Location: Borneo
Recommended by Jenny of Charge the Globe
Spending a few days at the Selingan Turtle Lodge about 40 km from Sandakan should be on every eco travellers bucket list. Working hard to bolster the turtle population in the area, the Turtle Islands have overnight stays available for the purpose of educating visitors on not just turtle conservation, but the need for clean oceans and ethical fishing practices.
How do I know it’s ethical?
A joint venture between the Malaysian Borneo and Philippine Governments, the Turtle Islands are a national park and come under the care of Sabah Parks. While there are 3 islands in the group, Selingan Island is the only one to date that accepts visitors. The other 2 islands also have hatcheries and are involved in the conservation of the Hawksbill and Green turtles, however, they have intentionally been kept free of tourists.
Permits are required which can be obtained at the Sandakan Pier or via your tour operator with only 50 permits issued per day.
Description of the Experience
Visiting Pulau Selingan (Turtle Island) involves an hours boat trip from Sandakan, an overnight stay in a room in one of the chalets on the island, and a return trip the next morning. The rooms are quite basic, but are very clean and have all you need.
When you arrive on the island you have the day to swim, snorkel and relax. The beaches are lovely and while the area isn’t known for its amazing coral there are fish to see and typically the water is calm. You do have to be off the beach by sunset so that the turtles are not disturbed in any way.
Once you have had a shower you are welcomed into the main building for a buffet dinner after which an information video is shown. This covers basic information on the turtles, their breeding, lifespan, and their life in the ocean.
The rangers never know how many turtles will come up to lay that evening so there are sitting areas around the main building for you to sit, converse and wait. The rangers will come and get you when a turtle is about to lay.
You will be able to see the female turtle lay her eggs under the watchful eyes of the rangers, while they explain more about the laying and hatching processes. The female turtles are tagged if they are not already, measured, and the eggs are taken to the hatchery in the middle of the island.
You may also see a release of baby turtles into the ocean. They try to do hatchery releases at night to give the babies a better chance of survival. While very few survive to adulthood, doing it under the cover of darkness does mean that they are protected from the birds at least and that survival rate is drastically increased.
Company/ Cost:
Tickets and permits can be purchased from Crystal Quest, the official Sabah Parks sales office in Sandakan or alternatively you could book through a tour operator prior to arriving in Borneo. Crystal Quest does have a website however prices aren’t listed and their booking button is a form, not an automated booking system so you will have to lodge an inquiry.
For reference: In 2019 an overnight trip including meals, boat transfers, and accommodation was 740RM
The boat takes around an hour to get to the island. Through Crystal Quest the departure is at 10:45 am from the Sandakan Jetty, leaving the island at 7 am the following morning to return.
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This is one post on a series of ethical animal tourism posts by travel content creators. The experiences cover all seven continents and a variety of animals. Ensure that your animal experience is an ethical one.
Learn More About Ethical Animal Tourism
10 Questions to Ask to Ensure the Encounter is Ethical?
