Visitor rules
Sabah Wildlife Law and Permits
Sabah enforces strict environmental laws and permit rules across its rainforests and marine parks. This guide explains what the law requires of a visitor.
Visitor rules
State environmental laws
Sabah treats environmental protection seriously. Acts that might be seen as minor oversights elsewhere carry severe legal consequences here. Taking a shell from a marine park, entering a sanctuary without permission or an authorised guide or flying a drone without the required approvals can lead to fines or imprisonment.
The laws exist to preserve delicate habitats from pressure and to stop the trafficking of endangered species. The primary legislation includes the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, the Forest Enactment 1968 and the Parks Enactment 1984. As a visitor, you need to follow the rules of each protected area you enter. Ignorance of the local statutes is never accepted as a defence . When you book through an established operator, the necessary entry paperwork is arranged before you arrive.
Further reading
Other planning guides
Sabah's rules exist to keep the forests intact and the reefs healthy for the future. Understanding them before you arrive makes the journey smoother.
Danum Valley Entry Rules
Read access protocols and document requirements for a week in the 438-square-kilometre primary forest.
Getting to Danum Valley
2 hours from Lahad Datu on a dirt road.
Sipadan Diving Guide
A strict permit system regulates daily diver numbers on the offshore coral walls.
Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Riverside timber chalets and a canopy walkway.
Danum Valley Study Centre
The station offers simple rooms and extensive jungle trails 81 kilometres from Lahad Datu.
Related
Keep planning
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.
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.
Sipadan Island
An oceanic island rising from deep water in the Celebes Sea, Sipadan is Sabah's flagship dive site. It is protected by a strict permit system with no accommodation on the island itself and offers exceptional encounters with schooling barracuda, reef sharks and turtles.
Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Situated on the Danum River inside a primary rainforest of a lineage some 130 million years old, this 31-chalet lodge offers high-end comfort and expert wildlife guiding 2.5 hours from Lahad Datu.
Visitor rules
Plan your rainforest itinerary
Contact the team to arrange your access paperwork and secure the mandatory entry permits for your week in Danum Valley.