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In East Malaysia, Tawau is the third largest city of Sabah, after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. It has a population of approximately 390,000 in which include mostly Chinese, Malays and some local natives. The main industries here are the production of tobacco, cocoa and palm oil. Many might not know that Tawau is one of the biggest producers of cocoa in the world. Other than that, Tawau has a hectic port as well where timber from the mainland of Borneo are being shipped out of Sabah via Tawau’s port. Due to its location on the coast of the Celebes Sea at Cowie Bay, Tawau is a great place to savor fresh seafood especially the huge tiger prawns.
| Attractions in Tawau: |
| 1. Sabah’s Lost World | 2. Tawau Hills Park | 3. Tawau Tanjung Market |
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| 4. Teck Guan Cocoa Museum | ||
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| Recommended Hotels in Tawau, Sabah: | ||
| 1. Promenade Hotel Tawau | ||
| A business class hotel just next to the shopping mall. | ||
| Reserve through Agoda.com | ||
| 2. MB Hotel | ||
| Centrally located with plenty of dining choices. | ||
| Reserve through Agoda.com | ||
| 3. Shervinton Executive Boutique Hotel | ||
| Clean and large room with pleasant service. | ||
| Reserve through Agoda.com | ||
| 4. Heritage Hotel | ||
| Good location and clean room with affordable price tag. | ||
| Reserve through Agoda.com | ||
| Browse all Hotels in Tawau, Sabah >> | ||
| How to get there: |
There are only two ways of getting to Tawau, by air and by road.
By Air
Both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia offer daily flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu to Tawau at a frequent schedule. From Tawau airport, you can easily get on a taxi to bring you to the city center which is only 30 kilometers away. If you prefer a cheaper option, you may hop on a bus instead of taxi from the airport to town center.
By Bus/Car
For other districts within Sabah, you may choose to take a coach or drive to Tawau. The journey takes about 10 hours from Kota Kinabalu and 5 hours from Sandakan to Tawau.
