Best things to do in Sandakan (Borneo)
The reason everyone comes to Borneo is to see the Orangutans! And the most famous place to do that is in Sandakan, home of Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre. Unfortunately there is so much felling of rainforest to plant trees for palm oil that these amazing creatures are threatened even more. As we drove around the town and out to the wildlife centres, you pass miles and miles of these palm trees instead of rustic rainforest. It’s an education in itself listening to the guides and locals who care so much about the preservation of this area and are trying to protect the wildlife. And it’s not just the Orangutans, this area of Borneo offers visits to see Proboscis monkeys, Sun Bears, fire flies and turtle hatching (the latter two we didn’t have time for, but heard that it’s recommended - Kinabatangan and Turtle Islands respectively).
On arrival in Sandakan, which is accessible by flight from KK, Kuching and K-L, the small airport is around 30 minutes drive from ‘the main attractions’. If flying from KK, you’ll likely fly over Mount Kinabalu on this 40 minute ride to the other side of Sabah. We only stayed here for 2 nights as we wish we had done 3 or 4.
Our home for this part of the trip was the Sepilok Edge Forest Resort which I can’t recommend enough. There is a small pool to cool down in (think kids pool) and the food at the restaurant is exceptional - which is a relief as there isn’t a huge amount around in terms of restaurants. There are small bedroom villas among the rain forest and then the restaurant is the centre of the hotel where everyone meets in the evening. It is very family friendly to the kids made friends and played games together whilst the adults shared travelling tales and recommendations.
Sandakan is all about the wildlife and there are 4 centres to share with you in this blog.
First up is the Proboscis monkey sanctuary at Labak Bay sanctuary, around 30 minutes from our hotel. We got a Grab there but we also booked them for the return so they waited for us whilst we explored as getting a Grab at the end of the day can be difficult so very much worth keeping this in mind. It wasn’t a lot to pay for the waiting time and the driver sat and had a coffee for the couple of hours we were there.
As well as seeing all the proboscis monkeys, some of which came very close, we saw a monitor lizard, silver leaf monkeys and kingfishers. The visiting times are generally scheduled around feeding time so check these out before you leave as well.
The second monkey sanctuary to share with you is of course the Sepilok Orangutan rehabilitation. This is very much a centre for nurturing and ooking after these creatures so don’t expect them to be swinging about in the wild - but they need this help. There are 2 sessions each day, 9-12 and 2-4 and the visit starts with a visit to the nursery to see the younger and weaker orangutans, followed by a walk into the wilder area where there older, fitter ones come for feeding time (10am and 3pm) and to swing from the ropes in front of you. There is a lot of jostling for position from both the adults and the kids to get a good view, and it does get busy. The afternoon was probably slightly quieter. Tickets are £6 per person and there is a £2 per camera fee as well!
When you have finished with the Orangutans you can head to the Sun Bear conservation centre which was a massive hit with Alicia - she still talks about them being the worlds smallest bear and their white v-neck markings. This is a good place to fill the two hours between the Orangutan opening hours and coincides with feeding time (head there a bit before 2). There is a education centre and then you walk along wooden walkways to see the sun bears, hear from the guides, and there is also a small shop. The centre is directly over the road from the Orangutans too. Entry is only £2 per adult and opening times are 9am-3pm daily.
The final place worthy of a visit in Sepilok is the Rainforest Discovery Centre. There is also the option to do escorted night time treks, but we opted for day light hours given our small legs and baby carrying gear! The skywalk through the canopy are all metal and so very sturdy and you get some amazing views of the tree canopy and also at ground level on the various hiking trails there is plenty to see. This time our wildlife haul included flying squirrels and black squirrels. There is also a long bridge over the lake which Alicia enjoyed running along whilst it wibbled and wobbled! Again their is an education centre to learn more about the rainforest and why it is so important to us and at only £4 entry and under 5s going free, this is a good half day trip out.
