Outside Sandakan - Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey sanctuary and others
billboard at Sandakan airport's arrival hall |
Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary is approximately 45mins drive from town. The Sanctuary is located in a mangrove area of approximately 470 acres. The owners of this sanctuary actually own the palm oil plantation that surrounds the mangrove swamp. Now, don't we have a catch 22 situation here. So is this place for the sake of conservation or just reaping the harvest of visitors eager to catch a glimpse of these endangered species? With the growing concerns that bio - diesel (ie using palm oil to replace oil for commercial purposes) will ultimately decimate what remaining forests left of this largely raped land we call Sabah, would this remain a sanctuary? Even having said. is it a sanctuary? Or an exploitation? But which way it goes, isn't it a blessing that at least the mangrove still exists for a small gene pool to survive - until some enterprising businessman decides to do away with the remaining piece of precious land.
Getting there: drive along Jalan Labuk and then turn off to SPS 3 at the junction of KM 31 and KM 32 (opposite Consolidated Farm). The sanctuary is then 15km on gravel road from there.
Feeding times are : 11.30am and 4.30pm
For more on the Proboscis Monkey and what is the real story behind the survival of this species and the Langurs head to : http://www.proboscismonkey.org/ . It certainly helps us to help them.
Sandakan is also the gateway to much talked about Kinabatangan/Sukau nature trips, the Guomantong cave, Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and of course, Selingan Turtle Island . Many visitors fly in from Kota Kinabalu but it is possible to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan or from Kuching to Sandakan . Have a look at our getting there section.
An after thought
Sandakan has gone through a cycle. The colonial heydays of early 1900's, the riches from timber and sorts, The atrocities of war, the lull of a sleepy has-been town and now.. can it be a revival of once a great town . a town which stood as the capital of North Borneo ? The toss up now is between what nature and the jungle has to offer or what the land has to offer for commercial use ie palm oil. For as far as the eye can see, in the past decade .. large areas have been cleared of jungles for its timber and now for commercial plantation. There are only a few protected places left in the area of Sandakan for what once blanketed the entire land. Commercialisation is winning hands down, we cannot reverse the destruction of human greed. not here, not in Sandakan, not in Borneo. Borneo is fast turning into a mythical land only told in stories as are the wonderful, strange animals that live in it.
One day, not very far away.. Borneo will be devoid of the beauty once romantacised by travellers and there will be not a tale to tell.
Accommodation and Packages to North Sabah ~ Sandakan, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Gomantong Cave, Selingan Turtle Island , Lankayan Island , Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, Sukau Area , Danum Valley , Tabin Wildlife Reserve & Lahad Datu
Malaysia Cities , Towns & Villages
Peninsula Malaysia Cities , Towns & Villages |
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Kedah |
| Alor Setar | |
Terengganu |
| Chukai | Dungun | Kemaman | Kijal | Kuala Terengganu | Paka | |
Perak |
| Ipoh | Kuala Kangsar | Lumut | Taiping | |
Selangor |
| Klang | Kuala Selangor | |
Kelantan |
| Kota Bahru | |
Federal Territory |
| Kuala Lumpur | |
Johor |
| Mersing | |
Negri Sembilan |
| Seremban | Kuala Pilah | Lukut | |
Pahang |
| Sungei Lembing | Kuala Lipis | |
Melaka |
| Melaka | |
Sabah and Sarawak Towns , Cities & Villages |
|
Sarawak |
| Kuching | Long Bedian | Long Lama | Long Terawan | Miri | Marudi | |
Sabah |
| Sandakan | Kota Kinabalu | Tawau | |
Getting There and Away
Best Time to Go
