Pelni timetable and Zamboanga/Sandakan - 3

Here, I will talk about Zamboanga-Sandakan route, only.

What you want to know is where you can actually buy your tickets and what you should expect in each of these two port towns. Having got it out of the way I will then talk about details.

In Zambpanga you can buy your tickets at the terminal building close to the pier for

 high speed boats. See following pictures.

 This picture above is showing you the aerial view of the port of Zamboanga. Port terminal is the large white building on this photo.

You can see it better with the following photo below.

 The outermost pier is for liners, linking Zamboanga and Sandakan direct. High speed boats willl make a few stops on

the way. Even larger one is the following.

In Sandakan the matter is more complicated, because tickets are not sold in the town centre of Sandakan. For that matter, the pier itself is located in an area called Karamunting, some 7km outside Sandakan town centre and your ticketing office is not there either, but somewhere between them.

Best to deal with this complication with pictures.

                                  

On this picture above the smallest square at the bottom left is the location of the pier. Sandakan is on the right within the largest square, and the ticketing office is to the left of this large square.

The distance between the pier and the town centre is approx. 7km. There are other piers closer to Sandakan town centre, but they are meant for Malaysian navy/coastguard ships.

              

This aerial photo above is showing you the exact location of the ticketing office, slightly outside town centre. It is a very small office, almost unnoticeable on the ground floor of a hotel called "Hsian Garden". Office name is Maritime (TEL: 089-212-063)

Apparently, there are inscriptions on the outside both in Malay and Chinese languages.

Yo may also try at the following office inSandakan.

 
Standard Marine Agencies Sdn Bhd Block G,
Lot 1, 1st floor, Bandar, Ramai-Ramai, Jalan Leila,
Sandakan, Sabah Malaysia
Tel # (0060)(89) 216-996, 217-607, 271-998
E-mail Address: chowyangann@standard-marine.com.my

So, I have dealt with ticket office locations. On the next article I will talk about locations of immigration office and visa requirements with a few route maps.

One small note of caution here might be the fact that as far as I am concerned being able to cross into the Phyls or Malaysia/Indonesia is not the prerequisite of going about largely in the historical context of the Banda sea area.