Coordinates : 4°15′2.07″ N 117°53′3.62″ E (4.25058, 117.88434)

Getting There and Away

Tawau International Airport (IATA: TWU, ICAO: WBKW) is the second international airport of Sabah. There are flights to Kuala Lumpur (2 hr 45 min, daily), and Kota Kinabalu (45 min, five daily) on Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia.

The airport is about 33 km away from the town centre.

There are ATMs and a currency exchange at the airport but if you’re arriving late, it’ll almost certainly be closed and the ATMs do not always work, so make sure you’ve got some Malaysian ringgit before you arrive as you’ll need it for the taxi or the bus.

Airport taxis are available and charge RM40 for one way trip into town. There is also an airport bus service operated by Kasah Transport (S) Sdn. Bhd. (Tel: +6089-950208) to the town for RM10. The departure times of the airport bus are as follows:

Tawau  to Airport: 6:30, 8:30, 12:30, 16:00
Airport to Tawau: 8:00, 8:50, 10:50, 13:30, 14:15, 17:00

There are daily buses from Kota Kinabalu North City Bus Station, but it’s a long nine-hour journey. There are half a dozen companies and the fare is RM55.50. There are also bus from Lahad Datu, 2.5 hours away. Departure at 3:30PM, RM15.

The main ferry connections are to the Indonesian cities of Nunukan and Tarakan, both in East Kalimantan province.

To/from Nunukan: Two departures daily from Tawau, Tawindo Express, Labuan Express, at 10AM and3PM. From Nunukan, departures are at 9AM and 2PM. Tickets cost RM41 one-way and journey time is 1 hour.

To/from Tarakan: One departure daily except on Sunday from Tawau. Tawindo Express sails every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11.30am, while Indomaya Express departs every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10.30am. Tickets cost RM140 one-way and travelling time is 3 hours.

Getting Around

It is fairly easy to get around the town. As the size of the town is not that big, it is recommended that travellers to explore the town on foot. However, if you wish to take public tranportations instead, there are many taxis and buses available.

Taxi – Taxi fares around town would cost around RM5, and to housing area at RM7 at most.

Bus – RM 2 to travel within town areas. And about RM2 to the rural areas like Balung and Merotai.