Arrival point
Sandakan
The coastal arrival point for eastern Sabah. Most travellers land and head straight into the forest but a morning here is essential for anyone tracing the 1945 history.
The town
Coastal arrival point
Sandakan is a working coastal town that functions as an arrival point. When you fly into Sandakan airport you are landing just 17 kilometres from the edge of the Kabili-Sepilok Virgin Jungle Reserve . Spend a morning exploring the war history before travelling onwards to the Kinabatangan River or the Sepilok wildlife reserves.
If you are coming to Sabah for the wildlife you do not need to spend a night in the town centre. The lodges at Sepilok and on the river are where you want to wake up. The team recommends landing, gathering your cash from the town ATMs and transferring immediately to your forest accommodation.
Highlights
What Sandakan offers
- The principal airport for the eastern lowlands connecting from Kota Kinabalu and Tawau.
- The airport is 17 kilometres from Sepilok's wildlife reserves and rehabilitation centres.
- The starting point for overland transfers to the Kinabatangan River.
- Sandakan Memorial Park occupies the former prisoner-of-war camp site.
- Withdraw cash in Sandakan before visiting Sepilok, which has no ATMs.
Duration
For wildlife, head straight to Sepilok for 2 or 3 nights near the reserves, with time for canopy walkways and dawn birding. For war history, plan 1 or 2 nights in Sandakan town.
Onward journeys
The wildlife reserves
From the airport or town centre, Sepilok is a brief drive west. The 4,362-hectare reserve has wildlife rehabilitation centres. If you are continuing to the Kinabatangan River for wild proboscis monkeys and elephants, your river lodge will coordinate your overland transport from Sandakan.
Flights and transfers
Fly directly into Sandakan from Kota Kinabalu or Tawau. E-hailing applications work reliably for the 17-kilometre drive from the airport to Sepilok. The local public bus departs the Sandakan terminal 4 times a day. See getting there for onward transport details.
Alternatives
Other wildlife locations
Sepilok
25 kilometres west of Sandakan, the Sepilok complex holds Sabah's principal orangutan and sun bear rehabilitation centres, set on the edge of a protected dipterocarp forest reserve.
Kinabatangan River
The Kinabatangan floodplain holds the highest concentration of wildlife in Borneo. This is where you go to track orangutans and proboscis monkeys from a boat.
Danum Valley
2.5 hours by road from Lahad Datu, Danum Valley is 438 square kilometres of lowland rainforest that was never logged with three very different places to stay inside it.
The town
Plan your Sandakan arrival
Tell the team your flight details and they will coordinate your airport transfers, war memorial visits and onward transport to the surrounding forest lodges.