3 days · 2 nights · limited island permits · book ahead
Sepilok & Selingan Turtle Island
Updated August 2026
Green turtles have been hauling out on Selingan every night of the year since before anyone counted, and the island's hatchery — Malaysia's first, running since the 1960s — is one of the oldest turtle conservation projects on earth. You stay the night, because the turtles come after dark: watch a female lay under ranger supervision, see the eggs moved to the hatchery, and release a bucket of hatchlings down the sand. Sepilok's orangutans bookend the trip. Beds are capped at a few dozen a night; this is the one Sabah trip you book early or not at all. Read the complete Selingan Turtle Island guide for more.
Day by day
- Day 1 Sandakan pick-up by 09:00 (be in Sandakan the night before, or on a first flight in). Sabah Parks jetty for the one daily boat, about 10:00; roughly an hour across the Sulu Sea to Selingan. Afternoon free: the beach, snorkelling (bring or rent gear beforehand; none on the island), the hatchery exhibition. Dinner at the cafeteria, then the wait. When a turtle lands — 20:00 or 02:00, the turtle decides — the ranger calls the group to watch her lay, tags her, moves the eggs, and you release hatchlings. Lights-out rules apply: no beach walking 18:00–06:00 except with the ranger.
- Day 2 Boat back at about 07:00, Sandakan by 08:30. On to Sepilok for the 10:00 feeding, the Sun Bear Centre, lunch, RDC in the afternoon. Overnight at a Sepilok resort, with the RDC night walk if you have the energy.
- Day 3 Optional 09:00 return to the orangutan gate, then airport or hotel drop-off. Or continue to the Kinabatangan and make it a five-day east coast run.
What Selingan is like
Small — eight hectares, twenty minutes to walk around — with simple twin chalets (air-con, private bathroom, no hot water, no porters, 600 m from the jetty; pack one light bag and leave the rest in the jetty lockers). There's a cafeteria, an exhibition hall, and nothing else, which is the charm. The crossing is the one weather-dependent link: June to October is calm, November to February can be rough or occasionally cancelled, and we never book it on the same day as an onward flight.
Included / not included
Included: all transfers, the Selingan boat, park permit and conservation fees, chalet, meals on the island, the ranger-led turtle programme, Sepilok entrance and camera fees, one Sepilok resort night with breakfast, guide on the Sepilok day. Not included: flights, snorkel gear, the RM10 island camera fee, tips, high-season island surcharge (roughly June–September). Children are welcome from about six; night activities are supervised.
Booking reality
The island's overnight capacity is a few dozen visitors, allocated to operators; July and August sell out weeks ahead. Give us dates and flexibility of a day or two either side, and we'll confirm the island first before locking anything else.
Plan your Sepilok trip
Check Selingan availability and get a price
Tell us your dates, where you're flying from and who's coming. You'll receive a day-by-day itinerary, a price, and our Sepilok & Kinabatangan planning PDF. No obligation, no payment until you confirm.
- Operated by a licensed Sabah tour operator
- English-speaking Sabahan guides
- Private departures; no fixed group dates
- Flights, Kinabatangan, Gomantong and Turtle Islands all bookable in one itinerary