Visited August 21-25, 2024
A Two-Day Journey form Mulu to Sepilok
From Mulu, we headed to Sepilok (just outside of Sandakan) to meet our friend Maddie who would be traveling with us in Malaysia for two weeks. There were no direct flights from Mulu to Sandakan so we first flew to Kota Kinabalu for one night and then flew the next day to Sandakan.
We had less than 24-hours in Kota Kinabalu, but this short stopover was a great respite for us. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in the city (booked cheaply with points) and were so happy to spend a night in a nice room with AC after a week in the rainforest. We got a wonderful night of sleep before our morning flight the next day to Sandakan.
From Sandakan airport, we headed to our lodge in Sepilok, a town just outside of Sandakan. We would be staying in Sepilok for two nights. Sepilok is famous for being home to the Orangutan and Sun Bear Rehabilitation centers. Both species are very rare and so they provide one of the only opportunities in the world to see these animals.
Maddie was landing in the evening and meeting us at the lodge in the evening. In the meantime, we decided to go to the Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC), also in Sepilok. The RDC is an environmental education center that is part of the Kabili-Sepilok Virgin Jungle Reserve. There are many trails, including a canopy walk, to explore and informational exhibits like a small museum. I was excited to walk the canopy trail where I had read that you could see many animals including various types of squirrels and if you were very lucky, even a wild orangutan!
Alas, we barely saw any animals, probably because of the time of day when it was very hot. Unfortunately, about 20-minutes into our visit, it started to pour. We quickly took shelter in a covered bird watching tower to wait for the rain to subside. But the rain did not let up. It continued to fall thunderously for over an hour. We grew tired of waiting and at this rate, were not sure when the rain would slow or stop. So we decided to just make a run for it and make our way back to the RDC entrance. We descended from the canopy walk and took a forest trail back, thinking that the trees would provide cover.
We were completely soaked by the time we reached the educational exhibit building. The exhibits were very well done. We spent a good half hour learning about the various flora and fauna in Sepilok and broader Malaysia. After finishing with the exhibits, it was late afternoon and though we had been unable to see much of the RDC, decided to head back to our lodge to check into our room (we weren’t able to check in before because it was too early).
We checked into our 4-person dorm room and claimed our bunks. There are limited accommodation options in Sepilok and only the dorm rooms were available. We spent all late afternoon and evening in the common restaurant. We ate a small margherita pizza as snack (was not very good), played Mancala, then ate dinner while waiting for Maddie to arrive. Dinner was better than the pizza snack and generally food at our lodge was good, though pricey (below are pics of lodge food – the burger was a bit disappointing per Nate). Finally, around 8pm, Maddie was here! She had made it in one piece after a very long journey from Ithaca, NY. We went to bed soon after Maddie ate dinner, anticipating the next day.
Orangutans and Sun Bears Up Close!
The next morning, we headed out early around 9 to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center as the first feeding was at 10. Everyone had the same plan as there was a long ticket line once we got there. Still, we were able to reach the feeding platform and secure good spots before the feeding started.
As if on cue, a single Orangutan appeared swinging its way towards the platform on a rope. Once on the platform, it helped itself to the pile of lettuce and corn while ignoring the bananas. Maddie and I were standing at the front with direct views of the orangutan. It was so cool to watch. We stayed for about 30-minutes watching. No other orangutan came during this time. The crowd thinned and we decided to go to the nursery where babies train and learn skills.
The nursey was great because it was indoors with air conditioning where we could sit and watch the babies through large windows. Small orangutans were eating and playing on obstacle and training courses. Some of them were interacting which was fun to watch.
Then we went to watch a short film about the rehabilitation and the work it does. It was incredibly interesting and informative. The center takes in abandoned or injured orangutans, including babies, and tries to rehabilitate them to the point they can be released back into the wild. The amount of work, care, and resources that goes into this work was much greater than I would have imagined. It was inspiring. Even though I also learned that the success of animal rehabilitation and release it uncertain.
After the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, we walked across the street to visit the Sun Bear Conservation Center. The endangered sun bears are the smallest bear species and live in Southeast Asia. The Bornean Sun Bear is a subspecies of Sun Bears that only live in Borneo. The adorable, tree-climbing Sun Bear is one of the least studied bear species. The Conservation Center rescues Sun Bears that are kept in captivity as pets and attempts to rehabilitate them. Because of how adorable they are, Sun Bears are somewhat commonly captured by humans to keep as pets.
I had never heard of Sun Bears before and was so excited to see them. In person, they are even cuter than in pictures! They are so small compared to the brown and black bears we are used to seeing. It made me want to pick one up and hug it. Of course, I never actually would, and no one is allowed to go near the animals. But it was impossible to not squeal and feel that desire looking at them. Despite their petite stature, they are still bears and can be very dangerous. Some fun facts about sun bears: they are great tree climbers and nap on tree branches, they are very shy around humans in the wild, and they will bark like a dog to scare off threats.
After walking around through the center, we also watched the information videos about the center’s work. This is the only Sun Bear Conservation and research center in the world. It was established by one many that made this mission and it was awe-inspiring to watch. Upon seeing the video, we realized that one of the animated guides we had spoken to was actually the founder!
We were starving by the time we were done at the Sun Bear Center and looked for a place to eat lunch nearby. Unfortunately, there were no open restaurants and then it started raining. So we ran back to our lodge to eat a late lunch.
Flying Squirrels at the Rainforest Discovery Center Night Walk
That night, we headed to the Rainforest Discovery Center for a guided night hike at 6pm. We were very excited because flying squirrels were supposed to be a common sighting here!
Our first stop on the walk was on the canopy trail by several red flying squirrel nests. We waited quietly as the sky grew darker and there was a collective gasp as the first squirrel darted from tree to tree. Then over the next half hour, we saw probably half a dozen squirrels “flying” from branch to branch. Unfortunately, I never caught a good glimpse of a single one. I would always be looking at the wrong tree or squirrel when another would fly. I did see a few landing, but never saw a full majestic glide from tree to tree. Our guide made fun of me because every time he checked in with me to see if I had seen the latest one, I’d sadly say “no.”
Eventually, it was time to move on with the walk. But only a few meters away, we stopped because our guide heard some movement in the tree and then we saw a black flying squirrel! It was only there for a few second before it darted away and this time, I saw it clearly. We did not see it “fly”, but we were lucky to see it nonetheless as it is much rarer than the red flying squirrel.
For the rest of the evening, we walked in the dark. Sometimes we would go a long periods before any sightings. The other highlight of the night walk seeing Slow Loris – a small adorable animal that kind of looks like a sloth, but is not a sloth, and can kill you with its poisonous saliva. They are very small and they were on the backside of a tree, so it was hard to see clearly. But we still saw them! They are quite a rare sighting so we were lucky.
The RDC night walk felt like a great complement to the Mulu night walk since at Mulu we mostly saw insects and amphibians while we saw mammals at RDC. Though it got incredibly hot and tiring at points, the night walk was 100% worth it.
Looking for the Kinabatangan River Big 5
The next day, it was time to say goodbye to Sepilok and head to Sukau for our jam-packed 3 Day, 2 Night experience on the Kinbatangan River. The Kinabatangan River is in a protected area and one of the only places where iconic endangered and endemic species to Borneo like the Bornean Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, Bornean Pygmy Elephant, Rhinoceros Hornbill, and Estuarian Crocodile, can be seen in the wild. We were staying at a lodge along the river where we would be doing a combination of river cruises and forest walked over the 3 days. We were very excited for this.
We were picked up in a shuttle by our lodge, Sukau Greenview, and arrived after a 2.5 hour drive. Once we arrived, we were given thirty minutes to quickly check-in and be ready to head off on our first Kinabatangan River afternoon cruise. No time to waste! We quickly dropped off our stuff in our 6-person dorm room (there was also only dorm availability for our dates) and claimed a bed. To my pleasant surprise, this was the most spacious dorm room I had ever been in and had strong AC, so it wasn’t bad at all.
We climbed into a small boat that fit about 15-people and almost immediately, spotted an Orangutan! Our guide was very excited because he said that this was the first orangutan sighting in two weeks. The orangutan was pretty high up in the tree but was still easy to see. It was a great start to the cruise.
Later on the afternoon cruise, we also saw the Rhinoceros hornbill sitting on a branch then flying off, many Proboscis Monkeys jumping around in trees, and a crocodile though it was only for a split second in the water. This first cruise was a resounding success, having seen 4 out of the Big 5. We also saw other birds and monkeys.
After the cruise, we almost immediately had dinner. It was a buffet style dinner with chicken, two vegetable sides, a soup, and fruit. Each meal was a variation of this. The meal was pretty good.
Then it was time to embark on our night cruise. We got back on the small boats in the dark. This cruise was less action-packed, but we did still see some interesting things. We saw a viper in a tree, sleeping kingfisher birds, and a group of sleeping swiftlets. I think you generally see less at night, but it was still cool to be on the river at night.
We then went promptly to bed in as we had to wake up early for the sunrise boat cruise at 5:30 am. Fog covered the river in the early morning, creating an eerie yet mystical aura. We did not see too much in the early morning, but it was still a great way to start the morning.
After the cruise, it was time for breakfast, followed by a morning jungle walk. We all put on yellow rainboots (or “wellies” as they called them) and took a short boat ride to a trail. The rainboots were much needed as the path was very muddy and wet. It was incredibly hot with mosquitoes everywhere. Truthfully, the jungle walk was not that enjoyable. However, our guide was so informative, energetic, and entertaining that it was still fun. We did not see any animals, but he shared many fun facts about the plants and insects. For example, showing us which vines are important for survival because they contain liters of fresh water, showing us wild ginger, telling us about the social structures of termites, and the difference between millipedes and centipedes.
When we returned, it was time for lunch and for the first and only time, we had a couple of hours of free time before our afternoon cruise. We used this time to shower and play cards. Then it started raining very hard; we did not know if we would be able to go on the afternoon cruise. The rain eventually slowed a little bit and the guides announced that we would be going.
It was still raining steadily during the entire boat ride. And likely because it was raining, our second afternoon cruise wasn’t quite as eventful as our first. We were hoping to see the elusive pygmy elephant but did not. However, we did see plenty of proboscis monkeys and they are my favorites. So, I still enjoyed it despite being wet and cold.
By the time we finished, I was freezing. After dinner, it was announced that the night walk was still happening despite the rain. My mind wanted to still go on the night walk, especially since it was the last activity in our itinerary. But my body did not want to go out in the cold rain again, especially since I had just gotten dry and warm. Maddie and I both decided to skip the night walk and go to bed early while Nate went alone to brave the elements. It turned out that we weren’t the only ones to have skipped the night walk – Nate said that it was a much smaller crowd that night. He did not regret going and enjoyed the amphibians and insects he saw.
On our third morning, we ate breakfast and were soon on our way to our next destination: Semporna. Our lodge dropped us off at a junction on the main road where a bus to Semporna stopped to pick us up for the 5-hour journey.
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