Sandakan Backpackers Hostel

Top choice in Sandakan


Decorated with murals by the former owner and former guests, this friendly and clean hostel has rooms with sea views and a rooftop area with even more watery vistas. It's close to the waterfront restaurants and some of the staff go beyond the call of duty to make guests feel welcome and help with tours

Note that while the front door is locked at 11pm you can organise later entry.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sandakan attractions

1. Malaysia Fountain

0.2 MILES

The fountain commemorates the independence of Sabah on 16 September 1963 with the departure of the last Governor of British North Borneo.

2. Sandakan Heritage Museum

0.21 MILES

This small museum near the beginning of the Heritage Walk is a bit neglected but worth a look for the old photos and memorabilia of Sandakan's tumultuous…

3. Agnes Keith House

0.3 MILES

This atmospheric two-storey colonial villa, Newlands, tells the story of American writer Agnes Keith and her British husband Harry, the Conservator of…

4. Sam Sing Kung

0.33 MILES

The Sam Sing Kung temple (also pronounced 'Sam Sing Gong') dates from 1887, making it the oldest building in Sandakan. The temple itself is a smallish, if…

5. Chinese Cemetery

0.41 MILES

Sandakan's Chinese Cemetery is huge. As you wander along the cemetery, you'll notice the graves become older and more decrepit – many have been claimed by…

6. St Michael's & All Angels Church

0.42 MILES

One of the very few surviving pre-WWII buildings, this pretty stone church (1893) sits as a relic of colonial times and a monument to Christian worship on…

7. Japanese Cemetery

0.54 MILES

A poignant piece of Sandakan's ethnic puzzle, this cemetery was founded in the 1890s by Kinoshita Kuni, known as the successful madam-manager of Sandakan…

8. Kampong Buli Sim Sim

1.36 MILES

This traditional Malay stilt village, located about 3km east of the city centre, is the original settlement Sandakan grew from back in 1879. It's still an…