Bay views
Bay and town from the hilltop.
Steven Tung — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Unknown — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · No machine-readable author provided. Oscark assumed (based on copyright claims). — CC BY 2.5
Sandakan's largest Chinese temple, crowning a hill that overlooks Sandakan Bay, opened in 1987 with sweeping red-tiled roofs and ornate pillars, and reached by a long stairway guarded by dragon sculptures. Its terrace commands a wide view over the bay, the town and the forest. Its halls hold gilded Buddha statues and colourful paintings and carvings, and a row of white Buddha statues lines the way up. In 2003 the temple featured in the popular American television series The Amazing Race. Entry is free and the temple welcomes visitors during the day, but it is a working place of worship, so dress modestly, keep quiet and take off your shoes where asked. It is about four kilometres from the town centre, easily reached by taxi, and is at its best in the morning or just before sunset, when the view of the bay is loveliest.
Bay and town from the hilltop.
Colourful Buddhist halls.
A climb guarded by dragons.
Tanah Merah hill above Sandakan Bay, about 4 km west of the town centre
By taxi or ride-hailing car from the town centre in about ten minutes; cars drive up close to the entrance. Keen walkers can climb the long stairway from the foot of the hill.