If you happen to select to journey to Malaysia, you may wish to put a ‘see orangutans in Borneo’ be aware on the highest of your itinerary. And in case you are a traveller who counts every penny and also you anticipate it’s going to be an affordable deal in Borneo, as in lots of different Southeast Asia nations, then you definately is likely to be shocked by the costs you’ll discover right here to pay for actions that embody seeing orangutans.
To get a greater image, a fundamental 2-day, 1-night bundle booked by a journey company will often embody a go to to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Heart, the drive to Sukau (the place you keep in a single day, the beginning of a river cruise or a jungle trek), a 3-hour boat journey on the Kinabatangan River within the early afternoon and one later within the night.
The subsequent day you go for one more 2.5-hour boat journey on the way in which again to Sandakan. Add some meals throughout the journey and also you’ll pay MYR 1092/$343 per individual (excluding the doorway charge (MYR 30/$9) and a digicam charge (MYR 10/$3) at Sepilok).
Now if there are two of you and also you’d pay double, i.e. $686, that might be one flight ticket from Asia to Europe, or three months lease in Chiang Mai in Thailand. And that’s just one full day of actions, when you think about that you simply want solely about 6 hours for the switch to and from every place.
See orangutans in Borneo independently and lower your expenses
However what if we advised you that you possibly can spend lower than one third per individual whenever you do all of these actions independently? Completely! You may see wild orangutans by your self and go for a river cruise in Kinabatangan with out reserving overpriced excursions.
How will you do it? The brief reply: use native transportation, purchase your personal meals and privately contact a lodge the place you wish to keep in a single day.
So, how a lot are you going to spend in complete when you determine to see orangutans in Borneo and wildlife alongside the Kinabatangan River independently?
Be a part of a few of the excursions in Borneo:
That is what we spent:
Transport Sandakan-Sepilok-Sandakan: MYR 10/$3
Entrance to Sepilok: MYR 30/$9
Digital camera charge: MYR 10/$3
Transport Sandakan-Sukau-Sandakan: MYR 80/$25
One river cruise: MYR 50 /$16
Morning Jungle Trekking: MYR 15/$4.70
Twin mattress room: MYR 75/$23
Our personal meals: MYR 26/$8
Complete: MYR 296/$93/per individual
Saved: MYR 796/$184/per individual
We went just for one river cruise since we had been already on a day cruise in Kota Kinabalu, the place we additionally did a brief evening cruise to see fireflies. Truthfully, when you do a two-hour river cruise throughout the day, you’ll see sufficient to be happy along with your journey to the Kinabatangan River. And even when you like to look at wildlife close to the river and also you determine to pay for an additional cruise, you’ll solely add MYR 50/$11 for a day cruise and MYR 60/$14 for an evening one.
In case you aren’t fascinated about visiting Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary close to Sandakan, which we suggest visiting anyway, you are able to do a 2-day, 1-night journey to Sukau, go for 2 river cruises (day and evening) or one river cruise and one jungle trek. If you happen to do it independently, you’ll pay MYR 246/$77.
If you happen to nonetheless want extra consolation when organizing a day within the wild for your self, another choice that’s cheaper than a tour operator, however nonetheless dearer when you go your personal method is to rearrange a tour at your guesthouse in Sandakan.
The one we stayed in supplied a 2D1N journey to Sukau (with out Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary) for MYR 360/$113/pax.
Some journey companies go actually excessive with the costs and you may pay for a one-day journey to Sepilok Heart and an hour-long boat journey on Kinabatangan in common MYR 792/$248.
In case you wish to guide a 3-day, 2-night journey, get able to put MYR 1,522/ $ 478 on the desk.
Be a part of one of many native excursions in Malaysia:
The way to get to Sepilok from Kota Kinabalu
Though tour operators encourage their shoppers to take a flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan the place they decide you up, to journey by bus is an effective possibility, too. It’s very comfy with A/C, and less expensive. Plus, planet Earth will say a giant “thanks!” for travelling overland. You will have to take a bus from Kota Kinabalu (bus station on Jalan Padang road close to resort Shangri-la) to the long-distance bus terminal in Inanam.
A one-way ticket prices MYR 1.50/$0.47 and it takes about quarter-hour to get to Inanam. Native buses in Asia depart when they’re full, so be prepared to attend 20 minutes for a bus.
From Inanam bus terminal you’ll take a bus to Sandakan. The route prices MYR 43/$13.50 and takes about six hours. In case you’re susceptible to movement illness, get your tablet prepared. You’ll want it.
From Sandakan, you’ll take the bus #14 from the principle Bus Terminal in entrance of Nak Lodge. The ticket prices MYR 5/$1.16 and it takes about an hour to reach on the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilition Heart. The final bus from the sanctuary again to Sandakan leaves at 4pm, so be sure you catch it.
The middle is open day by day from 9am-12pm & 2pm-4pm. On Friday it’s open from 9am-11am & 2pm-4pm.
Plan your journey to Asia:
The way to get to Sukau from Sandakan
Take an area bus from Genting Mas Grocery store on the Jalan Pryer road. A one-way ticket prices MYR 30/$7, the drive takes about 2.5-3 hours and buses to Sukau go away between 10 am and midday. If you’re fortunate sufficient as we had been, you’ll be able to ask at your guesthouse that organizes a tour to Sukau when you will pay just for the raise. .
What to anticipate from Sepilok Orangutan Heart
In Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Heart they rehabilitate and practice about 60-80 orphaned orangutans to outlive within the wild, nature and so they releasinge them as soon as they’re impartial sufficient.
The sanctuary is situated inside a rainforest of 10,610 acres and you may discover a part of it by having a stroll on nature trails throughout the reserve. Aside from semi-wild orangutans, you can even see nocturnal animals right here when you go for a night-guided stroll. Walks and trails range from 250 m as much as 5 km. The one draw back is that they shut at 2 pm, so in case you wish to come for the afternoon feeding and do a little bit of trekking within the forest or cover strolling, arrive far sufficient prematurely.
To be sure you see the orangutans right here in Sepilok, we suggest coming for the feeding time that’s twice per day, at 10 am and three pm, with out counting on seeing them within the jungle. We selected the afternoon feeding session and it was a superb resolution, as a result of there have been only some folks round.
The entire process of feeding is kind of thrilling, whenever you see orangutans arriving shortly earlier than the clock strikes three. Rangers include baskets filled with bananas and sugar cane and the feast begins. The orangutans eat and dangle round on the mangrove bushes for about 20 minutes, after which they begin to disappear slowly within the forest.
You may ask if it’s at all times assured to see these ‘males of the forest’ at feeding time and we are able to solely point out a comment of a ranger who works there and who stated there he had been working there for 20 years, and it by no means occurred that they (the orangutans) hadn’t come for at the least 5 minutes to take some meals.
Throughout our go to to Sepilok, we noticed 5 adults and one child orangutan plus a number of macaques that arrived to select some leftovers.
We had been additionally extraordinarily fortunate to fulfill a ranger with two younger ‘girl orangutans’ that he was strolling with on the trail within the forest. We mainly noticed them face-to-face, that’s, after they weren’t hiding behind the ranger.
Once you determine to take a river cruise on the Kinabatangan River, you’ll see the proboscis monkeys, red-leaf monkeys, numerous hornbills and a crocodile or two. For these of you who’ve by no means seen a crocodile in reallife , we advise sitting in the midst of the boat, not on the sting, so that you don’t panic when you spot him simply 2 m away from you.
Happiness is at all times a coincidence
After we went to Sukau, our huge want was to see a wild elephant close to the river. The employees at our guesthouse advised us it’s not the season to identify them and we believed them, though a buddy of our pals noticed them in decrease Kinabatangan a number of days earlier than us.
Anyway, the alarming state of affairs with deforestation in Borneo additionally performs its function and we really want it doesn’t find yourself in a complete catastrophe for the animals and their habitat. So, the truth that you encounter an elephant on the Kinabatangan sooner or later can be an indication the state of affairs is secure or bettering.
We didn’t see wild elephants in Sukau, however we went for an early morning guided trek and got here again with a giant smile on our faces and an thrilling feeling in our hearts, which had been beating quick. We had simply seen a wild male orangutan only some meters from the trail we had been strolling on. Apparently we weren’t very welcome in his territory as he began to throw an enormous 2 m-long log from above the tree on us, however we learnt loads about their habits and habitat that day.
Muse, our information, confirmed we had been extraordinarily fortunate to see a wild orangutan so near the highway and we might be solely grateful for that treasured second.
What to convey with you for a river cruise:
• sun shades
• sunscreen
• mosquito repellent (particularly for the late afternoon and evening cruise)
• a hat
For jungle trekking:
• leech repellent or particular socks
• outfit in pure colors. Go away your shiny purple pants or shiny, blue t-shirt at house. You don’t wish to make an enemy within the wild jungle, proper?
• comfy, sturdy footwear (though it’s doable to run up and down the hill with flip-flops, as our information did).
For each journeys, take a bottle of water with you and a binocular, in case you journey with one. In any other case the guides on river cruises present a few them for the vacationers, too.
Pack & journey:
The place to remain in Borneo
Earlier than your arrival to Borneo, try and guide lodging in Kota Kinabalu.
In Sandakan, we suggest to remain on the Rose Guesthouse and in Sukau you may prefer to verify Sukau Backpackers B&B.
Secure travels and good luck with seeing orangutans in Borneo within the wild!
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