Sandakan travel guide

Sandakan, Malaysia

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Sandakan

Introduction

Sandakan, once known as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia, and the second largest city in the state after Kota Kinabalu. It sits on the Sandakan Peninsula on the east coast, within the Sandakan Division, and served as the former capital of British North Borneo.

Before you go

Sandakan was once the capital of British North Borneo, and its early prosperity came from a port that drew traders from around the world. The town holds a solemn place in Australian and British World War II history: the Death Marches began here in 1945 and ended in Ranau. After the war, the capital was moved to Jesselton, now Kota Kinabalu. The name itself comes from the Suluk word "sanda", meaning to pawn, with "kan" as a suffix - so Sandakan means the place that was pawned, though who pawned it and to whom remains a mystery.

Sandakan has always been a predominantly Chinese town. Unlike most other parts of Sabah, the main Chinese dialect among Sandakan's Chinese is Cantonese, though Hakka is also widely spoken and understood, as is Mandarin. Malay serves as the lingua franca among locals of different ethnicities, and most residents can understand and speak at least basic English. Other groups, such as the Bajau and Suluk, may speak their own native languages, but these are not generally used as a common tongue within the community. Before you travel, be aware that turtle eggs, while illegal, are obtainable cheaply at the local wet market - do not get caught with them in your luggage, as police and customs officials take a very serious view and will press criminal charges. Due to ongoing kidnapping threats and actions by pirates from the southern Philippines, there is a large military and police presence in Eastern Sabah coastal waters and a night time curfew on all vessels.

Getting there

By plane, Sandakan is served by daily direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, with MASWings also connecting the city to Kudat, Lahad Datu and Tawau. The airport sits about 13 km from the city centre. Several express bus companies run from Kota Kinabalu, with departures through the morning and early afternoon plus an evening service; the journey takes around five hours. You can buy a full-fare ticket in Kota Kinabalu and ask to be picked up at Kinabalu Park headquarters, roughly four and a half hours out. Buses pass the junction for the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, where you can ask to be dropped off, then take a short taxi ride down the road to the centre itself. Buses to Semporna leave from the express bus terminal in the morning and early afternoon. All express buses arrive at terminals that are still about 15 minutes from downtown, with a taxi ride onward. To reach Kota Kinabalu's North Bus Terminal in Inanam, take a public bus from the station on Jalan Padang across from the State Library, or a taxi. By sea, Aleson Lines runs a weekly ferry from Zamboanga City in the Philippines.

Getting around

Sandakan is a compact city on Sabah's east coast, and the centre near the jetty and the waterfront around Harbour Square is small enough to explore on foot. A walking trail covers all the main sites, and the Sandakan Heritage Trail takes in spots such as Agnes Keith House and St. Michael's Church; self-guided walks are feasible with a map. Beyond the centre, the city sprawls west and north toward the airport, so walking becomes less practical for outlying sights. There is no rail, metro, or tram network, and no hop-on-hop-off service, so plan around road and water transport. Accessibility infrastructure is limited, and travellers with mobility needs are best served by pre-arranged private transfers.

Where to stay

Sandakan's accommodation clusters in the town centre and along the waterfront, with options ranging from dorm beds to mid-range and business-style rooms. In the centre, Hotel City View sits near the associated Hawaii Restaurant, which serves a wide choice of meals and is popular with locals. Hotel London, next to Masjid Jamek Mosque, is a budget option in the heart of the city with clean, newly renovated rooms, free WiFi, a simple breakfast of toast and instant coffee served in a rooftop garden, and facilities including tour arrangement and a backup generator. NAK Hotel, behind the banks and central market, is the oldest purpose-built hotel in Sandakan and has been family run since 1966, with some thematically designed rooms offering sea views. WinHo Lodge, off Lebuh Dua, offers comfortable beds and decent-sized rooms for all budgets, including dorms, with double rooms featuring A/C, free wifi, ensuite and TV.

Near the water, Hotel Seafront is a short walk from the waterfront and offers modern, clean rooms suited to independent travellers, with internet in the foyer; note it has no lift. Swiss-Inn Waterfront Sandakan sits on the waterfront esplanade with trendy, compact rooms. Sandakan Backpackers Hostel, on Harbor Square near Gentingmas Mall, has harbour views and is run by an owner who also acts as a travel agent, with small dorms and private rooms. Borneo Seaview & Budget Hotel, near the harbour opposite the Central Market, is clean, quiet and safe. PAT'S Bed and Breakfast Lodge, between the bus station and the city centre, has a family home atmosphere, a comfortable living room, a balcony, a kitchen for your own use, laundry service and clean dormitory rooms. Further out, Tai Lee Hotel in Bandar Kim Fung is surrounded by shoplots including restaurants, pharmacies and supermarkets, and comes with WiFi, aircon and Astro channels.

Food & drink

For fresh seafood, Sandakan delivers, with options around the waterfront and beyond. Head to the seafood restaurants at Kg Buli Sim-Sim, or try the Chinese food at Imperial Bay View in Harbour Square. Restaurant 2020 in Bandar Kim Fung serves non-halal Chinese cuisine, while Tomato Sandakan offers an extensive menu of local and western dishes in a central location. For Indian and local food, try Sandakan Curry House beside Hotel Indah in Bandar Indah, known for its fish head curry, or Habeeb Restaurant on the third avenue in town, where you can taste the Roti Cobra. Restoran Ajmeer, with locations at mile 3 and mile 4, specialises in South Indian food and Malay-style fried dishes, including lamb briyani, fish head curry, dosai, idli and vadai. For traditional English food and an excellent afternoon high tea, visit the English Tea House on Mile 1 of Jalan Utara. For casual, affordable eating, the hawkers' centres at Central Market, Bandar Kim Fung Market and Mile Eight Market serve delicious Chinese and Malay cuisine at very reasonable prices, and you can buy kuih in the market in the same building afterwards. About seven kilometres outside town, a few shoplots house Chinese vegetarian restaurants serving mock meat dishes, a good stop on your way back from the Memorial Park, and the steamboat at Trig Hill is tasty with generous seafood. When evening comes, BaLin roofgarden on the 8th floor of NAK hotel offers panoramic views of the coastline and town, making it a fine spot to catch the sunset, with an innovative dining experience to follow. The waterfront is also being developed, with new places opening all the time.

What to see and do

In town, the Sandakan Memorial Park stands on the original site of a Japanese Prisoner of War camp, dedicated to the men who lost their lives in the Borneo Death Marches during the Second World War; a small museum in the centre of the park offers a sombre look at the atrocities that occurred. You can also climb to Puu Jih Syh, a Chinese temple on a hill behind the city with views over Labuk Bay, or visit St Michael and All Angels Cathedral, one of the oldest stone buildings in Sabah. The Agnes Keith House and Museum, the former home of the author Agnes Newton Keith, is now restored as a museum. East of town past the big mosque, Buli Sim Sim is a picturesque water village on stilts. Further afield, the Gomantong Caves are a massive cave system home to swiftlets whose nests are harvested as a Chinese delicacy, with harvesting done by people climbing to the roof using bamboo poles and ladders; wear closed shoes, as the raised footpaths are covered in bird and bat droppings, and there are facilities to wash your shoes afterwards. At the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary you are guaranteed a sighting of proboscis monkeys from a wooden balcony built in the middle of the mangrove forest, along with silvery lutungs, and if you're lucky you might see oriental pied hornbills. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, next to the Sepilok Orang Utan rehabilitation centre, lets you see tree-climbing sun bears. For a different perspective, cruise the Kinabatangan River, the longest in the state, which flows past some of the richest ecosystems on earth, especially just before it meets the sea; the Lower Kinabatangan and Sukau areas are known for mangrove swamps and flood plains and are home to proboscis monkeys, and up river you pass villages where the river is still the main highway, with opportunities to view wildlife including elephants. The best way to do this is through tour companies.

When to go

Sandakan has a hot, wet tropical rainforest climate year-round, so heat and humidity are constants whenever you visit. Rain is heaviest and most frequent from October to February, when you should expect wet days, high humidity and only a slight easing of the heat at night. Pack rain gear and keep indoor options in reserve rather than counting on dry outdoor days.

Three days in Sandakan

Day one: Start in Sandakan itself, on the Sandakan Peninsula in Sabah, Malaysia, and get your bearings in the old core of Elopura, the name by which the town was once known under British North Borneo. Sandakan District and the wider Sandakan Division make up the surrounding territory, so keep your first day local. The town's Chinese heritage is the thread to follow: Cantonese, Hakka and Mandarin speakers shaped its streets and its food, and you will also hear Malay and English alongside them, with Suluk, Bajau and other communities adding to the mix. Eat your way through the day rather than rushing between sights.

Day two: Look squarely at the town's wartime history. Sandakan was the site of the Australian and British World War II Death Marches, and prisoners were forced inland towards Ranau. After the war, what had been British North Borneo was reconstituted and the capital shifted to Jesselton, now Kota Kinabalu, leaving Sandakan to find a new role. Spend the day with that story, then turn to the present: Sandakan is a gateway to Kinabalu Park and to the wider region, and it sits within Eastern Sabah, facing the Philippines across the water, a position that has shaped its trade and its people for generations.

Day three: Use Sandakan as a base for the wider division. Several towns lie within reach, including Kudat, Lahad Datu and Tawau, and you can plan a day around one of them or around the landscapes between. If you are arriving or leaving by air, Kuala Lumpur and MASWings connections link Sandakan to the rest of Malaysia, and Kota Kinabalu is the other main hub. Before you go, take one more slow walk through town and let the layers settle: a Chinese trading port, a colonial outpost, a wartime site, and now a starting point for Sabah's east coast.

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