5. Sipadan Island
Sipadan Island and its surrounding ocean waters are part of the world’s richest marine habitat, home to endangered hawksbill turtles, whale sharks, monitor lizards, and hundreds of coral species. The island is also considered one of the best diving destinations in the world and is fiercely protected-visiting requires a permit in advance and only 120 permits are given out per day.
Reaching the island requires an hour-long ride on a speed boat. Once here, the island can be easily explored on foot, with different beaches and reef sites within minutes of each other.
Since it’s no longer possible to stay on the island because of environmental protection laws (the nearby Mabul Island offers accommodations), visitors usually come here early in the morning as part of snorkeling and diving tours. All visitors must leave the island by 3pm.
6. Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak
This UNESCO World Heritage Site might be more famous for its impressive karst limestone pinnacles that resemble people standing in large formations, but the park’s massive caves are just as stunning.
Thick rain forest covers most of the park and makes some areas difficult to access-one of the reasons some of the caves here weren’t really explored until the 1970s. Another reason is how massive the cave systems are: both the largest passage and the largest underground chamber in the world are located in caves here.
Deer Cave is particularly beautiful, with ceilings over 122 meters tall, waterfalls cascading through the rocks, and an opening over a sinkhole that’s over one kilometer wide. Visitors to the park can also trek up to the Sarawak Chamber and Paku Waterfall or try a climb up on The Pinnacles Summit Trek, which takes three days and involves ropes, ladders, and an arduous walk through the jungle.
