Arrive into Sandakan Airport this morning and head straight to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, just in time for feeding. The world’s largest orangutan sanctuary offers you the chance to come face to face with the huge red apes, endemic to Borneo and Sumatra. Learn about this loveable primate, its fight for survival and the efforts in place to save it from extinction.

A short walk from the orangutan sanctuary is the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, which is home to over 40 animals rescued from illegal captivity. The bears cannot be returned to the wild, but instead now enjoy life in their large forested enclosures. Observe and admire these curious creatures, with their almost comically long tongues, used for extracting honey from bees nests!

Next, travel by road through the rolling countryside to Sukau, located in the Kinabatangan river basin. A short boat ride takes you to your lodge where you can spend the afternoon at leisure, before embarking on an early evening river cruise in search of indigenous birds and the rare proboscis monkey.

Borneo Nature Lodge (or similar)

Lunch and dinner

Rise early for a morning cruise along the Kinabatangan River to the nearby oxbow lake to observe the wonderful variety of birdlife that lives by the water. Look out for storm storks, Bornean ground cuckoos, hornbills and the red and orange headed Bornean Bristlehead. Weather permitting, you can also explore the trails alongside the river before returning to the lodge for breakfast.

After enjoying some time at leisure, to explore and absorb the splendour of your surroundings, take an afternoon river cruise to see the many species of flora and fauna that the area is renowned for.

Borneo Nature Lodge (or similar)

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Leave Sukau behind and travel by road to Sandakan, enjoy a short sightseeing tour of the city, visiting the central market, water village and a Buddhist temple. Later, transfer back to the airport for your onward flight.

Breakfast and lunch