Borneo: Sepilok and Sukau (4 days)

Sepilok and Sukau

Day 1 - Fly to Sandakan; drive to Sepilok and visit the Orang-utan Sanctuary

Today, fly to Sandakan and from here make the short drive to Sepilok and the orang-utan sanctuary before continuing onto our jungle resort. Sepilok is home to the largest of the three orang-utan rehabilitation centres in the world. Covering over 4000 hectares of forest, the centre was established in 1964 to rehabilitate captured, injured or abandoned apes. So far about 100 ‘wild men of the forest’ have been brought to the centre, and there has been remarkable success with up to 75% having returned to the jungle. The animals are taught how to make nests and how to survive in their natural habitat. About twenty regularly come to feed though not always at the same time. We plan to visit the centre in time for feeding when, along with the permanent members, pregnant mothers who otherwise live in the jungle, often come to supplement their diet and return after the birth of their young. (Entrance fees for your own account.) Overnight lodge. (Room Only)

Day 2 - Visit Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary; drive Sukau

We spend our morning back at Sepilok with free time for taking walks in the jungle. In the afternoon we drive to Sukau. The freshwater swamp forest around Sukau is home to myriad wildlife such as tree snakes and birds such as frogmouth, bulbul and hornbill. Sunset boat trip along the river. Overnight lodge accommodation. (Half Board)

Day 3 - In Sukau; visit ox-bow lake

Unlike other areas in Sabah, the Kinabatangan River has remained relatively unaffected by the rapacious logging unfortunately so prevalent elsewhere, mainly because the land is permanently waterlogged and there are few commercially valuable trees there. The river meanders through a flood plain and creates many ox-bow lakes making an ideal environment for wildlife viewing. On our cruise this morning, we may see crocodiles warming themselves in the morning sun and some of the other birdlife such as egret, storm’s stork, oriental darter and oriole. Later in the afternoon as the sun starts to go down on our second boat cruise, we hope to spot the long nosed proboscis monkeys which converge on tree tops by the river banks to settle for the night. Overnight lodge accommodation. (Full Board)