Night drives and small cats
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.
Why go
The plantation edge
Covering 122,500 hectares of regenerating lowland forest bordered by oil palm estates, Tabin Wildlife Reserve concentrates nocturnal predators along its boundary roads. You will explore these agricultural edges on night drives using high-powered spotlights to look for resident leopard cats hunting in the scrub. Base yourself in a timber chalet at the only property inside the reserve, and you will appreciate the cold beer after walking the trails.
Gazetted in 1984 the reserve covers roughly 122,500 hectares in the centre of the Dent Peninsula. It consists largely of previously logged lowland dipterocarp forest. The defining ecological feature is the boundary. Tabin is a forest island encircled by mature oil palm estates.
This isolation creates a plantation-edge effect. The agricultural estates hold an artificially high population of rodents feeding on fallen palm fruit. That vast prey base acts as a biological magnet for adaptable predators. Research confirms that deep-forest species avoid the boundary while generalist meso-predators exploit it heavily. Leopard cats establish territories in the dense boundary scrub and venture into the plantations at night to hunt.
The boundary roads
The night drives are the primary reason to visit Tabin. The main access road and the Tomanggong Road trace the reserve's western boundary right along the agricultural edge. Spotlighting from a vehicle along these tracks yields extraordinarily high detection rates for nocturnal mammals.
The leopard cat is resident and seen on most stays. The common palm civet is highly abundant along the forest edge. Extended late-night drives regularly encounter Malay civets, small-toothed palm civets and the Sunda colugo clinging to vertical trunks. A clouded leopard is seen with luck on a night drive although Deramakot Forest Reserve offers better odds for this cat.
Standard packages include an early evening dusk drive and a post-dinner night drive in a shared open-backed truck. Shared drives follow a set timetable. Serious photographers need to book a private vehicle upgrade. A private vehicle allows for 4 to 6 hours of continuous spotlighting at your own pace. A typical private night drive runs from 8pm to 1am. The slow patrol allows you to scan the canopy and the palm-edge understory using high-powered spotlights.
The Lipad mud volcano
The active Lipad mud volcano is the focal point for daytime trekking. It sits a 20-minute walk from the vehicle drop-off point along the 700-metre Elephant Trail. This geological anomaly functions as a massive mineral-rich salt lick.
The wide bare mud clearing attracts mammals and birds seeking vital dietary nutrients. Bornean pygmy elephants use the site as a mineral lick in season. Sambar deer and various avian frugivores ingest the clay to neutralise toxins from their diet. The original wooden observation tower is currently closed for structural maintenance and a temporary scaffolding structure is in place to provide a vantage point while a new permanent tower is constructed.
You can also trek to the natural pools of the Lipad Waterfall for swimming. After the walk guests often take foot soaks using infused tropical jungle herbs.
The forest canopy
The reserve is an Important Bird Area harbouring over 300 documented avian species. The relatively low canopy of the regenerating dipterocarp forest provides excellent natural lighting for photography.
The canopy holds all 8 species of Sabah hornbills. The Rhinoceros, Black and Oriental Pied Hornbills are common. The critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill is present and heard calling on most mornings. The dense moist understory supports a superb pitta population. This includes the endemic Blue-headed Pitta and the Black-crowned Pitta. The Bornean bristlehead is present in the canopy though the canopy walkways at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok or at Danum Valley offer a much easier vantage point for spotting them.
The White-fronted Falconet is one of the world's smallest raptors and is seen frequently here alongside the Crested Serpent Eagle. Night birding often yields the Buffy Fish Owl near the resort structures.
Rainfall and trail mud
Sabah has no single dry season. Rain falls all year and never closes the forest. What changes is the trail mud. The Lahad Datu interior and Tabin region receive about 2,800 mm of rain a year. The green season runs roughly from November to February with the heaviest rainfall usually in December and January. The peak season runs roughly from March to October with April and May historically being the least wet months.
Your itinerary
Send the team your preferred dates and your group size. Tell the team if your focus is birding or night spotlighting so they can arrange the private vehicle upgrades and specialist guides. The team comes back with an itinerary showing exactly what can be arranged.
--- Sources referenced on this page: Sabah Wildlife Department, Mammal Study 51(3) 2026, Bringing Back Our Rare Animals. Facts verified 7 September 2026.
Wildlife & highlights
The wildlife populations
To plan a successful wildlife trip you need to know what has changed in the forest. Historically the Bornean bearded pig was among the most frequently encountered large mammals at Tabin. A landmark 2026 study published in Mammal Study confirms an African Swine Fever outbreak in late 2020 caused a 99 percent decline in bearded pig detections. The survey recorded 0 juveniles.
The Bornean banteng is a highly endangered wild cattle species with roughly 326 individuals left in Sabah. Tabin holds a remnant breeding herd. The conservation group Bringing Back Our Rare Animals manages this herd on remote artificial pastures deep within the reserve. These pastures are heavily protected core zones strictly off-limits to tourism.
Pairing it with Danum
The overland transfer
Your transfer to Tabin starts in the coastal town of Lahad Datu. AirBorneo operates daily flights into Lahad Datu Airport from Kota Kinabalu.
The overland journey from Lahad Datu to the resort takes about 1.5 hours to cover the 45 to 48 kilometres. A significant portion of this drive requires navigating gravel roads through the expansive oil palm plantations. Scheduled transfers depart Lahad Datu at 8am and 12pm daily. The outbound scheduled transfer departs Tabin at 1:30pm.
Combination trips
Related
Keep planning
Questions the team is asked
Clouded leopards are resident in Tabin and seen with luck through the dense secondary growth. If the clouded leopard is your primary target Deramakot Forest Reserve offers statistically better sighting odds due to its wide commercial forestry roads.
The jungle trails are unpaved, uneven and routinely muddy. Accessing the Lipad mud volcano requires a 20-minute trek. Guests staying in the Hill Chalets must be capable of climbing steep timber staircases.
Cellular coverage is highly intermittent and often non-existent. Guests are advised to prepare for prolonged periods with zero cellular connectivity. The Wi-Fi in the main communal areas suits light use.
The team highly recommends securing a private vehicle and guide upgrade. The standard shared open-backed trucks run on strict time limits. A private vehicle allows for extended night spotlighting and control over noise discipline.
Yes. Travelling overland from Semporna to Tabin takes about 3.5 hours. It is an excellent way to spend your mandatory 24-hour no-fly interval before flying out of Lahad Datu.
Plan your trip
Check dates at Tabin
Tell the team when you want to stay at Tabin Wildlife Resort to look for leopard cats on the boundary roads.