visit the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley, Sabah

Moments into exploring the grounds surrounding Borneo Rainforest Lodge and a flash of orange moves through the trees above us. Hopes of catching Borneo’s most famous resident, the Orangutan, mount but high up in the trees a smaller, orange-furred primate comes into view, a Red Leaf Langur. Undeterred by visitors, the langur, with its group, combs through the trees above us; searching for fruit & jumping through the canopy. That was our first wildlife encounter in the Borneo Rainforest.

Estimated to be about 130 million years old, the Borneo Rainforest once spanned the entire island, but now only patches of conserved area exist. Within those is Danum Valley Conservation Area, with pockets of ancient rainforest surrounded by reforestation projects that aim to keep wildlife in a safe, enclosed environment. It’s one of the best places in the world to sight wild orangutans. Rehabilitated orphaned or injured orangutans can’t be released here, they are set free in newer areas of forest, such as Tabin, because the environment in Danum Valley requires a strength that they might not have after their encounters with humankind.

So close to the equator, the forest keeps its own seasons for fruiting plants, making predicting the patterns of its inhabitants incredibly difficult. Each species seeks its favourite fruit or snack when the season arrives and having an observant guide to find those at the right time is a must. Shy, flanged males are the rarest sighting from the ape family, with each orangutan wandering alone rather than in groups, but the jungle safe guards all of its residents and only offers rare glimpses to those who walk the paths inside.

a red monkey hangs from a thin trunk in Danum Valley Conservation Area — Red Leaf Langur are endemic to Borneo. They’re also known as: ‘Maroon Leaf Monkeys’, ‘Red Leaf Monkey’, or ‘Maroon Langur’.

a red monkey hugs a tree in Danum Valley Conservation Area — Red Leaf Langur

a red monkey mother can be seen cradling her baby in the trees — Red Leaf Langur mother and baby

a grey heron stands upright in a river — Great-billed Heron reside in Asia, Papa New Guinea and Australia. It’s mainly coastal although can sometimes be seen inland.

a Praying Mantis poses while holding a rope — A Praying Mantis straddles the rope on the walkway at Borneo Rainforest Lodge.

a lotus flower has opened to reveal almost neon pink petals and a waterspider sits on a lily pad in the background — Lotus Flowers open only at night. A water spider can also be seen on a Lily Pad behind.

a tree frog holds a leaf above a pond — Tree Frog, also known as the ‘Borneo Eared Frog’ is endemic to the island.

looking up into tree canopy at Danum Valley Conservation Area — Danum Valley Conservation Area

a Great Argus male with feathers down faces behind him with back turned — The Great Argus is a species of pheasant. Their courtship display of feathers is believed to be one of the most remarkable on earth.

a Strangling Fig Tree surrounds the empty space where the former tree was — Strangling Fig Tree - these suck up the nutrients from their victim causing them to die. The hallow centre shows where this one’s host tree used to be.

a river runs through Danum Valley Conservation Area — Danum Valley Conservation Area

rainfalls heavily in Danum Valley Conservation Area — Danum Valley Conservation Area from Borneo Rainforest Lodge

rainfalls heavily in the rainforest of Danum Valley Conservation Area — Danum Valley Conservation Area from Borneo Rainforest Lodge

rainfalls heavily in the rainforest at Borneo Rainforest Lodge — Borneo Rainforest Lodge

an Orangutan female is seem head bowed walking over a leaning tree trunk — A female Bornean Orangutan. There is an estimated 104,700 of the endangered species left, significantly more than the critically endangered Sumatran Orangutan.

Borneo Rainforest Lodge is seen from Coffin Cliff — Borneo Rainforest Lodge from Coffin Cliff

vast rainforest is seen from Coffin Cliff — Rainforest view from Coffin Cliff

water falls down the rock at Fairy Falls — Fairy Falls in Danum Valley Conservation Area

a large Stick Insect perches on large log by the water — Large Stick Insect at Fairy Falls. Borneo is the richest area in the world for stick insects, with over 300 recognised species.

rainforest at Danum Valley Conservation Area — Danum Valley Conservation Area

a bridge can be seen disappearing into the canopy at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Canopy Walk — The Canopy Walk at Borneo Rainforest Lodge

looking up at the canopy of a Koompasia Tree — Koompasia Tree, the trunks are too wide and smooth for creatures such as sun bears making these trees perfect homes for beehives.

mist covers the rainforest at Danum Valley Conservation Area — Danum Valley Conservation Area

a well camouflaged Borneo anglehead lizard hugs a tree — Borneo Anglehead Lizard, also called a ‘Borneo Forest Dragon’.

‘Tamu, A Guest At The Bornean Table’, from our book club picks, is a literary cookbook that explores Borneo, its people & its food, documenting a culinary history of the world’s fourth largest island.

For more destinations in Malaysia check out our photo journal for Penang & our photo journal for Kuala Lumpur, or for more island destinations in Asia check out our photo journal for Jeju.