I'm thinking of doing Uncle Tan's wildlife trip and then moving on to Semporna to do some dives. The thing is, how do I get there?
Hi all,
I'm thinking of doing Uncle Tan's wildlife trip and then moving on to Semporna to do some dives. The thing is, how do I get there?
From my research, there is an early direct bus to Semporna but I will leave Uncle Tan's camp at 10AM --> too late to catch the bus. The website says it can drop me off at Lahad Datu. Does anyone have any idea, from Lahad Datu --> Semporna, how I get a bus ticket/ how much it cost/ how long is the journey?
I think I can also go to Sankadan town and take an Air Asia flight KK then to Tawau and then a bus to Semporna but its too leceh (troublesome) and needs tooo many connections. *exhausted*
Thanks for reading this post and your replies!!
cheers,
Vyn
Reply to this Hey Vyn,
Yes from Lahad datu you can get a minibus taxis. We tried to get the express bus from sandakan to Semporna the other day and it was full, so ended up taking a slightly later express bus to Lahad Datu. From there we picked up a minibus taxis which took about another hour for about 20 Ringetts. The only snag is the minibus doesn;t leave until its full but if you are with arrive from another bus (like we did) chances are there will be amy people for that bus wanting to travel onwards too. We literally waited about 5 minutes before our minibus was bursting with people and luggage and we were back on the road again.
If your going to Semporna i can tell you that Lee's guest house is pretty good, clean & quite cheap at 40 RM for a double room. Scuba Junkie's hostel is a bit grim! And don't take anything of value on the boat as we had money nicked - most likely from their boatman! Or North Borneo are good to dive with too.
Hope that helps
Kat
Reply to this Hi Kat,
Great! The express buses from Lahad Datu to Semporna are very frequent then? Alright, will just wait for the bus to get full with a cool drink in hand, shouldn't be a problem. =)
I read about Lee's guest house but I migbht wanna try Uncle Chang cos I might be diving with the said operator. Thanks for all ur tips! =)
Reply to this Just came back from Uncle Chan's in Semporna. Amazine time!! 50 ringgit a day for accomodation and three meals, plus drinking water. Staff were amazing, helping with onward travel by booking and paying for my bus ticket from Semporna to KK, all wating for me when I got the boat back. Accomodation is clean with nice location.
Uncle Tan's can arrange a mini van to Lahad Datu if you tell them that's what your plan is. Just like previous ppl said, it's so easy to catch mini bus from Lahad Datu to Semporna. Hope you plan to spend the extra money to snorkel/dive in Sipidan, as it's so amazing. I was litereally swimming with a herd of large turtles there at one point! Well worth the 160 ringgit.
You will have a blast!
Cathy
Reply to this Hi guys,
how long did this journey take? Sandakan - Lahad Datu - Semporna
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