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On this tour, you will visit the famous Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah, founded in 1964, to rehabilitate orphan orang-utans. The site is 43 square kilometres of protected land at the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. Today around 60 to 80 orang-utans are living free in the reserve. The facility provides medical care for orphaned and confiscated orang-utans as well as dozens of other wildlife species. Some of the other animals which end up being treated at the centre include sun bears, gibbons, Sumatran rhinos and the occasional injured elephants.
You will also visit Selingan Island which is an important turtle hatchery for the green and hawksbill turtles. The turtle conservation program in Sabah is the oldest in the world and with the most detailed statistics and research. The Island is funded by the Sabah State Government, is closely monitored and visitor numbers are strictly limited. Those that are staying on the Island are not allowed on the beach without the resident Park Ranger between sunset and sunrise to avoid disturbance to any potential nesting turtles. Permanent park staff monitor the turtles, protect the hatcheries and tag the turtles for research purposes. By staying here and enjoying such a fantastic experience it allows visitors to learn the importance of this turtle preservation program.
From Selingan Island you will transfer across to the lovely Abai Jungle Lodge. This Lodge operates a tree planting and lunch programme with the local Abai villagers as part of your time there. This programme has been introduced by the Lodge as a way to directly contribute money to the local village community, plus it helps guests learn a little about the way this traditional community lives. The Lodge owners pay a small fee to plant a tree in the village with the proceeds going to the villager whose land it is planted on – the choice of villager plot rotates around the village to keep it as fair as possible.
Our ground agents only employ local guides to accompany our clients. All food in the lodges is sourced locally, helping the local rural communities wherever possible.
When she was 23, Edinburgh-born Liz bought a £10 boat ticket to Africa; she wanted to see the world and has subsequently lived over half of her life overseas. When she returned from Arabia with her family in the 80s she set up a tailor made tour operators that was the first to sell trips to Oman. She has a strong sense of social responsibility and has seen first-hand how tourism can increase local people’s quality of life. The company is now a closely-knit three-woman team who share their expert knowledge and experiences to ensure your vacations have a real personal touch.
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