The Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre

The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre offers a remarkable opportunity to encounter these fascinating, intelligent creatures, which are nearly impossible to observe in Borneo’s jungle due to deforestation.
Orangutans are the largest living arboreal mammals.

The Sepilok rehabilitation centre, located in the state of Sabah, covers an area of 43 km2 and borders the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve.

Visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre gives you a rare and remarkable chance to see orangutans up close. While physical contact with the animals is prohibited, you have an excellent chance of getting a close look at these remarkable mammals. Above all, the visit is an educational experience that fosters a deeper understanding of these extraordinary creatures.

Besides the orangutans, numbering around 80, the centre also allows you to see other animals such as sun bears, Sumatran rhinoceroses, elephants, and gibbons.

The centre features a main exhibition hall showing a video about orangutans. From there, a walkway leads visitors to an observation gallery overlooking a feeding platform about 20m away. This is where rangers feed the apes milk, sugar cane, and bananas twice a day. If you’d like to watch the feeding, be sure to arrive at the gallery 15 minutes before 10am or 3pm. The centre is open daily from 9am to 12pm (11am on Fridays) and from 2pm to 4pm.

Most visitors to the Sepilok rehabilitation centre come as part of an excursion. These typically include transport to and from hotels, along with an experienced guide.