Borneo’ s jungle has declined by 80% over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, this also happened around the Deramakot Forest Reserve. This is because the British planted palm trees in Malaysia after World War II. These palm trees produce palm oil, which the government of Malaysia, especially the island of Borneo, has seized with both hands to start cultivating and deriving revenue from. Huge shame because the wildlife that used to be so very present is now being increasingly reduced.
Fortunately, this is still well preserved in the Deramakot Forest Reserve. Rangers here have started a program to plant fruit trees so the animals will have more to eat and numbers will rise again. A good initiative. This also ensures that more Borneo jungle tours can be organized.
We did the 4 days 3 nights tour with L.O.S.T. Borneo and this was awesome! Below is exactly what will be done from day to day during the tour. Did you know that in Borneo you can spot Orang Utans in the wild? There are only two places in the world where this is possible. In Borneo and in Sumatra in Indonesia.
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Day 1 to Deramakot Forest Reserve
On Day 1, you will be picked up at your hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s largest city, in the morning. If you are staying in another city, you can take the bus or Grab (works the same as Uber) yourself to Telupid Town, where you will meet the guides. You should be here around 4 p.m.
Tip: read all the information about transportation in Borneo here.
When you have met the guides make sure you buy dinner here, which you can take with you on the road. In fact, you eat your dinner while the guides drive to the jungle. After half an hour you turn into a side road and the bumping begins. The first 35 kilometers you drive past palm oil plantations. It is heartbreaking to hear the guides tell about this. Before, this was all jungle and you could see many animals here. These animals have all been forced to move because their habitat was cut down, and many are also killed by plantation workers.
After about an hour and a half, you will arrive at the gate to the Deramakot Forest Reserve. From here the jungle tour in Borneo really begins. The guides do their best to spot the animals in the dark. We immediately saw a civet cat and a young python here.
Around 9 p.m. you will arrive at the residence. It is in the middle of the jungle, but fortunately there is plenty of light and several houses. It feels safe to go to sleep here. The rooms are fine, there is air conditioning and it is clean. You can get a good night sleep because tomorrow the alarm will be early.
Day 2 in Deramakot Forest Reserve
At 05:30 you will be expected at the jeep. Very early! During the morning drive, you will spot animals that have just woken up and go hunting before it gets too hot. Watching Borneo’s jungle wake up and the clouds disappear is beautiful. For these views alone, it is worth it.
During the morning drive, we saw orangutans, hornbills, macaques and different types of birds. After the morning drive, one guide will cook, in the middle of the jungle, and the other will take you for a morning walk. You can just follow the road here and walk through the jungle of Deramakot. Then we had breakfast in the most extraordinary place, with a beautiful view.
Once back at the lodge, we went straight to bed. We didn’t get enough sleep yesterday and are making up for it now. At 13:00 we will have lunch at the lodge and at 15:00 we will leave again for the afternoon drive and night drive. These are adjacent and we dine at the same place where we had breakfast this morning. In pitch darkness this time, with only a flashlight under the stars. WHAT a magical experience.
Day 3 in Deramakot Forest Reserve
This day has the same program as yesterday. After the morning drive you come back and we immediately took another power nap. This is really necessary if you still want to focus in the afternoon. After all, all the shaking back and forth in the car and staring at the trees makes you very tired. It takes a lot of energy. Fortunately, delicious meals are prepared by the guides and make this a top-notch experience.
In the afternoon, we focused on finding elephants. Yesterday they were spotted where we had our dinner (unfortunately just after we left) so we are trying again today. The guides are trying very hard, looking at all the tracks and poop. If the poop is fresh they know they are around. We hear them in the distance, but unfortunately we don’t get to see them. Nevertheless, we spotted many other beautiful animals and it was a successful day.
Day 4 to Kota Kinabalu
The last day of the jungle tour in Borneo. Again, you get up early because at 06:00 you leave for civilization. The first 35 kilometers is a morning drive, during which you again do your best to spot wildlife.
You will then arrive at the gate of the Deramakot jungle and continue your way through the palm oil plantations. Once back on the road have breakfast at a roadside restaurant and continue on to Kota Kinabalu. Where you will arrive around 3 p.m. It is time to continue your tour of Borneo. If you still haven’t had enough of the wildlife and jungle, you can travel on to the Kinabatangan River. If this is your last stop in Borneo, you can fly from here to mainland Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur or to Singapore.
Important information and packing list for Deramakot
There is no wifi and no coverage in the jungle. So you are completely unreachable for 3 days (nice and quiet). Don’t forget to let family and friends know in advance, before they get worried. Furthermore, there are also a few important items to take with you when you go on a jungle tour of the Deramakot Forest Reserve:
- Deet (very important, otherwise you’ll be covered in all the mosquitoes and insect bites)
- Thin long pants and long-sleeved shirt. Preferably no black clothing, insects and mosquitoes love this.
- Shoes that are allowed to get dirty
- Sunglasses and sunscreen
- Camera or phone
The Deramakot Forest Reserve is less well known than Danum Valley and therefore cheaper. Still, even this jungle tour is very expensive – as all activities in Borneo are expensive – but worth every penny as far as we are concerned. Borneo is one of the few places where you can still go into the pristine jungle like the Deramakot Forest Reserve. You feel at one with the wildlife and for a moment you are completely in another world. An unforgettable experience.
The guides and organization of L.O.S.T. Borneo made this possible for us and we also highly recommend them. You don’t have to think about anything, communication is fast and good, and they help you with everything. If you are interested in the tours and prices you can send them an email at [email protected] they respond within a day.
