Borneo Nocturnal Mammal Tour

Our meeting point is Telupid Town, which is in the centre of Sabah state, at 1pm or we can assist with transfers from Sandakan airport or from your lodge near Sepilok, which is a two hour drive.

Meet your guide for lunch and then transfer 2 hours in 4×4 to Deramakot Forest Reserve. The first part of our journey is through an oil palm plantation before reaching the adjacent Tangkulap Reserve and onwards to Deramakot HQ.

Deramakot at 55,000 hectares is the jewel in the Sabah Forestry Department’s crown. It was the first logging concession in South East Asia to be sustainably certified and until recently was virtually unvisited and unheard of. It is now proving to be the best location to see Borneo’s rare and endemic wildlife with about 75% of mammals in Sabah being found there. It is a key habitat for five globally threatened large mammals, namely Orangutan, Bornean Pygmy Elephant, Tembadau (Banteng), Proboscis Monkey and Clouded Leopard. Deramakot consists of lowland mixed dipterocarp forests dominated by the family Dipterocarpaceae. As a working logging forestry concession with adjacent forest reserves, levels of hunting and poaching are low. This may partly explain the level of good wildlife sightings in Deramakot.

Deramakot consists of one major 30 km road that runs through the core area from HQ to the river with a number of side trails to explore. It is on this main road that most of the hours will be spent looking for the elusive mammal life. In addition there is abundant and diverse birding to see.

The 10 hours of 4*4 use included per 24 hours will be spent entirely during the nights as the target species are aimed for. The time out may begin after dinner or even later so as to finish around dawn. Extra hours can be requested whilst there depending on availability, at a cost of RM300 per hour.

The hot daylight hours will be for resting or exploring on foot around the HQ where gibbons and orangutans are sometimes seen and the calls of the hornbills and Argus Pheasant are a daily occurrence.

Provided for your stay at Deramakot are a private guide, driver and our 4WD and a private cook for greater flexibility for safari timings. The rooms are simple, clean, they have air conditioning and are ensuite with hot water bathrooms. Laundry facilities are available.

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Each of the evening’s outings will depend on recent sightings, weather conditions and your guide’s proposals. Whilst it is hoped the nights remain dry, rain is possible at anytime so be prepared accordingly. For this trip you will have use of the 4×4 vehicle for 10 hours out of every 24, which will allow you to be out for the whole night if you wish and then sleep and rest during the days.

The guides are particularly knowledgeable and attentive and have spent many months working and guiding in the Deramakot reserve so they will be well positioned to offer the very best advice and options to spot a variety of species.

Apart from the main targets the sheer diversity of the mammal life in Deramakot will ensure there is always an unexpected surprise and possible at anytime. We have had many sightings of the bigger mammals, in particular the cats, but common wildlife sightings have included:

Moon rat, Slow loris, Western tarsier, Red leaf monkey Silvered langur, Proboscis monkey, Long-tailed macaque, Pig-tailed macaque, Bornean gibbon, Orang-utan, Pangolin, Long-tailed porcupine, Common porcupine, Thick-spined porcupine, Sun bear, Yellow-throated marten, Malay badger, Oriental small-clawed otter, Malay civet, Otter-civet, Binturong, Masked palm civet, Common palm civet,  Banded palm civet, Short-tailed mongoose, Collared mongoose, Clouded leopard, Flat-headed cat, Leopard cat, Asian elephant, Bearded pig, Lesser mouse-deer, Greater mouse-deer, Bornean yellow muntjac, Red muntjac, Sambar deer, Tembadau or Banteng.

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Clouded leopard

Marble Cat with cub in Deramakot Reserve

After breakfast, we’ll depart back to Telupid and onto the village of Sukau on the popular Kinabatangan River. On the river we use a variety of lodges but mainly the Sukau Greenview Lodge. Upgrades are available for other lodges like the Kinabatangan Wildlife Resort (KWR).

Whilst surrounded by vast tracts of oil palm plantation the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary still boasts an astonishing diversity of wildlife. It is one of only two places in the world inhabited by ten species of primate and over 200 species of birds.

The main focus for the two night stay will be the Flat Headed Cat. A very erratic creature, the best chances to view will be along the river banks at night and extended time will be spent in the boats searching for it.

There will also be good chances to view the Pygmy Elephant, Orangutans, Maroon and Silver Langurs and the bizarre Proboscis Monkey. Also all 8 species of the hornbill can be found along the river.

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The final destination will be to the renowned Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Consisting of 438,000 hectares of protected lowland forest, research has shown no evidence of permanent human settlement and since becoming a research centre very low levels of hunting and poaching.

Danum is home to an astonishing variety of plants and wildlife; including more than 340 species of birds, 124 species of mammals, 72 species of reptiles and 56 species of amphibians. The flora is as rich as the fauna with over 200 species of plants found per hectare. In 2019 researchers discovered the tallest tropical tree in the world when they found a giant reaching 100 metres.

Accommodation is at the Infapro base about 30 minutes drive from the Field Centre gate; staying here allows for unrestricted time for night safaris (otherwise restricted at other locations).

Rooms at Infapro are basic and clean and the food is simple Malay style. The days can be spent on the trails at the Field Centre but the main activity will again be in the evenings on the road where we’ve spotted the Clouded Leopard on a number of occasions.

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From Danum the easiest domestic airport to depart from is Lahad Datu, from where you can fly to Kota Kinabalu or back to Sandakan. There are several flights which can be bought from the MASWings website.

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