Layang Layang Travel Tips

Layang Layang Island is a World Class Diving destination. It is famous worldwide for the schools of Hammerhead Sharks patrolling around the Island in April and May. Scuba Diving in the blue in the middle of hundreds of Hammerhead Sharks is a once in a lifetime experience. Enjoy the magic!

Hammerheads aside, the diving is still magnificent with outstanding visibility, awesome coral and incredibly rich marine life!

Be aware that, this is a pure diving destination not really suitable for families and beginner divers.

In this page you will find practical information to plan a scuba diving trip to Layang Layang:

Where to stay?

I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Layang Layang as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.

There is only one place to stay, the Avillion Layang Layang Resort. There are also a few liveaboards visiting the area. You can watch this video to know more about the Avillion Resort.

Activities and excursions in Layang Layang

Layang Layang is 100% about diving. Snorkelling is also possible for the non divers. It is not really a destination recommended if you are travelling with kids or non divers. There is no sandy beach but a pool to relax between two dives.

Health and Safety

If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Layang Layang, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Where is Layang Layang located in the world?

This tiny coral atoll is located on the North Side of Sabah, the Malaysian part of Borneo about 300 km from the main land. It is part of the Spratly Islands archipelago.

See the map below.

Layang Layang Map

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/findiver/4300630124/

How to get to Layang Layang?

The only way to get to Layang Layang Island is by air. You will have to take a small plane chartered from Kota Kinabalu to Layang Layang.

Kota Kinabalu is the main city of Borneo and is easily accessible from many cities. The cheapest way is to fly there with Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur. The booking of the plane has to be arranged directly with the diving resort. Flight time is one hour and cost around 300 US $.

There are also two liveaboards running from Kota Kinabalu cruising around Layang Layang.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/findiver/4299885817/

Getting Around

This island is just a few hundreds meters long and there are no roads, no cars, nothing! The only way to get around is by diving boat from one dive site to the next one.

Layang Layang Photos

Scuba diving

You will find all information about sea life, best time to visit, top dive spots, etc. in our review: Layang Layang Diving