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After dinner this evening we went on a walk around the lodge armed with just our torches and bravado. We thought we migh...
04/09/2026

After dinner this evening we went on a walk around the lodge armed with just our torches and bravado. We thought we might see the odd snake or owl but no.

We found this arboreal (tree rat) moving its pup from A to B. Different to the norm !

We arrived at the lodge around 3.45pm and by 5pm we were out wildlife spotting on our boats which had a traditional outb...
04/09/2026

We arrived at the lodge around 3.45pm and by 5pm we were out wildlife spotting on our boats which had a traditional outboard motor for speed and an electric “silent” motor when close to wildlife.

One of the hardest things to spot are the Pygmy elephants. We were told they were too far from our lodge to see them, but a group of 3 were spotted (not by us) last night. So fingers crossed!

We did get to see some truly wild proboscis monkeys though!

Sukau Rainforest Lodge was founded in 1995 by Albert Teo, the managing director of Borneo Eco Tours. It was built on the...
04/09/2026

Sukau Rainforest Lodge was founded in 1995 by Albert Teo, the managing director of Borneo Eco Tours. It was built on the philosophy that "an ecotour without a good ecolodge is not complete". It became the first lodge in the Lower Kinabatangan area designed entirely on sustainable ecotourism principles.

Legendary naturalist and “national treasure”Sir David Attenborough and his BBC film crew stayed at the lodge while filming the documentary series Flying Monsters.

Today, the lodge remains deeply integrated with the local community, with roughly 80% of its staff hired locally from the indigenous Orang Sungai people.

A portion of every guest's stay directly funds Borneo Eco Tours' non-profit arm, the BEST Society. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor Rehabilitation Project (KWICORP) was massive tree-planting effort, undertaken by the lodge that has successfully replanted over 5,000 native trees along the riverbanks to restore severed wildlife corridors for elephants and orangutans.

Time to move on to our next lodge based by the side of the Sakua river. We drive to Sandakan from Sepilok - about 40 min...
04/09/2026

Time to move on to our next lodge based by the side of the Sakua river. We drive to Sandakan from Sepilok - about 40 minutes and were taken by boat on a 2 1/2 hour high speed boat ride to our lodge, passing a few remote villages en route.

We are currently trailing a group of Welsh single women who are on tour with a company called “Ladies who Travel”. All I can say is that the valleys of Wale must be much quieter than normal. The concept of being quiet around wildlife appears to have passed them by!

Fortunately we are not in the same boats as them!

Literally across the road from the orangutan rehabilitation centre is the “The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre”. I...
04/09/2026

Literally across the road from the orangutan rehabilitation centre is the “The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre”. It is the world's only dedicated rescue and rehabilitation facility for the endangered Malayan sun bear.

It was established in 2008, 6 years after our visit in 2002, by wildlife biologist Dr. Wong Siew. There are some 40 plus bears currently living in the “natural protected” forest, albeit they are fenced in.

It rescues sun bears from deforestation, poaching, and the illegal pet trade, providing them with large forest enclosures to relearn natural skills like foraging and climbing.

We were lucky to see one bear climb high up into a tree for a nap. Some of the bears can’t climb as they were declawed as cubs. Our experience here was far better than at the orangutan centre.

Back in 2002 when we were last in Borneo a visit to the orangutan rehabilitation sanctuary was a real highlight. Very fe...
04/09/2026

Back in 2002 when we were last in Borneo a visit to the orangutan rehabilitation sanctuary was a real highlight. Very few people were around and it felt very authentic.

Fast forward 24 years and it wasn’t a highlight at all. The whole centre is commercialised - tour buses and mini buses in the car park and large numbers of tourists - many of whom were better dressed for a beach holiday in Magaluf. Far too many people and too much noise for my liking.

Big changes as well as a new air conditioned building has been built so you can watch the teenage youngsters.

There was a solitary visitor to the outdoor feeding station which is in fact a good thing as the other orangutans are finding plenty of food in the forest itself without needing a top up. For some people this may be their only opportunity to see a wild/semi wild orangutan in Borneo.

The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, founded in 1964, serves as a vital sanctuary for orphaned, injured, or displaced Bornean orangutans. The primary mission is to rehabilitate these endangered primates and train them in essential survival skills, such as climbing and foraging, so they can eventually return to the wild. Currently, 60 to 80 orangutans live independently in the protected reserve, while around 25 juveniles are cared for in the nurseries

It’s very sticky during the day - 90% humidity. I can cope with heat but no so good with humidity as my skin leaks persp...
03/09/2026

It’s very sticky during the day - 90% humidity. I can cope with heat but no so good with humidity as my skin leaks perspiration by the bucket load. Fortunately no biting insects around as technically it’s still the dry season here till November.

Last night we had a proper tropical rainstorm- thunder, lightning and constant vertical heavy rain for over an hour which helped clear the air !

It was a high risk walk up high on the canopy - within minutes we found a male and then a female green viper. The male h...
02/09/2026

It was a high risk walk up high on the canopy - within minutes we found a male and then a female green viper. The male had recently eaten was rotund. The raptor is a crested goshawk.

The Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)—located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve near Sandakan, Sabah is an environmental education facility showcasing Borneo’s rich biodiversity.

Its main highlight is the 620-meter Rainforest Skywalk, an elevated canopy walkway that provides panoramic views of the lush jungle from 27 meters high.

We were incredibly lucky to spot a truly wild orangutan with baby high up in the canopy on our afternoon visit. The humi...
02/09/2026

We were incredibly lucky to spot a truly wild orangutan with baby high up in the canopy on our afternoon visit. The humidity was 90% and this pair were about 150 ft up a tree directly above where we stood.

As well as the proboscis monkeys there are silver langurs, also known as “silver leaf” due to the colour and what they e...
02/09/2026

As well as the proboscis monkeys there are silver langurs, also known as “silver leaf” due to the colour and what they eat. Curiously their young are born with bright orange fur. Some have morphed and remain a tan colour and never go silver.

The proboscis monkeys get on better with the langurs than their own kind as they don’t compete for the same food.

We also three oriental pied hornbills.

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