Sepilok

Why go

Three conservation facilities

Set 25 kilometres west of Sandakan, the Sepilok complex borders a 4,362-hectare protected dipterocarp forest reserve. Seeing orangutans and sun bears is a realistic target at the two centres helping them learn to live wild again. The lodges sit right against the forest boundary, where red leaf monkeys and hornbills are resident.

Sepilok is a cluster of 3 distinct conservation and environmental education facilities operating next to each other. The Sabah Wildlife Department runs the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The centre was established in 1964 to help displaced apes transition back into the wild. Because orangutans share over 97 percent of their genetic makeup with humans, they are exceptionally vulnerable to diseases passed on by people. Right next door is the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. This facility rescues Malayan sun bears from the illegal pet trade and bile farming. 2 kilometres down the road, the Sabah Forestry Department manages the Rainforest Discovery Centre as the main entry point into the deeper Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve.

Together, these 3 places give you a structured introduction to Borneo's ecology. You walk on maintained boardwalks and engineered steel gantries. The animals you see at the feeding platforms are semi-wild rehabilitants coming out of the forest for supplementary food. The reserve itself was gazetted in 1931 and now covers 4,362 hectares of protected dipterocarp forest. It is dominated by massive yellow seraya and menggaris trees. The local foliage is exceptionally high in complex fibres and phenolic compounds which influences the dietary patterns of the resident monkey populations.

Sepilok in perspective

Sepilok is the best place to make seeing an orangutan or a sun bear a realistic target. The rehabilitation centres do vital work and provide close viewing angles that are impossible in the primary rainforest. It is important to know what you are looking at. The apes and bears here are learning to live wild again so the encounters are managed. You watch from designated observation galleries alongside other visitors.

If you want to photograph wild animals behaving naturally in unmanipulated environments, you should sequence Sepilok with a boat safari on the Kinabatangan River or a stay in Danum Valley. Sepilok teaches you the biology and prepares you to appreciate the fleeting glimpses of wild apes you get deeper in the interior.

The orangutan rehabilitation centre

The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre operates a phased release programme. The outdoor nursery is where juvenile orangutans practise essential skills like nest building and climbing. You watch this area through a glass-enclosed observation building. This physical barrier is a strict biosecurity measure designed to stop human respiratory viruses and soil-borne pathogens passing to the apes. Active veterinary surveillance constantly monitors the apes for orangutan malaria.

The main event is the feeding platform with sessions at 10am and 3pm. Rangers provide a repetitive diet of milk, bananas and bland root vegetables. This lack of variety is a deliberate strategy to encourage the orangutans to forage in the reserve for vastly superior wild fruits and insects. The orangutans choose when to return for supplementary food as they learn to forage independently. During the wet months between November and February, wild foraging becomes harder and platform attendance spikes on most stays.

The centre enforces strict rules. Camera fees apply for standard equipment. Long telephoto lenses attract a professional camera fee so check the current lens threshold before arriving. You must maintain a 10-metre distance from any free-ranging orangutans you meet on the boardwalks.

The sun bear conservation centre

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre shares a car park with the orangutan centre. Opened to the public in 2014, the facility focuses on the rescue, rehabilitation and eventual release of the Malayan sun bear. Visitors stand on 2 elevated canopy walkways looking down into massive forested enclosures where rescued bears forage on the forest floor. The viewing distance is typically 10 to 30 metres downward through the mid-canopy foliage. For photographs, watch the contrast between the dark understorey and the dappled sunlight piercing the canopy.

The centre enforces a strict code of silence on the platforms to respect the auditory sensitivity of the recovering animals. There are no scheduled public feeding times. You have continuous viewing opportunities from 9am to 3:30pm daily.

The Rainforest Discovery Centre

Administered by the Sabah Forestry Department, the Rainforest Discovery Centre is the main entry point into the Kabili-Sepilok Virgin Jungle Reserve. The centrepiece is a massive 347-metre rigid steel canopy walkway standing 25 metres above the forest floor. Unlike swaying rope bridges, this structure is completely stable and vibration-free. This makes it secure for families and perfect for mounting heavy camera tripods. It provides an elevated vantage point giving you eye-level access to the forest canopy.

The RDC runs evening guided walks from 6pm to 8pm. You need to book these at the counter by 5pm. The walks typically start at the canopy towers to observe the dusk launch of the red giant flying squirrel. These large rodents are a realistic target as the light fades and glide between the emergent tree crowns. Biomechanical studies show they launch from average heights of 28.5 metres and glide between the dipterocarp crowns. If you venture deeper, the Kabili Trail is a 20-kilometre round trip requiring a specific permit and offers a jungle trek through humid forest and dense understorey vegetation.

Walkways and observation hides

Sepilok is a premier birding destination. The RDC canopy walkway provides eye-level access to a zone supporting over 300 avian species. The ultimate target for ornithologists is the Bornean bristlehead. This bird has no close relatives. It travels the canopy in noisy parties and is seen with luck from the walkway. Rhinoceros hornbills, black hornbills and Wallace's hawk-eagles are a realistic target from the gantry.

Deep along the Pitta Trail, a purpose-built observation hide draped in camouflage netting provides ground-level access. Opened in 2024, this facility gives you a realistic target for photographing the endemic Sabah partridge. The immediate grounds of the lodges also act as productive extensions of the reserve. Stork-billed kingfishers and broadbills are resident in the landscaped gardens.

The best birding window falls between March and May when drier conditions trigger breeding behaviour across many species.

Forest edge lodges

You have excellent choices right on the edge of the reserve. This allows you to walk to the centres and avoid daily transport logistics.

Sepilok Nature Resort is the most established premium option. It is built around a tranquil natural lake and the sprawling gardens are landscaped with over 150 species of Asian orchids including the massive giant tiger orchid. You stay in comfortable wooden chalets with air-conditioning and en-suite hot showers. Because there is no perimeter fence, wild orangutans and reticulated pythons are resident in the area and traverse the property on most stays. The lake and flowering forest edge draw birds into the gardens.

MY Nature Resort borders the forest boundary and features a proprietary 300-metre raised timber boardwalk winding through a private patch of secondary forest. This private trail culminates in a multi-tiered viewing deck optimised for watching flying squirrels launch at dusk. This helps you avoid the crowds at the RDC towers.

Sepilok Forest Edge Resort uses recycled timber salvaged from 1940s Sandakan houses alongside heavy iron-casted windows from World War II-era structures. The premium chalets feature outdoor waterfall showers and traditional Malay doors secured by sliding wooden blocks. The property operates an excellent restaurant serving Bornean contemporary cuisine ranging from local raw fish dishes to oxtail. Wi-Fi is available in the central public areas and The Nest restaurant. The plunge pool maintenance notice covered November 2025 to March 2026; the lodge confirms the current arrangement when you book.

Sepilok Jungle Resort gives you another place to stay right next to the orangutan centre. If reliable broadband or step-free access decides your choice, the team can help you choose a town hotel in Sandakan.

The road from Sandakan

Sepilok Forest Edge Resort is roughly 30 minutes by road from Sandakan Airport. E-hailing applications are highly reliable for the transfer. If you arrive by bus at the Mile 14 Sepilok junction, arrange your lodge pickup ahead of time.

You should allocate a minimum of 2 nights to Sepilok. A stay of 3 nights gives you a buffer against tropical downpours and allows for multiple dawn ascents to the canopy walkway. From Sepilok the lodges can arrange private transfers onward to the Kinabatangan River or Danum Valley.

Families, birders and first-time visitors

Sepilok suits first-time visitors wanting an accessible introduction to Bornean wildlife. It is perfect for families, birders wanting stable canopy access and photographers looking to test their gear before heading into the deep interior. The maintained boardwalks make it easy to navigate. If you want the thrill of tracking completely wild animals by boat or on foot, you should treat Sepilok as your starting point and head south afterwards.

Your Sepilok trip

If seeing orangutans up close is what you are coming for, tell the team your dates and party size. They will come back with a route that sequences Sepilok with the deeper rainforests of the interior.

--- Sources referenced on this page: Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department. Facts verified 8 September 2026.