Borneo's Orangutans

Tour Code: MYS02

An 11-day tour to the rainforests of Borneo in search of the endearing Orangutan and other wildlife.

11 days from
£5,395 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£4,595
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

There are few more endearing animals on the planet than the Orangutan, and the principal focus of our holiday will be this gentle and endangered great ape. We will visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, where we’ll see semi-wild Orangutans, many of which have been orphaned, in the latter stages of a rehabilitation process designed to allow their eventual release into the wild. We’ll then return to Sandakan and take a boat down the Kinabatangan River where we’ll hope to encounter wild Orangutans, troupes of Proboscis Monkey and perhaps Asian Elephant amongst the region’s riverine forest. We’ll then visit the Gomantong Caves before concluding our tour with a 3-night stay at the amazing Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley Conservation area, one of the finest wildlife lodges anywhere in the world!

  • Pristine rainforests, home to hornbills, malkohas, broadbills & pittas
  • Includes a visit to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok Reserve
  • Opportunity to see wild Orangutan plus troupes of Proboscis Monkey at Kinabatangan
  • Varied & colourful avifauna such as Storm’s Stork & endemic Bornean Bristlehead
  • The Gomantong Caves (for bats, Bat Hawks, swiftlets & possibly edible-nest harvesting)
  • Night-time excursions to look for Flying Squirrel, Buffy Fish Owl & other nocturnal wildlife
  • Led by an expert naturalist guide

 

 

Grading

Grade A. Gentle wildlife walks only.

There are surely few more endearing creatures in the world than that gentle rainforest giant, the Orangutan. A close affinity with Homo sapiens is obvious, and gazing into the solemn inscrutable features of an old male, or observing the impish behaviour of youngsters at play, it is easy to appreciate their evolutionary links with mankind. Sadly, in its native Sumatra and Borneo, the ‘old man of the forest’ has been subjected to relentless pressures which have reduced its world population by as much as 50% during the last 10 years to a meagre 25,000 animals. Hunting for meat and the demands of the pet trade have been contributory factors, but more significant has been the large-scale clearance of forest throughout the region, leaving dwindling habitats for the apes. The principal focus of our holiday will be Orangutans but, as we visit some of the most magnificent rainforests on Earth, we will also be entering the domain of many wonderful birds, mammals and insects, including another threatened primate, the bizarre Proboscis Monkey.

Our tour begins with a flight to Kuala Lumpur, the modern capital of Malaysia. From here we quickly progress by air to Kota Kinabalu, in Sabah, and thence to Sandakan where we drive a short distance to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. This extraordinary place was established in 1964 to help once captive or displaced Orangutans learn to fend for themselves back in the wild and, during our time at Sepilok, we will see every facet of the work carried out there. Everyone will undoubtedly fall in love with the wide-eyed and bewildered little orphan Orangs, which are regularly taken into care and exemplify the scale of the problem faced by the Centre, as adult apes are ruthlessly slain to facilitate the felling of more trees. Returning to Sandakan we take a boat along the Kinabatangan River to spend three nights at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge. As we explore the river tributaries and hidden oxbow lakes we will be hoping to encounter our first wild Orangutans foraging in the riverine forest. We will also no doubt be observed by troupes of potbellied and comic-looking Proboscis Monkeys, another animal threatened by forest clearances. After making the initial acquaintance of Sabah’s stunning birdlife around Sepilok, we now have the opportunity to consolidate this experience as we meet hornbills, pittas, kingfishers, broadbills, woodpeckers and many other representatives of the very extensive avifauna. The rare Storm’s Stork is occasionally recorded at Sukau, and we also have a chance of glimpsing Asian Elephants at the river edge.

An excursion to the legendary Gomantong Caves will bring alive scenes familiar from TV documentaries as numerous swiftlets dash into these vast cathedral-like cave systems, their nests forming the unlikely basis of ‘bird’s-nest soup’, and at dusk there is a spectacular exodus of several million bats which emerge like plumes of smoke to fan out over the surrounding ocean of trees. We conclude our tour at the Danum Valley Conservation Area, where we spend three nights at the superbly situated Borneo Rainforest Lodge. The Danum Valley contains one of the last remaining tracts of primary lowland dipterocarp forest and is renowned as one of the very best natural history sites in south-east Asia. We have a very good chance of finding more Orangutans in the forests here, indeed all 10 species of primate found in Sabah have been recorded in the Danum Valley, together with a quite remarkable selection of mammals, birds and reptiles. As is usual in such forest habitats, many of the inhabitants are difficult to find or nocturnal in habits but we are assured many exciting observations as we explore this wonderful habitat.

The prolific birdlife includes a number of pheasants, eight species of hornbill, the endemic Bornean Bristlehead and a whole host of other Asian specialities. Mention should also be made of the many exotic butterflies which occur in a diversity of colour and form to enhance every day in the field. At the end of this memorable tour we will have learnt much about Orangutans and hopefully enjoyed the rare privilege of watching them in the wild.

 

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Depart London
Day 2
Arrive Kota Kinabalu and fly Sandakan. Overnight Sepilok
Day 3
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Day 4/6
Kinabatangan River
Day 7/9
Danum Valley
Day 10
Depart Kota Kinabalu
Day 11
Arrive London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    Comfortable eco-lodges, all rooms with private facilities.

  • Food:

    Included in the price, except for any meals required in Kota Kinabalu. Allow £10.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 2nd Sep – Fri 12th Sep SPACES £5,495
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,695
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£995
Fri 5th Sep – Mon 15th Sep FULL £5,395
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£4,595
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
Female sharing available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£795 
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Mammal Watching Holidays


Many of the world’s mammals are instantly recognisable to us. Animals such as Lions, Tigers, elephants and bears capture our imaginations from an early age. At Naturetrek, we take great pleasure and pride in helping people to fulfil their lifelong dreams of seeing these iconic species in the wild. We also enjoy introducing our clients to some of the world’s more unusual mammals, many of which are just as fascinating.


Naturetrek Mammal Watching Tours


Many of our tours have a primary focus on mammals and we offer the widest choices of mammal-watching holidays across the globe, from the poles to the tropics. Our holidays are guided by at least one professional naturalist tour leader and usually benefit from additional guiding by expert local naturalist guides. We have holidays to see an incredible range of the world’s most sought-after mammals, such as orangutans, lemurs, bats, polar mammals, big cats, and mammals of the African savannah. A significant number of tours also targets some of the planet’s more unusual and elusive species, from pottos and pangolins to slender lorises and obscure cetaceans.


Here’s a selection of our mammal tours:



Bargain mammal selection


We offer a range of action-packed bargain holidays for the dedicated mammal enthusiast, which are exceptional value for money, from Belize to Zambia.




Our specialist recommends...







"Africa is perhaps the greatest continent for mammal-watching. I would recommend 'Botswana’s Desert & Delta (Mammals)' for combining stunning scenery and wildlife. We also offer a tour to Uganda which includes a chance to see Mountain Gorillas. And India, along with Tigers, has a superb variety of mammals. Closer to home, short breaks to Spain in search of Wolves and Iberian Lynx are hard to beat.”

Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager




  


All Mammal Watching Tours

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Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!

Related Articles

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Borneo’s Wonderful Wildlife!
Borneo’s Wonderful Wildlife!

In October 2018, Operations Manager, Tom Mabbett, led our ‘Borneo's Mammals – Deramakot Forest Reserve’ tour to Sabah, and then extended his stay to explore Tabin Wildlife Reserve and to visit Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley Conservation Area. Here he describes the highlights of his trip and answers some commonly-asked questions about the island and its wildlife