After visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre on a recent visit to Sabah, we went for the trifecta and also visited the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Since the RDC is only 2 kilometers from the SORC, which is right next to the BSBCC, to not visit all three facilities would feel like wasting an opportunity. But although it is very possible to visit all three facilities on a single day, the Rainforest Discovery Centre, which is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, is worthy of spending an entire day. The RDC features a number of trails through the forest, and has a reputation as a great place to see a variety of plants, flowers, and native birds.
Canopy Walkway
The most interesting feature
of the RDC is the “Canopy Walkway”, a sturdy steel structure 347 meters long, 2
meters wide, and at its highest point, 25 meters tall. This marvel of
engineering is designed to allow visitors to see the forest at the same level
as the birds that fly from treetop to treetop. 
One drawback to the canopy walkway is that it features a floor that resembles a wire cage. If you drop a few coins through the mesh, or worse, your car keys, it is very unlikely that you will ever be able to recover them.
Below is a view of the forest as seen from the canopy walkway. It is quite a breathtaking sight.
The canopy walkway features 3 towers which will allow you to get even higher above the forest floor.
From the top of the tower, the surrounding area really looks far away.
View of the canopy walkway from the top of one of the towers.
A number of signboards explaining the resident birds are installed along the canopy walkway.
On
our visit, we came along this young orangutan swinging only a few meters from
the walkway.
He
seemed to be quite fascinated by the human visitors. Since he did not run away, we ended up
spending the better part of an hour quietly observing him. The humans did not speak. Neither did the orangutan.
His
mother was watching the interaction from a distance in a nearby tree. It was a very unique experience to spend so
much time so close to a wild animal.
Visitor Building
Rainforest Hall
The RDC features a visitor
center which includes an exhibition hall and a plant discovery garden. After visiting the Sepilok Orangutan
Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre on the same
day, we had only about 2 hours to explore the forest before the RDC’s closing
time of 5:00 p.m. As a result, I did not see the inside of the visitor building. In retrospect, it
would have been better to budget more time to explore this forest.
Getting There
The
Rainforest Discovery Centre is located about 45 minutes from Sandakan
Town. It is about 2 kilometers from the Sepilok
Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre,
and our group visited all three facilities on the same day. (Please see separate posts about the Sepilok
Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation
Centre.) Like the SORC and the BSBCC,
the Rainforest Discovery Centre charges different entrance fees for Malaysian
citizens and non-citizens. Admission for
Non-Malaysian adults was 15 Malaysian Ringgit, for non-Malaysian children aged
5 to 17 years old, 7 Ringgit, and it was free for children under 5.
(Note:
All photos in this post were taken during a visit on February 12, 2017. The comments in this post are based on
observations made on that day.
Conditions may have since changed.
Please check it out for yourself!)
