If you've been to North Borneo, the Malaysian state of Sabah, Sepilok and Sandakan are the places you shouldn't miss. If you love wildlife and want to see long-nosed monkeys, sun bears, Borneo orangutans in their natural habitat in the rainforest, this is the best place on earth! Places to visit, transportation, accommodation in Sepilok and Sandakan You will find all the information you will need in this article, you only have to plan your trip!
What You Will Find In This Article
Sepilok and Sandakan Travel Guide
Sandakan is the second largest city in Sabah State. Travelers from all over the world come here to see the endemic species of North Borneo. To get login information about Malaysia and Sabah State 12 Reasons to Visit Malaysia's Sabah State ve 2-Week Itinerary for North Borneo (Morning) I recommend that you take a look at my articles.
Where are Sepilok and Sandakan and How to Go?
Sandakan is located in the State of Sabah, one of the two states of Malaysia located on the Island of Borneo. It is located in the northeast of the island, on the side facing the Sulu Sea. It is a 6-7 hour drive and 40 minute flight from Kota Kinabalu, the administrative center of Sabah State.
Sandakan has an airport. You can find direct flights to Sandakan Airport from Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu. It takes 40 minutes by plane from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, the number of flights is high and the plane tickets are affordable. For example, our ticket was 13 USD per person with Air Asia.
You can also travel by bus from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan. The bus journey takes about 7 hours and there are 4 buses a day. However, you cannot buy the bus ticket online. For this reason, you can make a reservation at the bus terminals or by phone when you go.
Sepilok is located 25 kilometers from Sandakan. To go from Sandakan to Sepilok, you can call a taxi via the Grab application or if you have arranged a stay in Sepilok, you can take advantage of the hotel's transfer service, many hotels offer this service.
Best Time to Go to Sepilok and Sandakan
There are no restrictions if you ask me for the best time to go to Sepilok and Sandakan. Every source I look at says a different interval for the best time. April, May and June are very hot and humid.
If you are visiting a place in the tropical climate zone, you should be prepared for rain, sun and humidity at any time. In Sepilok and Sandakan, the average temperature is 28 degrees in almost every month of the year. While the humidity increases in the summer, that is, the dry season, the risk of rain is high in the winter, that is, the rainy season. You can easily overcome these problems by taking a raincoat and / or umbrella with you. Go whichever fits your schedule.
Traveling Tip: Whenever you go to Sepilok and Sandakan, always have a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a rain jacket and a suitable outfit to protect your shoulders from the sun.
Where to Stay in Sepilok and Sandakan
If you came to Sandakan; Of course, there are accommodation options in Sandakan as well, but if you ask me, make your stay at Sepilok in the rainforest, intertwined with nature. We are in Sepilok with a magnificent landscape in the rainforest. Sepilok Nature Resort We stayed at the hotel. The rooms, the garden and the common area were all beautiful. We also got the meals at the hotel, they were also extremely delicious.
How Many Days to Spend Sepilok and Sandakan?
Our Sandakan route was as follows;
- Day XNUMX: Sandakan city center and Rainforest Discovery Center
- Day XNUMX: Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center
- and Day 4: Kinabatangan River
If we had more time, I would definitely add Labuk Bay Long Nose Monkey Sanctuary and Turtle Island to our itinerary. Why not another time? In other words, the number of days required depends on your schedule and the places you want to see, but I recommend you to spare at least 4 days for Sepilok and Sandakan, if you spare a week, you can visit the places to visit in Sepilok and Sandakan below without skipping any of the places.
Best Places to Visit in Sepilok and Sandakan
You will find the places we visited during our Sandakan and Sepilok trip and would like to visit if we had time, in the list of places to visit in Sepilok and Sandakan below. I hope you can see them all.
Sandakan Puu Jih Syh Buddhist Temple
Even though Sepilok is our main goal of coming to the region, we wanted to see a few important points to see in Sandakan. The first of these was the Puu Jih Syh Buddhist Temple. Although the temple, built as recently as 1987, has no historical value, its magnificent craftsmanship and architecture are striking, and it is also important because it is the largest Chinese Temple in Sandakan.
Another must-see of the temple is its location. It is worth coming to the temple for a wonderful view overlooking the Sulu Sea, floating houses and the islands opposite.
st. Michael's and All Angels Church
st. Michael and All Angels Church is one of the oldest stone churches in Sabah State and an important building as it is the first stone building of Sandakan. The church, which was built during the colonial period, is one of the few structures that survived without being destroyed in the Second World War. In the church you can see beautiful stained glass windows donated by the stained glass artist Philip Handel to commemorate the 2th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Sandakan Heritage Trail
Places to visit in Sandakan city center and places of historical importance are marked with red footprint stickers and white tiles, you can explore this route on foot in about two hours. Agnes Keith House, Sandakan Jamek Mosque, 100 steps of stairs, monuments and temples and St. Michael's and All Angels Church are places you can see on the walking path. My advice would be to walk this route close to sunset, otherwise it will be very hot.
When you come to Sandakan where there are floating houses Sim Sim VillageYou can also plan to go to the seaside and eat seafood by the sea.
Sandakan Memorial Park
You can also add Sandakan Memorial Park, which is located in the rain forest, to your list of places to visit in Sandakan. This is one of Sabah's most important memorial parks, which was built in memory of the Australian and British prisoners who lost their lives during the Second World War, we did not go.
Turtle Island National Park
If you want to enjoy the sea in Sandakan Region, you can evaluate the Turtle Island National Park, which you can reach by a one-hour boat ride from Sandakan. Selingan, Bakungan Kecil and Gulisan Islands are located in the national park. Currently, only Selingan Island is open for accommodation. In addition to enjoying the white sandy beaches and the sea, you can see the nesting areas of green and hawksbill turtles on the island. The exits to the island are restricted in order to protect the turtles, so I recommend that you make a reservation in advance.
Since we are using our island right for Sipadan Island, we did not include this place in our plan. The photo is from there.
Rainforest Discovery Center
The Rainforest Discovery Center is located in the center of Sepilok, 25 km from Sandakan. They have created a wonderfully beautiful space to get to know the rainforest. This is a center where you can explore right in the forest on bridges built 25 meters above the ground. It is a center especially preferred by bird watchers because it is possible to climb the towers on the canopy walkway and look at the birds more closely. We got the chance to see a flock of hornbills from the tower we climbed out of.
It is really enjoyable to walk among the incredibly tall trees, exotic birds flying loudly overhead as you walk, and monkeys jumping in the trees. This is not a zoo, all living things live freely and we humans watch them from afar. An important note; When you encounter monkeys, you should not make eye contact, there may be a risk that they may perceive you as a threat and attack you.
There are also paths arranged outside the bridges in the center, we chose one of the paths to see a huge tropical tree called Giant Sepilok. There is no security problem in the center, but you should not forget that you are in a wild forest. If you wish, you can also participate in night walks in the center, and you may have the opportunity to observe many creatures at night when they are still inactive. Since the animals are not active during the hot hours of the day, you will have the opportunity to see more animal species if you visit the center early in the morning or after 16:00 in the evening.
The Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Center is very close to the Orangutan and Sun Bear Centers, so you can easily visit them all on a day trip. When it comes to Sepilok, I recommend this place to be the first place to visit, they have created a very enjoyable space.
Entrance fee to the center is 20 RM for foreigners.
Traveling Tip: While visiting these national parks, take drinking water with you, there is no place to buy it. Don't forget to wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as the weather is humid and very hot. Also, I recommend you to choose thin but long clothes to avoid getting sunburned.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, the world's first and oldest orangutan rehabilitation center, was established in 1964.
The main reason we came to Sepilok was to be able to see the Borneo organangs, whom the Malays call forest man, in their natural habitat. Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center offers this opportunity to its visitors twice a day, at 10:00 and 15.00:XNUMX, by pouring the orangutans favorite fruits and vegetables at certain points. You can watch from a distance the orangutans and other monkeys coming to eat the spilled food. If you are lucky, they may pass you by while you are walking in the forest.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center was established for the care and reintroduction of orangutans who are injured in nature until the age of 10 or whose mothers are left behind and who cannot take care of themselves. An area has also been created where the orangutans being taken care of can be watched from behind a glassed section, it should not be thought that the orangutans are closed in the glass section, no, the people who are closed in the glass section are…
The center can be visited between 09:00-12:00 in the morning and 14:00-16:00 in the afternoon. The entrance fee is 30RM for foreigners and you have to pay an extra 10RM for the camera.
Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC)
If you want to meet the Borneo Sun Bears, the smallest bears in the world, all you have to do is enter through the side door of the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. Sun bears, the smallest bear breed in the world, got their name from the yellow sun-shaped spot on the underside of their necks.
Unfortunately, sun bears were used as pets, show animals. Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) finds and rescues these captive animals that are used for commercial pleasure, and they have the competencies they need in natural life; It helps them learn to climb, nest, forage, and socialize. If some bears found are injured, they are also treated at the center.
The best part of the center is that each bear's story is posted on information boards. visitors; They are directed to get information about both the sun bears and the bear species in the world, and they can walk on the walking paths where they can watch the bears from afar.
The center operates between 09:00 and 15:30, the entrance fee is RM 50 for foreigners.
Labuk Bay Long Nose Monkey Sanctuary
There is also a sanctuary for the Proboscis monkeys, known as proboscis-nosed or long-nosed monkeys native to Borneo. The shelter is located 25 minutes from Sepilok. We did not include this place in our plan as we would see many long noses on our trip to the Kinabatangan River, but if we did, we would have the opportunity to see it closer. Because we were able to see the river from quite a distance.
The center operates between 08:30 and 17:30, the entrance fee is Rm 60.
Gomantong Cave
As you head towards the Kinabatangan River from Sepilok, you will see the Gomantong Cave sign on the road. The most important feature of this cave is that it is one of the places where bird's nests are gathered to make bird's nest soup, which the Chinese love very much. Yes, the situation is quite interesting… During our Sabah trip, we did not visit the cave as it was under restoration. If anyone has seen it, please write it in the comments.
Kinabatangan River
A trip on the Kinabatangan River is one of the must-haves of Sandakan travel. The river, known as the Amazons of Asia, is home to a gigantic ecosystem with a length of 560 kilometers. It is possible to see many animal species native to Borneo in their natural habitat along the riverbank. It is possible to see crocodiles, long-nosed monkeys, orangutans, pygmy elephants, thousands of bird tours and many other animals along the river.
To see the natural life in the Kinabatangan River, you need to reach the city of Sukau with a car ride of a few hours from Sandakan or Sepilok. If you have arranged a riverside accommodation, your accommodation will also support you with transfer from Sepilok or Sandakan. If you are coming from Sepilok for a day, you can ask for support from the tour agencies in Sepilok or your hotel.
You can stay for one or a few nights in hut-style hotels on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, take a boat tour on the river and watch the animals mentioned above in their natural habitat. When you get accommodation, 06:00 in the morning and 16:00 in the evening, river cruise, 3 meals and tea and coffee service are included in your package. The name of our place Bilit Adventure Lodge was. The food, the staff, the room and the environment were extremely nice. It was a wonderful place where a giant lizard passed in front of us while we were having our breakfast and monkeys were walking around.
Sabah Tourism Board hosted us on this trip, Sepilok Tropical Wildlife Adventure agency provided our trips here. A big thank you to everyone who contributed and made our trip a great one. All the information you need about the Sabah region Sabah Tourism websitefor your private trips Sepilok Tropical Wildlife Adventure You can contact with.