Borneo's wildlife haven, with wild orangutans, elephants and rescued sunbears

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Come for the wildlife. River safaris, orangutan visits, sun bear sanctuary stops and jungle lodge stays with handpicked local hosts.

Off the Grid: Sandakan Things to Do for Borneo Wildlife

Sandakan

Full of surprises, with the oldest rainforests on earth, rare wildlife and out-of-this-world moonscape hikes 

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Skip the usual city break. Meet Iban longhouse hosts, rainforest wildlife guides, and mountain hosts on a handpicked side of Malaysia.

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Malaysia

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A simpler way of life with charming home stays and slow mornings meandering down the delta

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Skip the rushed day trips. Slow boat rides, riverside homestays, floating markets and village cycling with handpicked local hosts who know the delta.

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Mekong Delta

The best street food ever, buzzing energy, hill tribes, and views that make your pictures look photoshopped

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Skip the tour-bus routes. Trek with H'mong and Dao hosts, eat with Hanoi food guides, and stay with handpicked local hosts.

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Gateway city to some of the wildest and oldest rainforests on earth

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For real jungle, not sightseeing. Danum Valley stays, canopy walks, night safaris and jungle treks with vetted hosts into Borneo's oldest rainforest.

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Ethical Places to Spot Orangutans in Southeast Asia [2026]

If Bali makes you think of just beach clubs, you’re missing out on the true heart of the island.

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Skip Kuta and the tourist traps. See handpicked Bali with local heartfelt hosts & get to the real heart of Bali. 

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An explorer's treasure chest, with wild Orangutans, epic dive sites and history's deadliest volcano

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Skip the Bali-only version. Meet host families, orangutan and reef conservation hosts, and artisans on handpicked islands with local hosts.

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Do Good Experiences

One of our fave cities for a nature getaway. Cool rainforest adventures, rescued Orangutans and lost tribes.

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Skip the usual city break. Bako hikes, Semenggoh orangutans, Iban longhouse visits and Sarawak food with local hosts. Handpicked Kuching.

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Borneo's Big Five: The Wildlife You Can Spot on the Kinabatangan River

The Best Wildlife Spotting in Asia Isn't a National Park. It's a River Surrounded by Palm Oil.

Kinabatagan River is the main reason why people come to Sandakan. Here you can see orangutans, pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys on a river safari. We'd recommend 2-3 days! 

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Wildlife safari on Kinabatangan River 

Most Kinabatangan lodges include jungle walks in their safari packages. Walk through the Borneo rainforest and spot snakes, birds, and other wildlife.

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Jungle walks to spot nightlife

Sepilok is an ethical wildlife sanctuary where you can see rescued orangutans. Usually travellers would pair this with a trip to Kinabatangan River 

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See rescued Orangutans at Sepilok 

Sunbears are the world’s smallest (and cutest!) bears. Help protect them at the Sunbear Conservation Centre. You can combine this with Sepilok and Kinabatangan River! 

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See the world's smallest bears! 

Saw all of the Borneo big 5. Both of the guides my group had had a lot of knowledge. Food was amazing. The dorm was very basic and a little old dated but that did not influence the experience in a bad way. Had an amazing time!

 3D2N Kinabatangan River Safari with Night Cruise & Jungle Trek

Saw all of the Borneo big 5. Both of the guides my group had had a lot of knowledge. Food was amazing. The dorm was very basic and a little old dated but that did not influence the experience in a bad way. Had an amazing time!

Great guides, Great Experience and Great accodomation.

Great guides, Great Experience and Great accodomation.

Well organized trip! From pickup to drop off everything is on time. We had a clean and comfortable room. The staff, rangers, guides, restaurant staff are all very friendly and helpful. We spotted the Borneo big five because of good guides. We will definitely use seek Sophie again. We will also highly recommend SakauGreen view lodge for the jungle tour!

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Well organized trip! From pickup to drop off everything is on time. We had a clean and comfortable room. The staff, rangers, guides, restaurant staff are all very friendly and helpful. We spotted the Borneo big five because of good guides. We will definitely use seek Sophie again. We will also highly recommend SakauGreen view lodge for the jungle tour! 


Everything is well organize. The place is amazing and some cabins are new.

Everything is well organize. The place is amazing and some cabins are new. 

Friendly environment, impeccable guides. A shout out to Hakimi

Friendly environment, impeccable guides. A shout out to Hakimi 

Una experiencia buena, lo mejor los cruceros por el río y poder ver muchos animales. La comida era básica, pero bueno no está mal para pasar una noche. Todo genial.

2D1N Kinabatangan River Safari at Great-Value B&B

Una experiencia buena, lo mejor los cruceros por el río y poder ver muchos animales. La comida era básica, pero bueno no está mal para pasar una noche. Todo genial. 

Great experience for us especially the river cruise and seeing the pygmy elephants - highlight of our trip. Food great and our Guide Khai is excellent explaining to us the animals etc and painstakingly took us to see the animals at night. Will surely recommend my friends to for this trip. Accommodation good .

2D1N Kinabatangan River Safari @ Scenic Riverside Resort

Great experience for us especially the river cruise and seeing the pygmy elephants - highlight of our trip. Food great and our Guide Khai is excellent explaining to us the animals etc and painstakingly took us to see the animals at night. Will surely recommend my friends to for this  trip. Accommodation good . 


The experience was wonderful. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and provided us with explanations and information about the animals we saw (and yes, you definitely see the animals; the guides managed to give us a great experience in this regard too). Sometimes it was difficult to follow the explanations and ask questions on the boat if you were sitting far away, but otherwise, it was a beautiful experience!

The experience was wonderful. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and provided us with explanations and information about the animals we saw (and yes, you definitely see the animals; the guides managed to give us a great experience in this regard too). Sometimes it was difficult to follow the explanations and ask questions on the boat if you were sitting far away, but otherwise, it was a beautiful experience!

Sandakan

All Sandakan Adventures

Field Notes