Pantai Payang — Attraction in Sabah

Small beach for a rest and break in Payang Beach. Can have barbecue and camping here, no restaurant yet, but going to have canteen soon. There is few nice jetty. Met a diving coach, Mr. Dominic, a nice and friendly guy from Darvel Bay Diving, he can arrange for Diving to islands and beautiful coral area, also island hopping trip and depart from Pantai Payang jetty. And also he can offer diving lesson too. Nice and beautiful jetty, a lot of fish even at the jetty here, can do snorkeling at the jetty, water is clean enough and many fish. Good location for learning snorkeling just at the beach. The management maintain the cleanliness well, daily cleaning. Entrance fee is RM8 for adult and RM5 for children. Heard can be quite crowded during weekend if weather is good. Came very early at 7 am and I spent sometime just watching the school of fish swimming. The road from Jalan Manau is a bit off road and better to have a 4 wheel drive. Also can come from Kg Terusan via Jalan Balai Raya Kg Terusan (there a oil palm collection center alone this road), better and bigger road, but still can't find...

Getting to Payang Beach is quite a challenge — the entrance from the main road leads through a gravel palm plantation path, which isn’t ideal for regular cars. Hopefully, the government considers building a proper access road unless there’s an alternative route we missed.

Entrance is RM10 per person. The beach itself is well-managed and surprisingly deep with crystal clear water. A large stainless steel fence surrounds the swimming area for safety — which makes sense, considering crocodiles are known to inhabit the region. The entrance fee likely helps maintain the facilities, which include clean shower rooms, BBQ pits, spacious picnic areas, and plenty of parking.

We didn’t swim (still a bit nervous about the crocs) but enjoyed walking around and taking in the view. The beach was packed due to the Labour Day holiday, which unfortunately meant lots of trash left behind. Locals really need to be more responsible with their rubbish to preserve this...

From main road (Lahad Datu - Tawau) to this place, it is a mix of gravel and dirt roads. Could hv been better. 4wd vehicle recommended. Entrance fee is RM5/adult which is quite reasonable as this is the nearest recreation beach in Lahad Datu. Beware though as there were sightings of big crocodile swimming nearby this beach (as of Nov 2018). Currently, the restaurant, motels and function room are still under construction. Only hawker stalls are available. Bring own foods recommended. You can rent a gazebo for RM20 each, depending on first come first served basis and RM10 for a small canopy. Expect a very crowded space during school holidays. BBQ is allowed....