Sepilok is located within the lush rainforests in northeastern Borneo, in the state Sabah. It is part of the larger Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, and most famous for its wildlife sanctuaries. Here you can find the renowned Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, established to rescue orphaned orangutans. Sepilok is a popular destination for eco-tourism and a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. Except for the orangutans you can also spot other species like the Bornean sun bear and various tropical birds. In this guide I am presenting the best things to do in Sepilok, together with how to get there and where to stay.

Top activities to do in Sepilok, Borneo

This blog post contains all the information you need for a Sepilok visit, including the top things to do, where to stay in Sepilok, how long to spend and how to get there.

Look for orangutans in Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre

One of the most popular wildlife attractions in Sepilok is to visit the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. This is a centre established to rehabilitate orphaned orangutans, actually the first centre in the world to dedicate itself to this kind of rehabilitation. The centre covers over 43 square km of the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. Currently there are around 60 to 80 orangutans living independently in the reserve while approximately 25 are cared for in nurseries.

The rehabilitation centre is open every day from 9AM to 4PM and you can buy tickets from the counter (no pre-bookings). The entrance fee is 30 MYR ($6).

There are two feeding locations and feeding times at the Sepilok orangutan sanctuary. The first feeding of the day will take place at 9.30AM at the outdoor nursery. This is for the younger orangutans. At 10AM there will be another feeding at the outdoor feeding platform. However, here it is not guaranteed that you will see orangutans since this feeding is for the ones that live independently in the rainforest. Unfortunately when I visited, no orangutan came to the feeding. I did however see a family of orangutans in the tree tops a bit further away from the feeding platform. There is a second feeding in the afternoon at 2.30PM and 3PM. Your ticket is an all day ticket. If you attend the morning feeding and didn’t get to see orangutans, the ticket allows you to attend the afternoon feedings as well.

Do note that there is a camera fee of 10 MYR ($2) if you bring a camera into the reserve. Cameras with lenses over 600mm have another fee of 1 000 MYR ($180). Make sure to check your camera before you visit!

See the smallest bear in the world at Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre

Close to the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre you’ll also find Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre. This is another popular thing to do in Sepilok. Sun bears are the smallest bears in the world and can only be found in Southeast Asia. They are an endangered species due to forest degradation, illegal hunting and pet trade. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is a rescue and rehabilitation facility focusing on rescuing sun bears living in unnatural captive conditions in Sabah. There are currently 43 formerly captive sun bears living in the centre. The facility provides natural environment for these fellows, rehabilitating them and preparing them to be let back into the wild.

The Sun Bear Conservation Centre is open daily from 9AM to 3.30PM and a the entrance fee is 50 MYR ($11). In my opinion this is a bit overpriced due to the place being quite small. But I figured the revenue goes to these adorable little bears, so all in all it was worth a visit.

Hike in the Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)

The Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) was developed as an environmental education (EE) centre, situated in the Kabili-Sepilok Jungle Reserve. The main purpose of the RDC is to be an EE centre for students and teachers, but it is also open to visitors.

Visiting the Rainforest Discovery Centre was my favorite activity in Sepilok. The Kabili-Sepilok jungle is stunning and what makes the RDC so special is their skywalk. This is a 620-meter long walkway with 3 viewing towers and located 27 m above the ground at its highest point. The views you got from these towers and this walk was absolutely amazing. Except for the skywalk, there are many other trails for you to hike as well. I just walked around in the rain forest for about 1.5 hours when I visited. The best part is that not a lot of people tend to go here, so you’ll get most of the forest to yourself. I also saw an orangutan here from quite close which made the whole experience even more amazing.

Entrance costs 30 MYR ($6) and the RDC is open daily from 8AM to 5PM.

Stay in a rainforest resort (Sepilok Jungle Resort)

Staying in a jungle resort in Sepilok is definitely a thing you should do. Sepilok is located in the middle of the jungle, meaning the resorts are too. Do not be surprised if you encounter wildlife on the resort area. I saw some really cool birds, for example a large Kingfisher, right by the dining area.

I stayed at Sepilok Jungle Resort and I would hands down say this is the best option for every type of traveler. They had dorms, which is perfect for the budget backpacker, starting at $14 per night. But they also had private rooms with balconies for the mid-range traveler, for about $35 per night. On top of that there was a nice pool area and it was located just a few minutes walk from the Orangutan and Sun Bear sanctuaries. I stayed in a dorm and got the entire room to myself. What a win, right?

Night walk tour in the Sepilok rainforest

The Rainforest Discovery Centre is not only open during the day, but hosts night walks as well. During a night walk you will, together with a guide, head out with some flashlights in the reserve when the darkness has arrived. There are multiple animals within the RDC that only come out after sunset, like tarsiers, palm civets and owls.

How to get to Sepilok, Borneo

The easiest way to get to Sepilok is by air, where Sandakan Airport is the closest airport. AirAsia flies domestic from other major airports in Borneo like Kota Kinabalu and Tawau. Getting from Sandakan to Sepilok is easy. From both the airport and the city centre, you can take a taxi or book a Grab to get to Sepilok. The ride takes no more than 20 to 25 minutes. The ride from the airport to your stay in Sepilok will cost around $8.

How long to spend in Sepilok

Since everything is quite compact in the Sepilok area, you will need no more than one or two nights for all of the activities mentioned above on what to do in Sepilok. I arrived really early in the morning, making my first day a full-day visit for me. I spent the night in the jungle resort and left for my next location at around lunch time the next day. That means I needed 1.5 day and 1 night for all my activities.

After spending a few days in Sepilok, the next stop on your Borneo journey should definitely be Kinabatangan River. Sepilok will be like a wildlife warm up before you head deeper into the jungle and stay by the second longest river in Malaysia.