Sepilok

1 / 6

Three protected sites share the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve outside Sandakan, making this one of the most reliable places in Borneo to see its signature mammals up close without a long trek. The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre rescues and reintroduces orphaned orangutans, with viewing platforms at feeding time putting you within metres of them; next door, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre shelters Borneo's smallest and least-studied bear. Tying the reserve together is the Rainforest Discovery Centre, whose suspended canopy walkway and observation tower lift you into the treetop canopy by day, while its real highlight comes after dark — guided night walks along lit boardwalks that turn up tarsiers, slow lorises and civets rarely seen in daylight. Long-tailed macaques are a near-constant presence along the walkways themselves.