Malaysia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 511

TRAVEL TO INDONESIA
Tawau is the main stepping stone for onward travel to Kalimantan; your only option is to go by
boat. Ferries to Indonesia with Tawindo Express and Indomaya Express depart from the
customs wharf, 150m south of Jalan Dunlop's Shell station (taxi RM5-7). At the time of writing
there were two departures a day (apart from Sundays) - at 11.30am on Mon, Wed & Fri and
10.30am on Tues, Thurs & Sat for the Indonesian island of Tarakan (RM140), and 10am & 3pm
for the island of Nunukan (RM65). There is no service on Sundays. Get to the jetty at least an
hour before the sailing time to guarantee a ticket. Nunukan is the less convenient of the two
destinations as you'll need to reach Tarakan for onward travel; it's an hour from Tawau, after
which it's a further two hours to Tarakan. While certain Indonesian airports and seaports issue
visas on arrival to citizens of 64 countries (see list: W embassyofindonesia.org/consular/voa
.html), neither Tarakan nor Nunukan can do so, so you must obtain an Indonesian visa before
heading into Kalimantan.
The Indonesian consulate in Tawau (Wisma Fuji Building, Jln Sin Onn T 089 772052; Mon-Fri
9.30am-2pm) can issue 60-day visas (RM170) in one day; you need proof of onward travel,
su cient funds, a copy of your passport and two photographs. To get to the consulate, take a
taxi (RM10) or a bus from the central bus station (RM1); ask the driver to drop you off in front of
“Indonesia consulate”.

6

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane The airport ( T 089 950777) is 31km outside of
town and served by frequent flights from Kuala Lumpur and
Kota Kinabalu with Malaysian Airlines and AirAsia, and from
Sandakan with MASwings. It can be reached by a shuttle
bus from the local bus station (6 daily, 45min; RM15) or taxi
(RM50) or by transfer from Semporna (RM90).
Destinations

(beef soup with cow blood, spices and offal), gado-gado
(vegetable salad with peanut sauce) and nasi kuning (rice
cooked with turmeric and coconut milk, served on a
banana leaf ).
Monaco Hotel Jln Haji Karim at Jln Bunga T 089 769911.
A bright-yellow lodging option that has little in common
with the glitz of its namesake country, but the spacious,
carpeted rooms have a/c, c able TV and private bathrooms.
Good location, great value. RM80
Soon Yee Jln Stephen Tan T 089 772447. This friendly
cheapie is very welcoming despite its less-than-inviting
exterior. Fa n or a /c rooms, most of which have shared
bathrooms. RM35
Taman Selera Jln Waterfront. A 200m stretch of open-air
restaurants and hawker stalls, collectively known as
Taman Selera, sets up daily two blocks below Jln Dunlop in
the Sabindo Complex, with local specials competing with
Chinese seafood emporiums. Daily 11am-10pm.
Yassin 1 Sabindo Square. This Indian restaurant serves
a delicious range of curries (from RM6), kebabs and
vegetable dishes, making it a great choice for vegetarians.
Daily 11.30am-9pm.

Kota Kinabalu (3 daily; 50min); Kuala
Lumpur (3 daily; 3hr 15min); Sandakan (2 daily; 40min).
By bus Most long-distance buses and minibuses
terminate at Sabindo Square bus station on the eastern
end of Jln Dunlop (which runs parallel to the shore). Buses
from KK arrive in front of the public library on Jln Chen
Fook. The local bus station, serving the airport, is on Jln
Stephen Tan (several blocks west of Sabindo).
Destinations Kota Kinabalu (2 daily at 8am and 8pm; 10hr);

Lahad Datu (6 daily; 3hr); Sandakan (hourly between 7am
and 2pm; 5hr); Semporna (approximately hourly; 2hr).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The eating scene is the only thing that puts the “wow” in
Tawau, with such Indonesian specialities as soto makassar