Turtle Island Park

Sandakan

Intro by admin

The Turtle Islands Park lies 40 km north of Sandakan in the Sulu Sea off Sabah east coast. It encompasses 1,740 hectares which include the three islands of Pulau Selingaan, Pulau Bakkungan Kecil and Pulau Gulisan, together with the surrounding sea and coral reefs. The islands are built over shallow rocky shoals from coral shingle from the surrounding reef. They are covered with a variety of plant life which include mangrove, lantana, the yellow-flowered sophora and the furry silver-leaved Tournefortia. The main attractions here, however, are the turtles which come to nest on the shores. Pulau Selingaan is the main nesting area for the green turtles Chelonia mydas, while the hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys) seem particularly attracted to the shores of Pulau Gulisan. Both species lay their eggs throughout the year, although the best months are between July to October. The marine park is now popularly known as Turtle Islands Park, and on Selingaan several chalets for a limited number of overnight visitors provide comfortable accommodation. The other islands have no overnight facilities and visitors are not allowed to be there at night, as much as on Selingaan no one is permitted close to the shore from nightfall to sunrise. This is to allow the shy turtles to crawl ashore undisturbed, and to leave their breeding cycle as intact as possible.

Facilities :

Jetty,resort, and so on

Getting there :

The boat from the Sabah Parks jetty at Jalan Buli Buli Sim leaves at 9.30am and the ride to Selingan takes an hour.

Extra Information :

Permission to visit the Park must be obtained from Sabah Parks and is currently co-ordinated by the sole agency of Crystal Quest, located at Sabah Park Jetty in Sandakan.

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