In Search Of Borneo’s Rarest Mammals With Private Guide

This is a privately-guided tour for real mammal enthusiasts. As well as Borneo’s iconic headline species including orang-utans and proboscis monkeys, this trip delves deep into some of Borneo’s less visited forests to find some of the real rarities of the island. Many of these are more active at night, so you will spend a large proportion of your trip on night drives and night walks. However, your efforts could be rewarded of sightings of some of the world’s rarest and most elusive species such as pangolins, sun bears, rare primates and wild cats including leopard cats, marbled cats and even the famed clouded leopard. As with all wildlife, you can take no sighting for granted but you are sure to see plenty of wildlife and have a few adventures along the way.

You begin your trip with an overnight at Sepilok, home to the famed orang-utan and sun bear centres. If you wish, you can head to the centres for some easy viewing of the rehabilitated animals; or you could head to the nearby Rainforest Discovery Centre to explore the primary rainforest to begin your search for rarities. First on your list could be the giant red flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista) which is fairly common in the reserve and can often been seen from the canopy walkway here.  They are often active in the late afternoons emerging from their nesting trees and gliding from tree to tree exploring the forest. Here you can also see the smaller Prevost’s squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii) plus a large number of birds including the Bornean bristlehead. If still feeling active, you will return to the Rainforest Discovery Centre for the first of your nocturnal walks. You can expect to see more flying squirrels plus the chance of seeing some very rare nocturnal primates: the Philippine slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis) and the western tarsia (Cephalopachus bancanus).

Next, you would venture overland (the last section by 4×4 on very poor roads) deep into the heart of Sabah to the Deramakot Forest Reserve. This is a huge 55,507 hectare rainforest reserve managed by the Sabah Forestry Department for conservation and sustainable forest management. It is also quickly gaining a reputation for its exceptional sightings of some of Borneo’s rarest animals. Daytime sightings frequently include Bornean orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus), the Bornean agile gibbon (Hylobates albibarbis), maroon langur monkey (Presbytis rubicunda), silvery langur monkey (Trachypithecus cristatus), two species of macaque and a wide range of squirrels, shrews, birds and snakes. Rarer daytime mammal encounters could include the Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus), banteng wild ox (Bos javanicus) and the very rare and beautiful Sabah grizzled langur (Presbytis sabana).

Deramakot is particularly known for its long night drives that can reveal a plethora of nocturnal mammals. Common sightings include Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga), common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), striped palm civet (Arctogalidia trivirgata), giant red flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista), Thomas’s flying squirrel (Aeromys thomasi), Philippine slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis), western tarsia (Cephalopachus bancanus), Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegatus), Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus) and a large number of deer (mostly samba and muntjac). Much rarer nocturnal sightings could include sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), binturong (Arctictis binturong), otter civet (Cynogale bennettii) and the Sunda stink badger (Mydaus javanensis).

Deramakot is also gaining a reputation for its wild cat sightings. Strikingly beautiful leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) are commonly seen along the forest verges and this is one of the best places in the world to see both marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi). Both are rare and elusive but many people have been successful here in the past. Deramakot is also thought to be home to a small population of the Bornean bay cat (Catopuma badia) but its elusive nature and diurnal habit has made it almost impossible to spot.

The accommodation at Deramakot is pretty simple and you can find yourselves spotlighting through the night in order to seek-out the rarer creatures here, so it is not to everyone’s tastes.  However, as you will have your own vehicle and private guide, you will be able to fully dictate your own programme of activities and timings here. Perhaps just have day drives, just night drives or a mixture of the two. Whatever you choose, you are sure to have some fantastic wildlife encounters along the way.

Moving on from Deramakot, you will next head to the famed Kinabatangan River to spot some of the wildlife of the forest and river. Chances of orang-utan and proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) are both high plus you would have another chance to spot Borneo pygmy elephants. Once more, you will venture out at night to spot nocturnal species with good chances of seeing Sunda colugo on night walks, plus civets and resting mammals on night cruises – usually accompanied by a dazzling firefly display.

Your final destination is Tabin, a large rainforest reserve bordered by palm oil plantations.  The reserve was home to Malaysia’s last surviving Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) firstly in the wild and then as part of a captive breeding population. Now thought by many to be extinct in Malaysia, there are some that hope that a few individuals may still be clinging-on in some far corner of the reserve. The reserve is home to large numbers of other rainforest animals with orang-utans, Borneo pygmy elephants and a range of langurs and macaques. There is a habituated population of Bornean agile gibbon (Hylobates albibarbis) which often keeps close to the lodge plus a mud volcano which acts as a natural salt lick attracting birds and mammals out of the forest, especially at night.

Many of the forest dwellers raid the neighbouring palm plantations meaning that the reserve supports higher than usual populations of monkeys, hornbills, bearded pigs, civets and forest rodents. Consequently, it also has a good reputation for its predator sightings. Leopard cats are commonly seen on night drives here along with high numbers of flying squirrels, civets, colugos and slow loris. Tabin is also another stronghold of the clouded leopard and you will have specially extended night drives in the final hope of seeing one before you leave.

During this trip you will be on the hunt of some of South East Asia’s rarest and most secretive creatures and every trip is sure to have its own highs and lows. You can never be exactly sure of what animals you will see but you can bet that it will be packed full of wildlife with some incredibly rare sightings along the way.

Like so many other tropical forests around the world, the forests of Kinabatangan, Tabin and Deramakot are all in an extremely precarious position: being encroached by palm oil plantations and in the sights of loggers. By visiting these areas you are creating a sustainable source of income through tourism and you will be giving a credible alternative to these destructive practices.  Therefore, you can take great comfort in knowing that as well as enjoying an incredible wildlife adventure, your visit will be directly protecting the extremely rare and threatened species you have come all this way to see.