#orangutan #borneo #sabahmalaysia

Borneo is world famous for orangutans, so whilst I was in Malaysia it made sense to make the trip.

Borneo is split between Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo. This trip was to Sabah in Northern Malaysian Borneo. To be more specific, it was part of a 3 day/2 night trip to Sepilok (near Sandakan) and then to the Bornean jungle.

Sepliok is one of the most visited places in Borneo, primarily because of the orangutans. The main attraction is the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre which has around 40 square kilometres of rainforest (part of the KabiliSepilok Forest Reserve) and has been rehabilitating these great apes since 1964.

Link to website: https://www.orangutanappeal.org.uk/a...

They rescue orangutans that have often had their habitats destroyed by palm oil plantations, illegal logging and deforestation. It takes many years to teach them to climb, socialise and be ready to be rewilded, with the centre housing around 6080 orangutans.

For tourists, it's split into two main areas: the nursery where the young orangutans are looked after and the main feeding area where those orangutans living in the surrounding area come for food. The feeding times are the most popular times as this is the best chance of seeing orangutans and these happen at 10am and 3pm with centre for foreigners costing 30RM (about $6 USD) with an additional 10RM ($2) charge for cameras.

What was it like?

It was amazing to see orangutans in their environment, even in the nursery which was arguably less natural. They're obviously quite used to humans though also seemingly don't seem to care that we're there! It was also really interesting to see the young orangutans and how they integrated into the group (with some really struggling like the one in the thumbnail!).

One thing to note is that if you're looking for wild orangutans, this isn't quite it. This place is really popular so it's quite crowded, if you want completely wild orangutans you have to venture into the jungle like we did afterwards.

Would I fly a long way to visit just the rehabilitation centre? As cool as it was, probably not. It was great to visit and see what they are doing, but it also felt a little too convenient. The orangutans are 'free', but they come back for the food. Having said that, if you're going to Malaysian Borneo you're unlikely just going for the centre and it will be part of a larger trip.


Whilst you are there you can also visit the Bornean Sun Bear Conservatory. Honestly, I didn't really know what Sun Bears were and they weren't free to roam the rainforest. It's a nice bonus to see them though.

0:00 Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Borneo
1:10 Baby Orangutan with Mother
2:37 Orangutan feeding in Sabah, Borneo
4:03 Red Giant Flying Squirrels
6:14 Orangutan Nursery
9:21 Bornean Orangutans Feeding Time 2
10:13 Bornean Sun Bear Conservatory