Tawau is where most visitors to Semporna and the Sipadan islands land, and most of them leave the airport and drive straight past the town. That is a shame. Sabah's third-largest town sits in volcanic cocoa country, with a protected rainforest 24km from the centre, a river lined with hexagonal basalt columns, and a small cluster of pre-war history around the padang. A day here costs very little: four of the six places below charge nothing, and the other two charge RM6 or less for a Malaysian adult.
*Cover image: Annette Teng / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (the "tallest tropical tree" sign at Tawau Hills Park)*
We checked each place on 20 October 2026 against its official source. Fees for Tawau Hills Park come from Sabah Parks' park page and its fee schedule (effective 1 January 2023). The Balung basalt fee and the Teck Guan and Tanjung Market details come from Sabah Tourism's destination pages and Teck Guan's own Facebook page. The two memorials are on public land with no operator. Where something is not published, we say so.
How to plan a day in Tawau
You need wheels. Tawau Hills Park is 24km north-west of town, and Teck Guan and Balung are further out on the Apas road. There is no public bus to any of them. Rent a car at the airport or agree a day rate with a taxi before you set off.
Mind the park hours. Tawau Hills Park opens 8am to 4pm on weekdays, but only 7.30am to 3.30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Weekend visitors who arrive at 3pm get half an hour.
Pair places that sit together. Teck Guan and the Balung basalt columns are about 20 minutes apart, so do them in one afternoon. The Bell Tower, the Japanese War Memorial and Tanjung Market are all in or near town and fit into a morning or the hours before a flight.
Climbing is a different trip. The summits of Mount Magdalena, Lucia and Maria inside the park need a permit (from RM25 a peak for a Malaysian adult), climbing insurance (RM7 a day) and a compulsory guide (RM150 a day per three people). Plan that separately.
About that tallest-tree sign
The cover photo shows a yellow meranti at Tawau Hills Park, signed as "the tallest tropical tree in the world" at 88.32m. The sign has been overtaken. In 2019 a climber measured a yellow meranti in Danum Valley, also in Sabah, at 100.8m, and that tree now holds the record. The Tawau tree is still worth the short walk, but treat it as a former record holder.
Also around Tawau
Bukit Gemok Forest Reserve, about 12km from town, has a 231m canopy walkway. The local site eTawau reported in September 2026 that it has reopened after its 2020-21 closure, but the only fee board we found dates from 2007, and the Sabah Forestry Department's website did not load for us. Call the Tawau District Forestry Office on 089-761 833 before going.
Local food: Tawau is credited as the birthplace of sang nyuk mee, the pork noodle dish found across Sabah. The first floor of Tanjung Market is the place for Tawau's dried fish, anchovies and dried prawns.
How to pick
- One free morning before a flight: Bell Tower, Japanese War Memorial, then Tanjung Market. All free, all within a short drive of each other.
- Families with young children: Tawau Hills Park in the morning (Malaysian children 12 and under enter free), lunch in town, then Teck Guan's 2pm chocolate-making session.
- Nature lovers: the full day at Tawau Hills Park, walking to Bukit Gelas Waterfall (about two hours each way) past a sulphur spring.
- Photographers: Balung's basalt columns in the late afternoon, when the light is low across the river.
- Foreign visitors on a budget: note the price gap. Tawau Hills Park is RM20 for a foreign adult against RM6 for a Malaysian, and RM12 for every foreign child under 18.
