Tawau, Borneo, Malaysia

Tawau is the third largest town of the state of Sabah, situated on the island of Borneo, Malaysia. It is a bustling town which serves as a transit point to all neighboring islands such Sebatik, Nunukan, Tarakan, Jolo and Semporna islands.

Attractions in and around Tawau include the Tawau Hills National Park which has several attractive waterfalls, Bombalai Hill a relatively young volcanic cone and local fauna and flora. Tawau Cocoa Village is also an interesting site. It is situated at the world-renowned cocoa-planting site, Quoin Hill. Visitors are taken on a two-hour guided tour to see how cocoa is cultivated, harvested, fermented and dried before they are sent to the factory.

Things to See & Do

* Tawau Hills National Park
* Bukit Gemok (The Fat Hill) about 11km from Tawau Town
* Neighboring islands - Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai & Mataking islands
* Tawau Cocoa Village
* Hot Spring of Tawau

General information

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Ringgit (RM) (MYR)
Language - Bahasa Malaysia, English
Population - 381,800 approx
Land Area - 6,125 km2
Electricity - 2 vertical square pins and one perpendicular below British style
Time - GMT plus eight hours
International Country Telephone Code - +6o

Port Location - The Tawau Port is located in Tawau Lama, the original part (old part) of Tawau.

Travel Links - Tawau International Airport is the second international airport of Sabah. There are flights to Kuala Lumpur (2 hr 45 min, daily), and Kota Kinabalu (45 min, five daily) on Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia. The airport is about 33 km away from the town.

The main ferry connections are to the Indonesian cities of Nunukan and Tarakan, both in East Kalimantan province.