Fly Malaysian Airlines (MAS) from your country to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Malaysia .

There's a no-frills budget airline, AirAsia, which if booked months earlier (as do budget airlines work), gives a traveler VERY GOOD rates, comparatively.

PLUS, and a very big plus at that, it flies straight to TAWAU (red route) from KLIA. Alternatively, one can also fly in by other major airlines in the region but only to KOTA KINABALU (KK) and then have to take a connecting flight to TAWAU (blue route).

The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau was roughly about 3 hours or so. (If you transit through KK,  the KK-TAWAU flight is about 45 minutes).

In TAWAU, you will be greeted by our transports. Chirpily threw your gears into the back, sat back and enjoy the hour long (and only) land journey to SEMPORNA, a beautiful small coastal town. Almost there!

Have lunch in SEMPORNA. Very reasonably priced. Next, the sea part of the journey, an hour boat ride to Mabul Island.