Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sabah

Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sabah is one of the must-visit places when you are in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. I had the pleasure of visiting the largest and oldest Orangutan Sanctuary and Rehabilitation in the world located just outside of Sandakan town and my appreciation goes to Sabah Tourism for organising this amazing and educational trip to Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary.

Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary

The Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary was set up in 1964 in the 4,300 hectare Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve which is looked after by the Wildlife Department of Sabah. The main reason for this center is to rehabilitate orphaned baby orangutans who have been either captured as pets or found without their mothers. Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary also has a reception center, information center, and animal clinic, a quarantine area, a nursery and an enclosure for various endangered animals which are found in Sabah.

Wooden walkway

As we arrived at the main entrance of the center, our tickets were purchased from the ticket window at the main building and we then proceeded to the start of the visit where a wooden platform walkway was built over the rainforest mangrove leading to the main feeding area here in Sepilok. Our well experienced guide named Ben lead us on this unforgettable journey to see orangutans in their natural surroundings.

Silence Please!

After a good five minute walk through the lush rainforest via the wooden walkways, we approached the main feeding area for the Orang Utans. A park assistant greeted us with a bright red and white sign that said 'Silence Please' and immediately you could only hear the sounds of the forest. We got in quite early so there were only about twenty people around the viewing platform.

Early crowd at the viewing platform

Without hesitation, I walked around looking for a great spot to see these orphaned orangutans in the wild. Ben - our guide, had already given us a brief on what to expect here so we were on our own to witness this incredible experience. As the natural jungle sounds became clearer and louder, a ruffle was heard in the bushes not too far from the platform. Heads turned around....

Large crowd at viewing platform

......and I saw some bushes move but nothing appeared. I turned around to my surprise and suddenly, there were about a hundred visitors crowding the area with only one focal point - the feeding platform area. Note - The place does get crowded on weekends.

Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary Video

Video of Orangutan coming out from bushes for food

Orangutan makes an appreance

After about 5 minutes of bush ruffling, a juvenile orang utan appeared climbing the rope towards the feeding platform. Cameras started to click and whispers began to dominate the natural sounds of the rainforest. There were even a few flashes going on which is not recommended. So please do not use your flash when you visit Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary.

Video of Orangutan climbing and then posing at Sepilok

Visitors photographing the orangutans

As I was perched right at the end of the platform, I saw all kinds of cameras being used to capture this magical moment. Many had not seen an orangutan in the wild while most were too busy trying to get that perfect shot. I must have snapped at least a hundred pictures while here.

Sepilok Viewing platform

But one chap had it all figured out while sticking out like a sore thumb in the crowd. He came well equipped with a camera and a zoom lens that cost an arm and a leg. But seriously, if you plan to visit Sepilok and want some nice pictures, invest in a good camera and a good lens. A compact camera with 20x zoom would work while for DSLR users, a zoom to 200mm would be just nice. Mind you that the lens I used was only a 18mm-105mm for my pictures so no close up shots here.

Video of an Orangutan climbing down a tree to get to the platform

Orangutan monkeying around

As the orangutans start to come out, they play freely on the suspended wires which are secured from tree to tree around the platform area. Some of them would climb up the trees while most of them would just hang around the wires.

Video of Orangutan climbing at Sepilok

A young orangutan hangs from the wires

While visitors are confined to the viewing platform which is about 20-30 feet away, an occasional orangutan may come up to the viewing platform. You are not allowed to touch them as orang utans may contract human flu or other types of bacteria. The best is to stand back from these lovely creatures. There have been many cases where children and adults will try to touch them or even pose for a picture so please refrain from doing so when you are there.

Orangutan food is brought to the platform

After about 15 minutes of watching these playful orangutans swinging and climbing the trees, two park attendants climb up the main feeding platform with buckets of food. One of them holds a sign that says 'Silence Please' while he takes his seat.

Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary - Feeding time at the platform

The playful orangutans then know it is feeding time and slowly make their way to the platform one by one. Surprisingly the attendants do not feed them by hand which I thought was very good. The Orangutans make their way to the buckets and help themselves. Remember, these orangutans are not trained to perform but are let to live freely in the sanctuary. They will automatically make their way there when it is feeding time as most of the orangutans are still in the juvenile stages.

Long-tail macaques look for food

After about ten minutes, the attendants leave the platform and this is when the other monkeys will try to make their way for the food. Long-Tail Macaques are seen hanging around at a distance and eventually hurry to the buckets of food in small groups.

Mother, baby and another orangutan

After the feeding, we noticed that a mother and her young baby orangutan emerged out of the trees and made her way to the bucket. With her baby orangutan clinging on to her, she grabbed some food and made off on the wires. The visitors were ecstatic when they saw the baby clinging on to the mother as she casually climbed away on the ropes.

Orangutan nest on top of a tree

Finally after an hour of observing these amazing creatures, we made our way back via the wooden walkway. Our personal guide Ben then stopped to show us an Orangutan Nest high up on one of the rainforest trees. I never knew that orangutans slept in nests so this was something new to me. The Orangutan nest actually looked like an extremely large birds nest. Ben also explained that the orangutans would sleep with their stomach facing the sky in these nests and that if you saw an orangutan nest, it meant that the orang utan would be in the surrounding area.

Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary Souvenir shop

As we exited the main walkway, we were directed back to the main building. A souvenir shop is available for those who want memories and mementos of this incredible place. Various T-Shirt designs are available for reasonable prices while stuffed Orangutan toys line the shelves in the shop.

Stuffed Orangutan toys for sale

Looking around the souvenir shop, there were also books, postcards and photos of Orang Utans for sale. I grabbed a few postcards for my collection and headed for the next building where a video show was about to start.

Information and AV room

The adjoining building has two sections, an exhibition area focusing on endangered wildlife of Sabah and Borneo is on the left while an audio video room is on the right. It is here that you will watch a presentation on the Orang Utan and also learn about the Orangutan Adoption Programme by Orangutan Appeal UK.

Ms Sarah from Orangutan Appeal UK giving a brief

The presentation and video took about 20 minutes with a brief introduction by Sarah who heads the Orangutan Appeal UK counter. She highlighted that anyone can participate in the Orangutan Adoption Programme or you can also opt for buying milk and food for the baby Orangutans. A short film then explains in detail the philosophy of the rehabilitation, and the importance of the work of the rangers of Sepilok. I would recommend that you go for this video presentation as it is very educational and interesting.

Orangutan Appeal UK information board

Orangutan Appeal UK has a counter in the main building. It is located by the entrance to the sanctuary and is managed by Sarah. It s here that you can help the Orangutans by either adoption one (no, you cannot take them home) or you can help by purchasing milk and food for the orangutans.

Orangutan Appeal UK adoption form

For the second option of milk and food, it is broken into three choices:

• RM30 (US$10) for one weeks supply of milk for two baby orphaned orangutans.
• RM50 (US$16.50) for one months supply of bananas for the junior orangutans.
• RM70 (US$23) for one weeks supply of vitamins for the baby orangutans.

We bought a RM30 supply of milk for the baby orangutans from Sarah as even a small contribution makes a difference for these amazing creatures. I hope that those who plan to visit Sepilok will also contribute to the best they can in making sure that these Orangutans get the best help and care they can.

Restaurant and Cafe

Finally as we left the main building and walked out, there was a basic cafe offering snacks and drinks. A smoking section inside divides the premises while you can get mineral water, sodas and light snacks here. A public toilet is not too far from the cafe. With a quick local coffee, we headed out to our next destination which was the RDC (Rainforest Discovery Center).

My conclusion: A must visit for everyone who enjoys nature, flora & fauna, and especially those with children. Fantastic educational experience that cannot be found elsewhere in the world. A day trip here would be sufficient so you need not stay over unless you plan to explore the area where the RDC is also located nearby. Once again, a big thank you goes out to Sabah Tourism for making this trip possible.

How to go to Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary:

• Located just out of Sandakan town, Sepilok is about 23 kilometers from town. Getting to Sepilok is fairly simple as it takes about 30-40 minutes by car or van. (Self drive or tour company)
• There is a public bus service from Labuk Bus Company that departs from the Sandakan Town Council at RM2.10 (US$0.60) one way but the bus stops at the junction of the main road. You then need to walk in about 1.5km.
• Taxi service from Sandakan is available with a return trip costing about RM100.00 (US$29). Do negotiate with your taxi about the prices.
• Getting to Sepilok from Kota Kinabalu (KK) is also possible. A bus ride would take about 7-8 hours from KK to Sandakan and would cost around RM30-50 (US$9-$15) one way. Visit this site for Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan bus fares and tickets.
• Better option is to fly to Sandakan as there are direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. Airasia offers some cheap tickets if you book early. Malaysia Airlines also has some decent ticket prices if you want to compare.

Admission/Entrance Fees and Rates to Sepilok

• MyKad Holders (Malaysians) - RM5.00
• Others (Foreigners) - RM30.00 (US$8.80)
• Camera Charges - RM10.00 (US$2.95)

Opening Hours

• Security Gate: Daily from 8.00am till 5.00pm
• Reception & Ticketing Counter: Daily from 9.00am till 11.00am and 2.00pm till 3.30pm
• Exhibition Hall: Daily (except Fridays) from 9.00am till 4.30pm
• Main Center: Daily from 9.00am till 12.00pm and 2.00pm till 4.00pm Fridays 9.00am till 11.00am, 2.00pm till 4.00pm

What to bring
Bring mosquito or insect repellent, a poncho or umbrella in case it rains. But you should try to leave all these things at the reception center as the other little monkeys can get up to no good and grab your bag with these things. If you want to bring your mobile phone, please keep it on silent mode. Binoculars are great here if you want a close up look at the Orang Utans.

* Remember to practice Responsible Tourism wherever you are.

What NOT to do

• You are advised not to wear loud colours (bright colours) when visiting Sepilok as it distracts the Orang Utans there.
• In the event an Orang Utan comes to the platform, keep back as they may grab your items such as camera or bag.
• Do not touch or hold the Orangutans at any time.
• If you bring children, please ask them to keep silent.

Sepilok Address in Sabah
Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center,
Batu 14, Jalan Labuk Sandakan Sabah,
WDT200, 9009
Sandakan,
Sabah
Telephone: 6 089 531180
Fax: 6 089 531189
Email: soutan@po.jaring.my

Website for Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary
Website for Sepilok by Sabah Tourism
Website for Orang Utan Appeal UK

My other Sabah articles on;

• Rainforest Discovery Centre RDC Sepilok
• Canopy Walk at RDC Sabah

Official website for Sabah Tourism

Map to Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sabah

View Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilition Center in a larger map

If you want to experience seeing orangutans in the wild, there are many places to do this around Southeast Asia. Some of them are private conservations while a number of them are found in Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia. One of the best places to fully experience this would at the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary in Sabah.

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E&O Hotel Penang Malaysia

E&O Hotel in Penang is Malaysia's answer to the Raffles Hotel in Singapore or the Strand in Rangoon (Myanmar). This beautiful 5-Star Luxury Hotel stands majestically along Farquhar Street in Penang - A UNESCO World Heritage Status and was originally opened by the Sarkies Brothers back in 1885 who also owned the other two hotels mentioned. The hotel is also known as the Eastern and Oriental Hotel from the initials.

Main entrance driveway

E&O Hotel is probably one of the luxury class hotels where you can splurge and expect tip top service in a Colonial environment. Staying here would certainly put a slight dent the pocket of the ordinary person as this place is known to the well-heeled society. The minimum rates for a deluxe room starts around RM580++ (US$170) and sad to say, I only visited the E&O for breakfast while on a job in Penang Island.

British Raj style doorman at the E&O Hotel

E&O has always maintained their originality in terms of the decor, style and service and as I walked in, I was greeted by their doorman who was dressed in the Colonial Style British Raj dressing with a smile you hardly find these days. The doorman was extremely alert about guests walking in and out as he opened the main doors into the E&O Hotel with a beautiful and friendly smile. You have an option to use the classic revolving doors on the left of the main door.

E&O Hotel sidewalk with old pillar designs

What I personally admire about the E&O Hotel is that they managed to beautifully restore the place to it's original look and feel even though it is over a hundred years old and costing the E&O Group a cool RM75 million (US$22 million). Walking around the hotel made me inspect the details done to preserve this amazing place. Almost every little inch is carefully looked into from my observation throughout the place.

Sarkies Restaurant at the E&O 

Sarkies Corner, the name for the main restaurant with a view of the Penang sea through classic wooden and glass doors was where I had my breakfast. The Sarkies Corner also serves all day dining right up till 11pm with local and international cuisines.

Another view of the Sarkies Restaurant

What I like about the Sarkies Restaurant is that much work has been put in to maintain the originality of the 1900s. Tall wooden windows, mosaic tiled floors and even a cashier counter located on your right as you enter looks like a jailed section with iron bars. Wooden table and chairs dominate the restaurant floor while tall wooden and glass doors lead outside to the courtyard where you can see the sea. There is also an outdoor area for guests who prefer the outdoors.

E&O Hotel Penang entrance facade at night

I guess the E&O Hotel would be one of the places that I would love checking in to fully experience the Colonial days of Malaya. For that price, it would be something different compared to the now modern hotels. The E&O Hotel is also strategically located to town center where the nearest Penang attraction would be The Blue Mansion or Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion which is a couple of minutes walk and also the famous Chulia Street.

The E&O Group also owns Lone Pine Hotel in Batu Ferringgi, Penang. However, please note that there is a temporary closure of the Lone Pine Hotel for renovation works from 1 April 2009 till the 3rd Quarter of 2010.

E&O Hotel Room Rates;

SUITES	INTERNET RATES per suite per night
Deluxe Suite	RM 580++
Georgetown Suite	RM 580++
Premier Suite	RM 660++
Straits Suite	RM 810++
Writers Suite	RM 1080++
Java Suite	Rate on Request
Pinang Suite	Rate on Request
E&O Suite	Rate on Request

Official website for the Eastern and Oriental Hotel (E&O)

For detailed history of the Eastern and Oriental Hotel (E&O)

Address and contact for E&O Hotel:
Eastern and Oriental (E&O) Hotel
10 Lebuh Farquhar
10200 Penang

Telephone : +(6) 04 222 2000
Fax : +(6) 04 261 6333
Email : hotel-info@e-o-hotel.com

Map to E&O Hotel in Penang

View E&O Hotel Penang in a larger map

Apart from the many choices of hotels in Penang, there are a few which are totally outstanding located throughout the island. For those who would like to enjoy something with a touch of old British, I would recommend you try out the E&O Hotel in Penang.

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Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland is my third Disneyland visited around the world where I have also visited the Anaheim Disneyland in California and the Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. The only one left for me to visit is the Euro Disney and Disney World. Anyway, since I was having a long trip to Hong Kong, I thought why not since I had free time. So, the child in me came out the minute I reached the gates here.

Disneyland Entrance Fountain with Mickey Surfing

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land on Penny's Bay in Lantau Island and was opened in September 12, 2005. The park also resembles the other Disneyland's around the world with four themed lands, Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland but the only difference was that the cast and crew at this particular Disneyland are all Chinese so expect communication in Mandarin, Cantonese and in English. But to my surprise, the princess of the Enchanted Castle was a Caucasian girl.

Mickey Mouse video surfing on top of a fountain

Main Street USA Double Decker Bus

Hong Kong Disneyland also attracts about 35,000 visitors a day and is also the smallest of the Disneyland's around the world. When I booked my Disneyland Package from the hotel concierge, we paid about HK$400 per person including transfer, tickets and pickup from the Dorsett Seaview Hotel which was quite a good deal for a Disneyland package.

Disneyland Main Street USA

It was quite humid when we went there in September but the crowds were really nice and moving around was relatively easy. Honestly, the best time to visit this place is during the cool season or winter period in Hong Kong. But be prepared for hordes of people and super long queues for rides, something I would not want to ever experience after trying out the other Disneylands in Japan and America.

Disneyland 's Enchanted Castle

From the Dorsett Seaview in town, we took the hotel's Disneyland shuttle service which made a few stops at some other hotels before proceeding to Lantau Island. The journey which started at 8.30am took us about 30 minutes. Upon arriving, we were dropped off at a bus parking area where the van would pick us up at 8.30pm. Walking to the main entrance of Disneyland from the car park took us another 10 minutes before going through the main entrance and into Hong Kong Disneyland this fantasy world.

Disneyland Fire Department

The first place you see is Main Street USA where buildings are similar to the American style Victorian architecture from the early 20th century with typical stores selling candy, souvenirs and gifts. Restaurants Cafes are also found on this themed section. Several old styled buildings like city hall and a fire station is also well decorated for picture taking purposes.

Disneyland City Hall Building

Wandering around Main Street USA, we had already felt hungry as the hotel breakfast was not enough so we went into one of the pastry shops and bought some pies and drinks for our second breakfast. Sitting along the main street was interesting as several classic or antique buses and taxis would pass by ferrying guests to a drop off point.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse

Mickey and Minnie Mouse! How could one resist not taking a picture with these two iconic figures of Disneyland for over 80 years. By the way, did you know Mickey Mouse was born in 1928?

Photo opportunity with Mickey and Minnie Mouse

And there, we did it. The legendary Mickey and Minnie mouse picture moment. Every child's dream I am told except that if Ben 10 was there, there would be major confusion.

Disneyland Jungle River Cruise

We then made a trip to Adventureland next. A number of rides reminding me of Indiana Jones are available here but since most of them were pretty much children-friendly, we made a quick walk around and ended up going to Tarzan's Island and then out of Adventureland. Just so you know, there is a great Jungle River Cruise if you plan to visit with kids. There is also a Broadway Show called 'Festival Of The Lion King' going on here too.

It's A Small World Entrance

Fantasyland has always been one of my favourite since my first trip to Tokyo Disneyland in 1990. A very cheerful and colourful place, the children would absolutely love this place. Good luck trying to get them out of Fantasyland. Below are a few videos taken inside 'It's A Small World' - The Ride here.

Video of It's A Small World Ride in Fantasyland

Trust me, the song goes on and on on the easiest ride in Disneyland. Each ride unit can carry two persons and takes about 15 minutes to complete the ride while going though various cultures and places around the world.

Video of It's A Small World Ride in Fantasyland in another section

In this section, the same tune of music goes on but in another language. Throughout the ride, I must have heard about 6 languages of the famous song 'It's A Small World'.

Video of It's A Small World Ride in Fantasyland in the rainforest section

While admiring the beautiful and cute kid figures moving about throughout the entire ride, take a look at the details put in, especially the costumes and countries they represent. Note, they are robotic toys and not real kids, just in case you thought wrong.

Tomorrowland Entrance

Finally, we have Tomorrowland which would be absolutely child crazy if you have boys for kids. This part of Disneyland features most of the modern rides like Space Mountain (Not recommended for the weak), cartoon rides like Toy Story, Stitch Encounter, UFO Zone and some other rides.

Tomorrowland - A space craft provides water mist

Some of the props which resemble spaceships and rockets from various movies like Toy Story are placed around the rides. Great for picture taking that will bring a smile to your kids and adults too.

Disneyland Tomorrowland - Strange Structure

One of the structures features a mechanical planet with smaller planets orbiting the main structure. Not a ride but more of a 'mummy, look at that'. That thing must have been about 50 feet tall.

Space Mountain - The Best Roller Coaster Ride in Disneyland

Space Mountain, also called the ride of rides in every Disneyland I visited is not for the faint heart, those with lygophobia (fear of darkness) and toddlers. Trust me, this ride is pretty much in the dark, even lining up to get in is dimly lit as if you are in a space station getting ready to board your shuttle. Once the ride starts, you start to climb pretty high up and then.... 2 minutes of speed and dark till the end. A total rush if you love roller coasters.

Buzz Lightyear, an icon to everyone

Buzz Lightyear, pretty much as famous as Michael Jackson but not enough to compete with Ben 10. Huge statue were every kid and adult I saw took a picture with him. Heck, I took one too but sorry, I am not posting it here. By the way, sorry there were no pictures of Fantasyland as I skipped the entire thing due to the fact that children especially girls would really enjoy this place. So if you have a daughter, bring her here.

Writer does the legendary Disneyland pose

I admit, I had to take the picture above as I have a collection of pictures (non-DSLR days) with me holding the same post in front of the ever famous Enchanted Castle of Disneyland. By the way, as the humidity was really high we could not take the heat anymore and decided on leaving this place early at about 4pm. I contemplated on staying for the world class Disney On Parade Show that goes on every evening, but once you have seen one, they are about the same so off we went.

Disneyland Exit Sign

With this trip, I have successfully visited three Disneylands around the world and only the Euro Disney, Disney World (or Shanghai Disneyland) left to visit. I might as well do it since there is nothing much to lose.

Disneyland Resort MTR Station

Heading back to Kowloon, we walked to the Disneyland Resort MTR Station and purchased our one-way tickets back. I thought that the Disney experience was over untile I got onto the platform of the station.

Posing by one of the MTR Train Mickey Mouse shaped window

The special MTR Train that runs to the resort was one of a kind with windows in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Something I did not expect but it brought out the kid in me when I saw that. You should have seen Lilian's face when I excitedly asked her to look at the windows.

A Mickey Mouse Train Hand Rail

Even the hand-rail was in the shape of Mickey Mouse! Looking around inside the train, there were bronze statues of Goofy, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and other Disney characters encased in special perspex casings on each side of the train interior. Talk about going all the way, I take my hat off.

Getting to Hong Kong Disneyland:

Kowloon Area: Take the Tung Chung Line from Kowloon to Sunny Bay and then transfer to Disneyland Resort Line. The journey is about 30 minutes. Ticket/Fare: HK$16.2/Octopus or HK$18.0/Single ticket

Mongkok Area: MTR MongKok Station, take Tsuen Wan Line to Lai King station and then transfer to Tung Chung Line to Sunny Bay station where you can take Disneyland Resort Line to get to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Tsuen Wan Bus station: Take bus R42 (Tsuen Wan - Disneyland). Journey is about 40minutes.

From Hong Kong Airport: Take bus S1 from the airport to Tung Chung MTR station (HK$5) and then take MTR(disney Resort Line) from Tung Chung to Disneyland Resort (HK$2.5)

Taxis: Generally fast and expensive from around Hong Kong

Hong Kong Disneyland Opening Hours:
10:00 to 19:00 (weekdays)
10:00 to 21:00 (weekends and holidays)
Tickets Selling Hours: From 09:00 until the park closes

Park Tickets:

One-Day Tickets		Annual Passes Prices
		Value	Deluxe	Premium
Adults	HK$ 350	HK$ 650	HK$ 1,300	HK$ 1,800
Students (12-25)	HK$ 350	HK$ 460	HK$ 930	HK$ 1,250
Children (3-11)	HK$ 250	HK$ 460	HK$ 930	HK$ 1,250
Seniors (65 or above)	HK$ 170	HK$ 370	HK$ 740	HK$ 1,000

*Children under 3 are free.

More information on Disneyland Tickets

Tip: Check with your hotel if they have special Disneyland Package Tickets

Visit the official website for Hong Kong Disneyland

Technical details from Wikipedia about Hong Kong Disneyland

Visit the California Anaheim Disneyland or the Tokyo Disneyland

Map to Hong Kong Disneyland

View Hong Kong Disneyland in a larger map

My conclusion to Hong Kong Disneyland: A must visit if you have children as planning a trip to the other Disneyland's may be a little expensive so thank the heavens for opening one in South East Asia. If you are a young couple, a full day in here is sufficient. You would not have to stay over as you can enjoy the other parts of Hong Kong like visiting the Charlie Brown Snoopy Cafe or some shoe shopping at Sports Shoe Street in Mong Kok.

However if you have children, you may want to plan a stay over at Disneyland as it can and will get tiring for you and the kids. The Hong Kong Disneyland offers two luxury 4 and 5 Star Hotels in the premises while there are several others out of the main park.

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