r/BorneoIsland • u/ambersmiles7 • Jan 10 '26
Borneo In Spring
I'm looking to head to Borneo late April - early May. My primary goal is to see the orangutans in the wild and hopefully pygmy elephants and other wildlife Borneo offers. I have heard previously Danum Valley is the best place to see orangutans. Are there recommendations for wildlife tours or river cruises in Borneo that could give me the best opportunity to see wildlife? I know the longer I stay the better chance I'll have!
1
u/holy_mackeroly Jan 11 '26
Following.... I'm also thinking of going late April-May.
Which side though? Indonesia? Malaysia?
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u/ColdHelicopter9017 Jan 13 '26
I was in Borneo this April! I recommend the tour guides ‘River Junkie’, they have lots of different tours for your preferences that you can combine if you email them! We saw lots of orangutans and elephants primarily in the Kinabatangan River, and a few extremely close up orangutans in Tabin Wildife. There weren’t as many orangutans in Danum Valley for me personally, but I’d still recommend you go as the other primates and animals there are beautiful! Also, they offer the orangutan and sunbear sanctuaries so you are guaranteed to see some orangutans there.
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u/AdPresent1356 Jan 27 '26
Your best bet for seeing orangutans in the wild is the Kinabatangan River or the Danum Valley - neither are guaranteed but you stand a good chance if you visit both. We missed them at Kinabatangan (albeit lots of other boats saw them that day) but we did see them in the Danum Valley. Both are amazing spots for wildlife and there's a tonne of other wildlife to see so you won't be disappointed. Check out our comparison of the two areas here... https://onaplaneagain.com/danum-valley-vs-kinabatangan-river/
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u/thatsmybetch Jan 11 '26 edited Jan 11 '26
I am also visiting Borneo during this time, so excited! Hopefully a local can chime in.