Turtle Islands Park

The park covers three low sandy islands off Sandakan, of which only Selingan takes visitors. Green turtles come ashore here on most nights to nest, and the routine is fixed: guests spend the day on a small beach, eat, and wait indoors until rangers report the first female that has finished digging. Then everyone walks out together, watches one nesting, sees the eggs moved to a fenced hatchery, and releases a batch of hatchlings at the water line. It is tightly managed, which is the point, and the cap on beds means the beach is never crowded. Boats run out in the morning and return the following day.

What you actually see

• A nesting green turtle - one female per night, watched in a single controlled group.
• The hatchery - fenced plots where relocated clutches are incubated and counted.
• The hatchling release - young turtles let go at the water line after dark.
• The island itself - a small sandy cay with a reef edge and very little else.

When to go

Nesting happens all year, with more turtles usually recorded between July and October. Seas are calmest March to September, and rough weather in the northeast monsoon can cancel the crossing. Beds are capped at a few dozen a night and sell out months ahead. Everything happens after dark, so the visit is necessarily an overnight one.

Honest expectations

The daytime hours on the island are long and dull, with nothing to do and limited food. You see one turtle, briefly, in a queue, and lights and phones are restricted, so photographs are poor. Accommodation is basic and priced high because it is the only option. Crossings are occasionally cancelled by sea state, and refunds can be awkward.

Nearby

Sandakan is the departure point; Sepilok and the Kinabatangan are within a couple of hours.