12 day safari

Prices from

£3900

Excluding international flights

Tour Highlights

Chance to see the elusive and beautiful Clouded Leopard

Visit the little-visited Imbak Canyon

Up to 8 different species of Hornbills

Hang out with Orangutans in their natural habitat

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Clouded Leopards and the Imbak Canyon

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Clouded Leopards and the Imbak Canyon

A unique Borneo safari which few companies offer. Combining three stunning and very different wildlife locations to maximise your animal encounters. Dermakot is now famous in Borneo for the chance to see nocturnal species such as Clouded Leopard, Leopard cat and Malay Civets. It is always thrilling to enter a wildlife location that is still very much new and off the radar and our time walking and driving in Imbak Canyon is sure to reveal some amazing birds; including up to 8 Hornbill species. This pristine rainforest landscape is also an important sanctuary for rare and endangered species including the Bornean pygmy elephant, clouded leopard, orangutan, proboscis monkey, Bornean gibbon, grey, silver and red leaf monkeys.

When to Go:

Best time to visit -

JUL

Safari Style -

Bespoke Wildlife

Day 1

Sanadakan Airport to Sepilok Nature Resort

Upon arrival at Sandakan airport you will make the 30 minute transfer to Sepilok Nature Resort, situated next to the world famous wildlife centres. There is time in the afternoon to go to the Rainforest Discovery Centre, or possibly enjoy the 3 p.m Orangutan feeding; which are both located a short walk away. After dinner you will enjoy a night walk in the nearby forest. With luck you may spot the Western Tarsier and sleeping birds and frogs and snakes

Day 2

Visit Orangutan and Sun Bear Sanctuaries

Day 3

Sepilok to Imbak Canyon

For those keen dawn birding is on offer, otherwise a relaxing morning before check out at 11.00 a.m and continuing 2 hours to Telupid town where you will take lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer to four wheel drive vehicles for the rest of the journey which takes 2-3 hours, depending on weather and road conditions. Arrive at the Imbak Canyon Studies Centre

Day 4

Walk for Gibbons and night walk for Tarsiers

Wake up at 6 am and try to spot gibbons and other wildlife near the park HQ. Then return to the HQ and have breakfast. In the afternoon go on a 2-3 trek to look for birds and mammals. After dinner go on a night walk to try to spot tarsiers and other nocturnal animals.

Day 5

Trek to Imbak Falls and night time drive

Wake up at 6 am and go on 4WD safari to search for wildlife. After lunch go to the spectacular 39-metre wide Imbak Waterfall. From there trek back through the pristine rainforest to the park HQ. Dinner at the park HQ. After dinner board your 4WD vehicle and depart on a 1-2 hour night drive along one of the tracks in the conservation area (weather permitting).

Day 6

Imbak Canyon to Deramakot

After breakfast, depart Imbak and travel off road for approximately 3 hours to Deramakot Forest Reserve. Deramakot is the jewel in the Sabah Forestry Departments crown and spans an area of over 100,00 hectares with its adjacent Tangkulap reserve. It was the first tropical forest reserve to be recognised by the Forest Stewardship Council for good forest governance and has rapidly become justifiably famous for its astonishing mammal and bird diversity.

Photo of Malay Civet taken on our Borneo wildlife holiday

Days 7 to 9

Three full days in this beautiful, wildlife rich reserve. Exact itinerary will be discussed with your private naturalist, but you will have dawn and night walking and 4X4 safaris each day, 2 hours are included each evening which can be extended for a small additional cost.

Day 10

Dermakot to the Kinabatangan River

Time for morning birding before breakfast and check out by 9am and return to the main highway and travel approximately 2 hours to the river village of Sukau – gateway to the mighty Kinabatangan River and where you will take your boat transfer from. Enroute to Borneo Nature Lodge, you’ll stop by the famous Gomantong caves. This large cave chamber is famous for its swiftlets and bats but the surrounding jungle is home to maroon langurs and orangutan

Accommodation : Borneo Nature Lodge

Photo of a Maroon Langur on our Borneo wildlife safari

Day 11

Full day of Boat Safaris on the River

Wake up to the calls of birds, insects and animals as the pre-dawn chorus begins at 6.30am take a morning cruise. Enjoy a flexible itinerary to explore the river with your private naturalist and maximize your wildlife viewing opportunities. This will include longer river trips if required to try and view the migratory Borneo Pygmy Elephants.

Accommodation : Borneo Nature Lodge

Day 12

Return Transfer to Sandakan to Catch your Flight

Depart from Borneo Nature Lodge after breakfast and take a 2 hour boat and then car ride back to Sandakan to connect with your onward flight.

Pricing Info & Dates

Costs £3900 based on two people sharing and not including flights. Dates for bespoke tours available from June to October 2025

Services of a private expert Naturalist throughout
All meals, except on the first and last days
Additional time in the evening at Deramakot for night safaris

Cost of international flights
Cost of applicable visa entry fees
Breakfast and lunch on Day 1
Gratuities for local staff and your naturalist

Tour Route Map

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What

Our Clients Say About Us

★★★★★

Komodo and Sabah adventure 2013

My wife and I travelled on a private safari to see Komodo dragons in Indonesia, and on to Sabah. Komodo and Rinca Island were well worth the effort ,the dragons are well worth seeing, and the time the boat was tremendous, with stunning scenery and great snorkelling. The captain’s culinary skills were a surprise bonus. All of the lodges within Sabah were excellent, but with their own, different personalities The Rainforest lodge offers real comfort and the opportunity for good wildlife viewings, we even had a brief sighting of two Pygmy elephants en route to the lodge. Macaques greeted us as we arrived, and Dean, our guide at the lodge was excellent. Tabin is a birder’s paradise, and we saw 6 species of hornbill during our stay. Israel was our guide and was an expert birder. Gibbons were to be seen on some mornings, and the sound of their calling across the forest was memorable. The trails between the Primary, secondary rainforest and palm plantations gave opportunities for good sightings during dusk, and night drives, including Civet, flying squirrels and a number of leopard cats. Forest walking yielded our first Orang Utan sighting, a young male, a bit miffed at being stung by some bees. Myne lodge stands out for us as we love boats and we had a number of OU sightings including one great one, spending over an hour watching an older male feeding from a Ficus tree. More macaques than you can shake a stick at, and good Proboscis monkey watching too. No elephants around for us though. Special mention to Maik, our main guide and companion for our time in Sabah. Excellent guide, knowledgeable, resourceful, and with a great sense of humour. Lankayan Island is truly a paradise. A great way to relax after an arduous trip, more excellent snorkelling,and we were lucky enough to witness newly hatched Hawksbill turtles being released to make their way to the sea. We have travelled many times now with Wildlife Trails, and have had some memorable experiences within Asia, Africa, Canada, the Arctic circle and South America. Allan and his team have always come up with an itinerary, customised to our needs. The fact that we have come back so many times says it all.

ByDel and Sheila