that need constant charging. Free Wi-Fi covers the property but you should expect speeds suited to reading emails rather than streaming video given the remote island location.
Choose Sipadan-Mabul Resort for well-organised dive days and immediate access to an excellent house reef for macro photography. You have 24-hour power for charging your camera kit and technical dive support on site.
The terrain here is natural sand and boarding the transport and dive boats requires stepping over gunwales onto moving fibreglass decks in open water. It suits people who are steady on their feet and it does not have wheelchair access.
Why stay here
The dive centre operation
The dive operation here is excellent. It is led by guides who know where to look for Mabul's smallest residents and keep the boat trips running smoothly. The wooden chalets have a traditional feel and the buffet brings together Asian and Western dishes. This resort makes sense if you want to spend your days diving Sipadan and Mabul. If you want an over-water stay, look at the neighbouring Mabul Water Bungalows. If you want well-organised dive days and immediate access to the reef it does exactly what you need.
42 wooden beach chalets
42 wooden beach chalets sit under a canopy of palms.
A PADI 5-Star resort
A PADI 5-Star resort running 15 custom dive boats.
Unlimited unguided daylight diving
Unlimited unguided daylight diving on the Mabul house reef.
Secure a Sipadan permit
Secure a Sipadan permit with a six-day dive package.
Fits keen divers and
Fits keen divers and photographers wanting an experienced dive operation.
Dining
Open-air dining pavilion
Every stay is booked on a full-board basis. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served buffet-style in the main open-air dining pavilion featuring a mix of Asian and Western dishes. You get a free flow of coffee, tea, drinking water and light snacks throughout the day. Alcoholic beverages, fresh fruit juices and carbonated soft drinks are not included and can be purchased at the main bar or the jetty bar.
If you are a non-diver, you can book a Non-Diver Package. This drops the scuba activities and gives you snorkelling access around the house reef, the use of ocean kayaks and time to relax by the pool. If you are travelling with children who are certified divers and want to dive, they must pay the full adult diver package rate regardless of their age.
From your doorstep
What a day here holds
The Danum Valley Canopy Walkway
Suspended 27 metres above the primary rainforest floor, the Borneo Rainforest Lodge canopy walkway is a 360-metre structure anchored directl
Danum Valley Night Safaris
A night drive is the best way to see the rainforest mammals that sleep through the heat of the day. This guide explains how the drives work,
Guided Treks and Trails
The trails at Danum Valley run deep into a ancient primary rainforest. They are hot, humid and root-choked and they offer a way of seeing th
The Sabah Birding Circuit
The classic Sabah birding circuit connects the montane forests of Mount Kinabalu with the lowland dipterocarps of Danum Valley. This guide e
Kinabatangan River
The Kinabatangan floodplain holds the highest concentration of wildlife in Borneo. This is where you go to track orangutans and proboscis mo
Wildlife you may see
Keep your binoculars close
Sightings are wild and never guaranteed: that is the point. These are the residents your guides will be listening for.
Packages
Ways to stay
Rates on enquiry, no prices are published.
Danum Intensive
A private week across the Lodge and the Study Centre: hides, flexible dawn starts and a vehicle that waits for the light.
Full board · on enquiry
EnquireBefore you pack
Yes, free Wi-Fi internet access is broadcast throughout the property.
Yes, you need to allow a 24-hour surface interval between your last dive and your flight out of Tawau. The resort does not provide boat dives on your day of departure.
If you stay fewer than 6 days and 5 nights, a Sipadan permit depends entirely on last-minute cancellations. To guarantee a permit you must book a Diver Package for at least 6 days and 5 nights.
Snorkellers can visit Sipadan but they require a permit from the same daily quota of 254 as divers. This means the same minimum-stay rules apply.
Yes, Mabul is known for its house reefs. Guests on the Diver Package get unlimited unguided daylight diving straight from the resort's wooden jetty.
How to get there
The journey is part of it
The journey to Mabul has 2 stages. You fly into Tawau airport where a team member meets you for a 60-minute drive to the Semporna jetty. From Semporna, a scheduled speedboat takes 45 minutes to reach the resort.
Open the interactive mapExtend the journey
Nearby & combinations
Mabul Water Bungalows — the premium over-water sister property next door Mataking Island — an upscale resort with a deep channel and an underwater post office Pom Pom Island Resort — a luxury retreat focused on marine conservation and turtle hatcheries Borneo Divers Mabul — another established dive resort on Mabul's beach Seaventures Dive Rig — a repurposed oil rig offering a unique dive base off Mabul
Plan your trip
Plan your Sipadan-Mabul Resort stay
Tell the team your dates to secure a Diver Package at Sipadan-Mabul Resort and dive the macro house reef.