The best time to visit is at 10.00 am and again at 2.30 pm when the primates emerge from the forest for their daily ration of bananas and milk. You can see the orang utans being fed from a platform in the centre. Nicknamed the ‘Wild Man of Borneo’, the orang utans are returned to the forest when they can fend for themselves.

Aside from the orang utan, over 200 species of birds and a variety of wild plants can be found within the 5.666 hectares of forest reserve.

Key Tips

As flash photography is not allowed during feeding times, make sure you set your camera to ASA 400 or higher, as it’s quite dim in the jungle.

How To Get There

By Bus
From the local bus stand next to the Sandakan waterfront market, board the blue bus marked ‘Sepilok Batu 14′ (Sepilok – 14th Mile). The 30-minute bus ride will take you directly to the rehabilitation centre. Regular buses, marked ‘Batu 14′ or higher, will drop you at the turn-off to Jalan Sepilok. However, you’ll have to walk 1.5km to get to the Orang Utan Centre.The last bus leaves Sepilok to Sandakan at 4:30 pm.

Who To Contact

For more information, please contact Sabah Tourist Office Tel: +6088-248 698 / 211 732

Accommodation: www.dynamictourism.com

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To visit the caves, permission must be obtained from the Idahan elders. Visitors may visit the District Office in Lahad Datu town to make prior arrangements for entrance permission.

Key Tips

The most valuable – and rarest – nests are the white ones, which can fetch RM2,000 or more per kg.

How To Get There

By Road
The caves are near the Lahad Datu-Tawau Highway. The turn-off is 69km from Lahad Datu. Watch out for the signpost that says ‘Gua Madai’. From the turn-off, it is 3km to the caves.

By Bus
All buses between Lahad Datu and Semporna or Tawau will pass the turn-off to the caves. From here, you’ll be able to find a minivan to take you to the caves. But you might have to walk back out to the highway to catch your ride back.

Who To Contact

For more information, please contact Sabah Tourism Office Tel: +6088-248 698 / 211 732

Madai Caves Sabah

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Covering some 21 ha., it is considerably larger than the nearby Sipadan Island and is home to the Bajau Laut tribe, one of many ethnic groups in Sabah.

Diving is the main activity on this island, and it can be done all year round. Marine life that can be seen here includes sea horses, exotic starfish, fire gobies, crocodile fish, pipefish and snake eels. There are over eight popular dive spots, each with its own speciality.

Three resorts cater to scuba divers — two are on the island itself while one is on a converted oil rig platform about 500m offshore. All of the resorts provide day trips for their guests to the nearby Sipadan and Kapalai Islands.

Key Tips

There’s no airport in Semporna, so book your flight to Tawau instead and organise a pick-up from your tour operator for the hour-long drive to the jetty at Semporna.

How To Get There

By Sea
To reach Mabul Island, it is a 30-minute boat ride from Semporna and 20 minutes from Sipadan Island.

Who To Contact

For more information, please contact Sabah Tourism Office Tel: +6088-248 698 / 211 732 or visit their website at http://sipadan-kapalai.com

Mabul Island Sabah

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The little land mass supports a luxurious 90-room dive resort, a Malaysian Naval base and a nesting colony for several sea-faring migratory birds. The reef topography is essentially made up of a rich growth of hard corals; some so shallow that they break the sea surface during low tides, but most begin at depths of about 5m right down to the ocean floor.

Some of the marine animals observed around the 14 dive sites include black-tip sharks, hammerheads, jacks barracudas, bump-head parrotfish, lionfish, moray eels, turtles, nudibranches, gobies and the ghost pipe fish.

Key Tips

If you have ever wanted to see a school of huge hammerhead sharks, come in the months of April-June. Your chances are very good during this time.

How To Get There

By Air
The nearest kick-off point to Layang Layang Island is Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, where a private charter company flies clients to Layang Layang. This is arranged by Layang Layang Island Resort. Direct flights to Kota Kinabalu are available from Tokyo, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Seoul, Hong Kong, Manila, Cebu, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Who To Contact

For more information, please contact Sabah Tourism Office Tel: +6088-248 698 / 211 732

Accommodation: www.dynamictourism.com

Layang layang Islan Sabah

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Sabah tourist destination | Sabah tourist attraction

It has the only dive resort in Malaysia’s Sulu Sea called the Lankayan Island Dive Resort and is one of the best spots for whale shark sightings. The location of the whale shark is usually indicated by flocks of seabirds screeching high above the placid surface. With luck, divers and snorkellers may get close to this gentle giant, although it won’t stay close for long.

During the day you can witness black-tip sharks swimming about by the beach. At night, hawksbill and green turtles may be spotted coming to shore. Large stretches of beautiful hard and soft corals belonging to numerous genera can also be found here, the perfect habitat for colourful friendly fishes.

Among the 40 dive sites is Lankayan Wreck, where the remains of an ocean-going fishing boat can be explored. This wreck now hosts many different species of fish from small glassfish, harlequin ghost pipefish, painted frogfish to giant grouper and marbled stingrays.

Despite the remoteness, the island has all the amenities of a tropical resort. Visitors can stay in wooden bungalows that blend into the natural surroundings.

Indeed, Lankayan is not only for discerning divers but for anyone who appreciates the tranquility of a paradise island that offers beautiful sunrises, spectacular sunsets and magnificent seascapes.

Key Tips

Lankayan’s speciality is ‘macro’ diving – looking for beautiful tiny creatures – although ‘big fish’ pelagic diving is also available.

How To Get There

By Air
Guests will have to catch the morning flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan.

By Sea
Speedboat transfer is from the Sandakan Yacht Club to Pulau Lankayan, takes about an hour and a half.

Accommodation: www.dynamictourism.com

Lankayan Island, Sabah