Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bright side, there are two major feeding times a day, so if you miss them in the morning,
you can always try again in the afternoon (or the next day).
Feedings are at 10am and 3pm and last 30 to 50 minutes. Schedules are posted at the
visitor reception centre
. Tickets are valid for one day, although you can see two feed-
ings in the same day. The morning feeding tends to be more tour-group heavy, so if you
want a quieter experience, try the afternoon. Use the lockers for your valuables - oran-
gutans and macaques have been known to relieve tourists of hats, bags, sunglasses, camer-
as, even clothing. It's especially important that you don't bring any containers of insect re-
pellent into the reserve, as these are highly toxic to the apes and other wildlife. Spray
yourself before entering.
Nature Education Centre
A worthwhile 20-minute video about Sepilok's work is shown five times daily (9am,
11am, noon, 2.10pm and 3.30pm) opposite reception in the auditorium here.
Walking Trails
If you want to explore the sanctuary further, several walking trails lead into the forest; re-
gister at the visitor reception centre to use them. Trails range in length from 250m to 4km,
and different paths are open at different times of year. Guided night walks can be arranged
through the centre or at the various lodges. There's also a 10km trail through mangrove
forest to
Sepilok Bay
; this is quite a rewarding walk, and if you're especially fit you may
be able to complete it between feeding times. A permit from the
Forestry Department
(
089-660811, 089-213966; Jln Leila)
is required in advance for this route. The depart-
ment can also arrange basic overnight accommodation at the bay (RM100) or a boat back
to Sandakan. Some travel or tour agencies can assist with the permit and other arrange-
ments.
ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre
(BSBCC;
Click here
;
089-534491;
www.bsbcc.org.my
; Jln Sepilok; RM30;
9am-4pm)
The sun bear is the smallest of the world's bear species, as well as one of the
most threatened. Named for the splotch of yellow fur that spreads like a bright Rorschach
across their chests, sun bears, while adorable, also have razor claws that they use to build
their nests (which very much resemble orangutan nests). They are endangered thanks to
the usual culprits of habitat loss and Chinese traditional medicine; the latter institution
values the bears' bile. In China and Vietnam the beasts are strapped in tiny cages and
