Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the day's boats out to the island (we don't recommend this option as priority is given to
resort guests with bookings). For Sabah Parks' lodgings try to hop a ride with the Pulau
Tiga Resort boat - chartering your own craft costs RM600 at least.
Pulau Labuan
POP 95,500
If you've ever wondered what a cross between a duty-free airport mall and a tropical is-
land would look like, may we recommend the federal district of Pulau Labuan. Some call
this Sabah's version of Vegas, and in the sense that Labuan offers both duty-free sin and
tacky family fun, we kinda agree. By the way, everything here
is
duty free, because polit-
ically, Labuan is governed directly from KL. As such, a lot of the booze you consume and
cigarettes you smoke in Sabah and Sarawak is illegally smuggled from Labuan.
The sultan of Brunei ceded Labuan to the British in 1846 and it remained part of the
Empire for 115 years. The only interruption came during WWII, when the Japanese held
the island for three years. Significantly, it was on Labuan that the Japanese forces in North
Borneo surrendered at the end of the war, and the officers responsible for the death
marches from Sandakan were tried here.
Bandar Labuan is the main town and the transit point for ferries linking Kota Kinabalu
and Brunei.
