Ethical Places to Spot Orangutans in Southeast Asia [2026]

Orangutans are some of the most remarkable animals you can see in the wild. They’re highly intelligent. They can sense changes in the weather and build leafy shelters hours before rain arrives. They’re emotionally aware, deeply observant, and one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

But they’re also becoming harder and harder to find.

Large parts of their rainforest homes have been cleared to make way for palm oil plantations, and it’s estimated that 50–80% of the orangutan population has been lost over the last 60 years. Orangutans are naturally shy and mostly live alone, so as forests disappear, sightings in the wild become increasingly rare.

This is why many travellers turn to wildlife parks, reserves, or “sanctuaries” that promise guaranteed orangutan sightings.

Why it's important to see Orangutans ethically

Not all places that offer close-up orangutan encounters are ethical.

In many so-called sanctuaries, orangutans become heavily reliant on humans. They’re fed regularly, lose their natural fear of people, and are unable to return to the wild. What visitors are often seeing are not truly wild orangutans, but animals living in long-term, zoo-like captivity.

This human closeness can actually put orangutans at risk. In the wild, orangutans should avoid people. When they don’t, they’re more vulnerable to poachers and conflict with humans. That’s why many orangutans in these facilities are never released — they simply wouldn’t survive on their own.

For this reason, we’d strongly recommend not visiting orangutan reserves unless you’re confident they follow strict, ethical practices - ones that prioritise minimal human contact, forest protection, and genuine rehabilitation.

These are the places we would advise visiting if you do want to see Orangutans in an ethical way, and not lead to more harm to them.

Ethical Places to Spot Orangutans in SEA

So where is a sustainable place to see Orangutans? Here are some places where you get the chance to spot them in the wild (or semi-wild). Where we have listed reserves below, these are reserves where sightings are not guaranteed. Wild Orangutans are by nature very shy animals. Though they are curious about human travellers, they tend to hide themselves high up in the trees while observing us.

At the more sustainable places, you'll see a lot of frustrated reviews from travellers that they haven't seen Orangutans. We cannot stress it enough that this is a GOOD thing. This means that the Orangutans are not forced to interact with humans by their rangers, and their natural instincts are being respected.

So even at a reserve or over the course of a three-day trip, you might only spot a furry orange arm or a shy Orangutan peeking out at you behind thick rainforest leaves - if you're lucky. For us, that anticipation of perhaps seeing a furry orange arm is part of the thrill of heading into the wild!

1. Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia

We’d heard that Tanjung Puting is the best place in the world to see orangutans. But we also had our doubts. We’d heard they were fed here, and that’s usually a red flag for us.

So we went to see for ourselves before deciding whether to list it on Seek Sophie. While we were there, we met with 9 different hosts and tried a few of the trips ourselves. What we found really surprised us.

Tanjung Puting is home to 6,000–7,000 orangutans - the largest wild population in the world. Many are fully wild, but some were rescued from palm oil plantations or the illegal pet trade. The thing is, once an orangutan is rescued, it’s not as simple as just releasing them. They aren’t taught what’s safe to eat or how to forage for food. So even after being released, many still rely on some help to survive.

The feeding stations here help these semi-wild orangutans survive while they slowly re-learn how to live in the wild. And you get to see the orangutans in a really cool way - by staying on a houseboat for 3-4 days! The houseboat itself is an amazing, raw experience.

What really moved us was meeting locals who are trying to protect what land is left. Some are even buying land themselves to stop palm oil expansion and return the forest to the orangutans.

It’s one of the most heartwarming trips we’ve been on, where locals and conservationists work side-by-side to protect something truly special.

And if you’ve ever dreamed of seeing orangutans in the wild - this is the place to do it, the right way.

Best Time to see Orangutans at Tanjung Puting: June to September.

How to Avoid the Crowds: For fewer crowds, go in March to May - especially during fruiting season, when orangutans gather near the river.

2. Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia (Ketambe)

Seeing Orangutans at Gunung Leuser is for people who love hiking and love being in the jungle. And if you don't mind only seeing a furry arm or two for the bragging rights of seeing them in truly a wild and raw environment.

Trekking through the Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra Indonesia is one of the most authentic explorer experiences. Searching for the red ape, craning your neck to spot them in the tall trees gives a true sense of adventure.

Here you'll have a good chance of spotting the Orangutans (high up in the trees) during a 2-3 day hike, and you'll also get to camp & fish in the jungle!

Best Time to see Orangutans at Gunung Leuser: May to September.

How to Avoid the Crowds: There aren't really crowds here!

3. Kinabatangan River, Malaysia

Kinabatangan River is a favourite of ours because not only do you get the chance to spot orangutans, you might also catch other unique wildlife such as pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys. Kinabatangan River is also one of the best spots for birding in Borneo!

The wildlife here is congregated in a very small stretch around the river, rather than in a dense rainforest. So the Orangutans aren't able to hide in dense foliage, and are more readily seen by travellers. And if you don't get to see Orangutans, you won't feel as bad because you'll get to see lots of other wildlife!

Travellers usually see Kinabatangan River as part of a 2D1N or 3D2N safari - this will include a stay and a couple of river safaris a day. If you're short on time, you can also do this as a day trip from Sandakan, so it's the most accessible way to see wild orangutans in Borneo!

This is perfect for travellers who want a chilled safari and don't fancy a trek in the jungle! It's also one of the most affordable ways to see orangutans in the wild.

Best Time to see Orangutans at Kinabatangan River: March to September.

How to Avoid the Crowds: Kinabatangan River is getting more crowded these days in peak season (Jun-Aug). We would recommend either skipping this season or choosing an experience that goes to a less crowded part of the river.

4. Danum Valley, Malaysia

This is a really cool experience if you're a nature lover, but this is the most difficult place to spot Orangutans!

Danum Valley is one of the oldest rainforests in the world (dating back 130M years ago), more than twice as old as the Amazon Rainforest. It has been given a touch of glamour by Prince William and Kate Middleton's visit in 2012, but facilities here are still basic.

Danum is perfect for travellers looking for a rainforest trek, and who won't be terribly disappointed if they don't spot an Orangutan. As the rainforest foliage is dense, the chance of spotting Orangutans here is slim unless you're very lucky!

Best Time to see Orangutans at Danum Valley: June to September.

How to Avoid the Crowds: Skip summer and go in shoulder season in May or September.

5. Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia

Tabin Wildlife Reserve is home to over 1000 wild orangutans and there is a reasonable chance of seeing an Orangutan here.

Though the chances here aren't as high as Kinabatangan, it's a wilder experience at Tabin and great for hikers and jungle explorers looking to fully immerse in nature.

Other than Orangutans, Tabin is home to gibbons, red-leaf monkeys and macaques. You'll need 3 days here and you can trek to the mud volcano in the rainforest, go on night safaris and safari drives for wildlife spotting.

Best Time to see Orangutans at Tabin Wildlife Reserve: April to August

How to Avoid the Crowds: It's not super crowded here but avoid summer months if you can.

6. Semmengoh Nature Reserve, Malaysia (Semi-Wild)

Semenggoh is the only place on this list where you don't get to see wild Orangutans, but instead get to see semi-wild ones. This is in Kuching, Sarawak (instead of a jungle!) and is the most convenient way to try to see Orangutans sustainably if you cannot spare a 3 day trek in the jungle.

The Orangutans at this reserve are not native to this area but they have been rescued and rehabilitated into the reserve. Here the rangers do feed the Orangutans, but the Orangutans are free to come for feeding or not.

If it's fruit season in the jungle (from September), the Orangutans may prefer to forage for food in the jungle instead of coming out for feeding. So there have been travellers who have been to Semenggoh several times, but have not seen an Orangutan. This is a good sign that the Orangutans here are kept as wild as possible by their rangers.

Perfect for travellers who want a fast and easy way to (try to) see Orangutans!

Best Time to see Orangutans at Semenggoh: Orangutans are fed here, so visits are possible year-round. However, your best chance of seeing them is outside the fruiting season, from April to October. Sightings are most likely during the daily feeding sessions, which happen twice a day: 9:00–9:30am and 3:00–3:30pm. These times can be crowded, but they offer the highest chance of seeing orangutans. During the fruiting season (November to March), sightings are less frequent, as orangutans tend to stay deeper in the jungle feeding on wild fruits.

How to Avoid the Crowds: Weekdays would probably be less crowded, and avoid summer months if you can.

Tips on Places to Avoid

If you would like to see Orangutans in a sustainable way, and don't want to support places where Orangutans remain in zoo-like captivity, here are types of places to avoid:

1. Where travellers have posted selfies with Orangutans. Orangutans are by nature shy animals. If humans can get close to them, it may indicate that they have become dependant on humans, and are no longer wild.

2. Where Orangutans have exhibited aggressive behaviour toward humans. Orangutans are by nature not aggressive towards human - signs of aggression may indicate they are uncomfortable or in distress.

3. Where Orangutans have exhibited human-like behaviour. E.g. walking on two legs or eating human food may indicate that they are no longer wild.

4. Where Orangutan sightings are guaranteed. Orangutans are wild animals so if sightings are guaranteed, this may indicate that they are no longer wild. Many of the so-called 'sanctuaries' are more zoo-like, and actually have no intention of releasing Orangutans back into the wild - which means that visiting these places don't help grow the Orangutan population, and may in fact hurt it.

In general, we would advise to read the reviews of a place carefully. Often a place that is marketed as 'ethical' or 'sustainable' will have tell-tale signs of unsustainable practices such as travellers always being able to see Orangutans at these places. If that's the case then these Orangutans are very likely no longer wild and are kept in zoo-like captivity.