Kinabalu National Park in Sabah protects Borneo's highest peak and one of the world's most biodiverse landscapes — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where granite summit trails pitcher plants cloud forest and extraordinary wildlife come together in a single extraordinary destination.
Malaysia: Sabah – Labuk Bay, Where Proboscis Monkeys Roam Free
Malaysia: Sabah – Labuk Bay, Where Proboscis Monkeys Roam Free
🐒 In the Heart of the Semawang Mangroves
Tucked into the coastal mangrove forests of Semawang, on the north-eastern fringes of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo, sits the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary — one of only a tiny handful of places on Earth where you can reliably observe proboscis monkeys at genuinely close range in something approaching their natural habitat. Our afternoon activity on this particular day was somewhere we hadn’t been before, and we were both rather looking forward to it. These remarkable, large-nosed monkeys are what’s technically called an endemic species, meaning they are found nowhere on the planet other than Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, shared between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. We had spotted proboscis monkeys in the wild before, most memorably on a boat trip along the Kinabatangan River, but this was an entirely different proposition — a chance to see them up close, in proper detail, without squinting across 50 metres of brown river water. The sanctuary sits about 45 minutes’ drive north-east of Sepilok, passing through a landscape that tells one of Borneo’s most complicated environmental stories: mile after mile of oil palm plantation, the monoculture crop that has reshaped enormous swathes of the island’s lowlands since the 1960s and continues to do so at a pace that makes for uncomfortable reading. The sanctuary itself manages two feeding sessions a day, morning and afternoon, and we timed our arrival rather nicely for the late-afternoon sitting, which, as it turned out, was pretty much the perfect time to be there, with the light softening and the heat of the day beginning to ease off.
🦀 The Boardwalk and Its Unexpected Residents
From the car park, reaching the feeding platform involved a short but genuinely rewarding stroll along a raised boardwalk that threads its way through the mangrove forest at the edge of Labuk Bay itself. The tide was out when we arrived, which meant the channels beneath the boardwalk held less water than they might at other times — but what they did hold, in considerable quantity, was mud. Rich, black, wonderfully squelchy mangrove mud, the kind that smells of the sea and of something older and wilder underneath it. And it was in that mud that we got our first unexpected wildlife encounter of the afternoon, because the place was absolutely teeming with fiddler crabs — tiny, extraordinary little creatures, electric-blue and vivid against the dark mud, each one waving an oversized single claw with what appeared to be enormous self-importance. The males use that exaggerated claw, which can account for up to half their entire body weight, both to attract females and to warn off rival males, a piece of evolutionary theatre that is frankly quite entertaining to watch. Fiddler crabs belong to the genus Uca and there are over a hundred species distributed across tropical and subtropical coastlines worldwide; the ones we saw were almost certainly one of the several species found in Borneo’s mangrove systems, going about their muddy business with complete indifference to the small band of tourists peering down at them from above. The other mud-dwelling creature that caught our attention — and which definitely fell into the “creepy-looking” category — was the mudskipper, which sounds like something from a children’s cartoon but is, in fact, a genuinely remarkable evolutionary curiosity. Mudskippers are amphibious fish, members of the goby family, and they are capable of breathing air directly through their skin and the lining of their mouth and throat, provided they keep themselves moist — which, in a mangrove at low tide, is not usually a challenge. They haul themselves around on their muscular pectoral fins with a sort of enthusiastic, lurching confidence, and can even climb the aerial roots of mangrove trees. Seeing a fish walk is one of those things that never quite gets old, however many times you encounter it.
🐽 The Monkeys Arrive
When we arrived at the feeding platform and shelter, a bachelor group of large adult males was already sitting there with what could only be described as the deeply patient air of regulars who know the kitchen opens at a fixed time and see absolutely no point in getting worked up about it. We were the only visitors, which was a genuine stroke of luck — we had the whole place to ourselves, the platforms, the shelter, the boardwalk, all of it, with nothing between us and the monkeys but a few metres of air. Now, it would be a considerable stretch of the imagination to describe proboscis monkeys as pretty. They are, by any objective standard, magnificently peculiar-looking animals. The adult males in particular are something to behold: large, stocky bodies draped with reddish-brown and cream fur, long, splayed fingers built for gripping branches, a distinctly pot-bellied profile, and then that nose — a pendulous, bulbous, flattened proboscis that in fully grown males can hang down well below the mouth and is, without question, the most immediately arresting facial feature in the primate world. Proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) get their common name from this extraordinary nasal appendage, which in males serves as a resonating chamber to amplify calls, and which females appear to find rather attractive — studies have shown that females actively prefer males with larger noses, which may explain why evolution has been so generous with the feature. As the males sat there in the afternoon light, they had rather the look of a group of elderly gentlemen waiting for the pub to open, with their rotund bellies, their slightly disapproving expressions, and — there is simply no delicate way to put this — their vivid chilli-red penises on very prominent display for anyone and everyone to see. Nature, as ever, is entirely unbothered by social convention. When the food arrived — a spread of fruit and leaves placed out on the platform — it was as though a signal had gone out across the surrounding forest, because the rest of the troop materialised from the undergrowth and the trees with impressive speed and purpose: females, juveniles, and the babies, who were absolutely and completely adorable, with their tiny faces and those endearingly turned-up little noses, which only develop into the full adult drooping appendage as they mature. The contrast between the gravity-defying infant noses and the spectacular adult specimens nearby was quite something. Then one of the larger males decided to put on a performance. He set off at a considerable pace along the rails of the boardwalk, crashed directly into the covered shelter where we were standing, and thundered across the desk in front of us with the heaviest feet it is possible to imagine on an animal of that size. The sound of it reverberating around the shelter was genuinely startling — not at all what you might expect from a creature whose daily life involves moving through a forest canopy. He departed with the same magnificent lack of ceremony with which he had arrived, leaving behind a slightly stunned group of two tourists and one very ruffled camera strap.
About the Sanctuary
The Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary occupies a site of around 400 acres and has an origin story that sits somewhere between environmental accident and individual conscience. In the mid-1990s, the land on which the sanctuary now stands was earmarked for clearance and conversion to oil palm cultivation — a fate that had already befallen enormous areas of lowland Sabah by that point, and which has continued to reshape the landscape ever since. Palm oil production in Malaysian Borneo accelerated dramatically from the 1970s onwards, and by the 1990s it had become one of the state’s dominant industries, bringing significant economic benefits but also the wholesale loss of lowland rainforest and mangrove habitat at a scale that has had profound consequences for wildlife. What changed the equation at Labuk Bay was the discovery, made during the preparatory stages of the planned clearance, that a resident population of proboscis monkeys was living in the mangrove forest on the site. The landowner made the decision to retain this relatively small but ecologically significant pocket of forest as a protected zone for the monkeys rather than clearing it, and the sanctuary has been managed ever since on that basis. Today, Labuk Bay is home to around 150 free-ranging proboscis monkeys — a genuinely substantial and healthy population for a privately managed sanctuary — who are supplemented by the twice-daily feeding sessions but otherwise live as wild animals within the mangrove habitat. The sanctuary is an unusual and important example of what can be achieved when commercial interests and conservation priorities are brought into productive alignment, and it exists in an area where the pressure on remaining natural habitat remains considerable. After about 30 minutes the feeding session wound down, the monkeys drifted back into the trees with what felt like practised ease, and we made our way back along the boardwalk, past the fiddler crabs and the mudskippers, to the car park, and eventually back to the hotel. A genuinely excellent afternoon’s work.
Planning your trip
| 📍 Location | Labuk Bay, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia (approximately 40 km north of Sandakan town) | 🕖 Opening Times | Daily, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; feeding sessions at 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM |
| 🌐 Website | labukbay.com.my | ||
| 📞 Phone | +60 89-672133 | info@labukbay.com.my | |
| 🅿️ Parking | Free on-site parking available | ℹ️ Notes | Arrive before feeding times for the best wildlife viewing. Silver-leaf monkeys also visit the platforms. Insect repellent and light long sleeves recommended. Photography permitted. |
| 🎟️ Entry Fees | |||
| Adults (Foreign) | Children (Foreign) | Adults (Malaysian) | Children (Malaysian) |
| RM 60 | RM 30 | RM 30 | RM 15 |
🚗 Getting There
The sanctuary is located around 40 kilometres north of Sandakan along the road towards Labuk Bay, passing through oil palm plantation country. By car or Grab, the drive from Sandakan town takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Most visitors arrange transport through their hotel or a local tour operator, as there is no public bus service to the sanctuary. Many tour packages from Sandakan combine the sanctuary with a visit to the nearby Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, making for a full day of wildlife in the region.
The Best Time to Visit Sabah, Borneo
Sabah sits on the northern tip of Borneo and straddles two distinct weather systems, which means the question of when to visit is less straightforward than for many other Malaysian destinations. Unlike Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah generally escapes the worst of the South China Sea monsoon that batters the east coast of the peninsula between November and March, and it enjoys a longer, more reliable dry season than much of the region. That said, rain can arrive at any time of year in a tropical rainforest state, and conditions vary considerably between the interior, the west coast and the dive islands off the eastern shore. The table below summarises the three broad seasons; the sections that follow explain each one in detail.
🌞 March to October — Dry Season
This is Sabah’s headline season, stretching for the better part of seven months and covering the optimal windows for almost every activity the state is known for. Skies over Kota Kinabalu are mostly clear, humidity is lower than at other times of year, and the seas around the Semporna Archipelago are calm and well suited to diving and snorkelling. Sipadan Island — consistently rated among the world’s top dive sites for its hammerhead sharks, green and hawksbill turtles, and dense schools of barracuda — is accessible throughout this period, though the daily permit quota of 120 divers means bookings need to be made months ahead, particularly for the peak months of April to September.
Mount Kinabalu, at 4,095 metres the highest peak in Southeast Asia outside the Himalayas and Karakoram, is best climbed from March through to September, when the mountain’s infamous cloud cover is thinnest and the overnight temperatures on the summit plateau, while always cold, are less bitter than in the wetter months. April to June brings the added attraction of whale shark aggregations around Derawan and the broader Celebes Sea, drawing divers from across the world for encounters with the largest fish on the planet. The Rainforest World Music Festival, one of Asia’s most celebrated music events, typically takes place in Sarawak in July but draws visitors who combine it with a Sabah leg; meanwhile, Sabah’s own Harvest Festival (Pesta Kaamatan) in May is a lively, culturally rich occasion worth timing a trip around.
What to pack: Lightweight, breathable clothing for the heat and humidity; a thin fleece or warm layer for the summit night on Kinabalu (temperatures can drop to 2–5°C near the top); reef-safe sunscreen; a rash vest and snorkel for the islands; and an early-morning layer for boat departures at the Semporna jetty.
🌤️ February and November — Shoulder Seasons
The weeks either side of the wet season — broadly February on one end and November on the other — offer a useful middle ground for visitors who want to avoid both the peak-season prices and the heaviest rains. Weather is transitional: more cloud and the odd afternoon shower are to be expected, but sustained all-day rain is still relatively uncommon, and the landscape is beginning to green up beautifully. Danum Valley Conservation Area, one of the finest lowland dipterocarp rainforests remaining in Borneo, is particularly rewarding in these shoulder months, when wildlife activity is high and the lodges are quieter. The Kinabatangan River, where proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants and long-tailed macaques gather along the riverbanks, is similarly good value for a wildlife cruise outside the peak months, with boat departures less crowded and more intimate. Accommodation rates across Sabah ease off noticeably in these transitional months, and some of the higher-end jungle lodges offer shoulder-season promotions.
What to pack: Lightweight clothes plus a compact, packable waterproof jacket; insect repellent (mosquitoes are more active as the rains build); quick-dry trousers for jungle walks; and a small dry bag to protect cameras and phones on river cruises.
🌧️ November to February — Wet Season
Sabah’s wet season is a relative term in a state that receives rain year-round, but from November through to February the downpours become heavier, more frequent and, at their worst, sustained enough to disrupt trails, swell rivers and close sections of Mount Kinabalu’s summit route. The east coast dive islands bear the brunt of the rougher sea conditions, and some operators at Semporna reduce their schedules or suspend certain routes during the worst weeks of December and January. That said, this is by no means a write-off of a season: prices drop to their lowest point of the year, lodges and tours operate at a fraction of their peak capacity, and the rainforest is at its most dramatic — swollen waterfalls, mist drifting through the forest canopy and rivers running full and fast. Wildlife on the Kinabatangan actually congregates more predictably along the river’s edges when the interior forest floods, making the wet-season wildlife cruises unexpectedly productive for orangutan, elephant and crocodile sightings. The Turtle Islands Park off Sandakan, where green turtles come ashore to nest, is one attraction that continues to operate through the wet season and can be strikingly atmospheric in the moody, cloud-heavy light.
What to pack: A proper waterproof jacket or lightweight poncho; quick-dry clothing throughout; waterproof footwear or sandals with grip for muddy trails; a dry bag for river and boat trips; insect repellent; and a flexible attitude towards itineraries that depend on weather and sea conditions.
Overall Best Time to Visit
For most visitors, March to October represents the most dependable window for experiencing the full range of what Sabah offers — diving Sipadan, climbing Kinabalu, cruising the Kinabatangan for wildlife and exploring the lowland rainforests of Danum Valley — with the lowest risk of weather disruption and the widest choice of accommodation and tour availability. Within that broad window, April to June is arguably the sweet spot: the dry season is well established, whale sharks are in the area, Pesta Kaamatan adds a cultural dimension in May, Kinabalu permits are available, and the tourist numbers have not yet reached the peak intensity of July and August. Travellers happy to accept a daily shower or two, and who are primarily interested in rainforest wildlife rather than diving or summit climbing, will find the shoulder months of February and November offer excellent value and a more intimate experience of the jungle lodges and river cruises that make Sabah one of Borneo’s most rewarding destinations.
Where to stay?
1. Sepilok B&B
Set in Sepilok, 15 miles from Sandakan, Sepilok B&B is one of those no-nonsense, good-value guesthouses that does exactly what it says on the tin and does it rather well. It offers a restaurant and free WiFi throughout, and its location is genuinely one of its strongest selling points — it sits within comfortable walking distance of both the world-famous Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre, which means you can be at either attraction within minutes of leaving the front door without the faff of arranging transport first thing in the morning. For wildlife-focused travellers working their way through the Sepilok circuit, that kind of proximity matters more than you might think, particularly if you are trying to time your visit to the orang-utan feeding platforms, which run at set times and reward early arrivals with the best views. The nearest airport is Sandakan Airport, approximately 8.1 miles away, and the transfer into Sepilok is straightforward. The B&B itself is a relaxed, friendly operation with the kind of unpretentious atmosphere that suits travellers who have come to Borneo primarily to be outside rather than to admire hotel lobbies, and it has built up a solid reputation among the wildlife and backpacker crowd precisely because it is honest, convenient and doesn’t try to be something it isn’t. If your priority is rolling out of bed early, getting to the sanctuary before the crowds and spending as much of the day as possible in the forest, this is a sensible and comfortable base from which to do exactly that.
2. Nature Lodge Sepilok
Located just before the junction to the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Nature Lodge Sepilok occupies a position that puts it right in the thick of the Sepilok wildlife corridor — 1.5km from the roundabout at the main road, 800 metres to the Rainforest Discovery Centre and 1.2km to the Sepilok Orang-Utan Centre. In practical terms that means the morning orang-utan feeding session, the hornbill and kingfisher trails of the Discovery Centre, and the sun bear enclosure at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre are all within easy reach without spending half the day in a taxi — which matters enormously when you are trying to pack a serious amount of wildlife watching into a short Sabah itinerary.
The Lodge offers two room options — dormitory-style beds and private chalets — catering equally to solo travellers on a tighter budget and to couples or small groups who want a bit more privacy after a long day in the forest. The chalet-style rooms back directly onto secondary forest, and it is not at all unusual to hear — or even see — wildlife from the accommodation itself. Staff are knowledgeable about the local area and can help with transport logistics to Labuk Bay and other sites beyond walking distance. For the price point, it represents genuinely good value in a location that would be hard to improve on.
3. Sepilok Jungle Resort
During our visit to Sepilok, we stayed at the Sepilok Jungle Resort, enclosed inside a tropical virgin rainforest, adjacent to the world-famous Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary. In fact, wild orangutans were visiting the Resort during our stay – we even saw one early in the morning walking around the boardwalks and apparently taking things from people’s balconies.
The rooms were basic but comfortable. The breakfasts were fine and they accommodated us being vegan. We also had an evening meal there which was traditional Malaysian fare – very tasty. The whole place is surrounded by rainforest, which is spectacular. In the evenings they run a night safari that goes out into the rainforest, which is a very noisy place at night with all the nocturnal creatures coming to life. We got to see some interesting bugs and birds on our adventure, including leeches … yuk!
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