Going Wild in Sabah

When you see an orangutan for the first time, there is an immediate connection. Thoughtful, curious, expressive, inventive, and genetically some of our closest relatives, these gentle apes go by many names, from the 'red ape' to 'old man of the forest', and my favourite, 'thinkers of the jungle'.

Orangutans are highly intelligent and show us fascinating behaviour and culture, but their rainforest habitat is highly threatened, so it's no wonder we feel such a connection to them. On our dedicated Borneo's Orangutans small group tour, we take a journey through Malaysian Borneo's finest wildlife reserves and orangutan hotspots.

Beginning with the renowned Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre we have our first encounters with the apes. Since 1964 hundreds of rescued orangutans have been helped to return to life in the forest through the centre which borders the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. A visit here not only provides intimate views and photography at the feeding station and walkways, but an inspiring insight into the centre's conservation, education, and rehabilitation work.

From here, we travel to the primate-rich Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, which sits in the upper floodplain of Sabah's longest river. We explore this wildlife haven by boat, and as we traverse the riparian forests, we can be confident of encountering orangutans in a truly wild setting. Here we'll hopefully be treated to the sight of them swinging effortlessly on vines through the canopy or feasting on a fruiting fig tree.

Orangutans are not the only wildlife highlight and in addition to Bornean pygmy elephants and numerous hornbills, there are many other primates including silvered, and maroon langurs, two species of macaque and the incredible proboscis monkey. These large monkeys with their characteristic oversized pendulous noses are captivating to watch as they make bold and impressive leaps between trees and across channels, sometimes landing with a loud crash into the next tree or even the water.

For our final location, we have saved the best forest until last, as we enjoy a 4-night stay at the high comfort Borneo Rainforest Lodge, situated in the heart of what must be South-east Asia's premier wildlife reserve, the Danum Valley. Covering over 400 square kilometres of virgin lowland rainforest, with immense dipterocarp trees reaching over 70 metres in height, and an extraordinary diversity of plants, insects and birds; just soaking up the sights, sounds and smells of this ancient rainforest is awe-inspiring.

The valley supports one of the highest densities of orangutans in Borneo with around 500 distributed across the reserve. Our encounters with them here can be more distant when at ground level as they're often 30 metres up in the canopy of the colossal trees. But through the network of excellent canopy walkways at our lodge, we can enjoy watching them at eye level in this incredible forest setting. During our time here, we'll no doubt wake to the sound of the heart-rendering songs of gibbons at dawn, discover the nocturnal wildlife of the forest after dark and leave with some of our most memorable orangutan sightings that will last a lifetime.

Find out more about our Borneo's Orangutan tour, or to book your place, contact our friendly team.