Sandakan City Break

📍 Sandakan Airport to Hotel (25 km): 25 mins Sepilok Hotel to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre: 5-minute walk Sepilok to Rainforest Discovery Centre (1.6km): 5min

Upon arrival at Sandakan Airport, meet with a private guide and driver and transfer to the hotel in Sepilok for check in.

Today’s tour starts at 16:00 and runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Meet your guide and drive and transfer to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. This is one of the best places to encounter Borneo’s unique and endemic monkey species. Also known by locals as the ‘Orang Belanda’, this monkey hilariously was nicknamed ‘Belanda’ after the dutch colonisers at the time, who were said to bear an uncanny resemblance with their large noses and red cheeks. It primarily eats fruit and leaves, and lives in groups of up to 19 individuals.

As you wait at the feeding platform you have the opportunity to see a number of other species that come in to see what food has been offered to them that day. Amongst which you’ll likely see squirrels, silver leaf monkeys, and oriental pied hornbills. Note that the feeding time is at 16:30, so it is important to start the tour on time.

Return to Sepilok for a walk at the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Starting at 18:00 the jungle first comes alive with crepuscular animals, until it gets dark and the nocturnal animals venture out. These lush jungles are filled with a vast variety of birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians. Moving slowly is important, as these animals are designed to camouflage themselves into their natural habitat. A local guide will point out a variety of insects and wildlife that hide under the cover of darkness, and then appear literally right before your eyes! With a bit of luck, it’s even possible to watch the Red Giant flying squirrel coming out around dusk.

Note: Rainforest Discovery Centre night walk only available Monday / Wednesday / Friday

Having spotted enough bizarre and interesting creatures, return to the hotel in Sepilok for dinner and a good night's sleep.

Overnight Sepilok

Inclusions:

📍 Sepilok – Sukau or vv (110 km): 2hours Cruise duration will depend on wildlife spotting: approx. 2 hours (Join in basis)

Start your day visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Be introduced to the centre with a video that shows the plight of the Orangutans and the ongoing rehabilitation efforts. Walk ten minutes through the rainforest on wooden boardwalks to witness the feeding of the orangutans at 10:00. It’s interesting to see how they climb through the trees with ease to reach the platforms. Continue onwards to the nursery area to observe young orangutans. They’re kept in a zone with specially constructed structures that help them develop their climbing and socialising skills.

Afterwards visit the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre to learn about conservation of the world’s smallest bear. There are currently 36 bears housed at the center, which have been rescued from poachers. The center has essentially taken large pieces of natural forest, and constructed barricades to ensure the bears can be brought back to health. At their own expense, guests have the opportunity to adopt a bear to ensure the programs - and the animals - survival.

After lunch (own expenses) depart Sepilok and enjoy a scenic 2.5 hour drive through the rustic countryside passing through local villages. The basic architecture of the villages is interesting, and the guide will also educate you about the various plantations and agricultural activities the people engage in.

On arrival at the pier, take a short boat transfer to Borneo Nature Lodge. Embedded deep in the Kinabatangan jungle, this lodge is entwined with the nature around it, and endemic species are frequently seen walking through the property. After an orientation and a drink by the river, embark on the afternoon safari at 1600. Heading up Sabah’s longest river, the Kinabatangan, you’ll have the opportunity to view wildlife and birds in a virgin rainforest habitat. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best places in Southeast Asia to observe wildlife.

Search for a variety of primates species including the endemic Proboscis Monkey, comically named by locals as the ‘Orang Beland’, after the dutch colonizers for their large noses and red faces. Other fauna that are likely to be spotted in the Lower Kinabatangan Reserve include pygmy elephants, hornbills, gibbons, and a vast variety of bird species. It’s highly recommended that you bring a pair of good binoculars and a zoom lens for your camera. Cruising through this vast stretch of rainforest brings about a sense of awe, as the massive scale of the nature that dates back millenia provokes not just contemplative thoughts about our place in the natural world, but a respect for the endemic species that have evolved to live in only this particular place on the planet. 

Ending around 1800 as the sun sets, return back to the lodge for your transfer back to Sepilok.

Overnight Sepilok

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast

📍 Sepilok – Sandakan (25km): 30mins Tour duration: approx. 4 hours

Today’s tour starts at 09:00. Meet your driver and guide for a transfer to Sandakan. On arrival in Sandakan walk to the Sandakan Memorial Park. Adjacent to the site of the original Sandakan Prisoner of War (POW) Camp, the park commemorates the sacrifice and suffering endured by both Australian and British soldiers who were held as prisoners by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945. 

Visit the Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple, located on a steep hilltop which offers magnificent views overlooking Sandakan Bay and the town centre. 

Visit the Agnes Keith house, an old British colonial government quarter, which was once occupied by famous American writer, Agnes Newton Keith, who penned Land Below The Wind in 1939. Today it has been turned into a heritage house, providing interesting insights into life during the time of British North Borneo. It is furnished with a reproduction of colonial furniture and antiques. A gallery on the first floor tells the story of this remarkable woman, her books and her family.

Agnes Keith was the author of three famous books, ‘Land Below the Wind’, ‘Three Came Home’ and ‘White Man Returns’ – semi autobiographical accounts of her life in Borneo in the mid-20th Century, when her husband Harry was the first conservator of the Forestry Department in Sabah. 

Stop at the nearby English Tea House for more spectacular views of Sandakan and enjoy a local lunch here. Located on the grounds of the Agnes Keith house, experience the lush greenery and cool breezes while you enjoy spectacular views of the town and bay.

Return to your hotel

Overnight Sepilok

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Sepilok – Sandakan Airport (25km): 30mins

Enjoy a leisurely morning before transferring to the airport for an onward journey.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast