Sepilok Orangutan Centre vs Semmengoh Reserve: Where to see Orangutans in Borneo
Seeing orangutans is definitely a top priority for a lot of visitors heading to the exotic island of Borneo. But, if you don’t know where to go, it can be confusing as to where you can actually see orangutans in Borneo. This is exactly what this post will discuss - we will dive into 2 of the main destinations in Borneo where you can see orangutans - the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah & Semmengoh Nature Reserve in Sarawak.
Firstly, both Sepilok and Semmengoh are centres/reserves, so it is a completely different experience to seeing them in the wild. Whilst trekking in the jungle is an option, this post focuses on the centre experiences as this is a lot easier for most people travelling to Borneo. The rehabilitation programs are also done very ethically and this is by no means a zoo. The orangutans in both destinations have free range, and orangutans come and go as they need.
A benefit to going to the centres is that the orangutans know these locations, and they know they can get food here. Because of this, you’re a lot more likely to see them than in the wild, plus you can get a lot closer than you may in the wild!
Now that we’ve broken down the difference, let’s dive into which orangutan experience to choose - Sepilok or Semmengoh.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
A mother & baby orangutan at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation centre in Sabah, Borneo (Malaysia). © 2025. Travels with Kaia. All rights reserved.
Getting to Sepilok:
Sepilok is located on the Eastern part of Sabah, with Sandakan being the main city to fly/drive into for your stay. If you are staying in Sandankan, the best way to the centre is to take a grab.
What to expect:
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is a breathtaking, world-class rehabilitation centre. The canopy of the trees rises far beyond what I expected, and the whole area is a lush jungle, and a beautiful home for orangutans. There is a boardwalk you can take right from the ticketing booth to the feeding platform, before circling back to the nursery. If you plan to take a camera, don’t forget to pay the MYR 10 fee at the entry.
There are two feeding sessions, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. The boardwalks to the feeding platform will close between sessions, so make sure you check their website (link) for the latest feeding times. If you arrive between sessions though, don’t fret as you can go to the nursery and watch the mothers and babies from behind a glass room. Whilst it is called a ‘nursery’, I found that juvenile orangutans were also in this area, and the space was equipped with ropes and obstacles to help any aged orangutan learn how to climb.
The feeding sessions are packed, so make sure you get in early to get a good spot to watch the orangutans. The viewing platforms are huge though, and you can easily move around to another vantage point if you find yourself struggling for a good view.
Once the feeding starts, the officers will ask everyone to keep quiet and to ensure all flash photography is disabled.
Overall thoughts & tips:
The afternoon session was a lot less hectic than the morning session, and I highly recommend either going to both, or if you can only do one, to choose the afternoon.
There is an aircon room and a non-aircon room for the nursery - be sure to go to the room that is straight when you walk in for the aircon.
Don’t rush out once the feeding session is over; do a lap of the boardwalk and go back to the viewing platform for a much less crowded experience. Plus, you may have orangutans jump out from the trees onto the boardwalk like we did! The more time you can spend here, the greater your chances are for a magical encounter.
Semmengoh Nature Reserve
Dubbed the next ‘King of the Jungle,’ an adult male orangutan at Semmengoh. © 2025. Travels with Kaia. All rights reserved.
Getting to Semmengoh:
Kuching is the closest city to Semmengoh Nature Reserve, and it is very easy to get to Semmengoh from anywhere in the city. You can head to Semmengoh Nature Reserve by either taking a grab or the bus. Most people seemed to opt to take a grab, as the bus is a very long journey, usually taking up to 2-hours from the central areas. The bus does have free wifi on board though, plus it’s free! Grabs are very affordable despite the reserve being about 40 minutes away though, my grab to the centre was only MYR 25.
What to expect:
Once you turn off the main road into the reserve headquarters, you’ll need to stop and pay for your ticket before continuing down into the park. It is about a 20 - 25 minute walk on a paved road to where the feeding platform is. As you walk, you can see trails starting on either side of the road, though they didn’t seem very popular and they didn’t look to have any guards patrolling them. In addition to that, Semenggoh is only open for a limited time, so you don’t really have time to explore any of the trails before they close after the feeding sessions.
Once you either walk or drive to the actual entry gate (not the ticketing booth by the main road), the feeding platform is right there, and you can see the bathroom blocks and the road with cars from the platform. There is no boardwalk to walk through, and the feeding platform is the only spot to visit once you arrive there. Unfortunately, the viewing platform is quite small, and I felt like I was on top of everyone else when I was there.
That being said, once the feeding was ‘over,’ the park rangers did let us know of orangutan movement just a couple of minutes away. It was away from the feeding platform, and up in the trees that we saw the huge adult male and a mother and baby orangutan. So, even though the viewing platform was smaller, the staff are committed to guests having the best experience, and they’ll let you know of other orangutan movements detected closeby.
Overall thoughts & tips:
If you take a grab or drive yourself to the reserve, be sure to stop at the ticket counter before you get to the gates, as this is the only spot to get tickets and you will be turned back if you arrive further down the road without a ticket. Your grab will either have to wait for you whilst you do this, or you’ll have to walk if they leave once you get out.
There is a buggy you can take from the ticketing booth if you don’t want to walk the 20 - 25 minutes to the feeding platform. I recommend the walk, it was a lovely walk, and there isn’t much to see or do once you arrive at the feeding platform.
The centre actually closes between sessions, and only opens an hour before each feeding session - make sure you check their website for any time updates
A lone orangutan enjoying one of the feeding sessions at Sepilok Rehabilitation centre in Borneo. © 2025. Travels with Kaia. All rights reserved.
The final decision
In my personal opinion, if you want to see orangutans in Borneo, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation centre is the better place to go. There is of course, the fact that Sepilok is in Sabah whereas Semenngoh is in Sarawak, so you may not have the choice depending on your itinerary. If you are still in the planning stages though, I would recommend Sepilok. If you go to Sepilok, you can also go to the sun bear conservation centre which is just opposite.
The main reasons I chose Sepilok over Semmengoh are:
Sepilok feels a lot more like you are in the rainforest, and in a natural habitat of the orangutans. The huge canopy and towering trees that you can walk through via the boardwalk is an incredible experience, and you have more chances to spot orangutans whilst doing the boardwalk than you do at Semmengoh.
Semmengoh is a lot smaller of a centre than Sepilok, and you don’t have the option to walk around and spread out from other visitors as much as you do in Sepilok.
Sepilok has the nursery area, which is an amazing opportunity to witness the mother and baby orangutans up close from behind a glass door.
Sepilok has a much larger viewing platform and it is open for the whole day, whereas Semmengoh only opens for a couple of hours in the morning, and the afternoon.
Sepilok seemed to host more wildlife, with more orangutans being spotted at this reserve, plus an abundance of monkeys here too (I personally didn’t see any monkeys at Semmengoh at all)
With all of this being said, I do believe that if you visit either Sepilok or Semmengoh, you will still have an incredible experience. Plus, by visiting these centres, you know your money is supporting orangutan conservation and rehabilitation directly, which is the whole point of it all, really!
If you’re planning a trip to Borneo, and you have to choose between Sepilok orangutan rehabilitation centre and the Semmengoh nature reserve, I think Sepilok is the more enjoyable experience and that’s where I’d recommend. Make sure you stop by the sun bear centre too, so you can support two endangered species in a single day!
