Nature’s canvas: Enjoying the serene view of the sun above the horizon at Tanjung Atiam. — Photo taken from Feklee Roslee’s Instagram
KOTA KINABALU: Tanjung Atiam. Never heard of it?
This tiny, remote coastal area in Lahad Datu district has the unique honour of being the easternmost point in Malaysia, making it the first place in the country to see the sunrise each day.
Here, the first rays of sun break the horizon around 5.20am – over an hour before sunrise in Kuala Lumpur, though the exact time varies throughout the year.
Sabah Tourism Federation president Tony Chew said there is potential for tourism in Tanjung Atiam, an undiscovered gem in Lahad Datu.
He acknowledged that it could be quite a challenge to properly promote the place for the time being due to a lack of facilities and amenities for tourism.
“But we are working towards venturing into this area for alternative tourism products in Sabah. This is where you get to see the first sunrise, you know?” he said.
Back in 2020, Sabah Tourism Board in a social media post about Tanjung Atiam, noting it as the earliest place in Malaysia to see both sunrise and sunset
“(The position) makes it the earliest place to see the sunrise in the whole country. That also means it’s the earliest one to see the sunset,” it said.
Geologist Prof Dr Felix Tongkul is of the view that this spot could be the next Simpang Mengayau in Kudat, Sabah’s tip of Borneo where people visit for the sunset, sea breeze and “Instagram-worthy” pictures.But for now, even Sabah folk are mostly unaware of Tanjung Atiam’s existence.
“It’s cool to know that this is actually a spot to see the earliest sunrise.
“Maybe someday I will go for a visit,” said civil servant Sylvia Sumping, who is from Sandakan.
Sylvia, 36, is amused by the scenic spot’s name, saying that it sounds like “Ah, diam!” (“Be quiet!” in Malay).
But getting to Tanjung Atiam may not be that easy for someone like businesswoman Chong Lee Kian, who lives in Tawau.
Eventhough Tawau is just about a two-hour drive from Lahad Datu, the journey would be much longer for her.
That’s because Tanjung Atiam is another 150km away from Lahad Datu town.
“This would take about two to three hours of drive time, depending on the speed and road conditions,” said Chong, 37.
Yet, the lure of the first sunrise and sunset is quite irresistible for Martha Martin, a Pitas-born mother of two.“Wow. I must really visit this place one day. It sounds romantic and it’s great to know that it’s in Sabah,” said the 37-year-old.
Upon hearing about Tanjung Atiam, housewife Denise Benedict, 38, has now put it on her mother-daughter travel bucket list.
She has a toddler and they often go for strolls in the park, picnics by the beach and evening walks around their neighbourhood just to watch the sunset.
Lahad Datu resident Bella Diaz, who has visited Tanjung Atiam once many years before, remembers it as a nice quiet beach that is nestled among trees and bushes, as there is not much development going on there.
“Perhaps the state authorities should further clean up the area and beautify it,” said the 37-year-old businesswoman.
For now, most of the people there are the armed forces and estate workers.
Tanjung Atiam is also close to Tanjung Labian, the “war zone” during the Tanduo intrusion in 2013.
