Sandakan, MalaysiaNo visit to Borneo would be complete without seeing the orang-utans that are native to the island. In fact, wanting to see these animals in their natural environment was the main reason we visited Kota Kinabalu, staying at the very good Hyatt Regency there. From KK, it's a cheap and quick Air Asia flight to Sandakan, where the orang-utan sanctuary is. We would recommend paying extra for front row seats and buying a tasty Nasi Lemak for breakfast if you get the early flight.
On arrival at Sandakan airport, you will find a number of taxis outside. Simply negotiate a day rate with a driver (expect to pay around 200 MYR) and set off to find these amazing animals. Arrive at Sepilok sanctuary just before 10 am in time for feeding time - it is breathtaking to watch these intelligent if laconic creatures creep along the ropes to the feeding platform. As this is a sanctuary, the animals are cared for but encouraged to roam further - they have mostly been rescued at a very young age, often after their mothers have been killed by illegal logging. Compared to orang-utans in zoos in Europe, the animals in Sepilok are thinner and more muscular, but just as endearing. Spend an hour or so enjoying the privilege of seeing these animals, then go for a walk through the jungle (if you have leech socks) or watch the educational DVD in the visitor centre. |
Our primary aim of the visit to Sandakan in Sabah was to visit the orang-utans. However, as we were nearby, we decided to also see the proboscis money sanctuary at Labuk Bay. We were surprised to find that this was the highlight of the trip. For those of you who haven't heard of these animals, they are totally unique. Not only do they have a very large nose, but they also have four stomachs like a cow, giving them a pot-bellied appearance. It is also clear which animals are male, as they are easily excited and their genitals are bright pink! We were fortunate enough to see some babies - the young are born with dark blue faces, which gradually fade to the expected pink colour. The alpha male (who tends to have the largest nose) was very impressive - chasing his harem of wives across the boardwalk and making sure the younger males didn't take the best cuts of fruit. It would be easy to spend hours here, laughing at the antics of our corpulent cousins, so make sure you allow plenty of time. There are four feeding times per day, which fit pretty well with the 10 am feeds at the orang-utan sanctuary.
If you have time before your flight home and need a Western-friendly dinner, the Four Points by Sheraton in Sandakan had a reasonable restaurant and offered a quiet, clean place to sit by the pool and watch the gentle waves of the South China Sea. |