After a quick tour around Kota Kinabalu (KK to the locals) and an exhausting but fulfilling hike up the famous Mount Kinabalu, many may think they have ‘seen’ Sabah, but Sarah May Holgate wanted to look a little further afield – and  discovered that there are plenty more natural wonders to be found.

In just 30 minutes, it is easy to reach the town of Sandakan from KK by plane. Here you will find yourself at the gateway to much more of Borneo’s amazing wildlife. There are many options for organised tours, or if the purse strings are a little tight you can plan a itinerary on your own.

We opted for 3D2N “Sandakan Wildlife Wonder” tour offered by Amazing Borneo at around RM1,750 per pax, all inclusive.

A friendly guide will pick you up from the airport and the first stop is Sandakan city centre for breakfast – I highly recommend the pandan bread from the central market.

This recipe is particularly soft and moist – instead of the more common denser texture – with a lovely, sweet leafy flavour. It’s also great value for money at around RM2 for a large piece – a cheap breakfast on the go!

After, you continue with a two-hour drive to the Gomantong Caves, made famous by the adventures of David Attenborough. Here you will stop for around an hour to explore the largest cave, famous for the harvest of swiflet bird nests used in birds nest soup.

Take note: the cave itself is full of guano and millions of cockroaches so it’s not for the faint-hearted although if you stick to the walkways you should be able to get the full experience without getting too uncomfortable.

Bilit Rainforest Lodge

Moving on, it is only a 30-minute drive to the next destination; the Bilit Rainforest Lodge, home for the night.

We pulled up at a jetty and took a two-minute boat ride across the river to reach the lodge. Bilit is the name of the village (note that the term “village” may be a little over exaggerated as it really just a small settlement of half a dozen houses). All of the rooms are wooden chalets centred around a large wooden restaurant and lounge area with the whole resort being completely sunk into the rainforest itself.

After some time to settle into the room, an afternoon river jungle is on offer. Remember to keep your eyes open at all times because you might be lucky enough to spot the rare Borneo Pygmy elephants on the river banks during the jungle cruise – or even, better, they can invite themselves into the lodge itself – a rare and beautiful sight!

Depending on the movements of the herd and time of the year, it is possible to see fifty or sixty of them on the river bank at one time.

There’s much more to see including the long-nosed proboscis monkeys,  eagles – which wowed the onlookers as they spread their mammoth wings to swoop over the boat to cross the river – plus colourful hornbills, which stand out against the green backdrop of the river banks.

Turtle Island

For many, it is the next part of the trip which really fulfills a once in a lifetime ambition: watching a mother turtle come ashore to lay her eggs. To get to Turtle Island you must take a speedboat from the jetty back to Sandakan – about an hour to reach the otherwise uninhabited island (note there is no jetty at the island side so be prepared to carry your bags and get your feet wet).

No doubt you’ve heard the stories of tourists being abducted by pirates and even been told to avoid this area but honestly we never felt unsafe in the slightest and the island is more than adequately protected (you will see the army stationed on the island) so personally I wouldn’t let these stories put you off. The island itself is beautiful; clear blue water and white sand – totally unspoiled.

Its only purpose is for housing the turtle sanctuary, with no other accommodation or attractions present. For this reason, the accommodation for tourists at the sanctuary is somewhat basic so this wouldn’t be the place to book for a luxurious getaway – however this isn’t the reason that people go. The day is your own to enjoy the beach and snorkeling ahead of a talk about the turtle conservation work and a basic dinner in the evening.

After dinner comes the reason everybody there had made the journey – to see the turtles come ashore and lay their eggs. The rangers don’t know what time the turtles will come ashore and it could be anything from 7pm – 4.30am (that being the latest our tour guide said he had ever had to wait).

When the turtles start laying there isn’t much time so everybody (maximum 50 tourists per night) is requested to stay in the restaurant to make it quicker for the rangers to gather people when the time comes.

Many go armed with books and cards as entertainment for what could be a long night ahead. We were lucky and at 8.45pm, excitement broke out among the group as the rangers called to say it was time to make our way to the beach.

We stood very quietly behind the mother turtle and watched her lay around 100 eggs which the ranger carefully collected and later took to the hatchery to bury them, increasing the chance of survival from 50% to 90%. We were then taken down to the shore to watch the baby hatchlings being released into the sea although it’s very sad to know that only 1% of these will survive due to natural predators.

Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary

On the final day before returning to the airport, there is one more treat in store with a trip to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary. The site opens at 9am where it is advisable to make your way through the boardwalk area to the nursery for the baby orangutans in an effort to beat the crowds.

On the way, the area you see is what they call “semi-wild”; it’s real jungle with no fencing, which allows the orangutans to leave as they please whilst still providing a safe area which is monitored by the rangers.

Here many rehabilitation programmes are carried out to prepare the orangutans for life when they do go back into the wild. Keep your eyes open here for the orangutans high up in the trees; they’re shy and difficult to spot but they’re well worth searching for – look for their glossy coats as a hint.

Once you reach the nursery, the aircon provides a welcome relief from the humidity and you are able to watch the young orangutans play at your leisure.

Perhaps the main attraction of the centre is the feeding platform (feeding happens at 10am and 3pm every day). Here there is no glass so you are able to feel much closer to the animals; however, you do have to show some patience in waiting for the orangutans to turn up.

Before setting off back to KK, I would recommend a final lunch at The English Tea House and Restaurant; perched on a hill top offering amazing views over Sandakan bay – a great way to say your final goodbye to the beauty that Sandakan and the surrounding area holds, over a nice cup of tea.