Tour De Langkawi throws quiet Malacca into a frenzy of energy. The sleepy town sees professional racers casually cycle through their posh hotel lobbies and then speed through their historical red city. A team manager takes a small window of opportunity to see the sights in quaint Malacca on a rickshaw, promising to be back for a holiday.
The Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary is a fascinating place where visitors can observe trainers teaching orphaned or displaced Orang Utan apes to climb in their natural habitat. At this rehabilitation centre, captive animals are retrained for life in the jungle.The centre allows a close-up view of these arboreal creatures.
The Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary is a fascinating place where visitors can observe trainers teaching orphaned or displaced Orang Utan apes to climb in their natural habitat. At this rehabilitation centre, captive animals are retrained for life in the jungle.The centre allows a close-up view of these arboreal creatures.
The best time to visit is at 10.00 am and again at 2.30 pm when the primates emerge from the forest for their daily ration of bananas and milk. You can see the orang utans being fed from a platform in the centre. Nicknamed the 'Wild Man of Borneo', the orang utans are returned to the forest when they can fend for themselves.
Aside from the orang utan, over 200 species of birds and a variety of wild plants can be found within the 5.666 hectares of forest reserve.
Key
Tips
As flash photography is not allowed during feeding times, make sure you set your camera to ASA 400 or higher, as it's quite dim in the jungle.
How
to get there
By Bus From the local bus stand next to the Sandakan waterfront market, board the blue bus marked 'Sepilok Batu 14' (Sepilok - 14th Mile). The 30-minute bus ride will take you directly to the rehabilitation centre. Regular buses, marked 'Batu 14' or higher, will drop you at the turn-off to Jalan Sepilok. However, you'll have to walk 1.5km to get to the Orang Utan Centre.The last bus leaves Sepilok to Sandakan at 4:30 pm.
Who
to contact
For more information, please contact Sabah Tourist Office Tel: +6088-248 698 / 211 732. Alternatively you could also visit www.sabahtourism.com
Accommodation
Overview
This destination is less than an hour away from the biggest town on the east coast of Sabah - Sandakan. As such, a wide range of accommodation is available, from basic backpacker's hostels to 4-star hotels.
Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Sabah
- Hyatt Regency Kinabalu is located in the heart of the city of Kota Kinabalu and facing the South China Sea.
Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
- With inviting beaches, views of sparkling coral islands, and legendary attentive service, Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa offers the serenity of a secluded tropical retreat just minutes away from the centre of Kota Kinabalu.
Gayana Eco Resort
- The Gayana Eco Resort rests at the edges of a lush coral reef island off the coast of Borneo.
