Sandakan Things to Do

1 more image

The Turtle island Park at Selingan and other islands protects a lot of turtles. It is most definitely not the best place to see turtles because of all the tourists. The island trip is expensive and has crowds of visitors clamouring to see the nesting turtle. Photography is extra and video not allowed. The snorkelling is poor and the island has very little going for it.
We had been on Pom Pom Island, off Semporna a few days before and there were as many turtles but without the crowds of people. It was also excellent snorkelling with upwards of 10 turtles seen on each snorkel trip. My recommendation is leave Selingan to the package tourists. Go and volunteer with TRACC on Pom Pom and actually enjoy the turtle nesting experience.

After lunch we headed back to Sepilok. By now its raining harder and we wondered if the the feeding area would be open. No worries!! The feeeding continued , on time and with fweer visitors. We were delighted when we arrived to see a mother and her baby . The tiny baby was about 9 months old. I wondered if they are ever dropped as the mom's swing high above in the trees as they cling on. We also see a small oprpan . At 6 year old she's smaller than normla as she was near death when she was resued . She seemed now however and full of energy.. We also see a couple of large Orangutans , who eat their fill and quicly disappear into the jungle.. We stayed until closing time and then with our camera chips full we say goodby to this magical place..

I hope the next generation does better at saving these important creatures from extinction and take the steps needed to preserve this amazing planet.

2 more images

Only a 20 minute walk from the from the Sepilok Orangutan Rehab center, but we had our driver drop us here on our return from the Memorial Site.
This is a huge area with walkways through the rainforest. It would be paradise for botonists and bird watchers. The trees along the way are labeled and there are numerous tablets with full descriptions of many of the plants.
Overhead is a series of canopied walkways. Its fascinating to look down at the trees from above. It gives a whole different view of plant and animal life here.. There are many rare birds here and a couple of towers are availble to catch a better view.
At one end of the area is a botanical garden with a huge plant collection. Some favorites for me were the orchids and a huge fig trees. Oh and I loved the huge alocasia , the biggest I've ever seen. You could spend a couple of hours in this section alone!!

1 more image

We arranged to have a taxi pick us up at the entrance of Sepilok Orang-Utan Center and take us the Memorial Site for a cost of 80RM including the wait.

The site was empty and so quiet when we visited. Its not a part of travel that I enjoy but I feel the need to come to pay my respect for the lives lost and to learn what I can form a not too distant history.

There are plaques explaining the horrors that once unfolded here. Where we stood by a green shaded hillside there was once a POW Camp of World War 11 British and Australian soldiers. This is the site of one of the most tragic tales of World War ,the Sandakan Death Marches. We climb the hill to a small museum and look at the pictures and read the account of the POW’s fate who were held here by the Japanese , in inhumane conditions.

The Sandakan Death Marches were a series of forced marches from Sandakan to Ranau which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,600 Indonesian civilians and 2,400 Allied POW’s held captive by the Japan Empire during World War 11. By the end of the war, of all the prisoners who had been incarcerated at Sandakan and Ranau, only six Australians survived, all of whom had escaped. It is widely considered to be the single worst atrocity suffered by Australian servicemen during the Second World War.

Along the way ,as the rain pored down ,we spotted a Waglers Pit Viper .The snake was well camouflaged and we were lucky to see it at all. It was wrapped around a branch ,eye level to us.
It is reported to be extremely venomous. Their venom is a strong hemotoxin, and is fatal to humans. It is an anti-social snake most often alone.

Even though it was close enough to touch we gave it the respect it deserved and kept our distance.

1 more image

The Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation centre houses injured or orphaned Orang-Utans, caring for them and nursing them back to health before they can be released into the forest. Many are orphaned babies that cannot survive in the forest alone.

The center is literally next door to our hotel so after breakfast we walked over and watched the video, even though we had seen it already in the Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu.
Once the reserve opened we took the short hike along a raised wooden walkway to the feeding platform.
The playful and entertaining Long Tail Macaw Monkeys greeted us at the feeding platform. There were at least 80 of them swinging about and I must say they put on quite an opening act. We were careful to hold on tour belongings however as these little guys are notorious thieves!!

I had heard Sepilok is often quite crowded but there were only about 20 of us on the large platform. There is an advantage to the rain after all.

Finally the “stars” showed up, but only two .I was hoping for more but I understand, with wild animals you never know. The Orang-Utan is one of the most endangered of Malaysian wildlife species. Found only in Borneo and Sumatra, the Orang-Utans’ survival is constantly threatened by forest fires, felling of trees, poaching and illegal hunting. The Orangutans are fascinating to watch with their all too human expressions and crazy red hair!! They are skillful acrobats and maneuver around the ropes, trees, and vines effortlessly. We watched until they climbed higher and higher and were eventually swallowed by the jungle.

The ticket to Sepilok is 70RM including a 10Rm camera fee. The ticket is good for the whole day so we left kn

1 more image

We visited here during the monsoon .
The rain started in early evening and it added to our atmosphere as we enjoyed a cold beer at the Banana Cafe before dinner .

That night however the rain came down with a fury. It was the loudest and heaviest I’ve ever experienced. A part way through the night we began to wonder if we would be washed away.

Thankfully it eased to a normal stream just before morning and we drifted to sleep to its steady beat.
Morning dawned cloudy but the jungle let us know all was well by a cheery chorus from its many birds.

2 more images

As soon as we arrived we arranged to go here to see the 4:30 feeding. This is a private sanctuary owned by a palm oil plantation owner.There are about 300 monkeys in the sanctuary and we were thrilled to see at least 70 of them. Wow what an experience , we really got to see them up close and personal. We spent over an hour here watching the monkeys interacting with each other and taking hundreds of pictures.

Honestly I think I was as much in awe of these as I was with the orangutans.They are quite a spectical with their huge noses and their pot bellies. The big nose is thought to be used to attract females and is a characteristic of the males, reaching up to 7 inches in length. They are one of the world’s most unusal animals.

There are two large family groups here, along with a group of bachelors. Each group kept to themselves and dined separately
.
The proboscis monkey is unique to Borneo and a protected species. They live mostly in the mangrove forests and are in danger of extinction. Its total population has decreased by more than 50% in the 36–40 years to 2008 due to ongoing deforestation and hunting.

The proboscus have a very complicated digestive system .Food must ferment ( which is why they have pot bellies) They cannot survive captivity. Deforestation is their biggest threat.

We were so fortunate to see them..The cost for the taxi ,and the entrance was $100.00 for the two of us .This included the driver waiting. It was so worth it for this once in a life time viewing.