Who the Bajau Laut are
The Bajau Laut are a seafaring community of eastern Sabah, with long ties to the coasts and islands around Semporna. You will still see them called sea gypsies in older travel writing. That is an outsider's label, and this guide uses the name the community is known by, Bajau Laut.
The Associated Press described them in 2024 as a largely stateless and partly mobile community living in stilt houses and wooden boats off eastern Sabah, many without documents of nationality. Two cautions follow from that. Not every Bajau is stateless, and not every Bajau Laut lives on a boat. Treat any single description of a whole people with care.
Bajau Laut, Bajau and the Lepa boats
Names matter here, because they are often mixed up.
A broader Bajau community
Semporna has a large Bajau community with its own traditions. A Sabah government statement of 26 June 2026 describes Lepa boats as sea transport and as an expression of the craft and cultural tradition of the Bajau community in Semporna. That does not mean every Bajau is a nomadic Bajau Laut.
The Bajau Laut
The name usually refers to the communities most closely tied to life on the water. Not every Bajau in Semporna is a Bajau Laut, which is why one word cannot cover everyone.
No fixed idea of a visit
Do not expect guaranteed access to any village, an official visitor fee or a public visitor program. A tour that offers a village visit is not the same as an invitation by the people who live there.
Our picks: a boat trip around Tun Sakaran
A two-day guided boat trip around the Tun Sakaran islands, the waters where the Bajau Laut live. Ask before you take any photo.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Boat trips and cultural tours around Semporna
Day trips and tours around Semporna and the marine parks, with live prices and availability.
Statelessness and the 2024 demolitions
The Associated Press reported on 7 June 2024 on demolitions in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park. According to the minister, 273 unauthorized settlement units had been notified and 138 structures were demolished in a three-day operation from 4 June 2024. Rights groups and the government gave different accounts, including on how fires started. The report is from 2024. It is a record of an event, not a description of how things are for visitors today.
For a visitor, the useful point is simple. You are a guest in a place with a difficult recent history, and careless behavior can cost the people who live there more than it costs you. Treat that history as a reason for extra care.
Lepa boats and the Regatta Lepa
A public festival in Semporna with its own history.
The Regatta Lepa is a festival held in Semporna around the decorated Lepa boats, with colorful sails and flags. The official Sabah calendar listed the 2026 edition for 26 to 28 June at Dataran Regatta Lepa in Semporna. No ticket price or detailed schedule is published, and an announced date does not prove that every planned event took place. Check the dates in the year you travel.
Lepa boats are a part of Bajau craft and culture in Semporna. This page does not retell their history in detail. If you see the boats, see them as work and heritage and not as props. Ask before you board one or photograph the people on it.
How to meet people respectfully
These points are editorial guidelines, not official rules.
Ask for consent
Ask before you take a photo of a person, a home or a boat, and accept a no. A smile is not consent. Do not photograph children as a subject.
Respect homes and boats
Stilt houses and boats are private homes and workplaces. Do not step onto a jetty or a boat or enter a house without being invited.
No handouts
Do not give money or sweets to children to get a photo or a reaction. It turns children into a way to get money from visitors. Do not pay for permission to take a photo either.
Choose words with care
Avoid words such as primitive or untouched. They turn people into a display. Describe what you saw and who told you what.
Question the tour
If a tour promises a village visit, ask who the hosts are, whether they agreed to guests and how they are paid. Do not assume a tour is run by the community unless the hosts say so.
Safety and where to read more
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel to the islands and dive areas off eastern Sabah between Sandakan and Tawau (changed 19 March 2026). The German Federal Foreign Office and the US State Department also publish advice for the area. Read the safety page and check your insurance.
The communities of the waters around Semporna live near the places most visitors reach. The Mabul Island page covers village life next to the resorts, the Bohey Dulang page the marine park, and island hopping the routes that pass through these waters.
Bajau Laut: frequently asked questions
Are the Bajau Laut stateless?
Many are, according to the Associated Press in 2024, but not all Bajau are stateless. Many people in the community are reported to lack nationality documents.
Do all Bajau Laut live on boats?
No. Reports describe stilt houses as well as wooden boats, and not every Bajau Laut lives on a boat. Not every Bajau in Semporna is a Bajau Laut either.
Can I visit a Bajau Laut village?
Do not count on a public visitor program, an official fee or guaranteed access. Visit only if the people who live there have agreed, and do not treat a village as a stop on a checklist.
Can I take photos?
Ask first, every time, and accept a refusal. Do not photograph children as a subject, and do not pay or hand out sweets to get a picture.
What is the Regatta Lepa?
It is a festival in Semporna around decorated Lepa boats. The 2026 edition was listed for 26 to 28 June. Dates change each year, so check before you plan a trip around it.
Is it safe to travel to the area?
The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the islands and dive areas off eastern Sabah (changed 19 March 2026). See the safety page for the three government positions.