Is it safe to travel in Semporna? Where is semporna?

Semporna is a tourist attraction. Today, Bian Xiao will tell you about the preparations for your trip to Semporna. You can compare it with this when traveling, which is still very useful. Now let's take a look with Bian Xiao.

Semporna Malaysia is divided into East Malaysia and West Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, belongs to West Malaysia, also known as Peninsula Malaysia, with a relatively developed economy and is the core area of Malaysia. The popular tourist cities are Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca, and the islands are Langkawi and Rehang Island. The right half of the picture below shows Ma Dong, and Sabah where Semporna is located is in Ma Dong. Popular ones include Kota Kinabalu (Kota Kinabalu, Scientology, Semporna.

Semporna used to be just a small fishing village in Malaysia, unknown to outsiders, but now Semporna has become a famous underwater world tourism center. The town of Semporna is surrounded by turquoise water. It and its affiliated islands are like a dream island in the real world. Semporna is a diving resort where you can learn all kinds of diving courses, and it is also a cheap place for PADI diving courses all over the world.

There are three visa types for visas to Malaysia: 1, stickers; 2.eNTRI electronic sign; 3.eVISA electronic sign. ENTRI is most recommended for those who stay for less than 15 days and have not entered Malaysia with ENTRI e-visa within three months. I sorted out the comparison between eNTRI and eVISA.

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You can also find the official cooperation of Malaysian visa in the online visa center of Flying Pig.

About air tickets

1, how to get there?

There are no direct flights to Semporna in China. To reach Semporna, you need to fly from China to Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu International Airport, then transfer to Douhu Airport from Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu, and then take a bus from Douhu Airport to Semporna, which takes about 1 hour for 20 minutes.

Semporna

2. Where can I book a plane ticket cheaply?

Specially recommend a website: Sky Patrol. You can compare the flight prices through Sky Tour, and you can know which website is cheaper to book the same flight. We finally booked it on Qunar. The total ticket price for a single person from Hangzhou to Hangzhou is 1 16 1, including the ticket between Kota Kinabalu and Lake Kota Kinabalu.

About entering

1. You don't need to fill in the disembarkation card. Your fingerprints will be recorded when you enter the country.

2. When entering Sabah, adults/children/babies only look at passports and visas or electronic signatures, round-trip air tickets to travel itinerary.

3. When Malaysia enters the country, the customs will not ask for tips, and there is no need to clip tips.

4. E-visa must be printed, foldable or printed in black and white.

Although Malaysia has relevant regulations on inbound cash, it is basically not checked at present. Unless you often travel to Malaysia, the customs will require you to travel to travel itinerary+cash, and ordinary tourists only look at passports+visas when entering the country; However, it is also recommended to bring the right amount of cash to facilitate the exchange of money!

Seasonal climate

Semporna has a typical tropical climate. The temperature is relatively high all year round, with an average of 28℃, but it will be significantly cooler at night. The rainy season in Semporna is very short, and it comes every June165438+1October. In addition, May to September is the best turtle watching season. If the time is right, I hope you don't miss such a rare opportunity. I arrived in Semporna in January. Although it belongs to the rainy season, it only showers occasionally and will clear up soon.

Every April, Semporna holds a regatta. All kinds of traditional boats will be decorated with Lepa and Kong Jun, and they will go to the town to compete for prizes. This activity is a unique festival for the Ba Yao people. Locals call it lepalepa, which is translated into Chinese as "Floating Boat Festival". Friends who just want to go in April can go and see it.

About traffic

1, Semporna transportation: Semporna town is very small, basically we can walk, and the cabin we live in also has free car transfer, which is more convenient. There is no need to take a taxi here. In fact, there is no taxi at all.

2. Kota Kinabalu transportation: Uber and grab in Kota Kinabalu are good taxis. I am used to using Uber, and I can also choose China drivers. It only takes 65,438+00 ringgit from the airport to my hotel. Download Uber Overseas Edition.

About accommodation

I stayed in two places this time, one is the cabin in Semporna and the other is the Hyatt Hotel in Kota Kinabalu.

The cabin was booked directly with the owner of the cabin through a friend's introduction. This house has just opened, with new facilities, beautiful decorations and comfortable rooms. Most importantly, it's clean! This is my main concern. I have also seen the accommodation in Semporna town in Ctrip before, which is really terrible. Because most towns in Semporna have been built for a long time, and the facilities are old and dirty, including the most famous Pacific Ocean and Haifeng in Semporna. The price of the cabin is cheaper than theirs, which definitely exceeds my expectation when I arrived. It was also opened by China people, and the communication was smooth. I highly recommend it. You can use the kitchen. In a place where seafood is so cheap, how can you not give yourself a seafood dinner? There are also two mountain motorcycles for guests to ride for free. Post some pictures of the wooden house. Book the space and contact the shipowner WeChat directly. Many platforms don't have it now, mainly WeChat. Owner wechat: EasyGoyiqu. They also have Taobao. Let me put the Taobao link in the comments section.

I booked Hyatt on Ctrip. It costs more than 700 a night and the hotel is very clean. The only pity is that there is no balcony. In my opinion, it is the most cost-effective hotel in Kota Kinabalu. In front of the hotel is the beach, and downstairs is the best bar in Kota Kinabalu. You can get a 10% discount for staying in this bar. It's also close to the airport. I recommend it. Hyatt's breakfast is good and rich. There are many hotels in Kota Kinabalu, and the booking price of Ctrip is also relatively cheap.

Phone card/phone card

The three major mobile phone card operators in Malaysia are celcom, hotlink and digi. Celcom and digi are most recommended.

Celcom: It's a Malaysian national unit, because they have built the infrastructure of the whole telecom company, claiming the widest signal coverage, which is suitable for use in a very remote area like Semporna.

Digi: 4G is the fastest card commonly used by local people in Malaysia, and is known as the most cost-effective card in Malaysia.

If you don't know how to choose, I made a comparison for you. Almost all the calling cards on outlying islands like Semporna have poor signals, and the signals in Kapalai, Madajing and Bangbang Island are weak.

Language problem

There are many Chinese in Malaysia, and there are shops opened by Chinese everywhere. You can also choose a Chinese coach for diving and a Chinese driver for taking a taxi. You don't have to worry about language problems in Malaysia.

Malaysian currency exchange

Because I changed planes in Kuala Lumpur when I went to Indonesia before, I changed to Malaysian ringgit and left some. Later, I went to Xianben to buy some fruit stalls, bought some fruit docks, and bought fish with cash. Other things were basically unused. In many places, you can swipe your card directly, or even pay with WeChat or Alipay. But you still need some cash. The following are some methods and exchange rates for exchanging Malaysian currency for your reference.

1, Ctrip APP- foreign currency exchange

The exchange rate is higher. Probably, the exchange rate of Ctrip to Malaysian ringgit is around 1.72.

2. Airport counter transactions

The exchange rate is slightly higher, but lower than Ctrip. The counter is open from 07: 00 to 22: 30; After closing, you can also change some spare parts at the counter selling mobile phone cards at the airport or other private shops.

3. UnionPay ATM takes RM.

The exchange rate is reasonable, but there is a handling fee. Airports, shopping malls and banks all have ATM machines. Most local banks in Malaysia do not charge fees, but every domestic card issuing bank has stipulated the fees for overseas withdrawals.

4. Exchange shop

It can be found in the main shopping malls and streets of Kota Kinabalu. Changing money at the first floor of Gaya Street/Medika Shopping Mall (business 1000- 1930) and Pacific Plaza (business 1000-2 130) is a choice for more tourists. Most foreign exchange stores only accept cash, just change it into RMB, there is no need to change it into US dollars. If you bring US dollars, only 50/ 100 US dollars will be accepted.

Remarks:

The exchange rate of each store is slightly different, and there is no accurate reference, but the exchange rate at the airport is generally the highest. There is not much difference between a few hundred or one or two thousand ringgits for urban tourists, so it is good to exchange money on the principle of proximity. At the same time, you can refer to the exchange rate of UnionPay on the same day to compare the price difference, and you can change it if you think it is appropriate.

Travel preparation

1 clothes

Xianben is summer all year round, so you just need to prepare your summer clothes. The air conditioner in the airport will be cold, so it is recommended to take a thin coat with you. Semporna has strong ultraviolet rays. When snorkeling, it is recommended to prepare a long jellyfish coat to avoid sunburn.

Step 2 protect yourself from the sun

Be sure to prepare sunscreen. Friends who want to snorkel had better prepare sunscreen with spf above 100, but don't apply sunscreen with high SPF on their faces. If you want to go out to sea, you can buy sunscreen with a banana boat SPF of 100, and the price is about 60 RMB. You can buy it at Watsons in Semporna.

3. Washing tools

Some local hotels don't provide washing clothes. You can prepare a set of washing clothes for travel.

4. medicine

Gastrointestinal medicine is basic medicine. Of course, it is also very useful to bring your own carsickness medicine. There are some mosquitoes in Sabah, Malaysia, especially in May -65438+ 10. Mosquito-killing drugs can also be bought locally, and there are many kinds in convenience stores, which are very effective.

5. Replace the plug

The voltage in Malaysia is 200-240 volts AC (50 rpm AC). Unlike China, Malaysian sockets are British standard three-head sockets, and China plugs cannot be used directly, so plug converters are needed. Hotel receptions are generally available, but the number is limited. It is recommended to purchase the British standard plug converter in advance. (All cabins are equipped with national standard sockets, and Hyatt also has sockets that can be used directly.

security issue

Semporna is still very safe. There are garrisons on warship island and motor well island. Don't wander around at night. There will be no problem at all.

Textual research on diving

Briefly introduce PADI diving class. PADI is the abbreviation of architects' professional association. PADI has 25,000 coaches around the world and issues more than 500,000 diving licenses every year, which makes PADI the largest diving training institution in the world. All PADI training courses have the same strict standards all over the world, which is also the biggest advantage of PADI training system. Divers learn the same skills and theories no matter where they train, the only difference is the learning environment. PADI's certificate is recognized all over the world.

So what do you often mean by DOOW and AOW courses? OW is an open water diver's license, and AOW is an advanced open water diver's license. After OW is completed, diving in open water with a depth of no more than 18m is allowed, and diving in open water with a depth of no more than 30m is allowed. You can't take the AOW course until the OW course is completed. Owen needs three days to study, while AOW only needs two days.

Semporna can be said to be the cheapest place to take the diving certificate in the world. I learned it with OW and AOW this time, which is cheaper, about 4,000 RMB. If you can't swim, you can also take diving lessons. After diving, strictly observe the no-fly period of 18 hours, that is, fly for at least 18 hours after diving.

Diving shops must be booked in advance, and then ask for more details for comparison. If the price is similar, all diving shops are similar, but the specific details must be asked clearly! ! For example, there are many hidden shops in Semporna, but there are also many irresponsible fish in troubled waters! ! Some just want to make money. A coach will take a lot of students and the equipment is very old. Mine is quite reliable. I can give it to you if you want.

Semporna activity

The main activities that Semporna can participate in besides diving are: island jumping tour and mangrove half-day tour. My cabin can also arrange hunting and sea fishing activities.

The island jumping tour in Semporna is divided into three routes.

1, Kapalai Island: Kapalai Island, Mabu Island.

Mabu Island is the largest island in Semporna and the gathering place of primitive Bayao people. Surrounded by beaches. Half of the island is a holiday resort, and the other half is inhabited by the indigenous Bayao people. The combination of aboriginal life, cultural atmosphere and beautiful coastal scenery forms the unique scenery of Mabu Island.

2. Madajing Island: Timbuktu, Madajing Island and Bangbang Island.

Madajin Island has not only the longest and most beautiful trailing beach in Semporna, but also tropical rain forests and rich marine life. Most of the people who come here are diving enthusiasts. While diving nearby, they can experience the extreme enjoyment of the fierce combination of microorganisms and marine ecology. The snorkeling environment in Bangbang Island is excellent. There are many corals and fish schools underwater, and big turtles can be seen from time to time. It is suggested that people who don't live on the island with limited budget should choose a day trip to jump off the island, so that they can not only visit the underwater world of Madajing, but also see turtles on Bangbang Island, and also go diving in the waters of Tinbatimba, a private island on the west coast of Madajing. The trip is complete and there are no omissions. Highly recommended.

3. Island-jumping tour in Dengshakalan Ocean Park: Bayao Water Wooden House, Pearl Island, Manda Bay and Warship Island.

Dunshakaran Marine Park is the largest marine park in Sabah. The park has the largest coral community in Malaysia. As long as you bury your head in the water, you can see countless mysterious and beautiful underwater creatures. This is a must-see trip to Semporna. Why? Beautiful scenery, many islands to visit, contact with Ba Yao people, snorkeling and climbing mountains.