Orangutans and canopy
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.
The layout
3 conservation facilities
Sepilok is a cluster of 3 distinct conservation and environmental education facilities operating next to each other. The Sabah Wildlife Department helps displaced Bornean orangutans transition back into the wild. Right next door, another facility rescues the Bornean sun bear from the illegal pet trade and the bile farming industry.
The Sabah Forestry Department manages the Rainforest Discovery Centre 2 kilometres down the road as the main entry point into the deeper Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. Together, these 3 places help you understand Borneo's ecology.
Wildlife and highlights
Sepilok highlights
- Watch rehabilitating orangutans and sun bears at 2 conservation centres.
- Walk a 347-metre steel canopy walkway to spot canopy birds.
- Stay in comfortable lodges with resident wildlife in landscaped gardens.
- Evening guided walks target red giant flying squirrels.
- Located a 45-minute drive from Sandakan Airport with reliable transport.
Seasonal orangutan viewing
Between November and February heavy monsoon rains make wild foraging harder so platform attendance spikes on most stays. From June through August the canopy often erupts with wild fruit.
Next steps
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.
Getting there
Sepilok Forest Edge Resort is roughly 30 minutes by road from Sandakan Airport. E-hailing applications are highly reliable for the transfer. From Sepilok the lodges can arrange private transfers onward to the Kinabatangan River. See getting there for details.
Alternatives
Other Sabah destinations
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.
Tabin Wildlife Reserve
A 122,500-hectare lowland reserve bordered by oil palm, Tabin is Sabah’s premier destination for night drives. The sharp forest edge concentrates small cats and civets along the boundary roads.
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.
Planning a Borneo Family Trip
The Kinabatangan river and the primary forest work beautifully for families when the itinerary respects the heat. This guide explains the age rules and the safest lodges.
The layout
Plan your Sepilok days
Tell the team when you want to travel if you are coming to Sepilok to see the rehabilitating orangutans.