Deramakot Forest Reserve Safaris

Morning light through Deramakot lush rainforest

Deramakot Forest Reserve

Southeast Asia's Premier Mammal Watching Destination

Deep inside a 55,000-hectare sustainably managed forest in the interior of Sabah, Deramakot's network of logging roads creates conditions that are perfect for Mammal Watching — vehicles moving slowly through dense forest at night, spotlights scanning the canopy and verges, and a density of nocturnal wildlife that has to be seen to be believed.

Visitors are regularly seeing Sunda Clouded Leopard, Marbled Cat, Leopard Cat, Binturong, Sun Bear, Slow Loris, wild Orangutan and Pygmy Elephant — a list that could take years to accumulate elsewhere in Borneo.

New to Deramakot? Our complete guide to the reserve covers its history, the sustainable forestry that shaped it, and the research that comes out of it.

See the Itinerary View Gallery

Target Species

Mammals You Could See at Deramakot

Deramakot has some of the highest densities of rare mammal sightings in Borneo. Our guides know the roads, the territories and the timing.

Sunda Clouded Leopard

Vulnerable · Flagship species

Malay Civet

Least Concern · Nocturnal

Leopard Cat

Least Concern · Frequent

Binturong

Vulnerable · Nocturnal

Sun Bear

Vulnerable · Tree climber

Philippine Slow Loris

Vulnerable · Nocturnal

Wild Orangutan

Critically Endangered

Pygmy Elephant

Endangered · Road crossings

Bornean Gibbon

Endangered · Dawn calls

Island Palm Civet

Near Threatened

Western Tarsier

Vulnerable · Nocturnal

Sambar Deer

Vulnerable · Common

Wildlife photographers on misty forest road at dawn, Deramakot

Two photographers with telephoto lenses, Deramakot

Why Deramakot Wildlife Safaris

Specialists Who Have Spent Thousands of Hours on These Roads

Our guides don't just know Deramakot — they grew up with it. They know which trees the orangutans favour, which road junctions the cats use most, and how to read the forest sounds from a moving vehicle at midnight.

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Night Safari Expertise

Minimum 7 hours of 4WD spotlight driving per day, timed around visitors preference and best time to find mammals.

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Permitted Reserve Access

Only a small number of licensed operators may take guests into Deramakot. We are among the pioneers who first opened this reserve to wildlife tourism.

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Small Groups Only

Maximum 6 guests per vehicle. Quiet, unhurried, intimate — the way serious wildlife watching should be.

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Conservation at the Core

Every booking contributes directly to habitat restoration projects inside Deramakot and supports the sustainable forestry certification that keeps this reserve wild.

Where You'll Stay

The Deramakot Reception Centre

Simple, comfortable and completely surrounded by the forest. The reception centre is the base for all your safaris — a clean, well-maintained forestry headquarters with everything you need and nothing you don't.

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AccommodationClean rooms with air conditioning and en-suite or shared bathrooms.

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All Meals IncludedA resident cook provides three meals daily — hearty, freshly prepared food. Dietary requirements catered for with advance notice.

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ElectricityGenerator power normally runs through the night for charging camera batteries and phones. A power bank is worth packing for the occasional outage.

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Deep Inside the ReserveUnlike lodges on the reserve boundary, you are staying in the heart of the forest — meaning wildlife right outside your door, morning and night.

Full Accommodation Details

Guest Reviews

What Our Guests Say

"Deramakot forest is by far the best kept secret in Borneo for wild life. We went with Adventure alternative Borneo and had an amazing guide in Mike. Beyond every expectation and I could happily stay there for months. It has everything in the wildlife check list and with Mike we able to see most of it. Wish I had stayed longer. I have been on many safaris around the world and this is right up there with the best. If you have time make it a number 1 place to go in Borneo you can thank me later!!!!"

Londonspider

…"I spent 1 week in Deramakot, and saw 1 very rare marbled cat, many leopard cats, 2 Binturongs, 3 slow loris, 1 malayan porcupine, 4 kinds of civets, 3 orangutans, 3 bornean pygmy elephants, 1 juvenile reticulated python, 1 cobra and 1 beautiful bird called blue-banded pitta. And my camera traps also captured 1 clouded leopard, 1 banded linsang, 1 western tarsier, some bearded pigs."…

Franklimx

Excerpt

"I had a real pleasant stay here in this remote place in the middle of green wild Jungle. The guesthouses were clean and the food was good. Helpfull staff en great guides who like to show you as much wildlife as possible, I would recommend to go for some spotlighting. We had sightings of elephants and orangutan here. The overall experience was superb"

janco v

"I wanted to go to Deramakot but was not easy to Find something. In formation on this side made me Email to Adventure Alternative Borneo. I stayed 4 days 3 nights we had early ,afternoon and night trips. Food and acomedation was realy good. Saw Oranggetangs ,Elefants, Monkeys, And a sun bear in total 23 different kind of mamals lots of birds 4 different kind of snakes etc. Was fantastic Payed 2100 RM."

Frank v

…"There are good chances to see a wide variety of mammals – lots of palm civets, Malay civet, orangutan – and a better than normal (though still very small!) chance of seeing clouded leopard, sun bear – and perhaps an otter civet. The accommodation was surprisingly good – air-conditioned rooms with ensuite bathrooms."…

HGHF

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"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."

nett3d

Enquire & Book →

Deramakot —
Where Wild Mammals Rule
The Night

Southeast Asia's Premier Mammal Watching Destination

Mammals You Could See at Deramakot

A Deramakot Safari

Specialists Who Have Spent Thousands of Hours on These Roads

Night Safari Expertise

Permitted Reserve Access

Small Groups Only

Conservation at the Core

The Deramakot Reception Centre

What Our Guests Say

What Our Guests Say

From the Wildlife Diaries

Ready to Experience Deramakot?

Deramakot —Where Wild Mammals RuleThe Night

Southeast Asia's Premier Mammal Watching Destination

Mammals You Could See at Deramakot

A Deramakot Safari

Specialists Who Have Spent Thousands of Hours on These Roads

Night Safari Expertise

Permitted Reserve Access

Small Groups Only

Conservation at the Core

The Deramakot Reception Centre

What Our Guests Say

What Our Guests Say

From the Wildlife Diaries

Ready to Experience Deramakot?

Deramakot —
Where Wild Mammals Rule
The Night