Lifestyle

8 Things To Do (And Eat) in Labuan

From diving four wrecks within a small radius to a free Commonwealth war cemetery and a weekends-only ambuyat stall, here are 8 real, currently-operating attractions and food spots on Labuan island, Malaysia's most overlooked Federal Territory.

Marcus Wong28 July 20267 min read

Malaysia's most overlooked Federal Territory

Labuan sits just off the Sabah coast, a duty-free island best known to most Malaysians (if at all) as a stopover or a weekend shopping run. That's a shame, because it has a mix of attractions found almost nowhere else in the country — four shipwrecks within diving distance of each other, a genuine WWII history, and a food culture shaped by its proximity to Brunei.

What's on this list

We've mixed marine activities (wreck diving, island snorkelling), heritage and war history (the War Cemetery, the Chimney Museum), duty-free shopping (Financial Park), nature (Pancur Hitam Beach, the Bird Park), and one food pick — ambuyat, a sago-starch dish that reflects Labuan's Bruneian/Kadayan food culture rather than peninsular Malaysian cuisine. Every listing was checked against an official, government, or well-corroborated third-party source during this search.

A few things worth confirming before you go

The dive-operator landscape is thin and sources didn't fully agree on pricing for wreck trips specifically — call ahead to confirm. Chimney Museum's hours vary slightly between sources (roughly 8:30am-5pm or 9am-6pm), and the ambuyat stall listed here only opens weekends. None of this should stop you visiting, but it's worth a quick check before building a tight itinerary around any single stop.

Picking a spot

For something genuinely rare in Malaysia, wreck diving is Labuan's headline draw — Borneo Star Dive runs trips to four wrecks (two WWII, two from the 1980s) within a small radius. If diving isn't your thing, the free Labuan War Cemetery and the Chimney Museum both cover real history in an afternoon, and Pancur Hitam Beach is the most facility-equipped spot for a straightforward beach day. Don't leave without trying ambuyat — it's the one dish on this list you won't find replicated on the peninsula.

*Cover image: Labuan Financial Park — photo: JKT-c, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Things to do in Labuan at a glance

Attraction	Area	Best For	Price/Hours
Wreck diving	Offshore Labuan, via Marina	Divers, rare multi-wreck site	~RM300-400 Discover Scuba
Labuan War Cemetery	Jalan Tanjong Batu	History, quiet reflection	Free, Mon-Fri 7am-4:30pm
Chimney Museum	Tanjung Kubong	Colonial history, mystery	Free, ~8:30am-5pm daily
Financial Park	Jalan Merdeka, Labuan City	Duty-free shopping	Mall hours
Pancur Hitam Beach	West coast	Beach day, families	Free
Rusukan Kecil/Besar snorkelling	Labuan Marine Park	Snorkelling, turtles	Day-tour packages
Labuan Bird Park	Northern Labuan	Wildlife, ~580 birds	RM3-5, closed Fri
Ambuyat (H'ambuyat Semangkuk Agung)	Tanjung Aru Nelayan	Local Bruneian/Kadayan food	Weekends 10am-5:30pm

Wreck diving — Australian Wreck & American Wreck (USS Salute)

Labuan is one of the few places in the world where four wrecks — two WWII (the Australian Wreck/ex-Imabari Maru and the American Wreck/USS Salute minesweeper) and two 1980s wrecks (Blue Water Wreck, Cement Wreck) — sit within a small offshore radius at 15-30m depth, dived year-round via Labuan Marina. Borneo Star Dive Sdn Bhd is the main operator running two-dive day trips, NAUI courses and equipment rental. Discover Scuba experiences run roughly RM300-400; contact the operator directly to confirm current wreck-trip pricing.

Labuan War Cemetery

A Commonwealth War Graves Commission site at Jalan Tanjong Batu, less than 1km from Labuan airport, honouring WWII dead from the Borneo campaign — manicured grounds, headstones and a memorial. Free entry; staffed Monday-Friday 7am-4:30pm, grounds otherwise accessible via a side entrance.

Chimney Museum (Labuan Chimney), Tanjung Kubong

A 106-foot brick chimney of unexplained purpose (no soot residue has been found inside it) tied to Labuan's 1847-1911 British colonial coal-mining era, at Tanjung Kubong in the island's north, with an adjoining museum housing 612 excavated artefacts. Government-run (Department of Museums Malaysia). Free entry; hours vary slightly between sources, roughly 8:30am-5pm or 9am-6pm daily, reportedly closed the first Monday of the month — confirm locally.

Financial Park (Ujana Kewangan) — duty-free shopping

Labuan's only shopping mall, on Jalan Merdeka in Labuan City — a department store, supermarket and multiple duty-free outlets selling discounted alcohol, cigarettes, chocolates, perfume and cosmetics, drawing on Labuan's federal-territory duty-free status. Reviews through 2025 confirm it remains active despite some aging-infrastructure complaints.

Pancur Hitam Beach

Labuan's most-cited beach, on the island's west coast — won a UN COBSEA Clean Beach Award in 2008 for water and shoreline quality. Golden-brown sand, calm water, shaded trees, changing rooms, food stalls and parking make it the most facility-equipped beach on the island. Free public beach.

Rusukan Kecil / Rusukan Besar island snorkelling day trip

Islands within Labuan Marine Park, 30-40 minutes by speedboat from Labuan Marina Jetty — shallow coral reef snorkelling with 15-20m visibility on calm days, sea turtles, parrotfish and wrasse, also used for diving, kayaking and camping. A government-designated marine park under the Department of Fisheries. Day-tour packages are actively advertised by tour operators; specific pricing wasn't independently confirmed beyond operator listings.

Labuan Bird Park

A 6.9-hectare park in northern Labuan, about 16km/20 minutes from town, home to roughly 580 birds — hornbills, kingfishers, cockatoos, eagles and ostriches — across three connected walk-through domes. Open Monday-Thursday, 9am-4:30pm, closed Fridays (weekend hours worth double-checking before visiting). Entry: RM3 Malaysian adult, RM2 senior/student, RM5 non-Malaysian tourist, under-6 free.

Ambuyat at H'ambuyat Semangkuk Agung

One of Labuan's best-known ambuyat stalls, at Pondok Cahaya Mentari, Pantai Tanjung Aru Nelayan (Sunrise Beach) — ambuyat is a sago-starch communal dish eaten with chandas (bamboo forks) dipped in cacah sauce, reflecting Labuan's Bruneian/Kadayan food culture rather than peninsular Malaysian cuisine. Active on Instagram/TikTok/Facebook with recent posts. Weekends only, Saturday-Sunday, 10am-5:30pm; no fixed menu price confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Labuan's diving unusual?

Labuan is one of the few places in the world where four distinct wrecks — two from WWII and two from the 1980s — sit within a small offshore radius at 15-30m depth, all diveable year-round. Borneo Star Dive Sdn Bhd is the main operator running trips there.

What is ambuyat and where can I try it in Labuan?

Ambuyat is a sago-starch communal dish, eaten by dipping with bamboo forks (chandas) into a sour cacah sauce — it reflects Labuan's Bruneian/Kadayan food culture and isn't found on the Malaysian peninsula. H'ambuyat Semangkuk Agung at Pantai Tanjung Aru Nelayan serves it, but only on weekends, 10am-5:30pm.

Are there free things to do in Labuan?

Yes — Labuan War Cemetery and the Chimney Museum both have free entry, and Pancur Hitam Beach is a free public beach. The Labuan Bird Park charges a nominal RM3-5 entry fee.

How do I get to Labuan?

Labuan is most commonly reached by ferry from Kota Kinabalu or Menumbok (Sabah mainland), or by domestic flight to Labuan Airport. Once there, the island's attractions are spread across a compact area easily covered by taxi or rental car.

#labuan#sabah#east malaysia#diving#things to do#duty free

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