orangutan trips borneo

Orangutan tours in beautiful Borneo

Make a difference to borneo's wildlife, travel through the wild untamed lands of beautiful borneo with orangutan trekking tours, imagine a place that is spiritual and wild, colourful and mysterious, and full of tantalising secrets. this is beautiful borneo..

• Wild Orangutans
• Bornean bearded Pigs / Wild Boar
• Black handed Gibbons
• Proboscis monkey
• Highly experienced tour guides
• King Fishers
• Amazing plant diversity

Our Difference

We have spent most of our lives in the jungle and rivers of borneo. growing up in this environment lead to us becoming wildlife and culture tour guides, supported by our family’s deep knowledge and understanding of the area..

Our Adventure Tour packages have been carefully designed to build an awareness of ecotourism while taking safety and impact on the environment into consideration. We also like to help our trekkers design customised itineraries, perfect for visiting the orangutans and going beyond!

Whether you are wanting to relax and unwind, be educated on the issues affecting Borneo’s wildlife, or turn up the pace and take on the all of the experiences that Borneo’s wildlife has to offer, you will be in great company. We look forward to making your trip the experience of a lifetime!

Our Tour Packages

Our adventure tour packages have been carefully designed to build an awareness of ecotourism while taking safety and impact on the environment into consideration., tour options.

4 Days & 3 Nights

5 Days & 4 Nights

Photography tour

Or choose your own!

Who are our tours for?

People who care about and enjoy:

• Eco tourism
• Walking and treks
• Photography
• Making a difference

“Once you travelled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

Our tour guides take amazing photographs of the wildlife and tours. The following are just a glimpse into some of the incredible experiences you will have on an Orangutan Trekking Tour.

Discover the Natural Wonders of famed Tanjung Puting and Sebangau Orangutan National Parks from our comfortable boats. Relax on board while navigating the Majestic Rivers of Central Kalimantan. Every cruise benefits local Communities and Foundations.

Our cruises are COVID safe. Check our Clean Care Pledge

MOST POPULAR TOURS

Tanjung puting national park & camp leakey cruise.

This cruise into the famed orangutan National Park is aboard our air conditioned boats, The Sekonyer and the Kumai, uniquely offering join in cruises on boats with air conditioned, ensuite cabins and our famous food.

Orangutan & Dayak Village River Cruise

Katingan river & sebangau national park cruise.

Want to glimpse a wild orangutan? This is your opportunity to try, on a cruise along the majestic Katingan River. An adventurous experience where few other tourists venture.

Private Charter River Cruises

Provides the perfect way for families, friends or businesses to cruise on board luxurious river boats, looking for a special experience to see the iconic orangutan in its native habitat. Our boats have different capacities and our programs tailored for your group

Testimonials

ADD-ON TOUR MENU

Orangutan & Nature Tour in Tanjung Puting and Palangkaraya

8 Days – 7 Nights

Starting From

Kahayan River Tour – Jungle River Cruise & Longhouse

7 Days – 6 Nights

6 Days – 5 Nights

Dayak Cultural and Malahoi Longhouse Tour

3 Days – 2 Nights

Price on Request

Dayak Cultural and Longhouse Tour Manggu Longhouse

Indonesian Wildlife Icons with SeaTrek Bali & WOW Borneo

13 Days – 12 Nights

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Borneo orangutan tour – What to expect and is it worth it?

Posted on Last updated: April 1, 2023

Categories Asia , Guides , Indonesia , Travel Guides

Have you dreamt about going to remote jungles searching for rare endemic primates? If you have, a Borneo orangutan tour is exactly what you’re looking for!

Imagine lazy sailing through a tea-colored river. You are surrounded by the dense emerald foliage of the rainforest, and your nostrils are filled with various unrecognizable jungle scents.

The slight boat rumble is the only thing disturbing the bird/monkey jungle orchestra. Your task for the day – keeping your eyes wide open, and spot some of the rarest creatures in the world – this is what a Borneo orangutan tour is like!

Now let me tell you something about me. I’m a big sucker for animals! Seriously, whenever I travel somewhere, the first thing I’m going to check is: are there any unique creatures in the area and is there an ethical way I can enjoy their presence.

Indonesia is one of those incredible countries that have a ton of diverse things to see and do. Even before my research, I already knew this is one of the few places in the world where you can enjoy orangutans in the wild. Also, the island of Borneo, with its vast rainforests and a ridiculous amount of wildlife, was probably the first thing I’ve ever put on my bucket list, so the Borneo orangutan tour was a no-brainer.

A few things about orangutans

The superstars of the Borneo tours are the orangutans, of course. Let me tell you a little bit more about these charming creatures.

The word Orangutan comes from the Malay language and means Man of the Forest (orang – man, hutan – forest). There are only three species of orangutans in the world (and the third one was just found in 2017! ) – Bornean Orangutan, Sumatran Orangutan, and Tapanuli orangutan. All of them are endangered 🙁 The only places in the world where you can see orangutans in their natural habitat are the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.

Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates out there. They build elaborate nests every night and use various sets of tools for insect extraction or acoustic communication. In the late 70s, the zoologist Gary L. Shapiro managed to teach over thirty sign language signs to two of the orangutans in the Tanjung Puting National Park proving that the orangutans also have possible linguistic capabilities.

What are the orangutan’s problems? Well…like most of the animals in the world, they have one major problem – humans. Poaching, illegal pet contraband, or habitat destruction have led to decreasing their numbers from 230,000 a century ago to a little more than 100,000 today .

   See Also:   How to Climb Mount Bromo For Free

Tanjung Puting National Park

Located in the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan (Central Borneo), The Tanjung Puting National Park is one of the best ecotourism destinations not only in Indonesia but in the whole world. It’s also the place where most of the Borneo orangutan tours are.

Home to a wide variety of animals (proboscis monkeys, gibbons, macaques, clouded leopards, sun bears, wild boars, porcupines, and sambar deer. The park also features many reptiles, including crocodiles, monitor lizards, and pythons, birds, including hornbills and kingfishers, and insects, such as the giant Bornean butterfly).

What the park is most famous for though is its orangutan population.

It’s here where the world’s leading expert on orangutans – Dr. Birute Galdikas began her career studying the behavior of rescued and orphaned orangutans that were reintroduced into the wild.

Alongside her fellow Trimates  – Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, Dr. Galdikas is one of the biggest reasons people understand and are actually trying to protect the great apes nowadays. It’s entirely possible there would be no wild orangutans today if it weren’t for her and her team’s efforts. A real role model and a person I deeply admire!

“ As I sit, my back leaning against a damp, moss-covered tree trunk, my eyes sweeping the canopy above, my ears straining to catch the crack of a distant branch that betrays an orangutan moving in the treetops, I think about how we humans search for God. The tropical rain forest is the most complex thing an ordinary human can experience on this planet. A walk in the rain forest is a walk into the mind of God. ” -Dr.Birute Galdikas

Find the best Borneo orangutan tour

Finding a good Borneo Orangutan tour turned out to be a challenge. Unlike Bali , Mount Bromo , or Komodo National Park , the Indonesian part of Borneo is not that popular among tourists thus meaning there is less info about it.

The very modest info on TripAdvisor and the lack of blog posts written on the topic made me feel like I’m gambling big-time with this one.

In the end, I wrote a few emails and picked the top TripAdvisor choice – Orangutan Applause . Their offer was three days, two nights trip, and even though I’m not a big fan of organized tours, but boooy, did I hit the jackpot with this one!

Borneo orangutan tour – Day 1

Day 1 one starts from the airport so I suggest getting the earliest flight to Pangkalanbuun you can find.

At the airport, a taxi was waiting for me to get me to the boat. Did I forget to mention that? I would’ve spent the next two and a half days, on a native Bornean houseboat called Kelotok. This may sound a little bit scary, but the boat had all kinds of luxuries on it.

Running water, shower, adequate rain protection, mosquito nets, and even power sockets made it a better home than half of the hotels I stayed in Indonesia.

Upon arrival, I was introduced to my crew (yay I had a crew!), listened to the program for the next two days and got some essential rules! Don’t touch the orangutans, don’t approach their babies, don’t use flash on your camera and don’t stand under a tree with an orangutan on top (unless you want them to pee on you).

The boat hasn’t even departed yet when Orangutan Applause got their first star in my book. The manager -Desi, and our guide – Moncos turned out to speak perfect English.

Is this really that big of a deal? They are in the tourism industry, of course, they’d have a perfect English. Well, I’ve been to a lot of places around the world, had a lot of guides, and the ones with perfect English were less than the fingers of an army veteran hand.

The previous day in Surabaya, I didn’t get a mosquito repellent, something of incredible importance in the rainforest. When Desi heard that, she sent the captain to the nearby store to get me one. She didn’t even want me to pay for it! Star number two earned…and the boat was still docked.

So everything was ready, and my long waited adventure was about to begin!

We were in front of the entrance of the National Park when I saw some fins on top of the water surface. Dolphins! Seriously, I spent four days in Egypt looking for dolphins, and here I was, not even two hours spent in Borneo and I’ve already seen some! I was beyond excited at this moment, maybe my bad luck with wildlife has finally come to an end!

   See Also:   Top 20 Biggest Landmarks in Asia

The next few hours were spent sailing slowly on the river, making our way to the first orangutan feeding platform, and spotting various wildlife on the river coasts. The feeding was at 3 PM, so we got off our boat around 2 and started making our way to it.

– ‘ Hey, check this out ,’ Moncos said, showing me some resin looking goo on the nearby tree.

– ‘ When I lived in the jungle we used this as candles . ‘

He put some fire on it, and the goo indeed started smelling like a tropical candle.

– ‘ Wait, what? You’ve lived in the jungle? Like in the research camp or? ‘

– ‘ No, no my father is the chief of a village in the jungle. My mother is from the city though. I’m like Tarzan ‘, he proclaimed.

I couldn’t believe my luck! Not only did I get a perfectly organized tour, but I was also going to see some of the rarest apes in the world, but also I had Tarzan as my guide! How cool is that?!

After stumbling to some giant ants and a spider nest, we arrived at the feeding platform. Moncos told me usually 3 or 4 orangutans come for lunch, but it’s possible there would be none. With my wildlife luck, I had a bad feeling there would be none, and all I’ll see would be a wooden platform full of bananas.

It was already 3 o’clock, so the park rangers start calling the orangutans with loud “woo” sounds. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then a tree in the distance started shaking, and in a minute I saw a little red guy swinging from the branches, making his way to the bananas.

And then another tree started shaking, and another, and another! 3 – 4 orangutans? No, there were more than ten coming, some of them – mothers with babies. I was mesmerized.

I know all of us have seen orangutans in pictures, but…seeing them in person, seeing the elegant way they move (even though they look like overweight, bald grandpops), is an entirely different story. Now I knew why they are called men of the forest.

An hour was gone just like that, and it was time to get back to the boat.

The rainforest got true to its name, and we got a rainstorm in the night. Even though my bed was on the deck, our houseboat was rain protected, so I didn’t get a drop on me. Dozing off, with the rainfall and jungle around me, was the best way to end this fantastic day.

Borneo orangutan tour – Day 2

The second day of the orangutan tour is the most packed one.

After a quick breakfast ( It’s good to mention, I got four large meals a day!) we made our way to the second feeding platform. This one was probably my favorite. It was closer than the first one (around 5 meters away), and no trees were blocking the view. It was 9 PM, the Rangers started their ‘woo’ calls, and just like the previous day, trees began to shake.

Again more than ten orangutans were making their way to the bananas! These guys behaved a little differently though. While some of them got immediately down and started eating, others were waiting up there on the trees.

‘They have a different culture here’ (how cool is that the orangutans have different cultures?!), Moncos explained. ‘The older go down and eat first, while the young ones have to wait their turn in the trees.’

Some of the young ones had babies, which made me feel bad for them, but you can’t argue with orangutan laws.

In the afternoon we had a second orangutan spotting – this time in the famous Leaky Camp. It was there, Dr. Galdikis started her orangutan research in 1971 and continued to do it even today.

The camp exploration began with the information center where I can see curious pictures and stories about camp’s history, some of its famous inhabitants and even some orangutan family trees. While being inside the info center, Borneo decided it’s time for some heavy raining again. Moncos was prepared of course and handed me a rain poncho. They really thought of everything on this tour!

– ‘ What do orangutans do in the rain? ‘ I asked him while we were making our way to the feeding platform.

– ‘ The don’t like it; they make themselves an umbrella. ‘

– ‘ They make themselves an umbrella?!?! ‘

– ‘ Yeah, yeah, they get some leaves and put it over their head. ‘

– ‘ Wow! I wish I can see that! ‘

– ‘ Maybe you will. ‘

And guess what guys? I did! Upon arriving on the platform, I start looking up in the canopy of the trees, and one little red fatty had done precisely that! Holding some branches and leaves over his head. He didn’t look happy, but I couldn’t help myself and laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

Camp Leaky platform was not as close as the previous ones, but we got some extra bonuses.

First, there was a wild hog roaming beneath the platform, searching for fallen banans. Apparently, a lot of bananas fell down, cause, in the end, three pigs were lurking around.

We also glimpsed, apparently a very rare bird. It looked like fancy chicken to me, but Moncos informed me, you are lucky to spot these guys once a year, and his excited face convinced me he was not kidding.

The day ended with a night walk in search of some nocturnal animals. We didn’t manage to find the Borneo Tarsier (good thing I’ve already seen these cute guys in Bohol ), but we got a snake, some weird insects, tarantulas, and other nasty stuff.

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Borneo orangutan tour – Day 3

I had my flight booked for the afternoon, so I had enough time to finish my Borneo orangutan tour the proper way – without any rush.

After breakfast, we went for an hour-hike ending with a reforestation camp visit. The ranger there explained they had some big fires in Borneo, costing them a vast area of the rainforest. Those are some bad news not only for my new friends, the orangutans but also for the whole world. The oxygen-rich rainforests of Borneo, alongside the Amazon, are considered to be the Earth’s lungs.

The purpose of the visit was to plant a tree to help reforestation of Borneo. Since the holes were already prepared, all I had to do was pick a tree and put it inside. Throwing some dirt on top of it and voila, I had planted my first tree. It was nothing special, but damn it felt good.

The end of the tour was a lazy sailing back to the city.

The Borneo orangutan tour was already the best tour I’ve ever been to, but there was one last surprise waiting. On my way to the airport, Desi intercepted the taxi just to say her goodbyes and gave me a gift bag with some orangutan souvenirs.

It’s worth to mention; the orangutan applause guys had no idea I have a blog or I’m going to write a post like that. The treatment I received is the standard way they treat all of their guests!

Additional info

How to get to Tanjung Puting?

There are daily flights to Pangkalanbuun from Surabaya and Jakarta. At the small airport, you’ll be greeted by a driver or a taxi, and taken to your boat. Make sure to let your tour manager which flight you are using.

How much does Borneo orangutan tour costs?

It cost me around 600 USD for two people. The Indonesian currency is very flexible though, so better send an inquiry by mail to [email protected] with [email protected] in cc.

There is a deposit of 1,500,000 IDR / 100 USD required, and the rest is paid on the boat (credit cards accepted). You can also talk with them to pay everything upfront via PayPal.

How to stay safe on your Borneo Orangutan Tour?

Listen to your guide and don’t do any stupid stuff including swimming in the river, going alone in the jungle, or trying to touch the wildlife. Borneo is one of the most remote places on earth and your journey there always carries some risk. To relieve yourself, do what I do on all my trips – get travel insurance. Once you have a few journeys under your belt, you can easily appreciate its tremendous value and freedom it gives you.

While I sincerely wish you never have to use it, life happens (even more when you are traveling) and it’s always good to be prepared. See how much your safe travel is worth

What to bring to the Borneo orangutan tour?

You don’t need a lot of things actually. Mosquito repellent  and  sunscreen  of course. Some light shoes  to walk in the jungle with ( don’t try with flip-flops, you may step on some ants by mistake, and the ants in the rainforest are huge!), and your best telephoto lens .

Is the Borneo Orangutan Tour worth it?

Absolutely!

It’s not the cheapest thing to do in Indonesia, but the uniqueness of the Tanjung Puting National park and its biodiversity, combined with the highest quality of service cement this experience as one of the best I’ve ever had.

I’ve no idea why it isn’t as popular as the Komodo Islands tours, but I suspect this may change soon. Now is the time to get the genuine jungle experience and meet some cute red-haired monkeys, without the massive crowds, popularity inevitably brings.

That’s all from me, I hope you enjoy your Borneo orangutan tour ! ———————————— If you haven’t planned your trip there yet, find out how I plan my trips! ———————————— I’ve got  22 bucket list ideas for Indonesia. See my impossible bucket list of 1700+ adventures!

Have you seen an orangutan?   

Some of the above are affiliate links and I will earn a percentage of the sale if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my site running – so thanks in advance for your support!

Tuesday 7th of March 2023

Hi, your tour and explanation are a real inspiration for planning our upcoming trip. I love it!! I am trying to figure out how to reach Labuan Bajo - Flores from Pangkalanbuun. How did you fly (direct ? with changes?) which company? Thank you very much

Wednesday 8th of March 2023

Hi Gina, There are no direct flights, you need to go to Surabaya first and then catch another one to LBJ. I believe Lion Air flies between Surabaya and Komodo. Have fun in Indonesia :)

Jan Cameron

Monday 27th of June 2022

Thank you great article, we are wanting to do something similar, I see I found this article long after it was written, it seems to me perhaps the guides would go at your pace if required? Do you know if this may be possible?

Saturday 2nd of July 2022

Thank you Jan, The guides will definately go at your pace. Most of the tours are private ones, therefore the guide and the crew would do whatever you want to do :)

Thursday 4th of June 2020

Thank you for the complete information, hopefully more people coming ti Tanjung Puting National Park to see the Orangutan.

Monday 3rd of February 2020

What a great article! Thank you for sharing. What is the maximum number of people on a tour?

Hi there Shannon, The tour I went on was a private one. Most of the other boats I've encountered were private tours too but I believe there are a few group options available.

Saturday 25th of January 2020

is it safe for 2 womean? great article

Thank you. Yes, it's absolutely safe. You're with your boat crew (which in most cases is captain, his family, and a guide) all the time and I've never heard anyone who had a problem with it (no matter the company used).

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5 best places to see orangutans in Borneo

Written by Wayne Tarman . Last updated 24/01/2024 .

Seeing an orangutan in its natural habitat is one of best wildlife experiences you can have in Borneo.

We are often asked: Where is the best place to see wild orangutans?

This guide will help you answer that question.

It focuses on destinations in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak where you have a good chance of seeing this fascinating animal.

There are around 11,000 orangutans in Sabah and 1,600 in Sarawak.

In our opinion the five best places to see orangutans in the wild are:

• Kinabatangan River, Sabah
• Danum Valley, Sabah
• Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah
• Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah
• Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak

So what location is best for you?  This will depend on a few factors:

• How fit you are
• Your budget and accommodation preferences (budget, mid-range or luxury)
• How much time you have
• The way you want to go in search of orangutan (by foot, boat or 4WD safari)
• Whether you want to see an orangutan in pristine primary rainforest or don’t mind where you see one

The following sections give the run down on each of the places in our top 5.

1. Kinabatangan River, Sabah

Searching for orangutans on the Menanggul River, a tributary of the Kinabatangan River.

The Kinabatangan River offers the best chances of seeing a wild orangutan of all the locations in Sabah and Sarawak. If you go on a three or four day Kinabatangan river tour you are almost guaranteed to see an orangutan plus a whole range of other endangered wildlife, including pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys .

This is why the Kinabatangan River is one of the best wildlife watching destinations in Southeast Asia. However, it is also important to note that habitat fragmentation remains a key issue in this region of Sabah. On a trip to the Kinabatangan you will see a mosaic of oil palm plantations, degraded habitats and protected forest.

It is estimated there are 1,100 orangutan living in the Lower Kinabatangan River. Unlike other locations where you trek through the rainforest and search for orangutan, wildlife watching on the Kinabatangan is done from boats.

It is easy, comfortable and you don’t have to be fit.  Both old and young can see orangutan here. It is the best option for families with young children and anyone unable to walk long distances in the forest.

There is a variety of accommodation options ranging from budget guest houses and homestays to comfortable lodges so the destination caters to visitors on all budgets. Most of the lodges are located at Sukau with a few at Bilit and Abai. For travellers on a tight budget the Kinabatangan is the cheapest location in our top five.

Sightings of orangutan occur at oxbow lakes and along the banks of the main river and its tributaries, including the Menanggul River where most tours go to see the proboscis monkeys.

To conclude the Kinabatangan is the easiest and most ‘comfortable’ orangutan watching option available in Borneo. It also offers the highest chance of seeing wild orangutans. Sandakan serves as the jumping off point for the Kinabatangan.

If you are interested in an organised Kinabatangan tour please get in touch or see the range of trips we offer .

If you are on a budget check out this great article by Violette Vauchelle on how to organize a Kinabatangan River Cruise on a Budget .

Kinabatangan River Summary

Note: Cost per person listed in the summary tables is for a booking with 2 people (i.e. twin share).  Prices for families and larger groups are cheaper.

2. Danum Valley, Sabah

Orangutan at Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

Danum Valley is the best place to see wild orangutan in pristine, undisturbed forest. Sightings are not ‘guaranteed’ like the Kinabatangan River but there is a pretty good chance of seeing orangutan at Danum. It is estimated that there are 500 orangutan living in the Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Danum’s 43,800 hectares of virgin rainforest are home to an astonishing variety of wildlife.  It offers some of the best wildlife watching and rainforest experiences in the world. You don’t just come here for the orangutans. You come here for everything. And walk away knowing that a massive tick has been added to your bucket list.

There are a range of different treks at Danum. The trekking is relatively easy so you don’t need to be super fit. Plan on staying at least 3 nights if you want to see an orangutan.

It is possible to arrange a trip to Danum Valley independently but most people go on organised tours. There are two accommodation options at Danum. The Borneo Rainforest Lodge offers a luxurious jungle experience with prices that match the excellent facilities and reputation of the Lodge.  The Danum Valley Field Station is the budget option. It is primarily a research station but offers a range of rooms for visitors. You can book rooms independently and hire guides as you need or you can opt for an organised tour with accommodation at the field centre .

Danum Valley Summary

3. Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah

Wildlife watching at Deramakot is very different from the other places where you can see orangutans. At Deramakot 4WD vehicles are used for day and night drives along logging roads.

Deramakot Forest Reserve has quickly gained a reputation as one of Sabah’s best wildlife watching destinations. Whilst it is perhaps more famous for its cats (including the rare clouded leopard), Deramakot is also a good place to see orangutan. This may come as a surprise considering that Deramakot is logging concession , albeit one of the longest timber certified tropical forests in the world.

An aerial assessment of orangutan distribution and density found that there are 1,400 orangutans living in Deramakot. They are often spotted along the side of the two main dirt tracks that run through the forest reserve. They are also sometimes spotted near the accommodation area.

Deramakot is a place for more adventurous travelers. It is more difficult to get to than the other places in our top 5. The reserve is accessed from Sandakan or Telupid via unsealed plantation and logging roads. Whilst it is possible to go trekking at Deramakot most wildlife watching is done in 4WD vehicles. So expect bumpy rides sitting on a bench in the back of a Toyota Hilux.

It is difficult or nearly impossible to visit Deramakot as an independent traveller so the only option is to go on an organised tour. There are a limited number of rooms at Deramakot so it can get full in the peak season months of July & August.

To sum up Deramakot is a good place for orangutan sightings but it is not for everyone. Accommodation is fairly basic when compared to the lodges in the Kinabatangan, Tabin and Danum and access is more difficult. The forest is also fragmented with logging operations taking place. If you are looking to experience pristine forest and see an orangutan, then Danum is a better choice.

Deramakot Forest Reserve Summary

4. Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah

Tabin Wildlife Reserve is a vast protected area covering 122,500 hectares. A significant proportion of Tabin consists of previously logged forest. Despite this the reserve is home to 1,400 orangutans.

There are reasonable chances of seeing an orangutan at Tabin but they are not as high as Danum or the Kinabatangan. On the plus side, Tabin is unlikely to disappoint as it is home to a wide range of wildlife.

It is only possible to visit Tabin on an organized tour and the only place to stay is the Tabin Wildlife Resort, a 3 star jungle lodge offering hill and riverside chalets.

The small town of Lahad Datu serves as the jumping off point for Tabin. The reserve is accessed via plantation and logging roads. Wildlife watching activities are focused on jungle trekking with some 4WD night safaris.

Tabin Wildlife Reserve   Summary

5. Batang Ai, Sarawak

Lunch on the Red Ape Trail at Batang Ai. Searching for orangutan at Batang Ai is a very different experience from the other places in the top 5. Getting to know your local Iban guides and camping out in the rainforest are all part of this upriver Borneo experience.

Batang Ai is the only place in Sarawak where you can see wild orangutans. It is one of the least known destinations for spotting orangutans in Malaysian Borneo.  Like Deramakot it is not easy to travel to Batang Ai as an independent traveller so most people go on organised tours.

Around 170 orangutan live within the boundaries of Batang Ai National Park. An estimated 1,200 orangutan live in the neighbouring Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary. Recent research found that up to 200 orangutans live outside of Batang Ai park in the adjacent Ulu Sungai Menyang landscape. A tiny isolated population of orangutan living in mostly logged over forest in the Sebuyau-Sedilu area make up the balance of the orangutan population in Sarawak.

Two organisations offer orangutan treks at Batang Ai with the tours taking place outside the national park.

Borneo Adventure offer three tours with a good chance of seeing orangutans. These are the 5D4N Red Ape Trail , the 6D5N In Search of Wild Orangutans and the 4D3N Lubok Kasai tour. All take place in the upper Delok River which is about two hours by boat from the Batang Ai reservoir.

This area is part of the Ulu Sungai Menyang Landscape where researchers recently discovered a new population of orangutan previously undocumented by science. The local Iban people obviously knew there were orangutan here and tourists have been spotting orangutans in these areas for 30 years.

However, it was not until 2012 that scientists conducted research and nest surveys to estimate the population of orangutan in 14,000 hectares of unprotected forest. They were somewhat surprised to find that 200 orangutans were living outside of Batang Ai National Park.

You have a 70-80% chance of a sighting on Borneo Adventure’s five and six day orangutan tours. The Red Ape Trail requires a higher level of fitness as it passes through hilly terrain with some tough up-and-down trekking. In Search of Orangutans offers the best chances of seeing orangutan as it covers two different areas (Delok and Lalang Rivers) and a number of trails. The Red Ape Trail focuses on the Ulu Mawang area.

Whilst on these tours you stay in Nanga Sumpa lodge and basic jungle camps. You will be accompanied by an English speaking guide and local Iban guides. Camping out in the forest and getting to know your Iban guides and boatmen is very much a part of the whole experience.

The treks pass through a mosaic of primary and old secondary forest. Some of the secondary forest is 50-60 years old. Generally, you will trek for a few hours in the morning. Then you take a rest and have lunch before going trekking again late in the afternoon.

Follow the ridges. The Red Ape Trail follows ridges as this image shows. The trail from Mawang Camp to Nalan Tenu rises from 185m to 415m. Forest people have used ridges since time began, and so have animals. Even in the most remote parts of the forest, you will find neat trails along ridges. Most of these are animal trails. If you thought animals wander aimlessly through their forest home, you would be quite wrong. Just like humans, animals follow trails, which, over time become well-established paths through the forest. Almost all walking trails in national parks started out as animal trails.

In addition to the specialised orangutan treks, there is also a reasonable chance of seeing orangutans on Borneo Adventure’s shorter tours, for example the 3D2N Ulu Ai Experience. Whilst seeing orangutans is not the focus of the shorter tours, sightings have become more common over the last 5-10 years.

The other organisation that offers orangutan treks at Batang Ai is the NGO Project Orangutan. It largely focuses on conservation work and volunteering at Matang Wildlife Centre. However, they visit Batang Ai as part of a 13 day Sarawak trip that includes volunteering at Matang and orangutan treks near Jinggin on the upper Ai River. Orangutans are sighted on 30% of the tours.

In theory it is possible to visit Batang Ai National Park as an independent traveller and search for orangutans. In practice it is quite difficult to arrange. Travelling from Kuching to the Batang Ai jetty is the easy part. When you arrive you then have to organize a boat to travel to the park. If you have not pre-arranged something things can be hit and miss. You might get lucky and find a boatman or you could end up hanging around for hours.

If you do find a boat it will cost around RM 400-450 for a return trip to the park. There is no visitor accommodation at the park. The rangers sometimes let you sleep on the verandah of one of the HQ buildings. You will need to take enough food and drink for your stay and a sleeping bag and mosquito net.

Another option is to find a boat (RM 200-300 return) to take you to Nanga Delok longhouse. When you arrive at Nanga Delok ask to see the headman or one of longhouse elders.  Then you can make arrangements to stay overnight in the longhouse and rent a boat to take you to the national park the following day. All up you will need to budget RM 400-600 for boat rental.

The longhouse charges modest fees for food and board. However, renting a boat is not cheap at Batang Ai. A simple return trip to the park HQ is the cheapest option. If you want to travel further upriver past the park HQ the boatman will charge more to cover the extra fuel costs.

To get a good idea of how difficult it can be to get the park read Amy and Andrew’s account of their trip to Batang Ai National Park.

There are five trails at the national park but they are not well maintained so you will need to recruit a local guide or ranger to accompany you on the longer treks. If you are staying at Nanga Delok you can ask your boatmen to be your guide in the park.

It is not easy to spot orangutans in the forest near the park HQ.  The chances of seeing one whilst on a day trip are slim. To have a good chance of seeing orangutans near the HQ area you will need to stay for 4 or 5 days. There are better chances of seeing orangutans if you travel upriver, deep into the park, and camp overnight in the jungle. But this is costly and can work out more expensive than an organised tour.

Batang Ai Summary

A juvenile orangutan gathers some fruit on the Red Ape Trail. Photo by Mark Boyd .

Featured image at top of the blog post was taken in the Upper Delok River at Batang Ai by Ch’ien C Lee.

Wayne Tarman

Wayne Tarman is an experienced tourism specialist, travel writer and keen photographer. He has lived in Borneo since 1995 and has travelled throughout Sarawak, Sabah & Brunei. Wayne joined Borneo Adventure in 2013. Read More

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Experience Orangutan tours and Klotok trips in Borneo, Indonesia

Kumai’s Only Woman-Owned Indonesian Eco Tour and Cultural Tour Company. Let the Journey Begin!

Orangutan tours and Klotok trips in Borneo, Indonesia

My company offers Tanjung Puting Borneo orangutan klotok boat tours, customized Pangkalan Bun/Kumai-area eco tours and cultural tours, as well as customized Indonesian orangutan tours in Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan (plus nearby national parks), Java, and Sumatra.

Indonesian Eco and Cultural Tours

Borneo Kalimantan Eco Tours

Java Eco Tours

Sumatra Elephant Eco Tours

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Borneo kalimantan, what people are saying.

Amazing wildlife, exceptional food Siti organized a 4-day trip for us. We had a wonderful time. We booked a deluxe boat w/ a private cabin and AC, and everything was exactly as advertised.

Gabe – Colombia

Amazing Jungle Cruise I would recommend this trip to those who love the wildlife, being off grid and are not afraid to go without western comforts for 3 days/2 nights.

T. Jacobs – Dubai

Great experience! Very easy and fast communication via Whatsapp. She organized everything. If you want to go to Borneo and see the Orangutan Monkeys, go with Siti!!”

Michel – The Netherlands

Experience Orangutan tours and Klotok trips in Borneo, Indonesia. Kumai’s Only Woman-Owned Indonesian Eco Tour and Cultural Tour Company. Let the Journey Begin!

Siti`s Tanjung Puting Jl. Abd. Azis, RT 03, No.14 │ Kelurahan Kumai Hilir │Kecamatan Kumai Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat │Kalimantan Tengah │ Indonesia

Email: [email protected] Phone: +62 812 516 0425

Orangutans, Pygmy Elephants, and the Kinabatangan River

Wildlife adventures in borneo.

Borneo, Malaysia

From $9,195

Easy to Moderate

Call 1-800-368-2794 or contact us for any questions

Orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, sun bears—Borneo's extraordinary wildlife is just as fascinating as its emerald-green rainforests. At Sepilok Forest Reserve, we'll walk among free-roaming orangutans, watching their upside-down vine-dangling prowess. From, our eco-lodge on the jungle-draped Kinabatangan River, we boat at dawn and dusk in search of primates and pygmy elephants along the rainforested banks. In the lowland forests of Tabin, we'll look for flying squirrels, Asian palm civets, Malayan civets, and pig-tailed macaques. Our grand finale finds us in the ancient wilderness of the stunning Danum Valley, with its incredible diversity of endemic animals in towering treetop canopies. Join us to discover one of the most biodiverse places on the planet!

Arrive: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

Depart: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia

• Walk among the free-roaming orangutans at Sepilok
• Explore during dawn and dusk rides on the wildlife-rich Kinabatangan River
• Meet with conservationists in Tabin Wildlife Reserve
• Experience the Danum Valley's world-famous primary rainforest
• Enjoy remote lodges with great access to wildlife

Dates & Pricing

Pricing below is per person and based on double occupancy. The earlier you book, the more choice you’ll have. WT also has the most generous cancellation and transfer policies in the industry, we make it easy if you change your mind. Have a small group of your own? Take over an existing date or choose your own. You’ll have your own private guide–and the adventure–all to yourselves!

Payment & Cancel Schedule

$600 due at time of reservation 90 days prior to departure: Balance

Cancellation & Transfer Schedule

Up to 91 days prior to departure: No Charge! 61-90 days prior to departure: 25% of trip cost 46-60 days prior to departure: 50% of trip cost 45 days or less: 100% of trip cost

• Expert leadership of a Wilderness Travel Trip Leader and local guides
• Accommodations in hotels and lodges
• All ground transportation and baggage handling from meeting until departure
• All activities as indicated in Detailed Itinerary

Not Included

• Travel to and from the arrival and departure location as indicated in Detailed Itinerary
• Additional hotel nights outside the trip's scheduled dates
• Optional gratuities to Trip Leaders or staff
• Optional travel insurance
• Other expenses of a personal nature (some alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.)

Accommodations

Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.

Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Day 1 (1 night)

Sepilok Nature Resort

Sepilok, Malaysia

Day 2 (1 night)

Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort

Sandakan, Malaysia

Days 3-4 (2 nights)

Tabin Wildlife Resort

Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia

Days 5-6 (2 nights)

Borneo Rainforest Lodge

Lahad Datu, Malaysia

Days 7-9 (3 nights)

Trip Leaders

Wilderness Travel Trip Leaders have a passion and a joy for creating an unforgettable journey. We are extremely proud of them and the incredible travel experiences they make possible. For more information, including client comments about them and which specific trips they will be leading, please click on their profiles below.

Azmil Pillantong

What the Trip is Like

The trip is Level 2+, Easy to Moderate , according to our trip grading system. For your own enjoyment, we recommend you make a special effort to be in good physical condition. We've crafted an active expedition, with nature walks and light hikes of two to five hours on several days, in hot and humid climate, and over a variety of terrain including forest trails, cave passages, and wooden canopy walks and boardwalks.

The terrain is relatively flat but the forest floor can be slippery and uneven (especially with tree roots!), and the trails in the Danum Valley include hills. We also explore Borneo's jungles and river wetlands by speedboats and longboats. Our explorations are timed with wildlife activity, so dawn, dusk and nighttime nature excurisons are a highlight of the trip, but you will need to be prepared for long days.

Client Testimonials

"What a wonderful combination of thoughtful planning and outstanding leadership. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to spend time with Dr. Wong at the sun bear rehab center and the opportunity to plant trees."

Bakersfield, CA

"Many aspects of this trip were magical, especially the time in the Danum valley and the river based lodge. The wildlife is wonderful and the guides very knowledgeable. It is a fragile corner of the world and well worth seeing"

New York, NY

"Dean has a superlative and encyclopaedic knowledge that he shared with us, a gifted guide and true naturalist—the trip was full of marvels of nature and cultural sharing."

Kailua-Kona, HI

"A unique experience—just a wonderful opportunity to see a beautiful part of the world."

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Book your trip today

Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!

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Trip Levels

With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.

Level 1 – Easiest

Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.

• Royal Rajasthan and Villages of India
• Small ship cruises

Level 2 – Easy to Moderate

Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.

• Our African safaris

Level 3 – Moderate

Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.

• Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
• Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
• Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
• Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as  Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin,  are Trip Level 3.

Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous

Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.

• Ultimate Patagonia
• Hiking the Spanish Pyrenees

Level 5 – Strenuous

Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.

• Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
• Everest Lodge to Lodge

Level 6 – Very Strenuous

Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.

• Everest Base Camp
• Climb Kilimanjaro!

• tel:+62 85389996660
• [email protected]

Orangutan Tour in Tanjung Puting National Park

Orangutan tour is the best tour activity for Orangutan Kalimantan in Indonesia. the most wild orangutans live in their natural habitat live in Tanjung Puting national park. Borneo Orangutan tour is located in Kumai – Pangkalanbun. kalimantan orangutan tour running everyday, our service is houseboat eco tour liveaboard.

you will see Orangutan natural habitat from close, trekking in the rainforest and enjoy adventure go by house boat, we called klotok. orangutans daily life which is 97% DNA similar such as human.  you will get activity to visit camp leakey,  tanjung harapan camp, pondok tanggui camp, night trekking and  trekking in pondok ambung, you can also dinner with fireflies, jungle trekking in Pesalat, spotting wildlife in sekonyer river on klotok boat and visit sekonyer village.

Tanjung puting tour is the highlight of most tourist trip to Kalimantan.  You also can will see 9 species of primates, 3 species of primates endemic to Borneo, proboscis, red leaf-eating monkeys, 230 species of birds,Two species of crocodiles,Dozens of species of snakes and frogs and dragon fish know as arwarna.

Varada Borneo tanjung puting tour will give you an opportunity to see orangutans in their natural environment. The borneo orangutans are sure to touch your heart, making this an experience you will never forget. Tanjung Puting Tour by Varada Borneo will get you once in a lifetime adventure to Indonesia.

Tanjung Puting Tour Deals

3D2N Orangutan Tour Liveaboard

4D3N Orangutan Tour liveaboard

3D2N Orangutan Tour stay at Rimba Lodge

3D2N Tanjung Puting Tour Daily Share Trip  

2D1N Tanjung Puting Tour 

Share Trip Orangutan Tour 3D2N

7D6N Orangutan Tour plus Dayak Trekking 

One Day Orangutan Tour by Speed Boat

Best Service Guarantee

24/7 Dedicated Customer Support. You always get best service, Online Booking and Reliable price. Best review from all our lovely guest

Trust & Safety

Recommended Ministry of tourism, Travel Agency, Corporate, Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor, Asociation,Media Partner, Foundation, Ecotourism Society, Local People.

Best Orangutan Tour Operator & DMC

Service from the heart. Best travel experiences, making this an experience you will never forget. Create your perfect holiday with a Tailor-made tour with Varada Borneo.

1,000+ Reservation

from Backpacker, Couple, Family, Photographer, Small Group, Corporate, Agency, yacht and Cruise Expedition. High Proffesional Crew and Best Experience Guide

Orangutan Tour Borneo

Orangutan Tour Borneo is a company specialised on realize the best klotok tours to watch orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park from Kalimantan, Indonesia.

We offers you various kind of tours packages depending on the number of days that you want in the traditional boat called klotok sailing down the river to explore Tanjung Puting National Park.

The best Borneo klotok tour sailing up the river Sekoyer in an unforgettable adventure trip, a safari to observe wildlife and do hike through tropical rain forest.

Since our klotoks with all facilities, visitors will enjoy the scenery around the river Sekonyer in the area of Tanjung Puting National Park where will see long-tailed monkeys, many fireflies in the river, as well as beautiful birds, monkeys long nose ape trunks and sometimes if lucky to see crocodiles on the banks of the river. Wild orangutan feeding every day will be the highlight of your visit as you are most likely to see wild orangutans near their natural habitat.

Our experience in Tanjung Puting klotok boat tours and working on the field with the orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park give will you a better understanding of the orangutans and wildlife in its original habitat.

Tanjung Puting National Park is located in Central Kalimantan in an area of 415,040 ha and includes several types of vegetation and inside is Camp Leakey, established in 1971 by Dr. Biruté Galdikas as a refuge for orangutans rescued from domestic capture. Today the camp remains a center for research on these amazing animals. Learn more about orangutans in Camp Leakey's information center. Wild orangutan feeding every day will be the highlight of your visit as you are most likely to see wild orangutans near their natural habitat.

This is an important conservation area because it protects endangered Orangutan (Pongo Pygmeus) species that are known to live on only two islands: Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia. Other primate species like the long-nosed monkey and other many animals species also live in the park.

The park is occupied by 38 mammals including 9 primates: the Orangutans, Proboscis monkeys, long-tailed monkeys, pig-tailed macaque, Gibbons, leaf monkeys, slow lorises, Tarsiers, and there are also deer, Bornean bearded pig, leopards, dolphins, dugongs, 150 species fish, 200 species of birds, orchids, many reptiles and amphibians including crocodiles and more than 450 species of insects.

Tanjung Puting National Park, where tourists will be taken to visit the zones where orangutan feeding and through the forest in the wild. Orangutan tour is realized by the river Sekonyer in boats called Klotok that they have everything necessary to make you to enjoy a comfortable and comfortable stay. Klotoks has enough accommodation and comfortable to accommodate 2 to 8 people. The speed of Klotok is very low, so we can enjoy the atmosphere of the jungle and his animals along the river in an unforgettable experience.

Currently we hold klotok not inferior to hotel services, the cuisine is also very tasty when compared with the standards of big cities, and already used to serve foreign tourists so good quality of service as well as the day where the night suddenly arrived, we can sleep on the Boat/klotok accompanied mosquito nets, blankets, mattresses. Food would be three meals a day plus snacks and soft drinks (mainly cartons of sweetened juices, water, and tea/coffee).

We offer customisable private tours, where you a looked after from the time you are met by your guide, until the time your tour finishes at a hotel in Pangkalan Bun or at the airport. We believe in fair prices. We are a small and friendly business, wanting guests to have amazing experiences and to fall in love with Tanjung Puting and the orangutans, as we have!. All our Borneo orangutan tour will be customised for you according to your flight arrival and departure times, and whether you have any special interests or requests.

If you continue your tour around Indonesia, the easiest way to find the best hotel deals is Booking. There are thousands of options to stay in almost every destination in the world.

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Borneo's Orangutans

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

Quick Enquiry

Quick enquiry.

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

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.

Outline Itinerary

What's Included?

Comfortable eco-lodges, all rooms with private facilities.

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

Can’t pick a single highlight, start to finish was incredible. I’d really wanted to see orangutans but most of my memories are of proboscis monkeys, flying squirrels, macaques and hornbills. And butterflies. And roosting birds, crocodiles, sun bears, snakes and lizards. Waking up to the sound of the gibbons calling and falling asleep to the sound of the tree frogs. Incredible. P.H. Middlesex, Sept 23

A magical trip watching orangutan in the wild in different areas of Borneo, whilst walking, driving and by riverboat. And the chance to identify many other mammals, birds and reptiles indigenous to the area on both day and night walks. The Malaysian hospitality and welcome was exceptional as were the lodges we stayed in and the cuisine. Our guides were very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and always on hand to ensure we had the best possible experience. Naturetrek were first class from beginning to end. Their website answered all the questions clients would normally have to ask initially and when speaking to any member of staff all were very knowledgeable and helpful from the planning stages right through to my return.  A.H. Hampshire, Oct 22

This was probably the best wildlife holiday I have ever been on. Everything was incredibly well organised, the accommodation and food was well above my expectations and the guides were superb. We saw so much more than I ever expected. I had a wonderful time and 2500 photos to remind me! H.H. Kent, Sept 18

I thought the whole trip was just fabulous. J.H. Surrey

Borneo's Orangutans was an exceptional holiday; my first experience of wildlife travel, which far exceeded my expectations. The tour was very well organised, with great locations, accommodation, food and, above all, expert and enthusiastic guidance from tour leaders. I cannot recommend this too highly. J.P. Greater Manchester

This was my first trip with Naturetrek. I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and it exceeded my expectations... I found that having a naturalist heading the party was invaluable. I am spreading the word and recommending Naturetrek to anyone who has an interest in nature. S.D. Bristol

This was yet another awesome Naturetrek tour... All accommodation was excellent. Service great, food very good. S.A. USA

The guides were very knowledgeable and were able to share their knowledge with the group; there are so many things that I would have missed without their expertise. A.B. London

Hotels were excellent! Surroundings amazing, especially Danum Valley. Staff very accommodating, friendly and always smiling. A very well balanced trip which worked very well for me (first-timer!), especially the Danum Valley - an incredible place to stay and definitely return. I didn't want to leave. Chris did a great job at accommodating everyone and was very well planned and organised. I definitely got a great taste of the Orang-utans, the river life and the Danum Valley forest. The trip leader: What can I say? A star! He made my trip a very enjoyable one, from start to finish. Chris listened to everyone and we had so many great walks/treks/boat rides that he organised. Thanks Chris. The local guides were great guys too! Very knowledgeable and interested to talk to. Always smiling and very reliable. A great mix of people. D.I. Hertfordshire

This was an excellent trip. Having started off as someone who mainly wanted to see Orang-utans and with little knowledge of the bird life of Borneo. I am now a convert and enthusiastic about spotting birds and other wildlife. I put this down to the skills of our trip leader Chris Kehoe and local guide Hasmit. Chris managed the trip very well and ensured the group got whatever the individuals wanted from the experience. There was never any pressure to do walks of treks that you did not wish to do. It was obvious that Chris is extremely knowledgeable about the bird-life in particular, and very patient with those of us who were new to this type of holiday. The local guide was also very good and a delightful young man. The whole experience has exceeded expectations. J.L. Middlesex

We had a fantastic trip and Chris Kehoe, together with the local guides, was wonderful. The friendliness of the local people, as well as the diversity of the wildlife and spectacular scenery, made this one of our most enjoyable and memorable holidays! Thank you. B.M. Kent

A most interested and enjoyable holiday...excellent leaders in the shape of Chris Kehoe, Hamit & Nadir... Their knowledge and enthusiasm was without bounds, to the extent that I became caught up init and am now a convert to bird-watching as well as mammal spotting. Without a doubt, I would consider another Naturetrek holiday. P.B. Middlesex

Terry was excellent - a good and amusing communicator, very personable and with a great knowledge of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and he was able to take on some invertebrates as well. Energetic and enthusiastic. Great stuff! G.T. Staffordshire

I thought the local guide Hazwan Suban excellent; he knew the bird and mammal species, could identify them on the spot, and could pick them out with his scope to show their details - a very good guide with the advantage of having local knowledge. The three locations where we stayed provided a range of habitats and kept interest levels high. The Orang-utans, the bat cave and exploring the jungle from the river were star attractions, but Danum Valley outclassed them all - undamaged jungle, the canopy walk, the numbers of mammals, birds, and sundry lizards and snakes, and the fact that what we could see was just as it had been for hundreds of years. J.M. Oxfordshire

Very well organised with attention to detail. Great care was taken to meet the needs of all members of the group. It was a real privilege to share the expertise of Terry Reis and Hazwan Suban. This was my first wildlife holiday and a genuine learning experience! J.P. Greater Manchester

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Related articles

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

A Complete Guide to Seeing the Orangutans in Borneo

If you’ve been dreaming of seeing the orangutans in real life, then chances are Borneo is the place you’ve been imagining. And it sure sounds far-flung and hard to get to, but it’s surprisingly more accessible than you might think. A trip to Borneo can be done on a budget, but it can also be done in pure luxury. So this guide aims to cover everything you need to know about visiting Borneo – particularly Malaysian Borneo – including how to get there, where to go, what things cost and of course – where to see the orangutans in Borneo. Read on to find out more!

Where to see orangutans in Borneo?

First things first, it’s key to understand a little more about Borneo. Beautiful Borneo is the third largest island in the world, and by far the largest island in Asia. Borneo is home to three countries – Indonesia, covering the southern portion, Malaysia, covering the northern portion, and Brunei, occupying a teeny tiny 5,765km 2 (about 1% of the land mass!) and surrounded entirely by Malaysia.

Orangutans can be found in both Malaysian Borneo (split up as two Malaysian states called Sabah and Sarawak) and Indonesia (spit into the provinces of West, Central, South, East and North Kalimantan).

The only other place to see orangutans in the world is the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. So there are two species of orangutans – the Sumatran species and the Bornean species. Both have 96.4% identical DNA to humans!

And did you know that orangutans are the only great ape to be found outside of Africa? The others – gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos are all found in Africa.

Malaysian Borneo or Indonesian Borneo?

One of the first decisions to make is deciding whether to go to the Malaysian part of Borneo, or the Indonesian part.

I did a lot of research before embarking on this trip. In the end, I opted for Sabah in the Malaysian part of Borneo in the north. There were a few reasons for this. For one I was flying into Kuala Lumpur, which had affordable and convenient connections onto Sandakan. And I’d read that animal sightings were more common as the area was smaller (covering only about 25% of the island). Tourism infrastructure is also more developed here, and I had identified some accommodation and tours that really met my expectations, and so, I was set on northern Sabah – specifically around the Kinabatangan River.

This part of Borneo is also home to Mt Kinabalu (one of the highest mountains in the world!), and also the vibrant city of Kota Kinabalu – two locations I was also very keen on seeing.

The state of Sarawak is slightly more challenging to get to – the main airport is Kuching. But Sarawak is home to 30 national parks covering its magnificent rainforest, mountains and coastline. Sarawak offers a deeper dive into indigenous tribes, traditions and cultures. I found we saw less of this in Sabah, which has a more established tourist setup compared to Sarawak.

Kalimantan Indonesia is even more far flung. It covers a whopping 76% of the island of Borneo, so it can be harder to see orangutans in the wild – especially as the tourism infrastructure is still somewhat limited here.

The Indonesian states and the Malaysian state of Sarawak both provide a complete adventure and incredible wildlife, but for the purpose of the rest of this guide, I will be focusing on Sabah.

Borneo Travel Guide: Useful Information

How to get to sabah, borneo.

The main way to arrive in Sabah is by plane. The two main entry points are either Kota Kinabalu, the capital, or Sandakan, the airport nearest the northern rainforest area.

We flew into Sandakan to begin our adventure. Then at the end of the week, we took a very quick internal hop from there to Kota Kinabalu, which is where we flew onwards to Manila .

Air Asia and Malaysian Airlines both fly to Sandakan from Kuala Lumpur multiple times a day, with the flight taking about 3 hours. This flight often costs as little as £30. You can also start your Borneo journey in Kota Kinabalu if arriving from other Asian cities such as Singapore, Taipei, Penang, Seoul or Hong Kong. Flights between Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan take about 40 mins and can be as cheap as £15 or so.

Malaysian visas, currency and budget

Visas to Malaysia are straight forward, and dozens of nationalities are eligible for visa-free entry. This includes EU countries, the UK, the UAE, Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Brazil.

The currency in Malaysia is the Ringgit. Malaysia is a little more expensive than other places in South East Asia, but a fair bit cheaper than Singapore!

I’ve written a detailed post about covering all essential information for visiting Malaysia here , which I recommend checking further information.

How to get around Sabah, Borneo

One of the game changing things about travelling South East Asia now, compared to my first visit in 2010, is the introduction of ride hailing apps. The main one in Malaysia is Grab – and my goodness, is it game changing. No standing around on roads trying to hail a local taxi and then haggling over short journeys.

Once we landed at Sandakan airport, we simply hopped in a Grab into the centre of town. We also used Grab in Kota Kinabalu from the airport to the port. It’s just like Uber and the journeys were always so inexpensive. It’s so easy to take Grab that it doesn’t really make sense to try and navigate local buses or use any other method.

When is the best time to go to Borneo?

April to September is typically the best time to go to Borneo. Unlike the rest of South East Asia, June to August is particularly dry whereas the rest of the region faces frequent daily showers in these months.

However, November through to February is monsoonal in Borneo. When speaking to our guide, he described it as torrential and near pointless trying to visit in this time. He said these aren’t just tropical showers, but nearly all-day rain. It means most of the guides are out of work during these months, waiting for the peak season again. And similarly, this weather can make seeing the orangutans in Borneo difficult.

We went to Borneo in April and the weather was perfect. Hot and humid, with one downpour in 4 days (which was really refreshing, plus we were on a speedboat on the river!). A friend of mine went to Sandakan and the Kinabatangan River in February and said they did experience an awful lot of rain.

How long do I need in Borneo?

I would say you need a minimum of three days in the rainforest. I do know you can fly in and fly out from Kota Kinabalu into Sandakan in a day as part of tour, but I don’t recommend this. The adventure lies in exploring the rainforest after all!

Some people do visit Sandakan and just go to Sepilok, a small town 30 minutes away. Sepilok is home to several animal sanctuaries and centres. You need two days in Sepilok, ideally. But as you are guaranteed to see orangutans here, I see why you could in theory do just the day visit.

I would strongly recommend joining a tour and heading out along the Kinabatangan River. You need a minimum of two nights to do this. But we did a tour that took in Sepilok at the start and finish, and meant we saw all the key highlights in three full days. Amazingly, it was brilliant and we were so satisfied with our animal sightings along the river in this timeframe – and we also had plenty of downtime to relax. But, if we were to go back, I think I’d add in another lodge even deeper in the Kinabatangan River. After all, you have travelled a long way.

So, my final answer is – a minimum of five days in total – two days in Sepilok, two to three days deeper in the rainforest. And if you’re an animal fan, I’d add another 2 or 3 days onto that.

You are likely to need an additional night either side of any rainforest adventure because of flight timings and early starts.

Our time in Sabah looked like this:

• Day 1: Landed in Sandakan 6pm in the evening, checked into local hotel
• Day 2: Picked up at 8am for day 1 of the tour (morning and lunch in Sepilok, speedboat along the Kinabatangan River to our lodge to arrive by 3pm, free time, evening safari and first night in the rainforest)
• Day 3: Full day in the rainforest at our lodge (morning river safari, free time, evening river safari)
• Day 4: Morning at the lodge before departure back to Sandakan. Back to Sepilok to visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre before checking into local hotel in Sandakan
• Day 5: Early departure from Sandakan airport to Kota Kinabalu, arrive 10am.

We met a couple in Sepilok’s Rainforest Discovery Centre who had visited 10 days in a row as they were passionate birders and absolutely loved the viewing areas!

What to bring on a trip to Borneo?

Bug spray, bug spray, bug spray! The mosquitos are in the millions, and the biting felt incessant, especially from about 5pm.

I would also say to bring some long, lightweight trousers and proper closed toe shoes.

Even in the dry season, there can be sudden downpours so when you head out in wildlife river cruises, the guides advise to take a hat, suntan lotion and a raincoat!

Where to visit in Sabah to see the orangutans?

So, we’ve got the logistics down, but where to see orangutans in Sabah?

As just mentioned, you are guaranteed to see orangutans in Sepilok. This small town is just 26km from Sandakan and is home to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. You will 100% see orangutans here. Nearby is the Rainforest Discovery Centre, another place where you have a high chance of seeing orangutans.

A trip along the Kinabatangan River – the second longest river in Malaysia – is another key place to spot orangutans where over 1,100 live. Yet it is significantly harder to spot them as they are rather elusive and the rainforest here is very dense.

We saw two orangutans at our lodge, far along the Kinabatangan River. However, we saw far more at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabiliation Centre, and therefore, for close and intimate viewings, you have to go there. Plus, they are strictly arboreal (living in the trees) so you do have to be surrounded by the thick rainforest to have a chance of seeing orangutans.

Other areas in Sabah, Borneo to spot orangutans in the wild include Danum Valley, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Deramakot Forest Reserve. You can only visit these locations on longer trips to Sabah due to the added travel time to get there. If had had more time in Borneo, Danum Valley would have been my pick to add another 2 or 3 nights.

What other wildlife can you see in Borneo?

So of course, most people come to Borneo with the goal of seeing orangutans. But there’s actually a Borneo Big Five!

The wildlife animals in the Big Five include: the Pygmy Elephant, the Proboscis Monkey, the Rhinoceros Hornbill, the Estuarine Crocodile and of course, the Orangutan.

We were lucky enough to see all of these, except the Rhinoceros Hornbill, during our three days in Borneo. But other guests were even luckier and did see the Rhinoceros Hornbill!

On one of our afternoon river cruises along the Kinabatangan River, I saw a flash of black and then a swooping primate swinging between the trees. Our guide was seriously excited. He told us it was the Bornean Gibbon – a rare sighting and something he hadn’t seen in over 4 months!

I also loved the Proboscis Monkey. These are endemic to Borneo, which means they can’t be found anywhere else. They also really stand out due to their very large noses. In fact, their noses hang down their faces and are distinctive. It’s only the male proboscis monkeys that have this nose. And apparently, female proboscis monkeys prefer to mate with male proboscis monkeys with the larger noses…

This was actually the animal we spotted most frequently in the wild whilst cruising along the Kinabatangan River. We also saw dozens of long tailed macaques, many of which were very curious about us and caused the tall trees to swing all over the place.

Other animals to spot include the clouded leopard (extremely rare), the western tarsier, sun bear, the civet and the pangolin.

Should I explore Borneo on a tour or independently?

I would say that Sandakan to Sepilok is very easy (even just jump in a Grab). There’s plenty of accommodation options in Sepilok and the area is small and walkable. However, I don’t think you should even attempt to visit the Kinabatangan River independently. Firstly, I don’t know how you’d travel to such a remote location without using the speedboats of one of the lodges. I don’t think there are local boats to catch up the river. Secondly, to try and visit the rainforest independently means risking your safety (wild animals!). It also means not receiving the incredibly interesting and insightful information from your tour guides.

We arranged our whole rainforest adventure with Borneo Eco Tours (sometimes called BET). I couldn’t recommend this experience enough. You can book them for tours in both Sabah and Sarawak. We specifically did this tour here – Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari (by boat) 3D2N (code BB7D for booking). Whilst it wasn’t particularly physically challenging in any way, the tour was so efficiently organised. It really helped us achieve everything we wanted in Borneo.

It isn’t too cheap – MYR 2,820 per person, based on two people sharing. This is approx. £500 per person or USD$614. But it did take care of everything. From transport, accommodation, all meals, river cruises, and entry to the main sights in Sepilok. Plus of course, the excellent guides. That’s about £166 per person per day, which I felt was a fair cost for the experience.

You can book directly on their site here . Here you will be connected with one of their helpful customer service staff via email. They will help ensure you’re booking the best tour for you and advise on all other logistics – an invaluable resource.

Borneo Eco Tours own the most amazing lodge, located along the banks of the Kinabatangan River. It’s called Sukau Rainforest Lodge and is one of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World.

Accommodation options in Sabah, Borneo

Sukau rainforest lodge.

As just mentioned, I personally stayed at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, which was about a 2.5hour speedboat from Sandakan, nestled along the Kinabatangan River. It was absolutely perfect, and the best luxury stay in this part of Borneo.

Your stay here is on a full board basis, so excellent buffet breakfast, lunch and dinners are included. Alcoholic drinks are an additional cost. The food was really impressive and hugely varied. We loved the Asian options and enjoyed the chance to try some more unusual dishes.

There are two room categories. The more affordable option is the superior room, tucked away behind the main social areas of the lodge. These rooms offer excellent facilities and very comfortable rooms.

The other option is a Borneo Villa, which is what we booked. We found the villa to be very luxurious and completely magical. We loved sitting by our balcony where all kinds of wildlife would swing by. Or even stomp on the roof of the villa! The Borneo Villas are tucked away down wooden boardwalks, meaning they feel really private and are completely surrounded by the rainforest.

River wildlife safaris are conducted twice a day, with one at sunrise and one departing around 3pm. Each boat has a highly informative guide on board who will endeavour to spot as much wildlife as possible. There is also the option of a night cruise at a small additional charge, which goes out with a flashlight. We saw a lot of crocodiles and snakes during this cruise but no orangutans as they were fast asleep!

Also, there are a couple of delightful outdoor pools here, making for an all in all, wonderful and relaxing stay!

Other places to stay in Sabah, Borneo

Kinabatangan.

Along the Kinabatangan River are a few other lodges, which can be booked online without using a local tour company. I’ve listed a couple of suggestions below:

• Kinabatangan Wildlife Lodge (£50 per night)
• Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort (£150 per night)
• Bilit Adventure Lodge (£252 per night)
• The Last Frontier Boutique Lodge (£308 for two nights, which is the minimum stay)
• Borneo Nature Lodge (£333 for a two day, 1 night package)

Back in Sandakan, a few suggestions include:

• The Elopura Hotel (£47 per night)
• Sabah Hotel (£48 per night)
• Hotel Sandakan (£16 per night)

We bookended our tour with a first night at the Elopura Hotel and a second night at the Sabah Hotel. The Elopura is located right in the heart of Sandakan Waterfront, so great for 1 or 2 nights if you want to experience a bit of local life. The room was great in Elopura and the hotel was heavily themed around movies, which was quite cool!

Sabah Hotel is located a little out of town, on a hill and a short taxi from restaurants etc. Sabah Hotel has a great pool area and lots of facilities, as well as several onsite restaurants, so I’d recommend staying here if you want a full day of relaxing.

There are a lot of accommodation options in Sepilok, so perfect for exploring the various attractions here. Lots of the lodges and guesthouses are small and family run. A few options include:

• Sepilok Forest Edge Resort (£85 per night)
• Sepilok Jungle Resort (£30 per night)
• Nature Lodge Sepilok (£40 per night)
• Sepilok B&B (£27 per night)
• Paganakan Dii Tropical Retreat (£43 per night)

Where to See Orangutans in Borneo: A Guide

So, there’s my complete on where to see orangutans in Borneo. I really hope this blog post has helped in your research and planning for your trip to see the orangutans in the wild. It really is the most magical experience but does take a fair bit of planning to get there and to maximise your time.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

If you’re planning a longer trip around Malaysia, or South East Asia, then make sure to check out my other posts here:

• Malaysia Travel Guide: The Best Places to Visit in Malaysia (including Borneo)
• Thailand Travel Guide: The Best Places to Visit in Thailand
• Vietnam Travel Guide: The Best Places to Visit in Vietnam
• Singapore Travel Guide: The Best Things to See and Do in Singapore

Disclaimer:  This guide has no involvement from the local tourism board or a hotel .

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• Expeditions
• Conservation
• April 13 – 26, 2024

Orangutans are the only primarily arboreal great ape and are actually the largest tree-living mammal in the world.

The smallest member of the bear family, the Malayan Sun Bear leads an exclusively tree-dwelling life in the dense lowland forests of Southeast Asia.

Western Tarsiers have long, skinny fingers to help them climb, and large forward-facing eyes to accurately assess distances for safe leaping.

Distinguished by its golden chest and throat, the Yellow-throated Marten is the only one of its species to live in tropical and sub-tropical forests.

Dominated by Mt. Kinabalu at 13,000 feet, Kinabalu National Park is a World Heritage Site, considered one of the most important ecological areas in the world.

Borneo Wildlife Tour

Destinations

• Travel by Air
• Travel by Road
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• Travel by Bullet Train
• Travel by Rail
• Travel by Dog Sled

Arrive Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Arrive in Kota Kinabalu (or KK, as it’s known locally), on the northwestern coast of Borneo. Take the day at leisure to acclimate. If you’re up for it, go for a walk in the bustling city and explore its vibrant and diverse markets, boardwalks and beaches. Meet your expedition leader and fellow travelers at a welcome dinner. Overnight at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru .

Kota Kinabalu / Lahad Datu / Danum Valley

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight to Lahad Datu in the Eastern Sabah state. Travel overland by vehicle to Danum Valley Conservation Area, the largest contiguous virgin rainforest remaining in Southeast Asia. Danum protects nearly 200 square miles of lowland forest, and is recognized as one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. It is home to a staggering array of wildlife, including Bornean Orangutan, Western Tarsier, Sambar Deer, Proboscis Monkey, Red-leaf Monkey, Bornean Gibbon, Pygmy Elephant and Clouded Leopard, to name but a few. Upon arrival, settle into your bungalow at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge . Enjoy lunch, then head out for an afternoon trek on the lodge’s nature trails and elevated canopy walkways. As the sun sets, listen for Bearded Pig rooting under the bungalows. Dinner and overnight at Borneo Rainforest Lodge .

Danum Valley

Rise each morning to the din of gibbons and the raucous laughter of Helmeted Hornbills. Take two full days to explore further on foot and by vehicle, searching for animals, including the elusive orangutan. Danum Valley has been designated an Important Bird Area, and is home to nearly 350 species, including the Great Argus Pheasant, eight species of hornbills, seven species of jewel-like pittas, and the bizarre Borneo Bristlehead. Enjoy night drives looking for the diminutive Leopard Cat, Common and Small-toothed Palm Civets, Black and Red Giant Flying Squirrels, and the curious Bornean Colugo. With luck and persistence, you may also encounter the rare Marbled Cat, Western Tarsier, or even Bornean Clouded Leopard. Dinners and overnights at Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

Danum Valley / Kinabatangan

This morning, drive north toward the dense mangrove forests of Lower Kinabatangan Segama Wetlands, Malaysia’s largest Ramsar site and home to one of the highest wildlife concentrations in Southeast Asia. Here, wild orangutans, Proboscis and Hose’s Leaf Monkeys, Crab–eating and Pig-tailed Macaques, Pygmy Elephant, and a great array of birdlife dwell within the dense riverine forest. At the village of Sukau, board a boat for the final stretch to the lodge via the Kinabatangan River. After lunch, enjoy an afternoon river cruise, looking for wildlife along the river edge. Dinner and overnight at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort.

Kinabatangan Wetlands

Spend time today on the river, starting with an early morning cruise. Watch Proboscis Monkeys waking from their slumbers in the mangroves, performing death-defying acrobatics over the water in attempts to evade the ever-watchful Saltwater Crocodiles frequenting the backwaters. Explore the river’s tributaries, looking for Hose’s and Silvered Langurs, Crab-eating Macaque, Storm’s Stork, and orangutan feeding at fruiting figs along the banks. This evening, take a spotlighting boat ride, and keep watch for Flat-headed Cat patrolling the banks, Slow Loris moving through the canopy, and Buffy Fish Owl on the hunt. Dinner and overnight at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort.

Kinabatangan / Deramakot Forest Reserve

After breakfast, take a boat back to Sukau, then travel west by vehicle to Deramakot. Despite its status as a “reduced impact logging” concession (10% is entirely protected for conservation), Deramakot remains one of Sabah’s best wildlife-viewing destinations, with 75% of Sabah’s mammal species found within its 210 square miles of mixed lowland forest. Settle into your basic park-style chalet at base camp and enjoy dinner, followed by an evening spotlighting drive to look for Common Palm Civet, Leopard Cat and Sambar Deer. Dinner and overnight at Deramakot Chalets.

Deramakot Forest Reserve

Savor the surprisingly well-preserved forest surroundings—Deramakot has the rare distinction of being the longest certified “well-managed” rainforest concession in the world, since 1997.For three full days, enjoy morning and evening game drives to look for Bornean Orangutan, Sun Bear, Wild Boar, Binturong, Pygmy Elephant, Banteng, and Clouded Leopard, as well as a wide array of birds, from kingfishers and broadbills to pittas and the reserve’s “featured” species, Helmeted and Wreathed Hornbills. Learn about the reserve’s Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) and the measures it takes to preserve habitat for wildlife. See RIL in action along several jungle hiking trails. Dinners and overnights at Deramakot Chalets.

Deramakot / Sepilok Rehabilitation Center

Leave Deramakot this morning, heading northeast to Sepilok. After lunch, visit the world-renowned Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, started in 1964 to help baby orangutan orphaned by logging, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. Get close-up views of some of the center’s 300 babies as they come in for their afternoon feeding.  This evening take a  walk to look for Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Slow Loris, or even the scarce Malay Stink Badger. Dinner and overnight at Sepilok Nature Resort .

Sepilok / Kota Kinabalu / Rasa Ria Reserve

After breakfast, visit the nearby Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center, founded in 2008 to rehabilitate orphaned Malayan Sun Bear, the world’s smallest bear species. Then, head to the airport for a flight back to Kota Kinabalu. Take the rest of today to explore the 400-acre nature reserve on the hotel’s property. Dinner and overnight at Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort.

Rasa Ria Reserve – Mt. Kinabalu

Enjoy breakfast seaside, then drive to Mt. Kinabalu, which at 13,000 feet is the highest point between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Explore the montane rainforest surrounding the park headquarters, home to more than 800 orchid species and five kinds of carnivorous pitcher plants. Look for Jentinck’s and Prevosts’ Squirrels, and some 300 species of birds, including minivets, babblers, laughing-thrushes, and the endemic Whitehead’s Broadbill and Short-tailed Magpie. This afternoon, visit the lowland rainforest on the other side of the mountain to hike among the largest mosses on Earth and more than 600 species of fern—exceeding the number found on the entire African mainland. See colorful butterflies and hornbills. With luck, you may also spot the incredible Rafflesia flower. Return to the hotel for a farewell dinner with fellow travelers. Dinner and overnight at Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort.

Kota Kinabalu / Depart Borneo

After breakfast, head to the Kota Kinabalu airport for your international flights home.

• Leaders Gerald Broddelez
• $14,870 Per Person Rate
• $16,880 Solo Rate
• 14 days Trip Length
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Where to see orangutans in Borneo

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written by Joanne Owen

updated 26.05.2023

Love nature and wildlife? Borneo deserves to be shifted to the top of your travel wish-list. Located in Southeast Asia’s Malay Archipelago, the island is blessed with a bounty of unique plants, birds and animals, among them orangutans. Given that these endangered great apes are only found in two parts of the world, wildlife watchers will want to optimise opportunities to encounter them. With that in mind, read on to find out where to see orangutans in Borneo.

• The ideal destination for orangutan sightings

Best places to see orangutans in Borneo

• #1 Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

#2 Tanjung Puting National Park

#3 borneo orangutan survival foundation (bosf).

• Other destinations for orangutan encounters

Practical tips for seeing orangutans in Borneo

The ideal destination for orangutan sightings .

Politically divided between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak ,  Indonesia , and Brunei, Borneo is the third largest island in the world.

It’s also home to one of the world’s oldest rainforests, which is the ideal habitat for orangutans.

Asia’s only great apes, and the world’s largest arboreal mammal, orangutans spend pretty much their entire lives in the trees. This is reflected in their name — in Malay, orangutan means "man of the forest". 

Overview of orangutans in Borneo

Orangutans, the island’s most famous forest residents are only found in two areas of the world  — Borneo and the Indonesian island of Sumatra . 

Orangutans live largely solitary lives in Borneo’s lowland forests. They make nests in trees to sleep and rest up in, between feasting on wild fruits. 

Around a century ago, it’s thought there were over 230,000 orangutans in the world. These days, estimates put Bornean orangutan numbers around 104,700, making it an endangered species. The number of Sumatran orangutans is around 7500, which means they're critically endangered.

In more positive news after reading these sobering numbers, a number of foundations in Borneo are working to protect orangutans. 

Orangutans in Borneo © Shutterstock

What other wildlife can I see in Borneo? 

Borneo is home to 222 mammals (44 of which are endemic), 420 species of bird (37 endemics), 100 amphibians and 394 species of fish (19 endemics).  

In addition to orangutans, Borneo's other primates include proboscis monkeys, macaques and gibbons.

Borneo is famed for its endangered pygmy elephants, and the elusive, endangered Sunda clouded leopard. Found in the mountainous interior, experts put their numbers between 5000 and 11,000. 

Then there’s the Bornean sun bear. The world’s smallest, most arboreal bear, and the second rarest bear species (after the giant panda), sun bears have been given an “vulnerable” status. 

Borneo’s birdlife is impressive, too. Notable species include hornbills, brahminy kites, crested serpent eagles, egrets, exquisite blue-banded and stork-billed kingfishers, and oriental darters. 

Many of these wildlife wonders can be seen in the vicinity of the three best places to see orangutans in Borneo. Namely, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Tanjung Puting National Park, and Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

Orangutan in Borneo ©Shutterstock

Borneo is one of the best places to see orangutans in the wild, bit it's also the world's third-largest island. So, where should you go? Three main locations in Borneo offer opportunities to see these amazing animals.

• Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre  
• Tanjung Puting National Park
• Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF)

#1 Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre  

Sepilok in the Malaysian state of Sabah is a rural, partly forested area that clings to some of Malaysia’s most celebrated wildlife, among them rhinoceros hornbills and, famously, orangutans.  

A 3km turning south off the main road — 22km west up the main road from Sandakan — gives access to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Located at the end of the Sepilok road, the centre is open daily from 9am–noon and 2–4pm, with feeding times at 10am and 3pm. 

Occupying a 43-square-kilometre patch of lowland rainforest, this is one of just a few such sanctuaries. Most of the orangutans here are victims of forest clearance. Many have been orphaned, injured or traumatized in the process.  

While other orangutan residents have been illegally kept as pets, resulting in stunted survival instincts, the centre trains them to fend for themselves. This has led to many successful reintroductions to the wild. 

The centre offers visitors a few different opportunities to observe orangutans. Firstly, a glass-fronted viewing gallery allows you to see them hone their climbing skills on a rope.

You can also walk trails through the trees, where guides will point out their nests.

Lastly, you can see them at a feeding station, where they’re offered only bananas to ensure they keep foraging. Don’t be alarmed if you see a poor turnout at the station – this can point to the health of the forest and its food sources. 

Travel tip : our customisable Dazzling Kuching trip includes Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Other attractions near Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

The same turning off the main road also gives access to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. 

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre  

Like orangutans, sun bears are vulnerable – either because their adorable, teddy-like appearance makes them attractive as pets, or because traditional medicine calls for their body parts.

Given that rescued bears need to relearn life skills, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre plays a vital role in protecting the species.

Opposite the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is open daily from 9am–3.30pm and houses around forty bears in woodland enclosures. A small number of these can be viewed by the public. 

Spotting scopes on the elevated boardwalks capture great close-up footage of the bears — ask staff to hold your camera against the eyepiece.

Sun bear © Shutterstock

Rainforest Discovery Centre

Located 2km down the Sepilok road and then 700m west along Jalan Fabia, the Rainforest Discovery Centre is open daily 8am–5pm.  

At first sight, while the Rainforest Discovery Centre is a somewhat disappointingly landscaped version of the jungle, with an immaculate lake in the middle, its canopy walkway is impressive.  

Here 347m of aerial bridges offer opportunities to see brightly coloured trogons and other birds.

If you sign up for the guided night walk (Mon–Fri only), you might just see flying squirrels, slow lorises and (more rarely) tarsiers.

Get lucky, and you might see a tarsier in the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Borneo © Shutterstock

Located in  Kalimantan , Indonesia’s name for its two-thirds share of Borneo, Tanjung Puting National Park’s orangutans are the region’s biggest tourist draw.

Your starting point is Pangkalanbun, which is accessible by air. Scheduled arrivals and departures ply routes to and from Pontianak, Ketapang, Banjarmasin, Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya.

Once in Pangkalanbun, you need to obtain an entry permit at the park office. From there, hire a taxi for the 20-minute drive to Kumai. This riverside village serves as the entry point to the park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

At the harbour, either hire a klotok (local motorised boat) or a speedboat to go upriver. 

A highlight of visiting Tanjung Putting National Park is the orangutan feeding sessions at one of three park outposts.  

The first, Tanjung Harapan – directly opposite the Sekonyer River Ecolodge – cares for orphaned infants and new arrivals and has a visitor information centre.  

Be aware that the most famous of the three, Camp Leakey, can be something of a circus during high season (June–August), with visitors who are less conservation-oriented clamouring to walk down jungle paths to see the red apes in action.  

Older orangutans, sometimes with their offspring, can be found at Pondok Tanggui. During the feeding sessions at Camp Leakey and Pondok Tanggui, orangutans that hover near the stations are offered bananas and milk to supplement seasonal lack of food in the forest.  

Allowing tourists the experience achieves an additional benefit — raising awareness of the plight of orangutans and the shrinking forests. 

Orangutans in Kalimantan, Borneo © Shutterstock

Other activities in Tanjung Puting National Park 

Unsurprisingly, Tanjung Puting National Park is all about the wildlife. Aside from orangutans, It’s home to the proboscis monkey and seven other species of primate, along with clouded leopards, civets, sun bears and several species of deer. 

It also boasts over 230 species of bird (including hornbills, and many wetland species), two species of crocodiles, dozens of snakes and frogs, and the endangered Arwana (bony-tongue) fish. 

The best viewpoints are from the river. At sunrise, proboscis monkeys begin their day’s foraging, occasionally belly-flopping into the water.

Dawn also sees birds especially active along the river.  

Come late afternoon, groups of proboscis monkeys — one male and his female harem per tree — settle in for the night and are easy to spot. 

Travel tip: for a sublime jungle river experience, ask your boatman to stop the engine for a while to allow the boat to drift quietly.

As well as orangutans, keep your eyes peeled for proboscis monkeys in Tanjung Puting National Park © Shutterstock

Related articles from the blog

The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation has a rehabilitation centre at Nyaru Menteng, 28km north of Palangkaraya, which can only be visited with a permit acquired in advance.  

Home to over 300 orphaned and displaced orangutans, the visitor centre here is open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9 am-5pm.  

While visitors aren’t allowed to come into close contact with the orangutans at this site, you could opt to stay at Samboja Lodge to experience encounters while supporting BOSF’s work — all revenue goes to BOSF conservation projects. 

A highlight of staying here is visiting the orangutan sanctuary islands — man-made islands where un-releasable orangutans live in a semi-wild environment.  

The lodge also offers opportunities to enjoy thrilling canopy walks and jungle treks, boat trips up the wildlife-rich Black River, and visits to a sun bear sanctuary.

This is travel at its most rewarding, and responsible.

Orangutan © jaiman taip/Shutterstock

Other destinations for orangutan encounters 

Danum valley.

About 90min from Lahad Datu by 4WD, the Danum Valley is “perhaps the last area of primary lowland forest in SoutheastAsia which remains truly pristine”.  

That glowing description isn’t from a tour operator brochure, but from the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, an international scientific collaboration that’s been based here since the 1980s.

Wildlife here includes bearded pigs, proboscis monkeys, elephants, over 320 species of bird and (you’ve guessed it) orangutans.  

Although orangutan sightings are not guaranteed, there are several walking trails and a suspended walkway.   

Batang Ai National Park

Located near Lubok Antu, an hour by boat from the dam, the little-visited Batang Ai National Park preserves an important area of rainforest that merges with the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Only accessible with an official guide, who can be hired in Lubok Antu, orangutans are occasionally spotted on various trails. 

Note that booking a boat to these trails will set you back a fair whack from the HQ, the park holds no residential or other facilities, and all visitors must be accompanied by a guide. 

Matang Wildlife Centre, Kubah National Park 

Some 20km west of Kuching, Kubah National Park is a rainforest reserve that’s considered to be one of the world’s richest sites for palm species. 

Crisscrossed by trails, waterfalls and streams, with three modest peaks emerging from the lush forest, the park is home to Matang Wildlife Centre.

Here injured, sick or orphaned wild animals such as orangutans, gibbons and hornbills are rehabilitated before being returned to the wild. 

Bohorok Orangutan Centre, Gunung Leuser National Park

Northwest from Medan, some three hours by road, a narrow road winds up the Alas River Valley to Gunung Leuser National Park.  

Covered in dense jungle, this 8,000-sq km park is a UNESCO Biosphere Site. 

In Bukit Lawang , on the eastern edge of the Gunung Leuser reserve, the Bohorok Orangutan Centre welcomes visitors. 

Although the centre no longer rehabilitates the red great apes, you’re welcome to take a one-hour hike through the jungle to platforms used for the early-morning and afternoon feeding of wild and semi-wild orangutans.  

Orangutans doing their thing in Borneo © Shutterstock

• Do your research and book trips or tours well in advance.
• Travelling independently? Check if you need a permit before visiting national parks.  
• Wondering when's the best time to visit Borneo to see orangutans? Anytime between March and October should deliver decent sightings.
• When the rain lets up in April and May, and fruiting season kicks off, you have an increased chance of seeing orangutans at their most active.
• Borneo is hot and humid, so keep well hydrated when you’re out in the jungle.
• It’s advisable to wear long sleeves, trousers, and insect repellent. 
• Leeches live in the lowland jungles, so you might want to tuck trousers into socks. 

Borneo © Shutterstock

Inspired to see orangutans in Borneo for yourself? Get yourself  The Rough Guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei  to help plan your trip. 

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to forgo the hassle of planning, browse our customisable itineraries to  Malaysia  and Indonesia . For example, our Nature in Borneo trip includes incredible orangutan experiences.

Header image: orangutan in the jungle of Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia © jaiman taip/Shutterstock

Joanne is a Pembrokeshire-born writer with a passion for the nature, cultures and histories of the Caribbean region, especially Dominica. Also passionate about inspiring a love of adventure in young people, she’s the author of several books for children and young adults, hosts international writing workshops, and has written articles on the Caribbean and inspirational community initiatives for Rough Guides. Follow her @JoanneOwen on Twitter and @joanneowenwrites on Instagram.

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Welcome To Orangutan Voyage

Nature and wildlife always fascinating. Tanjung Puting National Park is amazing !  Our famous program is spotting the orangutans in their wild natural habibat. If you have plenty of time, you can do long jungle trekking on daytime to search the wild ones or you may do a short trekking at night time.

Orangutan Voyage is a local tour operator under legal company, based in Kumai district, Kotawaringin Barat, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Founded by Ancis Banderas the inhabitant of Borneo who has been assisted the travellers to guide their travel plan particularly tour to the Tanjung Puting National Park or adventure to the one of the oldest rainforest in the world in Lamandau Regency, Central Kalimantan.

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All tours are private and exclusive or not available for sharing tour and it could be arranged for group private.We have prepared some tour package to help your planning and guide your decision what to do during your visit.

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The Way Of Living

I felt really flattered that Ancis invited to join him on a travel gathering held by goverment tourism agency of Lamandau regency to an original and unspoiled dayak village in Lamandau, Lubuk Hiju.

Fight In The Wild

Before watching the orangutan feeding time at the rehabilitation camp, our program always follows a path to take closer look at the amazing biodiversity in the rainforest of Tanjung Puting National Park.

Wild Orangutan

After collecting our guests from Iskandar Airport in Pangkalan Bun we drove to Notch a 25 minute car ride where we were welcomed by the crew of the Klotok (the boat) that was going to be our home for the next 4 days.

Borneo is a truly spectacular place. When we arrived at Pangkalan Bun Airport, the tour guide, mr. Aidi Syarifudin, was waiting for us, so we set off to Kumai harbour. In the harbour, we went on the boat, the klotok, to go to Sekonyer River.

Michaël hoffmann belgium, ancis is a top class guide he has a lot of knowledge and experience about the animal,knows the urangutans by their names and characteristic.. he is very funny and loves to chat and exchange stories… he is also very very friendly, so definitely the one to go with, alen slovenia.

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Unleash your adventurous spirit and witness the wonders of Borneo’s untamed wilderness with our expert teams. Feel the surge of adrenaline as you navigate rapids and traverse the enchanting rainforest, creating unforgettable memories alongside your friends. Choose the multiple tour programs offered by our legal tour operator in Pangkalan bun to ensure an extraordinary experience.

Orangutan Explore in Tanjung Puting National Park

Embark on an extraordinary journey to explore the vast and rare world of Borneo's orangutans and other endemic wildlife, accompanied by our friendly and professional licensed tour guide.

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Pay tribute to the great Dayak warriors and influential figures of the past at the Tomb of Dayak's warrior. Experience the spiritual aura and learn about their invaluable contributions to the society that still resonate today.

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Experience the fascinating local wisdom of the Banjarese people, who have relied on the river for their essential daily needs for centuries. Immerse yourself in a cultural tradition that has stood the test of time, where the river serves as more than just a source of water—it is a way of life.

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Transfer in the airport then visit Kudangan village with Bagondang dance performance.

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Driving to Muhur about 45 minutes, then starting to trek in primary forest for 2-3 hours then stay overnight at tend.

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Orangutan & Floating Market Tour 7D6N

Visiting two province in Kalimantan with overland tour from Pangkalanbun to Banjarmasin with good accessibility for overland tour.

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Client's Testimonial

We traveled to Borneo & used Borneo Travel Hijau Travel. Mr Yanni planned our trip from Los Angeles to Borneo. He responded quickly to my texts & arranged everything perfectly. The houseboat trip ( kelotok) on river was a highlight to see the orangutans, monkeys, crocodiles & birds. Mr. Yanni also arranged a visit & sleep over at a Dayak village where we were greeted with great warmth & hospitality. He coordinated everything from our arrival to departure & our guide on the 6 day trip was excellent. It could not have been better. I highly recommend Mr. Yanni & his tour company. Richard Hutman Los Angeles, California

Our guide Ipung, on our Borneo experience was exceptional. Ipung was our guide on the houseboat for 4 nights for the jungle experience & our guide to the Dayak village in the mountains. In each case she showed great leadership & was our bridge to understanding the culture & the people. Her translation skills were excellent & she was warm & knowledgeable. I highly recommend her as a guide.

I celebrated my birthday in Borneo & Mr. Yanni & his family surprised me with a wonderful Birthday celebration with birthday cake, etc. How terrific it was.

The revamped website design for Orangutan Travel has truly exceeded my expectations. The new look is sleek, modern, and visually captivating, perfectly reflecting the spirit of adventure and conservation that the company stands for. Navigating through the website is now a seamless and enjoyable experience, allowing me to easily find information about orangutan trips and make bookings hassle-free. The updated layout and user-friendly interface make it effortless to explore the various destinations and tour packages available, I am impressed with how the new design effectively showcases the beauty of orangutans and their natural habitats

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I spotted the last wild orangutans in Borneo – you can too

Borneo feels incredibly remote and untouched. Then there are the orangutans. By Siobhan Grogan

I’m barely ten minutes’ walk from the hotel swimming pool when I spot my first tarantula. Moments after leaving the grounds on foot at 4.30am for a sunrise hike, my guide, Laslie, stops dead in front of me. It’s completely silent and pitch black, yet he’s somehow spotted the palm-sized spider on a tree just two metres away. It scuttles away under the light of his torch and we walk on.

A few seconds later, I see another, then another. When I spy a venomous neon green pit viper curled almost imperceptibly around a tree branch just above my head, I start to wish I’d stayed in bed with the door locked. Even with the comforts of a five star hotel you can feel how remote you are in the jungles of Borneo. The world’s third largest island, it is divided between Malaysia , Indonesia and Brunei but is best known for its extraordinary biodiversity, miles of ancient rainforest and as one of the last two places in the world besides Sumatra where orangutans live in the wild. To see them, you need to get there fast.

The WWF says there are only 104,700 of Asia’s great ape left and it’s estimated that their population will decrease by more than 80% by 2060. This is due to the loss of their natural habitat through logging and, more recently, as forests are cleared to build plantations to provide the world’s palm oil. Further deforestation is imminent since Indonesia started building a brand-new capital city to replace Jakarta on Borneo in 2022. For now at least, Malaysian Sabah – in the island’s north – is a wildlife wonderland.

Nine orangutans pick over the watermelons and bananas, including one enormous entirely wild adult male – an extremely rare sight

It’s claimed that there are more flora and fauna in 10 sq-km here than in all of North America and Europe combined. It’s not difficult to believe at my hotel, the luxe but laidback Shangri-La Rasa Ria, which is sandwiched between a vast stretch of white sand lapped by the South China Sea and a 64-acre jungle reserve at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. Between sunbathing and spa visits, I see otters catching fish in the lake, monitor lizards slinking through the lawns and a rare rhinoceros hornbill perched in a tree on the golf course. On my dawn walk in the neighbouring reserve, there are ants the size of bumble bees, miniscule mouse deer and even a scorpion.

Later, on a sunset boat ride down the nearby Tembara River, tiny lights from fireflies flicker from trees on the bank, sparkling in the inky blackness. Though a large resort with an international name, the hotel never feels removed from its extraordinary setting, with daily beach clean ups guests can join, a Malaysian street food market instead of a bland buffet restaurant and even a traditional bedtime story placed sweetly on the pillow each night. Sadly, the orangutans are a little further away. The town of Sandakan is a short 50-minute plane journey – just doable in a long day – and its Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is one of the few places you stand a chance of clapping eyes on the hard-to-find animal.

Read more on trekking in Malaysia: seeing Malaysia from jungle to sea

Sandakan is also worth visiting to see the spectacular hilltop Puu Jih Shih Buddhist temple and to grab lunch in the Central Market, where a steaming bowl of wonton noodle soup costs less than £1. Walk it off afterwards at the moving Sandakan Memorial Park which commemorates the Allied prisoners of war who were imprisoned here in the 1940’s then forced to march 260km to their death. The orangutan conservation facility itself is within a 43 sq-km rainforest reserve where wild orangutans roam as they wish. Many here were saved from the pet trade or have lost their homes or mothers, so the centre teaches them life skills to become independent, which takes more than a decade.

Feeding happens twice a day but the orangutans are free to rove wherever they choose, so there’s still no guarantee of seeing them during a visit unless they decide to return for an easy lunch. It all feels a little sterile at first. There are neat wooden walkways through the trees and an observation platform overlooking a feeding tower where macaque monkeys swarm waiting for dinner. Yet then the trees rustle, a streak of orange emerges and a shaggy-haired beast swings through the branches, grabs a handful of sugarcane and lollops off, chomping. Another flies into view, dangling upside down from a rope while it feasts on a cabbage. Soon there are nine orangutans of all sizes picking over the watermelons and bananas, including one enormous entirely wild adult male – an extremely rare sight even here, my guide tells me. Once they’ve eaten, they disappear off into the leaves and the jungle falls silent again.

Days later, I stop in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, on the way home and it feels like I dreamt the whole thing. A busy, in-your-face metropolis crammed with futuristic skyscrapers, rainbow bright temples, gleaming malls and chaotic markets, it’s a startling contrast to Borneo’s rainforests but makes for the ideal twin-centre trip – especially as British Airways will restart daily flights to the city from London Heathrow from this November. Better still, with the Malaysian ringgit currently extremely low against the pound, everything feels like a bargain.

My hotel, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, is directly opposite the Petronas Towers with newly renovated rooms and the best view in town yet prices start from just £60 per night. Head to Petaling Street in Chinatown and you’ll eat like a king for next to nothing too. Strung with red lanterns and lined with shops selling souvenirs and knockoff designer goods, this pedestrianised neighbourhood is a dream for street food lovers. Try hot crispy pancakes stuffed with crushed peanuts and cooked onthe back of a pushcart, traditional soyabean pudding from a stall that has served the same dish here for nearly 100 years and a winter melon drink made with rock sugar from long-term stand, Air Mata Kucing.

Don’t leave without visiting Batu Caves where Hindu temples are housed inside caves carved into a limestone hill, all watched over by a towering gold statue of Murugan, the Hindu god of war. Inside, bats flap overhead and monkeys scamper over the 272 brightly coloured steps, ready to snatch food from any unsuspecting visitor. Turns out you don’t need to be anywhere near a rainforest to be surprised by Malaysia’s extraordinary wildlife.

Visit Borneo yourself

Rooms at Shangri-La Rasa Ria start from £223 per night. Rooms at Traders Hotel start from £60 per night with breakfast

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The Bornean orangutan Pongo pygmaeus is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo Together with the Sumatra

The Bornean orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus ) is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo . Together with the ( Sumatran orangutan ) ( Pongo abelii ) and ( Tapanuli orangutan ) ( Pongo tapanuliensis ), it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia. It is the largest of the three species of orangutans. Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild. Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans . Also called mias by the local population, the Bornean orangutan is a critically endangered species, with deforestation , palm oil plantations, and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence.

The Bornean orangutan and the ( Sumatran orangutan ) diverged about 400,000 years ago, with a continued low level of gene flow between them since then. The two orangutan species were considered merely subspecies until 1996; they were elevated to species following sequencing of their mitochondrial DNA .

The Bornean orangutan has three subspecies:

• Northwest Bornean orangutan Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus – Sarawak ( Malaysia ) and northern West Kalimantan ( Indonesia ).
• Central Bornean orangutan P. p. wurmbii – Southern West Kalimantan and ( Central Kalimantan ) (Indonesia).
• Northeast Bornean orangutan P. p. morio – ( East Kalimantan ) (Indonesia) and Sabah (Malaysia).

There is some uncertainty about this, however. The population currently listed as P. p. wurmbii may be closer to the Sumatran orangutan ( P. abelii ) than to the Bornean orangutan. If this is confirmed, P. abelii would be a subspecies of P. wurmbii (Tiedeman, 1808). In addition, the of P. pygmaeus has not been established beyond doubt; it may be from the population currently listed as P. wurmbii (in which case P. wurmbii would be a junior synonym of P. pygmaeus , while one of the names currently considered a junior synonym of P. pygmaeus would take precedence for the taxon in Sarawak and northern West Kalimantan). Bradon-Jones et al. considered P. morio to be a synonym of P. pygmaeus , and the population found in East Kalimantan and Sabah to be a potentially unnamed separate taxon.

In early October 2014, researchers from domestic and foreign countries found about 50 orangutans in several groups in South Kalimantan Province, although previously there is no record that the province has orangutans.

As a member of the family Hominidae , Bornean orangutans are one of the closest extant relatives to Homo sapiens .

This species was originally discovered by native Malaysians. There are several mentions of orangutans in Malaysian folklore. However, this species was originally named and described by the notable zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1799. Its original name was Simia satyrus , meaning "satyr monkey", but was changed when scientists discovered that not all orangutans are one species. The holotype of this organism is located in the British Museum in London.

The current species name P. pygmaeus is not Latin unlike most other Linnean classifications. The genus name Pongo is derived from the Bantu word mpongo used to indicate a large primate. It was originally used to describe chimpanzees in Western African dialects. The species name pygmaeus is derived from the Greek word "pygmy" meaning dwarf.

Physical description

The Bornean orangutan is the third-largest ape after the western gorilla , and the largest truly arboreal (or tree-dwelling) extant ape. Body weights broadly overlap with the considerably taller Homo sapiens , but the latter is considerably more variable in size. By comparison, the Sumatran orangutan is similar in size but, on average, is marginally lighter in weight. A survey of wild orangutans found that males weigh on average 75 kg (165 lb), ranging from 50–100 kg (110–220 lb), and 1.2–1.7 m (3.9–5.6 ft) long; females average 38.5 kg (85 lb), ranging from 30–50 kg (66–110 lb), and 1–1.2 m (3.3–3.9 ft) long. While in captivity, orangutans can grow considerably overweight, up to more than 165 kg (364 lb). The heaviest known male orangutan in captivity was an obese male named "Andy", who weighed 204 kg (450 lb) in 1959 when he was 13 years old.

The Bornean orangutan has a distinctive body shape with very long arms that may reach up to 1.5 metres in length. It has grey skin, a coarse, shaggy, reddish coat and prehensile , grasping hands and feet. Its coat does not cover its face unlike most mammals, although Bornean orangutans do have some hair on their faces including a beard and mustache. It also has large, fatty cheek pads known as flanges as well as a pendulous throat sac.

Bornean orangutans are highly sexually dimorphic and have several features that differ between males and females. Males have much larger cheek pads, or flanges, that are composed of muscle and large amounts of fat. In females, the flanges are mostly composed of muscle. Males have relatively larger canines and premolars. Males have a more pronounced beard and mustache. The throat sac in males is also considerably larger. There are two body types for sexually mature males: smaller or larger. Larger males are more dominant but smaller males still breed successfully. There is little sexual dimorphism at birth.

Habitat and distribution

The Bornean orangutan lives in ( tropical rain forests ) in the Bornean lowlands, as well as montane rain forests in mountainous areas up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. This species lives throughout the canopy of primary and secondary forest, and moves large distances to find trees bearing fruit.

It is found in the two Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak , and four of the five Indonesian Provinces of Kalimantan . Due to habitat destruction, the species distribution is now highly patchy throughout the island, the species has become rare in the southeast of the island, as well as in the forest between the Rajang River in central Sarawak and the Padas River in western Sabah. Its presence in Brunei is uncertain and unconfirmed.

The first complete orangutan skeleton that was discovered was in the ( Hoa Binh ) province in Vietnam and thought to be from the late Pleistocene epoch. It differed from modern orangutans only in that its body was proportionately smaller compared to its head. This fossil and others confirm that orangutans once inhabited continental Southeast Asia even though currently, Bornean orangutans are only found in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Behavior and ecology

In history, orangutans ranged throughout Southeast Asia and into southern China, as well as on the island of Java and in southern Sumatra. They primarily inhabit peat swamp forest, tropical heath forest, and mixed dipterocarp forest. Bornean orangutan are more solitary than their Sumatran relatives. Two or three orangutans with overlapping territories may interact, but only for short periods of time. Although orangutans are not territorial, adult males will display threatening behaviors upon meeting other males, and only socialize with females to mate. Males are considered the most solitary of the orangutans. The Bornean orangutan has a lifespan of 35–45 years in the wild; in ( captivity ) it can live to be about 60.

Despite being ( arboreal ), the Bornean orangutan travels on the ground more than its Sumatran counterpart. This may be in part because no large terrestrial predators could threaten an orangutan in Borneo. In Sumatra, orangutans must face predation by the fierce ( Sumatran tiger ).

The Bornean orangutan exhibits . Nests are built for use at night or during the day. Young orangutans learn by observing their mother's nest-building behaviour. This skill is practiced by juvenile orangutans. Nests may be elaborate and involve a foundation and mattress made by intertwining leaves and branches and adding broken leafy branches. Additional features such as shade, waterproof roof, "pillow", and "blanket", all of which are made from branches, twigs and leaves, may also be added. Nest-building in primates is considered as an example of ( tool use ) and not ( animal architecture ).

The Bornean orangutan diet is composed of over 400 types of food, including wild figs , ( durians ) ( ( Durio zibethinus ) and ( D. graveolens ) ), leaves , ( seeds ), ( bird eggs ), flowers, ( sap ), vines , honey , fungi , ( spider webs ), insects, and, to a lesser extent than the Sumatran orangutan, bark . They have also been known to consume the inner shoots of plants and vines. They will also occasionally eat nutrient rich soil . They get the necessary quantities of water from both fruit and from tree holes.

Bornean orangutans have been sighted ( using spears ) to attempt (unsuccessfully) to catch fish. The species has been observed using tools such as leaves to wipe off faeces, a pad of leaves for holding spiny durian fruit, a leafy branch for a bee swatter, a bunch of leafy branches held together as an "umbrella" while traveling in the rain, a single stick as backscratcher, and a branch or tree trunk as a missile. In some regions, orangutans occasionally eat soil to get minerals that may neutralize the toxins and acids they consume in their primarily vegetarian diets. On rare occasions, orangutans will prey upon other, smaller primates, such as slow lorises .

Reproduction

Males and females generally come together only to mate. Subadult males (unflanged) will try to mate with any female and will be successful around half the time. Dominant flanged males will call and advertise their position to receptive females, who prefer mating with flanged males. Adult males will often target females with weaned infants as mating partners because the female is likely to be fertile.

Females reach sexual maturity and experience their first ovulatory cycle between about six and 11 years of age, although females with more body fat may experience this at an earlier age. The estrous cycle lasts between 22 and 30 days and menopause has been reported in captive orangutans at about age 48. Females tend to give birth at about 14–15 years of age. Newborn orangutans nurse every three to four hours, and begin to take soft food from their mothers' lips by four months. During the first year of its life, the young clings to its mother's abdomen by entwining its fingers in and gripping her hair. Offspring are ( weaned ) at about four years, but this could be much longer, and soon after they start their adolescent stage of exploring, but always within sight of their mother. During this period, they will also actively seek other young orangutans to play with and travel with. On average, juveniles do not become completely independent until they are about seven years of age. The birth rate for orangutans has been decreasing largely due to a lack of sufficient nutrients as a result of habitat loss.

A 2011 study on female orangutans in free-ranging rehabilitation programs found that individuals that were supplemented with food resources had shorter interbirth intervals, as well as a reduced age, at first birth.

Conservation status

The Bornean orangutan is more common than the Sumatran, with about 104,700 individuals in the wild, whereas just under 14,000 Sumatran orangutans are left in the wild. Orangutans are becoming increasingly endangered due to habitat destruction and the ( bushmeat ) trade, and young orangutans are captured to be sold as pets, usually entailing the killing of their mothers.

The Bornean orangutan is critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List of mammals , and is listed on Appendix I of CITES . The total number of Bornean orangutans is estimated to be less than 14% of what it was in the recent past (from around 10,000 years ago until the middle of the 20th century), and this sharp decline has occurred mostly over the past few decades due to human activities and development. Species distribution is now highly patchy throughout Borneo; it is apparently absent or uncommon in the southeast of the island, as well as in the forest between the Rajang River in central Sarawak and the Padas River in western Sabah (including the Sultanate of Brunei ). A population of around 6,900 is found in ( Sabangau National Park ), but this environment is at risk.

This view is also supported by the United Nations Environment Programme , which stated in its 2007 report that, due to ( illegal logging ), fire and the extensive development of palm oil plantations, orangutans are critically endangered, and if the current trend continues, they will become extinct. When forest is burned down to clear room for palm oil plantations, not only does the Bornean orangutan suffer from habitat loss, but several individuals have been burned and killed in fires. Palm oil accounts for over one tenth of Indonesia's export earnings. It is in high demand because it is used in several packaged foods, deodorants, shampoos, soaps, candies, and baked goods.

Climate change is another threat to Bornean orangutan conservation. The effects that human activity have had on Indonesian rainfall have made food less abundant and so Bornean orangutans are less likely to receive full nutrients so that they can be sufficiently healthy to breed.

A November 2011 survey, based on interviews with 6,983 respondents in 687 villages across Kalimantan in 2008 to 2009, gave estimated orangutan killing rates of between 750 and 1800 in the year leading up to April 2008. These killing rates were higher than previously thought and confirm that the continued existence of the orangutan in Kalimantan is under serious threat. The survey did not quantify the additional threat to the species due to habitat loss from deforestation and expanding palm-oil plantations. The survey found that 73% of respondents knew orangutans were protected by Indonesian law.

However, the Indonesian government rarely prosecutes or punishes perpetrators. In a rare prosecution in November 2011, two men were arrested for killing at least 20 orangutans and a number of long-nosed ( proboscis monkeys ). They were ordered to conduct the killings by the supervisor of a palm oil plantation, to protect the crop, with a payment of $100 for a dead orangutan and $22 for a monkey.

Rescue and rehabilitation centers

A number of orangutan rescue and rehabilitation projects operate in Borneo.

The ( Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation ) (BOS) founded by ( Willie Smits ) has rescue and rehabilitation centres at Wanariset and ( Samboja Lestari ) in ( East Kalimantan ) and Nyaru Menteng, in ( Central Kalimantan ) founded and managed by ( Lone Drøscher Nielsen ). BOS also works to conserve and recreate the fast-disappearing rainforest habitat of the orangutan, at Samboja Lestari and Mawas.

( Orangutan Foundation International ), founded by Birutė Galdikas , rescues and rehabilitates orangutans, preparing them for release back into protected areas of the Indonesian rain forest. In addition, it promotes the preservation of the rain forest for them.

The ( Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre ) near ( Sandakan ) in the state of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo opened in 1964 as the first official orangutan rehabilitation project.

, founded by Ashley Leiman, operates programmes in ( Central Kalimantan ), Indonesian Borneo. The Foundation rescues orphaned orangutans and enters them into their soft-release programme, allowing them to develop the skills necessary to survive in the wild. When old enough, orangutans are released into the protected ( Lamandau Wildlife Reserve ). Orangutan Foundation works to protect orangutans by focusing on habitat protection and capacity building, especially in local communities.

A seven-year longitudinal study published in 2011 looked at whether the lifespan of zoo-housed orangutans was related to a subjective assessment of well-being, with the intent of applying such measures to assess the welfare of orangutans in captivity. Of the subjects, 100 were Sumatran ( Pongo abelii ), 54 Bornean ( Pongo pygmaeus ) and 30 were ( hybrid orangutans ). 113 zoo employees, who were highly familiar with the typical behavior of the orangutans, used a four-item questionnaire to assess their subjective well-being. The results indicated that orangutans in higher subjective well-being were less likely to die during the follow-up period. The study concluded that happiness was related to longer life in orangutans.

In late 2014, Nyaru Menteng veterinarians failed to rescue the life of a female orangutan. An operation was performed in which 40 air-rifle pellets were removed from her body. The orangutan was found at a palm oil plantation in Indonesian Borneo.

Genome and demographic history

Orangutans and humans diverged lineages approximately 14-18 million years ago. About 17,000 years ago, there was a migration of the Bornean orangutans as they eventually went to Sumatra , effectively trading places with the ( Sumatra orangutans ) that were there at the time. These two species of orangutans have been closely related throughout their evolutionary history due to the fact that they were so close in physical proximity. Therefore, their genomes and demographic history are similar. The two species themselves are estimated to have split about 3.5 million years ago. Although these two species have officially diverged, it is speculated that the reason as to why they are genetically similar is because the males of each respective species tend to migrate between the two islands and breed with the females from their sister species. As a result, both the Bornean orangutans and the ( Sumatran orangutans ) have been studied closely as a pair, and thus much genome findings attribute evolutionary changes to this relationship. In addition, the Bornean orangutans, as compared to the ( Sumatran orangutans ), have lower autosomal gene diversity . This is attributed to the fact that they have a much smaller population size. Also, the Bornean orangutans have lower ( nucleotide diversity ).

As the Bornean orangutans and ( Sumatra orangutans ) both exist within the same species, they exhibit similar cultural behaviors that have been found to exist amongst most orangutan populations. The fact that orangutans tend to showcase similar cultural traditions is due to the fact that they typically live in similar environments and are adept at learning from one another from their early stages of life.

The Bornean orangutan has been linked to the fact that it has gone through a deep divergence in relation to its relatives and ancestors. During the ( Middle Pleistocene ), there were low levels of gene flow, which was determined through the analysis of Y-chromosomal data. One reason as to why this may have occurred is because of the ( Sunda shelf ), which is where the island of Borneo is located. During this time, this event's dry climate during the Late Pleistocene attributed to a more abundant genetic exchange. As a result, there were many early divergences of gene pools between the Bornean orangutans, as well as the ( Sumatran orangutans ). Relating back to the ( Middle Pleistocene ), the Bornean orangutan lineage went through a dramatic population decline. This is likely attributed to the fact that they had been isolated from their ancestral populations. Therefore, natural geographic barriers are attributed to be the reason as to why the Bornean orangutans were eventually isolated and ended up colonizing other regions. In addition, this geographic isolation also indicates that the Bornean orangutans did not undergo a severe ( genetic bottleneck ). With the Borneo orangutan, selection was found to have been found through physiological adaptations – most of which has to do with being able to adapt to the ever-changing climate on the Borneo island.

• ( Deforestation in Borneo )
• ( Social and environmental impact of palm oil )

This article incorporates text from the ( ARKive ) fact-file "Bornean orangutan" under the and the .

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Further reading

Russon, Anne E.; Compost, Alain; Kuncoro, Purwo; Ferisa, Agnes (December 2014). "Orangutan fish eating, primate aquatic fauna eating, and their implications for the origins of ancestral hominin fish eating". Journal of Human Evolution . 77 : 50–63. doi : 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.06.007 . PMID   25038033 .

External links

• The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS)
• World Wildlife Fund: Orangutans
• Orangutan Foundation International
• Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary

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Critically Endangered Orangutan Baby Born via C-Section at Busch Gardens in Florida

The animal, a girl, weighed in at 3 lbs., 4 oz., at the time of her birth

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has welcomed a new addition to its animal family!

Earlier this month, a critically endangered Bornean orangutan was born at the Florida-based establishment, according to a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

The animal, a girl, was delivered by c-section on April 13 to mother Luna. She weighed in at 3 lbs., 4 oz.

Luna is currently under 24-hour care and remains in recovery as she recuperates from surgery at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Orangutan house.

Once she and her newborn, who has yet to be named, are both stabilized, they will be reunited and monitored closely by the park’s animal care team.

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is an animal theme park that has 3,000 animals from more than 300 species, according to its  website .

The location participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) "to ensure the welfare and future prosperity of this newborn and her species," per the press release.

Bornean orangutans are from the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) . They can weigh anywhere between 66 and 220 pounds, and they are found largely in lowland rainforests and tropical, swamp and mountain forests.

The animals differ in size and appearance from Sumatran orangutans, as Bornean orangutans are generally larger in size and tend to have darker-colored fur.

Currently, the estimated Bornean orangutan population is approximately 104,700. It has declined by more than 50% over the past six decades, per the WWF.

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