I Went to Meet Orangutans (Orang = Human, Hutan = Forest = People of the Forest)! Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan

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January 23, 2026
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Japanese Wife Ayaka’s Recommended Malaysia Sightseeing

Smiling woman posing with a young orangutan at Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah, Malaysia.

Happy New Year for 2021! While 2020 was a challenging year due to the pandemic, let’s make 2021 a truly HAPPY one! We’ll continue to regularly update our blog with posts about Malaysia travel, hotels, and real estate. Thank you for your continued support.

In August 2018, I finally got to meet the orangutans I had been dreaming of!!! They were so adorable, so cute! I really wish I could have spent more time with themー(≧◇≦). Seeing orangutans this close felt like a dream! But they were so near that I couldn’t help but smile so hard my face started to twitch (;^ω^)

This is the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, located in Sandakan, East Malaysia. It’s a sanctuary dedicated to returning orangutans to the wild, nestled beautifully within the jungle! There are scheduled feeding sessions twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, during which the orangutans descend from the trees, giving you the chance to observe them up close!

I never expected to see them this close—what a surprise! Orangutans are incredibly calm. Those big, innocent eyes were just so adorable!

This is one of the recommended tourist spots in Malaysia. It takes an additional hour by flight from Kota Kinabalu, so getting there can be a bit of a hassle, but it is absolutely worth the trip.

The entrance fees and other costs go directly toward supporting orangutan conservation efforts. As they are a critically endangered species, I’d be thrilled if you could help protect these magnificent creatures in any way you can.

A couple posing under the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre entrance sign in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.

A couple posing playfully with orangutan statues at a lush green park in Malaysia.

The orangutan figurine at the entrance. Just thinking that you’re about to meet real orangutans gets the excitement levels up!

We had lunch at the café near the center entrance, and it was so affordable!!! The photo on the left shows the price list.

Map for Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre showing feeding times and visitor rules.

All luggage must be stored in lockers at the entrance. Waist packs are not permitted, so please ensure your wallet and passport fit into your clothing pockets; opt for a small wallet. Wear trousers or a skirt with pockets that can accommodate your wallet and passport. Please note that you cannot bring water inside. Additionally, there is a separate fee for cameras, on top of the admission charge.

A couple smiles on a wooden boardwalk in a lush tropical forest, with a Tabiniko watermark visible.

Three women pose on a wooden boardwalk near an Outdoor Nursery sign and a No Entry gate in a lush Malaysian rainforest.

The walkways within the facility are made of wooden decking, giving you the feeling of strolling through a jungle. We head toward the OUTDOOR NURSERY.

A family poses on a wooden boardwalk in a lush Malaysian rainforest while an orangutan climbs the railing nearby.

Close-up portrait of a Bornean orangutan with reddish-brown fur in a lush Malaysian rainforest.

Close-up portrait of a Bornean orangutan with reddish-brown fur in a lush green forest habitat.

On the way, an orangutan walked along the handrail right beside us!!! I was so, so, so, so excited to see one this close!!!

And when you look up, there’s more above.

Close-up portrait of a young orangutan with reddish-brown fur resting among lush green leaves in a natural habitat.

He’s looking right at us!!! I took this with a super zoom.

Entrance to the Outdoor Nursery Building at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre with visitors walking inside.

After walking for a while, you’ll arrive at OUTDOOR NURSERY.

This is the observation room for baby orangutans.

Orangutans playing and eating at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo.

Inside, the air conditioning is fully equipped, allowing you to sit comfortably in a chair and observe baby orangutans through the glass.

You can watch the adorable orangutans living their free-spirited lives—playing with ropes, doing somersaults, eating, and sleeping—in a comfortable and naturalistic habitat.

Wooden directional sign for the Feeding Platform and Pelantar Makan in a lush Malaysian rainforest.

As feeding time draws near, we head over to the FEEDING PLATFORM.

Orangutans eating bananas on a wooden platform at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah, Malaysia.

During feeding time, food is placed here, and the orangutans come to eat.

As tourists, we viewed the site from the location shown in the photo below.

An orangutan walks on a metal roof structure while tourists watch and take photos at a wildlife sanctuary.

Orangutan resting on a wooden shelter roof as tourists take photos at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Close-up of a young orangutan with reddish-brown fur resting on a wooden structure in a lush green environment.

I’m not even sure who’s the one doing the sightseeing here?! (;^ω^)

Tourists photograph a young orangutan at Tabin Wildlife Resort in Malaysia.

Orangutan standing on a wooden platform holding a metal beam in a lush green forest enclosure

They’re happy to strike a pose for you, and the service is great! (≧◇≦)

Three women on a wooden boardwalk in a rainforest pose with a young orangutan climbing a railing.

So incredibly close!! It feels even closer in person than it does in the photos. An orangutan was within 50cm of me!!!

Be careful: orangutans can easily snatch items like cameras, sunglasses, and mobile phones, so keep a close eye on your belongings.

Mother orangutan holding her baby while resting on a wooden railing in a lush Malaysian rainforest.

A mother orangutan holding her baby. She came incredibly close, but then someone took a photo using a flash, which made her angry, so she fled up into the trees. Since she was holding a small child, and I am also a mother of a young child, I can completely understand her feelings of being provoked.

Mother and baby orangutan cuddling in a tree at Tabin Wildlife Resort, Malaysia.

She was glued to her mom and wouldn’t let go. My son is the same way… (lol) Grow up healthy and strong, okay? ☆

I Went to Meet Orangutans (Orang = Human, Hutan = Forest = People of the Forest)! Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan

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