Where it’s bestKenyaTanzaniaIndiaAfricaBotswanaMadagascarNamibiaRwandaSouth AfricaUgandaZambiaZimbabweAsia & the Far EastBhutanIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaMongoliaPapua New GuineaRussiaSri LankaPolar & NordicAntarcticaFinlandGreenlandIcelandNorwaySwedenLatin AmericaArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorGuyanaPeruBrowse all destinations
All JourneysJourney ThemesBig Cat SafarisBirdingGreat MigrationLandscapesMarine CoastNorthern LightsPolar ExpeditionsPrimate TreksRare SpeciesWildlifeBirdsCheetahElephantJaguarLeopardLionPenguinPrimatesPumaRhinoSnow LeopardTigerTravel StylesPrivate JourneysPhotography ExpeditionsSlow TravelLuxury Lodges & CampsConservation-Led TravelFamily AdventuresOn FootSmall Group JourneysFly-In SafarisSignature Journeys
JournalGalleryFilmsBrochures
EnquireTravel CalendarFirst-Time Safari GuidePacking GuideFAQ
Our StoryConservationPressGuest ReviewsContact
Enquire
Home  /  Malaysia  /  Danum Valley
Primary rainforest · Sabah, Borneo

Danum Valley

Borneo's pristine primary rainforest — towering dipterocarps, orangutans and the chance of a clouded leopard.
Getting there
~2.5 hr from Lahad Datu (LDU), eastern Sabah
Best for
Primary lowland rainforest, orangutans, clouded leopard chance, canopy walkway, birding
The land
Untouched lowland dipterocarp rainforest in eastern Sabah
Good to know
One of the few large tracts of never-logged primary rainforest left in Borneo
What it is
Danum Valley is primary Borneo — never-logged rainforest of giant trees, wild orangutans and, for the lucky, a clouded leopard at night.
A rare expanse of untouched primary rainforest, Danum is the connoisseur's Borneo: towering dipterocarps, a canopy walkway, wild orangutans and red leaf monkeys, and night drives that occasionally turn up the Sunda clouded leopard. The birding and the sheer grandeur of the old-growth forest are unmatched in Sabah.
Danum Valley Conservation Area — primary rainforest.
The reason to come

Untouched rainforest

Danum is the real, primary Borneo — grand, intact and rich.

Primary forest walks

Among giant dipterocarps, with a canopy walkway above.

Wild orangutans

Truly wild apes, away from any feeding station.

Night drives

For clouded leopard, civets, slow loris and flying squirrels.

Worth knowing

The real Borneo

Danum's never-logged forest shows what the island once was — and is among the last places to find it intact.
Primary dipterocarp rainforest in the Danum Valley.
When to come — honestly

A primary-forest park.

March – October
Best
Drier months — the best forest access and night-drive conditions.
Year-round
Good
Primary forest delivers all year; rain can fall any month.
Danum is wild and primary — the clouded leopard is a chance, not a promise, and the forest demands real walking.
Context

Primary, and protected

Danum is a research-led conservation area whose primary forest sets it apart from Borneo's logged and replanted landscapes.

It is the wilderness high point of a Sabah journey, after the Kinabatangan's river.

We pair Danum's primary forest with the Kinabatangan for the full Sabah contrast.

Beyond the obvious

More to Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Canopy walkway

Canopy walkway

High among the dipterocarp crowns.

Night drive

Night drive

For clouded leopard and nocturnal life.

Rainforest trails

Rainforest trails

Wild orangutans and red leaf monkeys.

Why Wild Voyager

We get you to the right forest at the right time.

From river lodges to night-drive reserves, we match the parks and guides to your targets — orangutans, clouded leopards or ten species of hornbill.

Handpicked lodges

We choose the lodge and guiding that fit your dates and targets, not whatever is left.

We time it right

We build your visit around the season and the displays that deliver.

Journeys

Trips through Danum Valley

5 Days · 4 Nights

Danum Valley Explorer
10 Days · 9 Nights

Ultimate Sabah Wildlife
8 Days · 7 Nights

Clouded Leopard Quest
8 Days · 7 Nights

Sabah Wildlife Highlights
15 Days · 14 Nights

Ultimate Malaysia Wildlife
14 Days · 13 Nights

Borneo Complete
Where to stay

Where you’ll stay in Danum Valley

Signature Collection
PhotoBorneo Rainforest Lodge
Signature

Borneo Rainforest Lodge

The only lodge inside Danum Valley — a benchmark rainforest lodge amid primary forest.
Classic Collection
PhotoDanum Valley Field Centre
Classic

Danum Valley Field Centre

Research-station accommodation in Danum, simple but right in the primary forest.
Wildlife you may see
Birds Leopard Primates

Plan your Danum Valley Conservation Area journey.

Walk the primary rainforest and night-drive for clouded leopard. Tell us your dates and we will build the route around it.

Plan a Danum Valley Conservation Area trip

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

A few times a year, never more. Unsubscribe anytime. See our Privacy Policy.