Sepilok: orangutans, sun bears and a canopy at dawn

In the forest outside Sandakan, orphaned orangutans learn to be wild again, the world's smallest bears sun themselves on tree trunks, and a canopy walk lifts you to the hornbills' level.

Area

Sandakan & Sepilok

Start from

Sandakan

Distance

about 25 km

Time needed

1–2 days

Best season

All year

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Flight from KK to Sandakan, then taxi or bus

Tickets & rules

Entry tickets for each centre; camera fee may apply

Why go

The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is one of the most visited places in Sabah, and with good reason. Young orangutans orphaned by forest clearance or the illegal pet trade are raised here and slowly taught the skills they need to survive. Twice a day, at a feeding platform in the forest, they come swinging in through the trees for bananas and milk, along with some older, semi-wild individuals and the occasional cheeky macaque.

Across the car park, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre does the same work for sun bears, the smallest bears in the world, with a short black coat, long claws for tearing open termite nests, and an orange-gold patch on the chest that's different on every bear. You watch them from raised walkways as they climb, dig and doze in a forest enclosure.

Ten minutes' walk away, the Rainforest Discovery Centre has a canopy walkway and towers looking out over the trees. Come early, when birds are most active; with luck you'll see hornbills, broadbills or a flying squirrel gliding at dusk.

The story

The orangutan centre was founded in 1964, among the first such programmes anywhere. The idea was simple and hard: raise orphans until they can live independently in the 43 square kilometres of protected forest of the Kabili-Sepilok reserve. Some return to the feeding platform for years, some disappear into the forest for good, and occasionally former residents return with babies of their own.

Orangutans are one of the great apes, and their name means 'person of the forest' in Malay. Bornean orangutans are critically endangered, mainly because of habitat loss. A mother usually raises a single baby for six to eight years, which is why their numbers recover so slowly.

The sun bear centre was founded by the Malaysian biologist Wong Siew Te, who studied sun bears in the wild and found almost nothing was being done for them. It opened to the public in 2014. Many of its bears were kept illegally as pets, bought as cubs; adult sun bears are strong and can't be kept safely, so they need a place to go.

Getting there

Fly from KK to Sandakan (about 45 minutes) or take the long bus ride across the state (around six hours). Sepilok is about 25 km from Sandakan town and close to the airport; taxis and ride-hailing cars go there easily.

Buses on the Sandakan–KK highway can also drop you at the Sepilok junction, from where it's about 2 km to the centres.

A suggested plan

1. 7:00 amRainforest Discovery Centre canopy walk while birds are active.
2. 9:00 amOrangutan centre: nursery viewing and the morning feeding.
3. 11:00 amSun Bear Conservation Centre.
4. LunchEat at the café by the centres or one of the lodges nearby.
5. 3:00 pmAfternoon feeding at the orangutan platform, then a night walk at the Discovery Centre if offered.

Where to stay

There are several jungle lodges and guesthouses right around Sepilok, which makes early mornings and evening walks easy. Sandakan town is also a base, about 30 minutes away.

Good to know

• Check feeding times locally; they're usually around 10 am and 3 pm but may change.
• Don't bring bags into the orangutan reserve area; there are lockers.
• The afternoon feeding is often quieter than the morning one.
• Bring a lens of 200 mm or more if you want close photos.