Hotels & Resorts
Sutera Sanctuary @ Manukan Island Te x t b y M U H A M M A D H A S I F M O H D J E L A N I Images by MUHAMMAD HASIF MOHD JELANI & ED JUNAIDI
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White sandy beaches, pristine waters, exciting water sports, stunning sunsets and gorgeous underwater sites are some of the ultimate reasons why Manukan Island is simply one of the most popular islands in Sabah. Furthermore, the island is just around 15 minutes by speedboat from Sutera Harbour Marina, which in turn is a mere 10 minutes’ drive from Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Manukan is the second largest island situated within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, which is Sabah’s second national park that has been gazetted since 1974. It also consists of four other islands namely Gaya, Mamutik, Sapi and Sulug so that marine life and the ecosystem within it can be protected. Manukan is noteworthy because the island is the place where travellers can witness two mature trees called Bruguiera Hainesii (locally known as berus mata buaya) that belong to the extremely rare mangrove tree species. Interestingly, there are only 200 of such trees left in this world. Though there is an option for travellers to visit Manukan for a day trip, Gaya Travel Magazine team strongly recommends that travellers spend longer time here to further indulge themselves with everything the island has to offer by staying at Sutera Sanctuary @ Manukan Island since the island feels completely different after all of the day-trippers return to the mainland.
