Orangutans and a Jungle Boat Cruise

Borneo Orangutans

During this module you'll visit the world famous Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre where you'll stand face-to-face with adorable young primates. You'll also expore the wonders of the emerald forests when you leave the mainland and sail across Borneo's longest river, deep into the jungle and away from civilisation. No other spot on Borneo features such a wide variety of wild animals: monkeys (proboscis and gibbons), monitor lizards, crocodiles, hundreds of species of tropical birds and if you're lucky you may even see wild elephants or orang-utans. You'll spend the night deep in the heart of the jungle. As in an Indiana Jones movie, you'll watch the sun start to sink in the horizon as you sail slowly past the wooded shores of the jungle while enjoying the incredible experience of being surrounded by wilderness.

Duration:	3 days /2 nights	Accommodation:	wooden jungle chalets Accommodation category 3
Price:	from $759 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes:	bus and boat transfers to and from Sandakan, entrance fees, jungle river safaris , 2 nights accommodation, meals: 2 x breakfast - 3 x lunch - 2 x dinner
Transport:	(mini)bus and boat

Day 1 - Sandakan - Sepilok - Kinabatangan - Sukau

For todays encounter with the Borneo orangutans you'll be picked up in the morning at your hotel or at Sandakan Airport for the 30 minute drive to the world famous Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. The centre prepares, mostly young, orang-utans that have been orphaned by deforestation for an independent life in the wild. At 10:00am it's feeding time and you'll be able to see the adorable primates come out of the jungle to eat as much fresh fruit and nuts as they want. As you enter the park you'll be greeted by several older 'ladies' who actually quite enjoy the centre and aren't in any hurry to return to the jungle. They love meeting people and will quite likely strike a pose when they see your camera. Aside from primates, you'll also see Sumatra rhinos and elephants in the park.

From Sepilok you'll drive to Sandakan Harbour where you'll leave the mainland behind you and board a boat for an incredibly beautiful ride across the Kinabatangan River, Sabah's longest river. This area is teeming with (proboscis) monkeys and you may even see orang-utans and elephants out and about. On the water's edge you' ll see colourful, tropical birds staring endlessly into the water in search of a nice bite to eat. Along the way, you'll have lunch in a small Abai village and then you'll sail to Sukau where you'll check into your charming, wooden jungle lodge. Late in the afternoon you'll go on a relaxing cruise on the Menangul River and you'll be able to watch the animals come to life as the sun goes down. The sunset itself is amazing from here! In the evening you'll have dinner at your lodge.

Day 2 - Sukau

Where else but here would you be awakened by screeching gibbon monkeys and the sounds of hornbills. Early in the morning you'll sail towards nearby lakes where you'll slowly see the animals on the shores will come to life. You'll see otters, large lizards, crocodiles and of course very many monkeys. Later on in the morning you'll sail back to your lodge for breakfast. In the afternoon you can either go for a walk or just sit back and relax with a good book on your porch. Late afternoon you'll sail off in search of wild animals. Once the sun begins to set you'll sail back to the lodge for dinner and you'll spend your last night of the Borneo orangutan tour in the jungle lodge.

Day 3 - Sukau - Sandakan

After a relaxing start of your day and breakfast, you'll sail for about 2.5 hours until you reach Sandakan. If you look up high and the trees, you'll see the monkeys looking down on you as they scurry about. Once you arrive in Sandakan you'll visit a traditional village of stilted houses where the Kadazan tribe lives. Anything and everything is available to you at the industrious and colourful Sandakan market; you're sure to leave with a least a few souvenirs extra. After lunch in a local restaurant you may want to look around before driving on to the elevated Chinese Puu Jih Syh temple. The temple offers an incredible view of Sandakan Bay. Late in the afternoon you'll be taken to the airport or your hotel.

Option: spot sea turtles on Turtle Island

Orangutans, Turtle Eggs and a Jungle Boat Cruise
3 days/ 2 nights

If you'd like to see even more of the local wildlife then you can change your itinerary to include a visit to Selingan to spot sea turtles. This addition isn't exactly an extension; instead you’ll spend one night in the jungle lodge in Sukau and 1 night in a resort on Selingan Turtle island.

On Day 1 you’ll take the boat from Sandakan to Selingan (1 hour). On arrival you can settle to your chalet and have some lunch at the resort restaurant. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming in the sea or snorkelling. After dinner you’ll be picked up by the local ranger and walk down to the stretch of the beach where turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Sometimes they appear at 8pm, sometimes you have to wait patiently till after midnight. If you’re lucky you can help the ranger release the newly emerged baby turtles safely into the ocean. You'll spend the night on the island before returning to Sandakan the following day boat. From Sandakan you'll continue on to the Sepilok Orangutan centre and enjoy a boat ride into the jungle to Sukau for one night as described above. After breakfast on Day 3 you’ll travel back to Sandakan for a visit to a traditional stilted village of the Kadazan tribe, and the lively local market. Price: from $819 per person - based on 2 people sharing.

After this impressive adventure, you can choose to also explore the deep blue underwater world of Sipadan during a stay on Mabul Island. You can also choose to fly to Kota Kinabalu, where you can relax and unwind after your jungle experiences.

Accommodation images

Borneo orangutan tour - Light, bright accommodation Borneo orangutan tour - Clean and comfortable

Tips

Best time to travel
This Borneo orangutan tour module is appropriate for any time of year.

Gomantong Caves
Approximately 32km south of Sandakan lies the largest cave system in Sabah. If you decide not to visit the Gunung Mulu National Park caves on Sarawak, then you should certainly try to visit these caves.

Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre
Deforestation and poachers have caused many young orang-utans to become orphans. This centre cares for the orphaned primates and prepares them for their release into the wild. This is done in various different ways and the primates are cared for at different levels, two of which you'll be able to experience. At the first level you'll see the smallest primates learning essential skills such as climbing. Normally young orang-utans would have learned this from their mothers. You'll then go on to visit the second level where monkeys live independently and are only dependent on food from human beings. At the final level, there is little to none human intervention before the primates are returned to the wild. This level is not accessible to visitors.... Find out more about the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.

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