Routes · Asia

Mexico City to Borneo: Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan

Mexico City → Kota Kinabalu → Sandakan (Sepilok)

Borneo orangutans Best season (general guide): Mar–Oct

Malaysian Borneo is about as far from Mexico City as you can travel. The flights cross the Pacific and usually connect in East Asia, but this route rewards the effort with rainforest wildlife you won't see anywhere else. It is set in Sabah, in the north of the island, and has two bases. The itinerary spends three nights in Kota Kinabalu and three nights in Sandakan (Sepilok).

Kota Kinabalu, the coastal capital, comes first. It's a relaxed city with a waterfront night market, and the islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman park are a short boat ride offshore. Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia's highest peak, can be visited on a day trip to Kinabalu Park (the summit climb needs a permit and a guide). A short domestic flight east lands you in Sandakan. Nearby, the Sepilok rehabilitation centre cares for orphaned orangutans, which can be watched from walkways at feeding times. The sun bear centre is next door. Many travellers also add a river stay on the Kinabatangan, where boat trips at dawn and dusk look for proboscis monkeys, hornbills and sometimes pygmy elephants.

Sabah gets rain all year, but local wildlife guides usually describe roughly March to October as drier than the northeast monsoon months from November to February. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. River lodges and the Kinabalu summit climb have limited capacity, so book them before your flights.

Bring light, quick-drying clothes, a rain jacket and leech socks for jungle trails, and binoculars help a lot on the river. Orangutans at Sepilok are semi-wild, so feeding-platform visits are timed, and some days the apes simply stay in the forest. Kota Kinabalu's Sunday Gaya Street market is a good place for local snacks and crafts, and sunsets over the South China Sea are a nightly event on the waterfront. Allow a full day of rest after arriving, as the time difference with Mexico is large.

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