Location: Sandakan
Top Things to do in Sandakan
- 1. Sandakan Memorial Park
- 2. Turtle Island Park
- 3. Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
- 4. Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
- 5. Orang Utan Sanctuary
- 6. Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)
- 7. Deramakot Forest Reserve
- 8. Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple
- 9. Agnes Newton Keith Home
- 10. Gomantong Cave Sandakan
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10 Things to Do in Sandakan That You Shouldn't Miss
Tropical Sandakan is a paradise for animal lovers. Watch turtles lay eggs at Turtle Islands Park, keep a giggly distance at a crocodile farm or share an impish smile with some of the residents at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The houses on stilts in the fishing village of Buli Sim Sim are perfect for sightseeing and photographing.
Restaurants in Sandakan
1. Sandakan Memorial Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 620 reviews
2. Turtle Island Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 598 reviews
Reviewed By Marek J - Poland
This was an unforgettable event, very interesting and informative.
You can book it directly in the Crystal Quest office to get the best price. It is no more than 15 mins walk from town and you can hike a bus for 1RM on the way back.
On the island you can buy water and some snacks, but it's better to buy it in Sandakan.
3. Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By traderdad - Stuttgart, Germany
Went there in the afternoon and got lucky. It was feeding time and the sunbears were real close to the viewing platform. We watched them eat corn cobs and then playing around in the enclosure. We got to take a lot of really great pictures of them. The bears seemed very content and were very active. What we really liked was the friendly staff (they are also keen birders!), who seemed passionate about what they do and happy to share their knowledge with us. This was in stark contrast to the folks over at the Orang Utan Center. The movie was also very interesting.
This is a cause well worth supporting and the MYR 30 entrance fee for foreigners, although 6 times the local fee, was definitely worth it.
4. Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 922 reviews
Reviewed By Peiee - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Worth to go, really wild proboscis monkeys come for feeding near a comfortable viewing points... .. Feeding time 9.30a. 11.30am 2.30pm and 4.30pm. They also provide transportation with a fee around RM40 ++ to and fro , enjoy lunch at the cafeteria, must have the cool coconut water for chilling the day
5. Orang Utan Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By David C - Brisbane, Australia
This established conservation centre is very well organised with two feeding sessions per day to attend and the outside nursery area to observe.
Unfortunately, on the day of our visit, no orang-utans turned up for the feeding times and it would appear that the season has been so good that they do not need to go to the platforms for food.
However, the nursery area was full of activity. we saw 12 animals come and go during two visits there and could have spent all day observing the anctics of the young ones. It was great fun
Everyone should visit this centre and support the rehabilitation programme.
6. Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 765 reviews
RDC is first and foremost an environmental education centre managed by the Sabah Forestry Department. It has been operating since 1997 but mainly for school visits and organising events for school students and also teacher training courses on environmental education.It was later developed for visitors mainly to sustain the environmental education programme for the future. We formally opened to visitors in August 2007 and is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. However, visitors are allowed to stay until 7 pm for viewing of the flying squirrels at the 347-m long Canopy Walkway, the only such structure in Southeast Asia.The newly revamped Birders Rest is now with a 90 m-long walkway, an open hall, a small centre and toilets. As of Nov 16th 2013, we have a new operator for the Keruing Cafe whom we hope will provide better services for our visitors.
Reviewed By Bird-Fanatic - Tucson, AZ
This mature Rainforest reserve has the best canopy walk in the world. Stay late and watch the giant flying squirrels soar over your heads. The canopy walk puts you high in the limbs of 200 ft trees. Don't miss the night walk. Lots of spectacular birds here, but hire a guide.
7. Deramakot Forest Reserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Reviewed By OliveGoh - Kuala Lumpur
This was a truly educational experience, putting many preconceptions into perspective i.e. sustainable logging, ecotourism, economic development, etc. It is not only suitable for children but imperative to their awareness and development. Do not come if you are a hypocrite who will cry about seeing the “poor animal’s homes destroyed” or complain when you have no electricity because the generator broke down.
We can cry foul about chopping down trees and the plight of animals but reality is that we are all contributors to destruction. Development and consumerism cannot be stopped, neither can the thirst for knowledge and adventure. Balance and moderation is key. You want your creature comforts with plumbing and electricity, you want a clean environment and eat delicious food, you want to be in the Wilderness but not rough it out. The balance is here in Deramakot. Without the loggers clearing and creating safe, usable access roads, you will never get to areas in the dense jungle riding comfortably in a car to see wildlife. The determination of the Sabah Forest Department is impressive and highly commendable. It is heartening to see that serious efforts have been put into conservation, protection, forest planning, education and training of foresters and forest workers.
Our 3 days 2 nights stay was surprisingly comfortable and not arduous at all. The accommodation, facilities and sighting experiences are as how many have described so I shall not repeat again. Will try to fill in the blanks with information that I found lacking prior to my trip so that you can plan better.
1. There seems to be a number of tour operators but very limited information on line. After a lot of queries, correspondences, research and actual experience, this is what I found:
- Adventure Alternative Borneo (AAB) has the strongest foothold here. I was glad I chose them.
- Borneo Adventure is a booking agency for AAB. You may pay more but will end up with AAB anyway.
- There are several one-man free agents who operate on their own. Very expensive and requires advance booking.
- Do not be disheartened by some sites that say you need 2-4 weeks advance booking. I booked AAB a week before and all was confirmed expeditiously.
- Permits are required from the Forestry Department so trying to go on your own is not easy. A skilled driver and experienced spotter are necessary so the whole idea is moot anyway.
- We had Mike Gordon as our spotter. He is not an extremist environmentalist and thus has a very balanced point of view. He is experienced, amazingly eagle eyed, passionate about wildlife, not overly chatty and easy going.
- The meals served by AAB is superb. They brought along a cook just to prepare all the meals which was varied with generous portions.
2. A row of Seating is attached to the back of the pick up where you will spend many hours trying to spot wildlife and enjoying the fresh air. The seat is quite narrow and coupled with the bumpy ride, it may get uncomfortable for some. I thoroughly enjoyed it but for those who feel it is too taxing you can opt to sit inside the car.
3. A lightweight windbreaker is good for early mornings and night drives as it gets chilly and wet from heavy dew. A full set raincoat is great for heavy downpour if you like me, insists on riding it out at the back of the truck.
4. You risk encountering leeches only if you trek along the Ecology Trail or through damp, shady areas. We spent most of our time on the truck and on the dirt track and thus were safe.
5. For ladies, get a urine funnel. There are no facilities on the road and you will need to pee if you are out on an extended safari.
6. Bring your own snacks and drinks if you need extra nourishment. We were so well fed that the cookies we brought went untouched.
7. There is only one road so you will be doing the safari on the same one throughout your stay. Two hours does not take you very far so if your spotter suggests foregoing one trip for a later extended one, take it! Following the planned itinerary means you won’t cover much ground. Be flexible and follow the suggestions of the spotter, he knows best especially when factoring in weather conditions and animal behaviour. After lunch, we took a longer break at the lodge watching the resident orangutan and macaques and waited for the rain to pass. We set off at 3pm for the Kinabatangan river at the end of the track. This was a 33km journey which took a leisurely 3 hours. Snacks and coffee/tea for a picnic by the river was brought along. There is a ranger’s house with a lookout hut where you can relax, watch the sun set and spot animals on the other side of the river. Drive back after dark to reach the lodge around 10pm. Have dinner and turn in for the night.
8. Depending on your guide/spotter’s willingness and your enthusiasm, receptiveness and stamina, the safari duration can be flexible. This is of course dependent on the rest of the people in your group as well. If you have a bunch of strangers with varying needs, it may be best to stick to the plan. We were very lucky that it was just two of us during this trip and we had Mike who was super enthusiastic so it was all up to us!
9. This is a photography enthusiast's heaven! Bring a good zoom lens and flash with your SLR. This is the only way you can capture the animals as they are faaarrrr away! I brought a crappy one which had no stabiliser and didn't zoom very far so all my photos ended up blurry. Mike had a 200-500mm zoom which made all the difference! Binoculars are essential.
10. One of the biggest challenge faced was transport to Telupid. AAB’s scope was pick up and drop off at Telupid. From Sandakan, it is a two and a half hours drive there. Because we did not want to risk not being able to get to Telupid on time, we requested that AAB include this service. They charged an additional RM650 for two-way transfer. This was a 50% mark up from getting your own taxi or Uber which is only RM200 or so per way. At least if they had sent a private car, it would have been some justification but it turned out to be a taxi anyway. We had no flexibility to use the taxi to go elsewhere on return even though we had plenty of time to kill before our evening flight. So, arrange your own transport if you can.
11. Arrangement of the last day's timing is crucial so time is not wasted if you are flying off. We were dropped off with the taxi by the palm oil estate before Telupid at 11am and were at Sandakan airport by 1.00pm. If you booked the 4.55pm flight out of Sandakan, you can actually do a tour of Sandakan town or stop for a nice long lunch before heading to the airport so getting a private car is a good idea. We had a very good driver from Grab prior to Deramakot but arrangements had already been made so we ended up sitting at the airport for an extra 2+ hours.
12. Telupid is a little town with modern facilities such as banks, a supermarket and mobile phone shops. You can get last minute supplies from here before going in to Deramakot.
13. Bring extra cash for tipping. I forgot about this and had to scrape everything I had to give to the deserving crew.
I hope this helps with your plans. You can message me if you need more information or if you need the driver’s contact.
8. Puu Jih Shih Buddhist Temple
Overall Ratings
4 based on 144 reviews
Reviewed By PlatOng - Selangor
I once visited Puu Jih Shih 10 years back with some of my friends too, the main attraction about this place is the view watching down from the observation deck. It has a beautiful view of the whole Sandakan town.
And not to forget once you made a turn to the entrance of Puu Jih Shih, you will be welcomed by alot of Buddha's statue.
This temple have a history of 30 years, the inside of the temple is really beautiful especially the lotus like flower on the ceiling.
You can spend a good 20 minutes here. After a wonderful temple visit, your next destination should head towards town area where you can visit St Michael's Church. See my post for St Michael's Church too!
9. Agnes Newton Keith Home
Overall Ratings
4 based on 309 reviews
Reviewed By RichardRJW - Swindon, United Kingdom
Made our own way to this house/museum via the 100 steps, which included a close encounter with a snake (fortunately not too close as it was later identified as a spitting cobra!). Very interesting museum about the pre war and war years. Later we bought three books by Agnes Newton Keith at the book shop at Sandakan Airport
10. Gomantong Cave Sandakan
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 440 reviews
Reviewed By nalia81 - Melbourne, Australia
This experience is definitely not one for everyone, especially if you're squeamish about insects. However, the cave is a natural phenomenon, and it has it's own unique ecosystem that is quite fascinating. The size of the cave is the first impression you get, and although it is not particularly deep, it is high and the rays of light that shine through the gaps in the cave are just stunning. There are swiftlets flying in and out and high above you, and off to the left, the bats are napping high up in the dark recesses of the cave. Unfortunately we didn't get to see them flying out as we came early in the morning, but I can imagine it would be a magical sight to see them depart the cave in throngs. The other thing you see to the centre and actually all around you is the huge pile bat dung or guano, and amidst it are more cockroaches than anyone is likely to see in their lifetime...unless of course, you're the unfortunate soul given the task of sleeping in the hut for 15 days at a time in the middle of the cave! We were given the advice to wear closed shoes and not to touch the rails, and I second this advice wholeheartedly. In addition to the cockroaches, there is also one wall where you can see enormous venous centipedes with 14 pairs of legs scuttering away from the light. The sight of these nearly gave me a heart attack! Yes, they are very cool but if I had a choice of falling in the dung with the cockroaches or falling onto the wall with those centipedes...i might actually pick the dung! A theoretical decision thankfully as no-one in our group fell off the boardwalk :)
Overall, an immensely unique experience and one I'd recommend for the non-squeamish travellers. It is a little walk through the rainforest to get to the caves, and whilst we didn't spot any animals along the way, it's worth looking out for primates as there have been some spotted near the caves.
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