2019-10-01 Wanderlust

Theboatenginechugswheezilyasyouglide

alongtheriver.Adensewalloftreesateitherside

createstheimpressionofbeinginsidea…ishtank,

humidandhalf-dark.Onthebanks,birdsand

proboscismonkeys…litthroughthecanopy.Then

youcatchaglimpseofshaggy,rust-orangefurin

thelushfoliage,andyourheartleapsatthesight

ofoneofthebeautiful‘peopleoftheforest’.

Likethetwootherspeciesofthisgreatape,

theBorneanorangutaniscriticallyendangered

(theTapanuliinSumatramaynumberjust800),

hitparticularlybyhabitatlossfromwide-scale

loggingandclearanceforoil-palmplantations.

Visitorscanseeorphanedandrecovering

individualsatanumberofrehabilitation

sanctuariesinSabah,SarawakandKalimantan–

buttoexperiencethethrillofspyingoneinthe

wild,venturealongthelowerreachesofSabah’s

longestriver,theKinabatangan.Duringalate-

afternoonboatcruise,youmayspotmonitor

lizards,macaques,elephants,thebigyellow

snoutsoftherhinoceroshornbill–and,with

adashoffortune,orangutanshighinthecanopy.

Toptip:FeedingtimesattheSepilokcentre,

whenresidentsaregivenbananasandmilk,are

typicallymid-morningandmid-afternoon.

Alsotry:SemenggohNatureReserve,Sarawak;

GunungLeuserNationalPark,Sumatra;Tanjung

PutingNationalPark,Kalimantan.

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Theclassic:Visitarehabilitationsanctuary

fororangutansinMalaysianBorneo

WHEN?

It’s damp year-round

in Malaysian Borneo so

always travel prepared

for rain; the wettest

months are between

November and April.

ALTERNATIVE SECRET WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES

wanderlust.co.uk October 2019 117

The alternative: Trail ‘people of

the forest’ in Malaysian Borneo

Naturepl