Sandakan

The wildlife capital of Borneo, with orangutans and sun bears at Sepilok, and pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys on the Kinabatangan River.

Sandakan is on the northeast coast of Sabah, Malaysia, facing the Sulu Sea. It was once the capital of British North Borneo, has a large Chinese community, and is also known as “Little Hong Kong”. It is the center of Borneo wildlife tourism: Sepilok, about 25 km west of the city, is home to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, the Sun Bear Conservation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre; Labuk Bay to the northwest has proboscis monkeys; the lower Kinabatangan River and the Gomantong Caves, about 2.5 hours' drive to the south, are a classic trip for wild elephants, proboscis monkeys and hornbills; and out at sea, Selingan Island offers an overnight stay to watch turtles lay eggs. In town there are the World War II Memorial Park, a colonial-era heritage trail, the Puu Jih Shih Temple and a seafood market. The climate is tropical rainforest, around 24–32°C all year; the northeast monsoon from November to February brings the most rain, March–October is relatively dry, and turtle nesting peaks from July to October. Getting there: Sandakan Airport has flights to Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur; the bus from Kota Kinabalu takes about 6–8 hours. We suggest 3–4 days: 1 day at Sepilok, 2 days and 1 night on the Kinabatangan River, and 1 night on Turtle Island. Notes: accommodation spaces on Turtle Island and the Kinabatangan River are limited and need to be booked ahead; bring protection against mosquitoes and leeches in the rainforest.

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