Island Hopping in Labuan

Six offshore islands

Labuan is seven islands, not one. Besides the main island there are Pulau Burong, Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar. Three of them form Labuan Marine Park, one has a resort, one has the island’s best known sand spit, and the closest is about five minutes from the jetty.

At a glance

The seven islands

The territory covers 95 square kilometres in total, made up of the main island and six smaller ones. The six sit off the southern and western side of the main island, which is why boats leave from that side and why the water on the approach is usually sheltered.

Source: Island names and total area from Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023). Marine park membership from the same source. Geopark site listings from the Labuan Geopark official site of Perbadanan Labuan, read 22 October 2026.

The easiest island to reach

Pulau Papan is about five minutes by boat from the Labuan jetty and is marked by an old colonial lighthouse. It is popular with residents as well as visitors, which tells you something: it is the island you go to when you have half a morning rather than a whole day. Activities include snorkelling in clear water and jungle trekking to see small animals and forest plants. Chalets and campsites are available for overnight stays, and the lighthouse is one of the eight cultural sites on the geopark register.

Other guides give longer crossing times for the same islands. Crossing time depends on the departure point, the boat and the sea state, so treat any single figure as indicative and ask your operator what the trip will actually take on the day.

The three marine park islands

Kuraman, Rusukan Kecil and Rusukan Besar lie inside Labuan Marine Park and have reefs, white sand beaches and sheltered coves. These are the three to aim for if the point of the day is the water rather than the boat ride.

• Rusukan Besar. The most developed of the three, with a resort and a jetty, reef access from the beach, and a place on the geopark register in its own right. The practical choice for an overnight stay offshore.
• Rusukan Kecil. Undeveloped, with white sand backed by coastal forest. Bring everything, including water and shade. A day trip island.
• Kuraman. The island with the sand spit, listed on the geopark register as Lidah Pasir P. Kuraman. The spit is built by currents and shifts with the tide and the season, so it looks different from one visit to the next. Shallow, warm water for wading.

Which island for which day

• Half a morning and no plan. Pulau Papan. It is the closest and the most forgiving.
• A full day in the water. Two or three of the marine park islands on one charter.
• Photographs. Kuraman, for the spit, and go at low tide.
• A night offshore. Rusukan Besar for the resort, or Pulau Papan for a chalet or a tent.
• Birds and quiet. Pulau Burong.
• Nobody at all. Pulau Daat.

Arranging a boat

Boats are arranged at the jetty, through a licensed operator, or through your hotel. Some operators run fixed island-hopping trips covering two or three islands in a day; others charter the whole boat to your group. Both are normal.

• Agree the islands, the order and the return pick-up time before you leave, and get a phone number for the boatman.
• Confirm whether snorkel gear and a life jacket are supplied, or whether you need to bring your own.
• Ask whether there is shade on the boat. There often is not.
• Tell someone at your accommodation where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Take cash. There is nowhere to pay by card on an undeveloped island.

Boat prices and departure points are not published here because they vary by operator, group size and season, and an out-of-date figure is worse than none. Book through a licensed operator at the jetty or through your hotel, and agree the price and the return time before you board.

What to take

• Water, more than you think. Four of the six islands have no facilities at all.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a shirt you can swim in. The sea breeze hides how strong the sun is.
• Snorkel gear if you have your own, and a dry bag for phones and cameras.
• Food, if you are going anywhere other than Papan or Rusukan Besar.
• A rubbish bag. Take everything out with you. These are marine park islands and there is no collection.

Safety and conditions

• Sea state. Calmer in the morning as a rule. Trips are cancelled in bad weather, and a cancelled trip is better than an uncomfortable one. See best time to visit.
• Life jackets. Wear one on the crossing, including strong swimmers.
• Currents. Water that looks shallow and calm can move around a sand spit. Swim with someone, not alone.
• Sun and heat. There is no shade on an undeveloped island. See safety and health.
• Reefs. Do not stand on coral. These are protected waters.

Pulau Burung

One of the six smaller islands in the territory of Labuan. It lies outside the marine park boundary and is visited far less often than Pulau Papan.

Where it is

Pulau Burung is one of six smaller islands that, with the main island, make up Labuan’s 95 square kilometres. The others are Pulau Daat, Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar. The name is also written Pulau Burong.

How it differs from the others

Three of the six islands, Kuraman and the two Rusukans, sit inside Labuan Marine Park and have an established visitor pattern. Pulau Papan has chalets, campsites and a five-minute crossing. Pulau Burung has none of that, which is exactly why some visitors ask about it.

Source: Island names and territory area from Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023).

Visiting

This site does not publish landing arrangements, crossing times or conditions for Pulau Burung because they could not be verified from a current source. Ask a licensed boat operator at the jetty whether they run there, and take their answer on access and safety as the authority.

A more practical alternative

If you want an island day and are not set on this one specifically, Pulau Papan or the marine park islands are the established choices.

Pulau Daat

One of the six smaller islands of Labuan, outside the marine park boundary and with no established visitor facilities.

Where it is

Pulau Daat is one of Labuan’s six smaller islands, alongside Pulau Burung, Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar. Together with the main island they make up the 95 square kilometres of the territory.

What to expect

Pulau Daat sits outside Labuan Marine Park, so it does not have the reef-and-cove profile of Kuraman or the two Rusukan islands, and it has none of the chalets or campsites found on Pulau Papan.

Source: Island names and territory area from Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023).

Visiting

Crossing times, landing points and conditions for Pulau Daat could not be verified from a current source, so they are not published here. A licensed boat operator at the jetty is the right person to ask whether a trip is possible and sensible on the day.

Pulau Kuraman

The largest of the three islands inside Labuan Marine Park, with reefs, white sand and sheltered coves.

Where it is

Pulau Kuraman is one of the six smaller islands that make up the territory of Labuan, alongside Pulau Burung, Pulau Daat, Pulau Papan, Pulau Rusukan Kecil and Pulau Rusukan Besar. It sits inside Labuan Marine Park together with the two Rusukan islands.

What is there

The marine park islands share the same character: reefs offshore, white sand beaches and quiet coves. The park is set up for scuba diving, snorkelling, sailing, canoeing and jungle trekking, and Kuraman is the largest of the three, which makes it the usual choice for a longer stop.

Source: Island list and marine park description from Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023).

Getting there

Access is by boat, arranged through a licensed operator at the jetty or through your hotel. Agree the return pick-up time before you set off. Boat prices are not published here because they vary by operator, season and group size.

What to bring

Treat every marine park island as having no facilities unless your operator tells you otherwise. Bring drinking water, sun cover, and a bag for everything you carry in. Park rules prohibit anchoring, fishing, polluting and damaging coral.

Pulau Papan

Pulau Papan is about five minutes by boat from Labuan jetty and is marked by an old colonial lighthouse. It is the easiest of the offshore islands to visit.

Getting there

Pulau Papan is reached by a boat ride of about five minutes from Labuan jetty, which makes it a practical choice for a half-day trip.

What to do

The island has a striking landscape and an old colonial lighthouse. It is popular with both residents and visitors for short breaks. Activities include snorkelling in clear water and jungle trekking to see small animals and forest plants.

Staying overnight

Chalets and campsites on the island are available for overnight stays.

Source: Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023).

Pulau Rusukan Besar

One of the three islets that form Labuan Marine Park. Reefs, white sand and quiet coves, with the wreck dive sites in the surrounding water.

Where it is

Pulau Rusukan Besar is one of the six smaller islands in the territory of Labuan. Together with Pulau Kuraman and Pulau Rusukan Kecil it makes up Labuan Marine Park. Its name distinguishes it from the smaller Rusukan Kecil nearby.

What is there

The park’s reefs, white sand beaches and quiet coves make it suitable for scuba diving, snorkelling, sailing, canoeing and jungle trekking. The four wreck dive sites Labuan is known for lie in the waters of the same park.

Source: Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023).

Visiting

Access is by boat through a licensed operator. Marine park rules apply on and around the island: no anchoring, no fishing, no polluting, and no activity that breaks or damages coral.

Assume there are no shops, no fresh water and no shade beyond what the trees give. Carry in what you need and carry out everything you brought.

Pulau Rusukan Kecil

The smaller of the two Rusukan islands and the third island in Labuan Marine Park. Quiet, undeveloped and reached only by boat.

Where it is

Pulau Rusukan Kecil sits alongside Pulau Rusukan Besar and Pulau Kuraman inside Labuan Marine Park. “Kecil” means small, which is the difference between it and its larger neighbour.

What is there

Like the other two park islands it has reefs offshore, white sand and sheltered coves. Being the smallest, it is usually the quietest of the three and works best as a short stop on an island-hopping run rather than a full day.

Source: Tourism Malaysia, Labuan Map & Guide (updated December 2023).

Visiting

Boat access only, arranged through a licensed operator. All marine park regulations apply. Do not anchor on the reef, do not fish inside the park, and take your litter home.