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Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)

Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)

Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC)
4.5
About
RDC is first and foremost an environmental education centre managed by the Sabah Forestry Department. It has been operating since 1997 but mainly for school visits and organising events for school students and also teacher training courses on environmental education.It was later developed for visitors mainly to sustain the environmental education programme for the future. We formally opened to visitors in August 2007 and is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. However, visitors are allowed to stay until 7 pm for viewing of the flying squirrels at the 347-m long Canopy Walkway, the only such structure in Southeast Asia.The newly revamped Birders Rest is now with a 90 m-long walkway, an open hall, a small centre and toilets. As of Nov 16th 2013, we have a new operator for the Keruing Cafe whom we hope will provide better services for our visitors.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • MTaylor1919
    Beijing, China37 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Must Visit
    Wonderful experience deep in the rainforest. The skywalk is very impressively done with great information on the local wildlife prevalent throughout. Limited food and drinks available and cash only for entry/refreshments. A must visit when in Sepilok and Sandakan.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 6, 2023
  • Derek B
    7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent evening walk
    Excellent night walk at the RDC we saw a Tarsier, Slow Lori, Giant Red Flying Squirrel and some birds. Anzar from Sandakan Transport Service (WhatsApp +60 017 821 7605) reserved our places and provided return transport all for a very good price. I would definitely recommend the RDC night walk and Anzar’s transportation service.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 9, 2023
  • IndySig
    Indianapolis, Indiana4,137 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great night hike.
    While we did not have very good luck during the day seeing many birds, we did thoroughly enjoy the canopy walk and the trails. The best part is the night hike at a great deal for 30mr. Our guide Jaity was EXCELLENT, well organized and we started promptly at 6 pm! We saw snakes, flying squirrels, slow loris, several stick insects and a western tarsier. My suggestion - use a guide either day or night.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 19, 2024
  • genibre69
    London, United Kingdom5,468 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The night tour is ace
    This review is JUST for the night walk which is SO WORTH IT. I have a feeling the entrance free during the day is unjustified, as I freely wandered the plant garden right before the night walk. The 2 hour night walk is just fantastic. The guides’ eyes catch so many things us mere tourists would never see. Although the flying squirrel was too fast in flight to catch a photo of, seeing it was SO cool (despite waiting a half hour to do so). The adorable Western Tarsie though was the highlight of my evening (and potentially my whole Malaysia trip?!)
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written February 23, 2024
  • joan t
    Doncaster, United Kingdom486 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    worth a visit
    We decided to visit this at the end of the day, so may have not visited at the optimum time for viewing. Too late for diurnal and too early for nocturnal. We saw a python but only because someone with a guide, pointed this out to us. However, great just to walk on the raised platform - see a different perspective. Quite scary in places and some of the watch towers are difficult to climb if you have mobility, health issues. Also, on the ground lots of raised tree roots, which were slippy so suggest sturdy footwear. At the entrance, there is a bucket with sticks in. We spoke to another visitor who was wearing sunglasses on her head and a monkey jumped on her back and tried to take them off her. Hence the sticks. (to bang against the railing as a warning not to hit the monkeys!!) Good price to enter - we didn't do the nightwalk as just too late for us. Would recommend and return.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 31, 2024
  • Yonathan Mathia... P
    Frankfurt, Germany1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun night walk, take it and repeat it until you see the wild animals
    This night walk is literally worth every Ringgit. I had it twice but didn‘t see any animals in the first night. Luckily I had a second chance just today. I saw a flying squirrel, a flying lemur, a small green viper, many spiders and insects. The highlight was definitely to be able to see a baby slow Loris with its mother and a western tasir. I would highly recommend Mr. Rosli and Mr. Dom as your night walk guides since they are very professional and ethical and put a lot of effort to spot the animals in the dark. Don‘t forget to book the night walk in advance because the demand is really high. Once it‘s full they won‘t take you spontaneously into the group. Take some insect repellent and wear your hiking shoes. It can be really itchy.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 13, 2024
  • Nissa D
    36 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice place to visit - defenitely recommend
    I really enjoyed my visit here! We spent quite some time (from 09h30-14h incl lunch). We were there in the morning and there were only few people so it was very nice to be in such a calm place. Lots to do, nice if you can take your time for the visit and take some breaks during the walk to enoy the environment (there are several benches). There is also a small museum and a garden at the end, so quite some things to see and to do. We also had lunch here which was very good.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 26, 2024
  • birder25
    19 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good birding
    Good birding. Saw lots, especially spiderhunters, from the watching towers and canopy. Enjoyed listening to gibbon calls. Night tour starts with watching the flying squirrels and then looks for nocturnal mammals etc. Saw slow loris. The cafe at RDC sold really good meals, drinks and ice cream at reasonable prices. Took great photos on the suspension bridge.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written May 30, 2024
  • Ezgi K
    19 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful peace of rainforest with tons of wildlife spotting opportunities
    Wonderful place to visit during the day AND night. We went in the early afternoon and once more for a night walk between 8-10pm and saw many cool birds, insects and other animals we otherwise wouldn’t see during regular business hours! You have to reserve a spot in advance through any of the contacts on their site for the night walk though so you won’t have any luck if you’re going last minute. There also won’t be any regular grabs at the late hours, but we were grateful that Syafiq could bring us back to Sandakan that night, for those looking to contact him his number is +60 14-972 5651
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 22, 2024
  • Kev sullivan
    Maidstone, United Kingdom36 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit
    Well worth a visit (or two) This was our second visit here, the first time was 5 years ago and we saw many different types of birds and had a very close encounter with an Orang-utan This time was marred by having a very noisy family following us for most of the raised walk so we came off and walked to the giant tree ! Wow very well sign posted and was firm underfoot. Watch out for the pig tailed macaques,they are very very aggressive. Don’t try to pass them choose another way as the will bite Would highly recommend
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 13, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,055 reviews
Excellent
557
Very good
359
Average
114
Poor
19
Terrible
6

jen1jen
Lausanne, Switzerland24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
I was seriously surprised how good the evening walking tour was. We saw amazing flying squirrels, slow lorries, turtles, mouse deer, sleeping birds and all kind of insects. The guides were very good on spotting the animals and telling about them.

I highly recommend this tour. Just be prepared with good shoes and long pants.
Written July 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tjarda
24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
I just spend the last 3 days at RDC. It was great if you like wildlife! you do have to put some effort in trying to spot them. It's a good place for birdwatching but also some other wildlife. During those 3 visits I saw 45 species of birds! among them: 3 species of Malkoha, oriental pied hornbill, trogons, stork billed kingfisher, red-bearded bee-eater, rufous piculet, black and yellow broadbill, tailorbirds, babblers, sunbirds, spider hunters, flowerpeckers, bulbuls, white crowned Shama and more.

Make sure to also do the night walk. (30RM) I saw giant flying squirrel, horsfield's flying squirrel, lesser mouse deer, slow loris, flying lemur, 2 snakes, amazing glowing worms/caterpillars, lantern bug, scorpions and sleeping birds. it's also possible to see the tarsier here.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul C
Perth, Australia206 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
We were staying in Kota Kinabalu and had wanted to to Orang Utangs in Sepilok. We were able to find a cheap flight leaving 1st thing in the morning and also a return flight in the late afternoon. Knowing where you want to go and getting there proved to be as simple as walking out of the terminal in Sandakan, speaking to a taxi driver, who then was our driver for the day at a fixed price. The guy was brilliant as able to get us to a host of places.
On arrival we attended talk on the wildlife before setting off on the walk ways. Being up you get a completely different feel from walking along the ground paths.
The driver waited hours for us and then also took us to a number of other places. All were magic except the WW2 internment camps where the death march started.

Anyway loved the lecture at the Discovery Centre and the information provided
Written February 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

bethan559
Manchester, United Kingdom31 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
If you have already experienced some of the wonderful national parks in Borneo I wouldn’t bother. We saw absolutely nothing it seems like a spot for avid bird watchers who can spot them in the distance. I thought there would be loads of detailed information about the rainforest in Borneo but it felt a bit like a school project with bits of paper stuck to the wall. There was no information about the loss of the rainforest in Borneo which felt strange especially being in Sabah where it is full of palm oil plantations it would have been good to learn about the impact this has had on the rainforest.

If you want to do some easy walks and haven’t had the chance to experience the rainforest elsewhere in Borneo it might be worth a visit.

Cafe was the best bit. Note drinks are cheaper from the vending machine at the start if you are on a budget.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fiona C
Dubai, United Arab Emirates61 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Family
This was a great visit and we thought we would only spend a couple of hours but we spent all day. We ate at the cafe a little more expensive than some others but not too bad. We came back for the night walk which was a bit too formal and serious for my teens and we didnt see much to be honest but was worth being in the rainforest at sunset where we did encounter an orang utan and her baby.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lina E
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3,602 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
An amazing nature walk. There are many aerial trails and towers named after birds. The most amazing part is the lake trail that leads to the suspension bridge. Entry is 15 Rm per person. The orangutan conservatory and the sun bear center are nearby. There is a cafe inside that sells water and other drinks and food. Not to be missed.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steven_Teo
Tawau, Malaysia516 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019
My title is because I am a local and I have been to better ones. I was there about 10 am, which is not an ideal time in our hot weather. Except for the canopy walk, the trails are not shady enough. And it makes the experience even hotter. The only respite was the air-con Discovery Centre. I only heard a few bird calls and did not see any birds or any other wildlife.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BannedDE
San Francisco, California6,004 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
We were told to reserve the night walk as soon as we arrived in Sepilok and did so. Staff arrived at 6pm and spent 15 minutes organizing the 30 people into 3 groups of 10. This took 15 minutes. Then all set out a bit spaced for the skywalk to catch first attracton, the flying squirrels viewed from the hanging bridge. All 30 reassembled on the hanging bridge to watch, in addition to 20+ who had just waited around from the afternoon to also catch the spectacle. It was a veritable circus and detracted from the overall experience.

The Giants red flying squirrels did perform on time about 630ish, and they were very impressive and the highlite of the walk. A turquise scorpion in the crack of a tree stump was unique, and we saw a small pit viper. The biggest disappointment was not seeing a Philippine slow Loris, cousin to the tarsiers who we had just seen a few weeks back in Bohol, Philippines.
Written August 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Derek B
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
Excellent night walk at the RDC we saw a Tarsier, Slow Lori, Giant Red Flying Squirrel and some birds.
Anzar from Sandakan Transport Service (WhatsApp +60 017 821 7605) reserved our places and provided return transport all for a very good price.
I would definitely recommend the RDC night walk and Anzar’s transportation service.
Written December 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tazzat7
Tonbridge, UK747 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Couples
Fabulous walking trails but even better tree canopy walk. There are 3 towers along the canopy walk allowing you to climb even higher in the canopy. The canopy walk is very safe and well maintained with amazing views. There is also a suspension bridge over the lake and plenty of places to stop and observe the wildlife or just have a rest. We found 2 toilet blocks and a cafe which sold reasonably priced drinks - definitely needed in the heat!
Written July 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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