Deramakot Forest Reserve

Deramakot is a wildlife enthusiast's dream. It is the perfect example of sustainable forest management and wildlife protection and conservation. Rare and endangered animals are thriving here with regular sightings of some of the most elusive creatures. Animals found at Deramakot include the Sunda Clouded Leopard, Leopard Cat, Marbled Cat, Orangutans, Maroon langurs, Bornean Gibbon, Pygmy Elephants, Colugos, Sun Bears, Flying squirrels, Civet Cats, White Collared Mongoose, and a great variety of beautiful birds.

With a total of 7 hours drive time per full day, you can either choose to split the time into a morning, afternoon and night drive or some people choose to use all 7 hours at night looking for the elusive nocturnal mammals. We can adjust to suit your preferences. 

Between drives will be spent at your own leisure. You may want to explore the grounds and the surrounding jungle trails which offer some great Orangutan and Gibbon sightings as well as an array of birds.

Deramakot accommodation is clean and comfortable with attached bathrooms. 4 rooms per chalet with double and twin rooms are available. AAB provide your own in house cook and will adapt the menu for any dietary requirements you may have.

 Comments from our visitors to Deramakot:

"Beautiful rainforest with full of wild animals (gibbons, civets,..) The best birthday present was to spot a wild male orangutan there:) Binoculars or long zoom camera are essential."

"A week at Deramakot is likely as close as you'll ever get to experiencing such a strong sense of wonder and such a wild, dissonant pulse as you set off from your lodging into exploring this selectively logged wild eden. A truly unique hope on the island of Borneo where intact rainforest is increasingly scarce as it's lost in the rising tides of palm oil plantations overt destruction. The gentle balance of ecotourism within Deramakot is one of the most essential components of preserving this unique beacon of wildlife in Sabah. A truly remarkable and dense area of biodiversity; it’s unquestionably one of the world’s best locations to observe a huge swath of endangered species including: wild Orangutans, Clouded Leopard, Marbled cats, Asian leopard cats, Pittas, Colugos, Flying foxes, Slow loris, Binturong, Civets, and a whole host of other beautiful, elusive animals but on the brink of extinction. 

Without our guide Mike and driver Lang of Adventure Alternative Borneo, we’d have returned home seeing little more than a shadow of the flora and fauna we could only have dreamt of experiencing. Their dedication and enduring drive enabled us to have multiple incredibly close observational encounters with Sabah’s wildlife. I highly recommend booking this expert crew to guide your visit through Deramakot, Sabah and Borneo. They were able to cater exactly to our interest, skill and fitness levels and deliver well beyond our expectations. Tread lightly, but book a visit soon to what is likely (other than Danum Valley) one of the last vestiges of semi-intact biodiverse ecosystems within the entirety of the Sundaland "

"I've now spent two trips (total of 7 nights) at Deramakot Forest Reserve with Adventure Alternative Borneo and their excellent guide and driver. It is my favorite lowland location in Sabah. The mammal opportunities here are superb--orangutans, flying squirrels (we were even fortunate enough to see a pygmy flying squirrel!) and civets galore, leopard cats, colugos, proboscis monkeys if you cruise the river, waking up to hear gibbon whooping... we were even lucky enough to watch a CLOUDED LEOPARD during the day as it slowly crossed the road in front of us! Birding is good here too, with the species you'd expect at Danum. The accommodation here is comfortable and the food is good; Adventure Alternative takes care of everything for you. Activities include night drives, boat trips on the Kinabatangan, and hikes; the itinerary is flexible dependent on your desires. Very highly recommend booking this trip with Adventure Alternative--you won't regret it." - February 2017