Sandakan, Sabah

Sandakan is located on the eastern seaboard of Sabah; it is a city which is steeped in history. Its character is shaped by the hinterland that embodies Sabah’s rich and diverse biodiversity in all its glory. Sandakan has a mixture of people, lifestyles, cultures, and faiths.

There is just an amazing variety of wildlife in Sabah. And the best part is that access to the places where they live is relatively easy and for the most part quite comfortable. It is truly an indescribable feeling to come face-to-face with some of the most stunning and intriguing wildlife species that roam the forests, mountains and seas of Sabah.

Many of these species are endemic to Borneo and Sabah has many in terms of numbers and population such as the Proboscis monkey, Borneon gibbon, and Asian elephant. Species unique to this region such as the orang utan and Sumatran rhinoceros are also found in scattered forests on the east coast of Sabah.  Take a river boat and catch the unique Proboscis monkey with its long pendulous red nose calling out to its mates. But the star of the rainforest here is undoubtedly the Orang Utan, also known as the “wild man of Borneo”. You will find them swinging through the forest of Sepilok- the world’s largest Orang Utan Sanctuary which is only 15 minutes’ drive from the east coast town of Sandakan.

In this sanctuary, Orang Utans that have been abandoned by their mothers or were formerly in captivity are rehabilitated until fit enough to be returned to the wild.  Watching these charming and entertaining mammals during feeding time is a sheer delight.  From Sandakan too, you can take two to three hour boat to the Turtle Islands Park where you marvel at rare turtles laying their eggs.  You can even stay in comfort in modern chalets at these islands if you yearn to explore them further. In Sabah, the wildlife population numbers are one of the highest in the world and this has become a major attraction for nature lovers from all over the world.