Sulug Island
Many consider Sulug Island to be an idyllic deserted island perfect for picnicking and sun tanning. It is part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.
With little more than a Sabah Parks ranger station and a small strip of white sandy beach, the rest of this small island is covered in dense jungle
Beneath the water is a great spot for scuba divers though, with 20-30 metre deep dive sites that have seen reef sharks and the occasional whale shark sighting.
Note: Don't miss the must see islands of Sipadan and Mabul (Tawau airport).
More about Sulug Island
Sulug is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park's deliberately empty island — the one for travellers whose idea of paradise is the absence of things. Little more than a Sabah Parks ranger station and a strip of white sand, it's the least developed and least visited of the five park islands off Kota Kinabalu, and that's not a shortcoming to fix but the entire offer: a picnic, a swim, a book, and an island that feels borrowed rather than shared.
The practical reality that keeps Sulug quiet works in your favour: the regular island-hopping boats from Jesselton Point concentrate on Manukan, Sapi and Mamutik, so getting here usually means chartering or specifically requesting the stop — a small negotiation that buys you a beach with more hermit crabs than people. Bring everything you'll need (there are no facilities to speak of) and carry everything out; the rangers take the park's rules seriously and so should we.
Snorkelling is pleasant on the fringing reef, though honestly the neighbouring islands offer richer coral — you come to Sulug for the above-water experience: the emptiness, the view back to the Kota Kinabalu skyline, and the smugness of having found the park's quiet corner.
Sulug slots perfectly into a KK day before or after your Semporna diving. See the park overview, or contact us to build it into your Sabah route.