Sepilok Nature Resort / Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sandakan, Sabah > Reviews > Sepilok, a dream come true

Author's product rating:   

Prices	Excellent
Is it worth visiting?	Excellent
Transport links	Excellent
Family Friendly	Excelllent

Advantages:	an unforgettable experience
Disadvantages:	bus loads of tourists crowding around shouting

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This really was a dream of mine come true.It was one of the highlights of my travels in S.E Asia and should not be missed. The flight from KL was only 4hrs and approx £40return with air asia.Flew into Kota kinabalu and soaked up the fantastic atmosphere before setting off on a 9hour bus journey to Sandakan.I have to say the bus journey was an experience in itself because the scenery is spectacular.If you are not going to climb Mount Kinabalu (I had limited time-honestly!) then passing it on a high mountain top road is the next best thing taking in the views.Although it is quite a lot of effort to get to Sepilok it really is worth doing.Sandakan is very quiet,some excellent food stalls near the beach and some pretty clean cheap accommodation.A bus from the station leaves every day to the sanctuary very early so it is worth staying over in Sandakan the night before.Bus picks you up again back to the town at 4pm so you can spend the whole day there.This is much better than the tour load of buses you see arrive for just the feeding times. It means you get to experience both. The orangutans and macaques came very quickly to feed and were not scared by the snapping cameras-I have to say I was disappointed being surrounded by screaming children and shouting parents but I sat quietly and watched even after the bus tours left again. It was very entertaining and I could have sat and watched them for hours but we decided to go for a jungle trek in order to see more. This was something I do not think many people consider and it was the most rewarding.There are 7 trails available but the paths can get quite overgrown at times and wet if it is rainy season so leaches galore but if you can hack it,it is worth it to see macaques, gibbons and orangutans happily swinging in the trees.If you are in Borneo this sanctuary must be a stopover,you will not regret it but I would say avoid a tour if you want to take away special memories.