Kuala Penyu

Legend has it that a long time ago, a ship from China arrived at the shores of Kuala Penyu and docked near the Sitompok river estuary. The sailors were excited to see so many turtles, and so the name kuala penyu (turtle estuary) was given to this new place.

Some people think that what they saw were actually round stones that looked like turtles, but the main belief is that this was once a favourite place for turtles to land and lay their eggs.

Kuala Penyu is a gem waiting to be discovered. There are 80km of beaches waiting for feet to tread on them, and the waters for people to swim in them. Imagine yourself walking on a deserted beach with a gentle breeze blowing, or soaking up the sun on a beach all your own!

The most exciting part is that these are the same beaches where the Hawksbill turtles come to nest. Kuala Penyu is the only place on the West Coast of Sabah that has turtles coming to lay eggs on the beaches. Who knows - you may very well be the next lucky person to discover a batch of turtle eggs that will later turn into hatchlings!

Kuala Penyu offers the freshest seafood - fish, prawns, crabs, cuttlefish - with catches as recent as that morning itself. And the good news is that even though the seafood is fresh, they are very much affordable! There are more than 20 restaurants and foodstalls to chose from, with menus ranging from local, Malay and Chinese cuisine. Which means that if you are an adventurous person, you can try eating ambuyat (sago) instead of rice with a spicy dip, or eat nasi lemak for breakfast or have steamed fish at any time while you are here.

You will feel very much welcomed here as the locals are tourist-friendly. They are warm, polite and courteous. You will only need to smile to start a conversation going! One comment that is always heard is that the people here are 'hospitable, ' and they are indeed.

But as the saying goes - 'you'll never know until you have tried it'.

Come and visit us soon!