Meet the Apes at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center 🏕️🐵🌳 Borneo

Meet the Apes at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center 🏕️🐵🌳 Borneo

In a world where humans excel at deforestation, Sepilok’s Orangutan Rehabilitation Center attempts to undo the damage—one displaced primate at a time.

Located in Sabah, Malaysia, this sanctuary provides orphaned and injured orangutans with the skills to survive in the wild, because, thanks to us, finding a functioning rainforest isn’t exactly straightforward. Visitors can observe these semi-wild apes clinging to their dwindling habitat, offering a sobering yet fascinating glimpse into conservation efforts.

If you’ve ever wondered how to fix what humanity keeps wrecking, this is ground zero.

Highlights

• Getting to Sepilok
• Orangutan Rehabilitation Center
• Book the Sepilok Nature Lodge
• Nature Trails… and Leeches!
• Flights from KL to Sandakan
• Where to Stay & Eat Nearby
• Borneo Rainforest Discovery Center
• White Water Rafting in Borneo
• All Hotel Deals in Sandakan
• Our Complete Borneo Itinerary
• Essentials for the Tropics

Orangutan Rehabilitation Center

The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is a conservation center located in Sabah, Borneo. It was established in 1964 to help rescue, rehabilitate, and release orphaned and injured orangutans back into the wild.

Orangutan Rehabilitation

The center is home to about 80 to 100 orangutans who have been orphaned or displaced due to habitat loss and poaching. Here the locals have established a safe and natural environment for these primates to learn and develop essential skills needed for their survival in the wild.

It also serves as an educational center for visitors to learn about the conservation efforts being undertaken to protect these critically endangered primates.

Rehabilitation Center Brochure – Click to view

It was our first day in Sepilok, and after our first tastes of Borneo – visiting Kota Kinabalu and rafting down the Padas river – we were keen to get a closeup view of the orangutans.

To Borneo from Kuala Lumpur

The Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is the reason most visitors come to Sepilok. Here, you can enjoy a very pleasant and informative day out ‘with the apes’.

The reserve is just 5 minutes down the road from the Sepilok Nature Lodge. They are open every day from 9 am to 4 pm.

As a non-Malaysian, you pay RM 30 entrance fee (RM 15 for children). This includes an introductory video show about the work done for the orangutans at the sanctuary – a nice starter to your day out.

Even though they live independently in the reserve, you are guaranteed to see the orangutans. A few of them come down each day to a feeding platform, where staff offer them a variety of fruit.

Meet the apes at feeding time

Feeding Times are Fun!

You are free to wander around the reserve to try to spot the various apes and birds at random, following a designated pathway.

A good time to do this is during the feeding sessions, while most other tourists are busy taking snaps with their zoom lenses (the feeding platform is around 20 meters from the viewing deck).

There are two daily feeding sessions: 10 am and 3 pm.

Pathway through the Orangutan Reserve

The orangutans can be quite curious, and there’s good chance you’ll have some up-close and personal encounters.

As always with primates, keep your belongings attached to your body. They have been known to steal bags, cameras, rucksacks, and even the clothes off the backs of some unlucky visitors. 🙈🙉🙊

“You talkin’ to me?”

The main impression we had when we met the orangutans close up was the absolute intelligence in their faces. Even though they are 4 times more powerful than a man, they are not intimidating or aggressive – unlike other primates we’ve encountered.

Apparently, there are some 80-100 Orangutans in the reserve, though we spotted only around 4 or 5. They’re shy, but will venture close if there’s any chance of food.

Hotel Deals in Sandakan

Nature Trails… and Leeches!

After spending the morning in the main area of the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, we decided to try the longest of the available Nature Trails, which take you off the wooden pathways and out into the real rain forest.

If you intend to trek around the reserve make sure you wear trainers or boots – unless you also want to feed the leeches.

After seeing the apes, you can also visit the Malayan Sun Bear reserve near by, next to the main entrance.

Malayan Sun Bear

Sandakan to Kuala Lumpur

After spending a short time in Sepilok, the next and final leg of our journey through Malaysia was a return to Kuala Lumpur, with 2 days to discover the capital city.

If you enjoyed Meeting the Borneo apes, check out our other East Malaysia & Borneo adventures. You may also like:

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