Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC) sits on the edge of the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, 25 km west of Sandakan and about 20 minutes from the airport. It was founded in 1964, a year after Sabah joined Malaysia, by the conservationist Barbara Harrisson, and it is owned and run by the Sabah Wildlife Department. Its job is to take in orangutans that have been orphaned by logging and plantation clearance, confiscated from the pet trade, or injured, and to teach them how to live in the forest again. Around 60 to 80 rehabilitated orangutans now live free in the reserve; roughly 25 orphans are in the nursery programme at any one time.

Feeding times

Feeding happens twice a day, every day, at 10:00 and 15:00, on the outdoor platform a ten-minute boardwalk from the ticket office. Rangers bring out a bucket of fruit, milk and vegetables, deliberately kept bland and repetitive so the orangutans have every reason to forage for themselves instead. Orangutans that are far enough along in rehabilitation choose whether to come; on a good fruiting day in the forest, fewer turn up. That is the point of the place, and the Wildlife Department says so openly. The macaques, by contrast, always turn up. See your honest odds of seeing orangutans for how this plays out across a real visit.

• 09:00 Gates open. Buy tickets (cash), pay the camera fee, lock bags in the RM1 lockers, watch the short introductory film if you want it.
• 09:20 Walk the boardwalk to the feeding platform viewing deck. Being early gets you a front rail position; the deck fills by 09:45 in high season.
• 10:00 Morning feeding, typically 30 to 45 minutes.
• 10:45 Outdoor nursery viewing rooms (one air-conditioned, one fan-cooled), where the youngest orangutans practise climbing on a large frame. Often the better view.
• 12:00 Centre closes for lunch. Walk across to the Sun Bear Centre or eat at a resort.
• 14:00 Reopens. Your morning ticket is still valid.
• 15:00 Afternoon feeding. Usually quieter than the morning.
• 16:00 Closes. Staff clear the boardwalk promptly; retrieve anything in lockers before then.

Opening hours and tickets

What you'll see, and what you won't

Expect a crowd at the 10:00 feeding in peak months (July, August, December), a lot of phones in the air, and a viewing deck that fills up. Expect between zero and six orangutans at the platform, plus long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques competing for the food. Expect the nursery to deliver even when the platform doesn't: young orangutans learning to climb are almost always visible behind the glass.

Don't expect to touch or hold an orangutan. They share about 96% of our DNA and are highly susceptible to human illness, which is why there is a strict no-contact rule even when one wanders onto the boardwalk, and why the centre is not a zoo: the adults you see are free-ranging and can leave at any time. Don't expect guides or interpretation inside unless you bring your own. And don't expect to use a flash; it's prohibited. See can you hold an orangutan? (No — and be glad) for why that's the right rule.

If you want the quieter version, come for the 15:00 feeding or stay overnight in Sepilok and be at the gate at 09:00 before the day-trip vans arrive from Sandakan.

How rehabilitation works

New arrivals go into quarantine, then the indoor nursery, where they are fed and, in the absence of a mother, taught by keepers to climb, build nests and find food. They graduate to the outdoor nursery, a fenced forest-edge area with a climbing frame, and then to free-ranging status with supplementary feeding. The whole process can take up to seven years, and some individuals, usually those kept as pets for too long, never fully go wild. The centre also treats other animals: sun bears, gibbons, occasionally a pygmy elephant. Much of the rehabilitation and veterinary work is funded by Orangutan Appeal UK, which has supported the centre since 2001 and runs the adoption scheme.

Getting here

From Sandakan Airport it's 11 km, about 20 minutes; taxis at the counter run around RM45 per car, and Grab works. From Sandakan town it's 25 km; a taxi is RM40 to 50, or take the "Batu 14 Sepilok" bus from the terminal near the Navy base (RM6, 45 minutes) which stops right at the gate, departing 09:00, 11:30, 14:00 and 17:00 and returning 06:30, 10:30, 12:30 and 16:00. From Kota Kinabalu, fly to Sandakan (45 minutes) or take the six-hour bus. The 10:30 bus from Sandakan doesn't make the morning feeding, so if you're on public transport and want 10:00, take the 09:00 bus. Full details on how to get to Sepilok.

If you're staying in Sepilok, every resort is within a 5 to 20 minute walk of the gate along the reserve road, and they'll all book a car if it's raining.

Getting back to Sandakan

The one recurring complaint in visitor reviews is the exit. The centre closes at 16:00 sharp, the bus leaves at 16:00 from the road outside, and Grab drivers sometimes refuse pick-ups at the gate because the taxis waiting there charge more. Book a return with your resort, arrange a driver to wait, share a GrabXL with others, or do what our tours do and have the vehicle already there.

Combining with the Sun Bear Centre and RDC

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is across the car park, opens 09:00–15:30, and slots neatly into the 12:00–14:00 orangutan lunch closure. The Rainforest Discovery Centre is 2 km along the road, open 08:00–17:00, and its guided night walk runs 18:00–20:00, which is the natural evening. The standard Sepilok day, then: 10:00 orangutans, 11:30 sun bears, lunch, 15:00 orangutans again or RDC canopy walk, 18:00 night walk. Most people then continue to the Kinabatangan River the next morning.

Is it ethical?

Reasonable people ask. The centre is government-run, the orangutans are not caged, feeding is designed to be unattractive, visitor numbers are controlled by the two-session structure, and entrance fees supplement the department's budget. The crowd at the platform is the least attractive part, and the busier it gets, the more it can feel like a spectacle. If that matters to you, come in the afternoon or the shoulder months, stay behind the rail, keep your voice down, and give the sun bears and the RDC the same attention. Visiting and paying is a net positive for the animals; behaving well while there is up to you. For a fuller look, see how ethical is visiting — and what your ticket funds.

Frequently asked

How long should I allow?

Two to three hours for one feeding plus the nursery and boardwalk. A full day if you do both feedings with the Sun Bear Centre in between. See how many days do you need in Sepilok? for the fuller planning picture.

Can I buy tickets online?

No. Tickets are sold at the gate, in cash. Tours include them.

Is it suitable for children?

Yes. The boardwalk is flat and short, the nursery rooms have benches and air-con, and children under 18 pay half. Under-twos aren't charged. Keep them close on the boardwalk; macaques will take snacks from a hand.

What should I wear?

Light long sleeves and trousers, closed shoes, a hat, insect repellent, rain jacket in any month. Leave bright colours at home; they attract the orangutans' curiosity.

Sepilok or Semenggoh?

Different trips. Semenggoh, near Kuching, is smaller and quieter and sightings are less predictable; Sepilok is busier but has the nursery, the sun bears, the RDC and the Kinabatangan next door. Our comparison page goes through it properly.

Is Sepilok worth it?

Short answer, and the long one: is Sepilok worth it? The honest verdict.