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Travelinds Top 10: Beaches of Africa and Asia

Travelinds Top 10
Beaches of Africa and Asia

We are certainly beach people, ever happy with sand between our toes.  From Travelinds personal experiences, the following beaches are definitely in our top ten choices from around the world:

10. Blue Lagoon (Bali, Indonesia)

One of the little known Balinese beaches, this secret beach lies over the hill and around the corner from Padang Bai Harbour.  Blue Lagoon boasts a fascinating reef just a few steps into the water.  Walk to the beach from the harbour by heading up and over the steep hill on the eastern side of Padang Bai Beach Road, then grab a snorkel for a day of underwater relaxation.  We even saw eels and turtles in the little reef.  Be sure to support the local restaurants (there are two) as these owners keep the beach clean out of their own pockets.

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9. Gili Meno (Lombok, Indonesia)

One of our Indonesian favourites, the Gili Meno beach actually runs around the whole island (which is only about 1 x 1.5 kilometres).  At almost any point, you can swim out about 10 to 20 metres and hit the reef, so be sure to bring a snorkel and some fins and make the most of it.  We swam with turtles, lion fish and schools of fluorescent beauties every single day. Wish we could have stayed longer!

Gili Meno Cowries

8. Diani Beach (Mombasa, Kenya)

A ten kilometre stretch of fine white sand,  gorgeous Diani Beach was definitely our favourite beach in Kenya, with neighbouring Tiwi Beach a close second.

Camels Diani Beach

7. Linapacan Islands (Linapacan, Palawan Province, The Philippines)

A whole archipelago of tiny islands somewhere between Coron and Palawan mainland,  each island with wondrous beaches and its own reef right off the shore.  How could we choose just one beach? Check out some of the names and descriptions from our fantastic four-day island hopping tour on the Brinze Kylene Expedition.

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6. Barra Bay (Barra Peninsular, Mozambique)

A Northern beach of Mozambique, there is little about it we did not adore. Warm, flat ocean and stretches of Barra sand with smiling locals and coconuts for sale.

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Photo credit: Barra Resorts

5. Anbang Beach (Hoi An, Vietnam)

In Central Vietnam, Anbang is a distinctive beach, which is perfect for lazy swimming days and scrumptious lunches at the local chain of restaurants.  We cycled over from Hoi An. Buy drinks from the restaurants and have access to lovely thatched umbrellas or wooden booths, especially helpful to escape the midday heat.

An Bang Beach

4. White Beach (Moalboal, Cebu, The Philippines)

On the western peninsular of Cebu, parallel to a long, beautiful reef, white beach is another gem in central Philippines.  Truly, one of the most superb coral reefs in the Philippines, the Moalboal reef (stretching all the way off White Beach  to Panagsama) is well worth taking your own snorkel to to swim out whenever you want.

Malapascua Island
Malapascua Island

3. Mawun Beach (Lombok, Indonesia)

The long stretch of Mawun white sand that lines a peacock-blue bay, perfect for long morning swims.  A fleet of tiny fishing boats floats upon sparkling, clear water sits to one side of the bay. Take a motorbike to get there from Kuta and be sure to take some cash to support the local vendors and family restaurants.

Mawun Beach

2. Sempang Mengayau – Tip of Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia Borneo)

Soft white sand borders the Sulu Sea of the Sabah Dog’s left ear. A secluded stretch of paradise all to ourselves is only one of the beautiful beaches in this area.  It was 7 days of bliss.

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1. Mabibi (Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa)

The place where Travelinds began their journey together on the Elephant Coast, part of the rugged Kwazulu-Natal coastline in South Africa. Look out for turtles laying their eggs along the dunes and whales passing by the north coast beaches.  Walk for kilometres and breathe in pure African air.  The Mabibi campsite is rustic, no electricity (except in the cabins) and hot water for showers in the communal ablution block.  Nearby, Lake Sibaya is absolutely breathtaking. This is our number one favourite beach in the world – by far!

 

Photo credit: Mabibi Campsite
Photo credit: Mabibi Campsite

 

Where is your favourite beach?

Malaysia, Travelinds

Jungle Road

Gallery
Colourful markets along the main Kinabatangan highway.
Colourful markets along the main Kinabatangan highway.
An (unfortunately) dead Forest Cobra - these snakes can grow to terrifying lengths and are fierce predators.
An (unfortunately) dead Forest Cobra – these snakes can grow to terrifying lengths and are fierce predators.
As close as we dared to photograph the dead cobra (what if it was faking?)
As close as we dared to photograph the dead cobra (what if it was faking?)
Travelinds' first sight of a monitor lizard eating it's own kind (who had been roadkill just a few hours before).
Travelinds’ first sighting of a monitor lizard eating it’s own kind (who had been roadkill just a few hours before).
Malaysia, Travelinds

Jainnes Apin – Celebrity Chef

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15 February 2014

On a trip to the Tip of Borneo (Simpang Mengayau) in Sabah, we were privileged to meet Chef Jainnes Apin.  Fellow travellers at our lodge recommended the restaurant to us not knowing the name of the restaurant or the chef, but said the cuisine was excellent and worth the short walk up the hill.

The restaurant is called Merrimas and is part of the Merrimas Villas complex at Simpang Mengayau (Tip of Borneo).  The menu is varied and delicious and, in fact, we returned a few nights in a row to sample a few more scrumptious dishes from their menu.  The pan-fried fish (red snapper) and a variety of the ‘set dishes’ were top quality Rungus cuisine and reasonably priced compared to the few other restaurants along the Tip of Borneo.  The quality and presentation of the food was head-and-shoulders above any other restaurant in this area.  Since we enjoyed our meals, we asked to meet the chef and that is when we were introduced to the talented and humble celebrity chef, Jainnes Apin.

He introduced himself as Chef Apin, “but you can call me Jainnes.”  He is a charming man with a passion for preserving and perfecting the Rungus cuisine in particular; it’s evident that his cultural Rungus heritage was of utmost importance to him. It was lovely to be able to enjoy his cooking on the Tip of Borneo, get a taste of the Rungus cuisine and culture, and to hear some of his interesting stories.  One of his family members was sitting at a table doing some of the intricate beadwork for which the Rungus of Borneo are so famous.

Chef Apin, keep up the great work!

Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo Accomodation

14 February 2014

After a week at the Tip of Borneo, the following accomodation in the area seemed worth a look. Since not all seemed to be available for online booking, Travelinds thought they’d mention a few options to those looking to spend a couple nights in this beautiful place:

1. Tommy’s Place (mid-range, email booking)
  • We stayed here for the 5 days and loved the vibe of this chilled out lodge.  The food was decent (breakfasts were delicious!), it’s right opposite the beach, ten minutes walk from the Tip of Borneo monument and lookout, managed efficiently and generally clean.

    Tommy's Place
    Tommy’s Place
2. BorneoTip Lodge (mid range, email booking)
  • Right next door to Tommy’s Place, wooden bungalows and a lovely pool seems to be in the making (a long way from finished though).  Popular with bikers going up to the Tip for the weekend. Also right across from the beach and ten minutes walk to the Tip of Borneo.
3. Merrimas Villas (mid to high price, online booking available)
  • Beautiful villas here and it is right on the tip. five minutes walk down to the beach. Great restaurant (see blog on Chef Jainnes Apin) and friendly staff.
4. TipofBorneo Villas/bungalows (mid to high price, phone/email booking)
  • The last lodge before the tip itself. Seemed like simple but comfortable bungalows (different sizes available) but mid to high prices. Cheapest beer at this restaurant. Five minutes walk from the beach.
5. Tampat Do Aman (Howard’s) (mid range, online)
  • This seems to be the most well-known (well marketed) lodge in the area with its rungus-style longhouse and rustic living experience. The information is available on their information website and you can read more in the menu of Tip Top restaurant (Howard’s) while you are there. http://tampatdoaman.com/

This area is largely untouched with hardly any urban development noticeable. It provides a great base to relax, enjoy the beach, swim, surf, explore beautiful local beaches (with absolutely no people to crowd out the long white stretches) and just enjoy a bit of an authentic Sabah experience.

It is so worth the trip!

Tip of Borneo beach
Tip of Borneo beach
Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo Restaurants

13 February 2014

 

After spending a week at the Tip of Borneo (Simpang Mengayau), here is Travelinds’ take on the few restaurants in the area:

Ranked at number 1:

Merrimas Villas Restaurant – try the fish dishes (all of them) and enjoy the reasonably priced “set menu” especially the “fish ginger.”  Read Travelinds’ piece on Chef Jainnes Apin – the very talented chef at Merrimas whose quality food was most certainly the best in the area.

Contending for overall second place:

Tip Top (Howard’s) against Tommy’s Place restaurant.  Both serve a very similar menu, both are priced about the same. Nothing unique about the dishes, presentation or prices but it did the trick.

Last place:

Borneo tip lodge restaurant: A menu similar to Tip top and Tommy’s, but so many mosquitoes, bland food and very, very slow service.  Pricing the same as Tommy’s and Tip Top.

Breakfast spot:

Tommy’s Place offered a great breakfast menu (highly negotiable and can be suited to your preferences). We had oats with hot soya milk, fresh fruit, toast with jam, coffee. There were also eggs available (omelettes etc). A much better variety (price and nutrition) than most other places we stayed at in Sabah.

Cheapest beer:

Although we didn’t eat here, we did find that the restaurant that is the closest to the Tip itself (I think it is called Tip of Borneo resort/villas resto) had the cheapest beer out of all the restaurants (RM 5). We went here for the gorgeous sunsets and we enjoyed a beer as the sun went down on Simpang Mengayau.  It is on the other side of Merrimas Villas, closest to the Tip itself.  Although, if you pick up a bag of trash and do your part in cleaning up the Tip’s long white beach, you can get a free beer from Tip Top Restaurant – so it’s up to you!

In reality, the food is NOT the important part of a holiday to this part of Sabah.  It’s a place of such beauty that it is the perfect place to just relax and unwind! But Bon Appetit!

Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo

4 Comments

12 February 2014

 

Simpang Mengayau, the Tip of Borneo, is often described as the most beautiful place in Borneo itself.  On the map, it is the tip of the ‘left-ear’ of the Sabah ‘dog’ and is the northern-most point of Borneo itself.

Tip of Borneo

What is there to do?

This is the perfect beach destination.  You can do nothing but relax. Read, sleep, sunbathe, walk along the 2km beach, explore on your rented motorcyle, eat local food, read some more, sleep some more and swim in the warm South China Sea.

Getting there

The Tip of Borneo is about 3 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu (Sabah’s capital city).   There are a few different ways to get there but after chatting to a few tourists along the way, each method is a bit of trial and error and doesn’t always work out exactly as described in the brochures.Tip of Borneo

By Car – hiring a car from Kota Kinabalu and driving up is possible. We met someone who did this (at RM90 per day) but ended up stranded that night as the car died and nobody was able to assist until the following morning. It is only a three hour drive, scenic, but with potholes and roadblocks along the way.

By Bus – there is a ‘big’ local bus once a day (sometimes) which can take anywhere between 3 to 6 hours. It costs about RM 30.  You take a bus from near the ‘Shangri-La Motel Bus Stop’ (it is behind the city hall, it is NOT the express bus stop on the beach-side of the city hall).

By Taxi – a taxi from the airport (and back) would be anywhere between RM 250 to RM 350 depending on your negotiation skills. For four people wanting to only do a day trip, this might be worth the cost to have a personal driver.

Tip of BorneoBy Shared Taxi – This is the option that we used and it went very smoothly both ways. From Kota Kinabalu, go to the same place as the bus stop (above) and find a shared taxi (5-7 people). It costs RM30 each and you have to wait for the taxi to fill up before it will leave. We waited no more than an hour for both trips to and from Tip of Borneo.  Beware of unlicensed taxis.

In Kudat, you go to the centre of town, there is a waiting place there with shared taxis which take longer to fill up than in Kota Kinabalu (you need to get transport from Tip of Borneo in to Kudat town to catch this taxi – we paid RM20 each for our lodge to drop us there).Tip of Borneo


By Plane – this seemed like the quickest option for some travellers that we met. But you still need to take a taxi/hotel shuttle between the Tip and the airport in Kudat. Flights could be found cheaply and the small plane experience is apparently very scenic and gives impressive views of the mountain and the northern bays.

You can also apparently fly from other cities (Sandakan, Tawau etc) to Kudat, so this is definitely worth a look if you are coming from the south of Sabah and don’t want to take the inevitable route in and out of to Kota Kinabalu.

Check out some places to stay here and restaurants in the area here.

Tip: Make this a stop in your itinerary – it is worth it, if only for the stunning coastline and magnificent sunsets.Tip of Borneo

Malaysia, Travelinds

Mabul Island

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08 February 2014

Day trip snorkelling tour to Mabul Island with Scuba Junkie. The most inhabited of all the surrounding islands, Mabul gives off an energetic vibe and it was clear to us that all tourists and locals here were passionate about the ocean and its mysteries, as well as protecting their environmental treasure trove.

Mabul Island

We snorkelled in three different spots for the day and ate lunch at the Scuba Junkie cafeteria (buffet style) at the beach resort. There were no swimming beaches on Mabul but there is a small white beach where you can suntan or rest in the shade of a few umbrellas.  The resort itself looked very nice – small wooden bungalows and pretty gardens.  Swimming is not advised as there as too many sea urchins, but you can snorkel with the dive operators from off the boats, a little further out.

The rest of the island contains other resorts, dive operators, local houses and some home stays – this is another option for staying on Mabul cheaply. It is advised to check out the home-stays in person before deciding and/or paying for your accommodation.  We were warned repeatedly that home stays are strictly “very basic” accommodation (bamboo huts/shared bathrooms/sleeping on floor) etc.

Best sightings for the day:

Hawksbill turtle, Blue spotted ray, a school of very large Trumpet fish, a group of Puffers, very large Green turtles (at least 20 of them for the day) and so much more!

Snorkelling spots:

We snorkelled along the drop off and also in the artificial coral garden. Lobster Wall and Panglima Reef were wonderful, so many turtles and many other interesting fish.  Artificial Reef was completely boring and the visibility was poor.

Transport tips:

If you are staying on Mabul, but not diving/snorkelling through Scuba Junkie, you can still use their boat as a shuttle between Semporna and Mabul.  It was only about MYR 50 and they do regular trips.  You can take your luggage with you on the boat to Mabul (and back again).

See more about Scuba Junkie here.

 

Malaysia, Travelinds

Mataking and Timba-Timba Island

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07 February 2015

tumblr_inline_n40p17q3WL1rg4d7lMataking Island

Mataking Turtles
Turtles popping their heads out of the smooth turquoise water off Mataking Island.

 

The Mataking Island day trip was by far our favourite of the three days spent snorkelling off the coast of Semporna, Borneo.

With its long white beach and crystal clear turquoise water, it is just like something out of those romantic movies in tropical paradise.    Just the two of us, on a white beach, under the shade of a tree, looking out over the cobalt water lapping on the shore…
We saw a large number of fish and other sea life, including barracuda, stone fish, colourful varieties of parrot fish, turtles and weird looking tiny things.

The colours here are truly spectacular and this is definitely one of Travelinds’ best places in the world to snorkel and to swim!
We spent time on the beach after lunch while the divers rested and could see the turtles popping their heads out of the water every few minutes (to breathe).

 

 

 

 

 

Timba-Timba Island

Mataking

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back to Semporna, we went to the Diver’s Delight snorkelling spot off Timba-Timba island and saw so many turtles here!

It was really exciting for me as I had not had much experience in swimming with turtles, even while snorkelling in Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand!

It was a truly spectacular snorkelling day and we flaunted the sunburn to prove it!

See more about Scuba Junkie here.tumblr_inline_n40p3uXy3t1rg4d7l

 

 

 

 

 

Malaysia, Travelinds

Sibuan Island

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06 February 2014

Nicknamed “Sunburn island”, Sibuan is like something out of a dreamy beach romance.  White sandy beach, cobalt clear water, reefs right off the island and a couple of palm trees dotted here and there.  The military base building is the only sign of life here and life seems to creep past at a suitably slow island pace.

The snorkelling here was fantastic, colourful coral, turtles, all kinds of colourful fish and other interesting sea creatures.  It is close enough to swim back to the beach if you get tired and the visibility was good that day.

Favourite memory:

Due to the military presence of these islands (mostly for environmental protection and immigration law enforcement) it is common to see a couple of soldiers, with big guns, lying around on hammocks or patrolling the islands checking for illegal activity. One of the Swedish tourists was in his skimpy speedo (only) and demanded a photo shoot with the soldier and his large weapon, to which the soldier of course, happily complied. They were having a whale of a time doing a photo shoot of “the soldier and the speedo” – hilarious to watch!

Weird experience:

We were on our third snorkelling spot of the day around Sibuan when we heard two loud bangs in a row.  It was enough to get us to lift our heads out of the water suddenly and look around expectantly. Apparently, this area has a problem with fisherman using dynamite for fishing purposes and unfortunately, these explosions occur pretty regularly.  This particular one was apparently about two kilometres from us, but unbelievably loud for being that distance away.  There is a system to report explosions (time,date, location) in the area so that officals can investigate and hopefully catch the offending parties.

TIP:
Take suncream with you. It sure is hot, with little to no shady spots on the island. As a result, we spent most of our downtime at Sibuan in the shade of the speedboat.

See more about Scuba Junkie here.

Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip Top – Tip of Borneo

05 February 2014

Tip Top restaurant is right on the beach road of Tanjung Simpang Mengayau (the Tip of Borneo).  It is also known by the names Howard’s or Tampat Do Aman restaurant.

It has a very relaxed beach vibe; sandy floors, wooden benches, bean bags and some chilled out tunes playing in the background.  There are also some books to read and a lot of locals and tourists to chat too.  The food is competitively priced with the rest of the area and there are some local dishes to try like ‘Hinava’ – raw fish marinated in citrus juice.

Inside the menu itself, there is a whole stack of information about the owner’s many business ventures, the sustainability focus and many community projects.  There are so many ways that you can get involved in projects in the Kudat area through either volunteer work or donations; like turtle conservation, beach clean ups, volunteering in the local community, survival courses etc.

Personally I was very impressed with the detailed explanations of the different projects that are currently up and running in the area.  I hope to get involved in some of these in the future.

Enjoy!

Check out more information on Tip of Borneo restaurants.

Malaysia, Travelinds

Scuba Junkie

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5 February 2014

If you ask anyone in Sabah which dive operator they would recommend in the town of Semporna, Scuba Junkie is usually the first name on the tip of their tongues.  Semporna is the gateway to the underwater beauty of Borneo and its beautiful islands – among them the world-famous Sipidan island, said to be one of the world’s top diving sites!

Although there are a wide range of other dive operators in Semporna, we only had a few days here and did not want to waste precious hours looking at other options.  We went straight to Scuba Junkie when we arrived in Semporna and set up our next few days of snorkelling tours.

Upon arrival, we hadn’t done much research about which islands we wanted to see, but Kay at Scuba Junkie patiently took us through the options, cost and details of the trips so that we could decide on the best course of action.  Scuba Junkie

We ended up choosing to do three day trips – to Mataking, Sibuan and then Mabul.  Not being divers, we obviously couldn’t get in to Sipidan itself because this is a prime diving spot (only) and generally requires special permits, applied for ahead of your trip.  The other islands, however, are more than enough to provide breath-taking underwater scenes and a vibrant mix of colours in the reefs that are teeming with beautiful and odd ocean creatures.

The full day snorkelling trip cost MYR120 (as at February 2014) and included tea, lunch, transport, environmental fee, wetsuit, snorkel, fins and your dive master. Snorkellers go on the boat with the divers and snorkel in the same spots as the dive group.

After three days of AMAZING snorkelling, turtles, rays, acute sunburn, happy memories and so much more, we definitely recommend Scuba Junkie if you only have a couple of days in Semporna.  Our favourite island trip was to Mataking (a ‘northern’ island) as this was the most beautiful underwater scene of the three.  Mabul Island was also wonderful for seeing many large turtles, including the rare hawkbills!

You can find out more about Scuba Junkie online on their Facebook Page, TripAdvisor or the website.

See more on these snorkel day trips to Mabul Island, Mataking Island and Sibuan Island.