Visiting some of Borneo’s best mammal watching nature reserves and national parks, this small group tour provides opportunities to see a host of rare mammals including the possibility of encountering the elusive Sunda clouded leopard.
The itinerary begins in Sepilok where we have the opportunity to visit the world renowned orangutan rehabilitation centre before moving on to the Kinabatangan River. Here, we explore the river in search of proboscis monkeys, silvery langur, and, if we are lucky, Asian elephant.
We continue to Deramakot Forest Reserve for a seven night stay and with good reason – this is arguably the best location for seeing many of Borneo’s rarest mammals such as marbled cat, Malay sun bear, moonrat, otter civet and banded civet. However, if luck is on our side, the highlight of visiting Deramakot is an encounter with the Sunda clouded leopard – one of the world’s rarest cats. Despite being elusive and endangered, these majestic cats are still seen here by a lucky few each year.
Read Kate Humble's blog about her visit to Deramakot.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Depart UK
Depart the UK on an overnight flight to Sandakan via Kuala Lumpur.
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Day 2:
Arrive Sandakan
On arrival in Sandakan, we meet our local leader at the airport who will accompany us throughout the itinerary. We then transfer by road to our accommodation close to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, and the rest of the afternoon is free to relax around the lodge.
Accommodation: Sepilok Nature Resort, 1-night full board basis
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Day 3:
Visit Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary & transfer to Kinabatangan
After breakfast, we visit the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary to see these iconic primates and learn more about the rehabilitation and conservation work that happens here. Following our visit and a spot of lunch, we then transfer to the jetty to catch our boat transfer to the Kinabatangan River. We may see a variety of species as we head upstream, including proboscis monkey, grey-headed fish eagle, long-tailed macaque, Bornean bristlehead and silvered langurs.
We arrive at our accommodation in time for dinner and there may be an opportunity to look for some nocturnal species around the lodge later in the evening.
Accommodation: Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort, 2-nights
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Day 4:
Kinabatangan
We have the full day to explore the wetland wilderness of the Kinabatangan by boat. Heading out on to the water in the morning and afternoon, we maximise our chances of seeing the excellent wildlife this area of Sabah has to offer. Even more so, as we extend our afternoon boat cruise into the evening to spot some of the nocturnal species before returning to our accommodation.
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Day 5:
Gomantong Caves & Deramakot Forest Reserve
This morning we move on from the Kinabatangan and take a boat ride of around an hour and a half further upstream to the small village of Sukau. From here, we have a short drive to the remarkable Gomantong Caves, Sabah’s largest cave system and home to several species of bat and cave swiftlets.
From the caves, we proceed to the Deramakot Forest Reserve by road, taking around four hours. Arriving at our lodge in the late afternoon, we are free for the rest of evening after dinner as we prepare to explore this reserve and search for its excellent wildlife.
Accommodation: Deramakot Lodge, 7-nights
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Days 6-11
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Deramakot Forest Reserve
Over the course of the next six days we explore the Deramakot Forest Reserve to find some of Borneo’s rarest mammals. We take a series of daily walks and night drives in the reserve in order to maximise our opportunities to see the diurnal and nocturnal wildlife whilst returning to the lodge for our meals throughout the day.
During our night drives in particular, we will be looking for the Sunda clouded leopard – one of the rarest cats in the world. Deramakot is arguably the best place in the world for these incredible felines.
In addition to the mammals, there is a great deal of birdlife for us to enjoy as well as we explore the reserve. More than 250 species have been recorded here and it is possible to see more than 50 different species in a day.
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Day 12:
Return to Sepilok
We spend our final morning in the Deramakot to enjoy its wildlife one more time. Afterwards, we return to Sepilok by road, the journey taking approximately four hours.
Accommodation: Sepilok Nature Resort, 1-night
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Day 13:
Transfer to Sandakan & depart
Following breakfast, we are free until our transfer back to Sandakan Airport in the late morning, to check in for our return international flights back to the UK via Kuala Lumpur.
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Day 14:
Arrive UK
We arrive back into the UK early in the morning.
