Kinabatangan Wildlife Watching Safari

Day 1: Sandakan - Kinabatangan

8.30am - Depart Airport or hotel for the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

After meeting your driver and guide at the airport or your hotel, you will travel to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre to experience one of Borneo’s most captivating creatures. On arrival you will learn about the plight of these wonderful animals and the rehabilitation efforts. You will then venture through the rainforests to watch the orangutans feeding. During your visit, you’ll also get to observe young orangutans in the nursery. Here they develop their climbing and social skills in the hope of one day being able to return to the wild.

After visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre you’ll head to the nearby Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre to learn all about this wonderful species and see them in their natural habitat. Home to around 43 rescued animals and one captive born bear, the facility provides an environment where they can develop their independence and natural instincts in the hope of being released back into the wild.

11am - Depart for Kinabatangan River

An air-conditioned minivan will take you and your guide to Sandakan Jetty. Here you will board your boat to travel to Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort on the Kinabatangan River. Your journey will provide opportunities for sightseeing and wildlife spotting, as you’ll sail through verdant rainforest, passing waterside villages along the way.

1pm - Arrive at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort

On your arrival at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort you’ll check in and have time for lunch. You’ll then be briefed on the upcoming activities by the local guide, before having time in the afternoon to relax.

4.30pm - Kinabatangan River Cruise

After a few hours of free time, it’s back on the adventure trail with a cruise up the Kinabatangan River to seek out some of the wildlife that inhabits its banks, including proboscis monkeys, elephants, gibbons and hornbills. You’ll return to Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort for dinner, before being able to enjoy a stroll along the boardwalk in search of some of Sabah’s fascinating nocturnal animals.

Overnight at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort.

Day 2: Kinabatangan

6.30am - River Cruise to Kelenanap Oxbow Lake

Rise and shine early in preparation for a cruise to Kelenanap Oxbow Lake. This crescent-shaped body of water was cut off from the main river following a change of course. It now provides an excellent place to spot plants and animals.

8.30am - Local Fishing Village Visit

Sail on to Kampung Abai fishing village, where you’ll meet local Orang Sungai, a river people who inhabit the area, and learn all about their lives living on the waterway.

10am - Leisure Time

Return to Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort for breakfast and enjoy a day of leisure before venturing out in the afternoon to watch primate species at play by the river.

8.30pm - Night River Safari

After a hearty dinner you’ll set sail on a sensational night river safari to discover some of the rainforest’s phenomenal nocturnal inhabitants.

Overnight at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort.

Photograph by Clement Liew Ket Hin/Sabah Tourism Board