Why Choose Deramakot?

By Mike Gordon, over 12 years of experience in Deramakot · 23 October 2026

Which is best for wildlife in Sabah: Deramakot, Langom, Danum Valley, Tabin or Kinabatangan? It depends on what you want to see. Here is the short version.

Choose Deramakot if you want to look for wild cats and other nocturnal mammals from a vehicle on forest roads, with few other visitors. Choose Langom if you want a similar night-drive experience near Danum Valley, or Deramakot is full. Choose Danum Valley if you want old-growth rainforest and walking. Choose Tabin if you want more comfort, leopard cats and a shorter stay from Lahad Datu with forest walks and a mud volcano. Choose Kinabatangan if you want the easiest way to see proboscis monkeys, orangutans and birds from a boat, or you are after flat-headed cat.

Why choose Deramakot?

Choose Deramakot for night wildlife. Here are seven reasons.

1. Is the night drive a main activity at Deramakot?

Yes. In most Sabah wildlife areas the night walk or drive is a short add-on. At Deramakot it is the main event: about 3 hours of 4x4 night safari on arrival night, then about 7 hours of day and night safari per full day after that, with extra time available on request.

2. Why are animals easier to see at Deramakot?

Deramakot has a network of well-maintained gravel roads through continuous forest, left by decades of planned, low-impact logging. A guide can drive slowly and quietly for hours with a spotlight, sweeping the road edges and the roadside canopy. Inside dense forest an animal ten metres away is invisible, but from a road you can pick out eyeshine at distance.

3. What mammals can you see at Deramakot?

Deramakot holds a high share of Sabah's mammals and is one of very few places where five wild cat species occur. Regular sightings include leopard cat, binturong, slow loris, flying squirrels, civets, sun bear, wild orangutan and Bornean pygmy elephant. Sunda clouded leopard and marbled cat are possible.

We won't promise a clouded leopard. Broadcaster Kate Humble spent five nights there in 2019 and did not see one, though she found an otter civet, which is rarer still (Wildlife Worldwide).

4. Can you see wild orangutans at Deramakot?

Yes. The Sabah Forestry Department estimates a minimum of around 900 orangutans in the reserve, monitored by an aerial nest count every two years (Sabah Forestry Department). Mornings and late afternoons are spent looking for them, along with elephants and birds. See our full guide to wild orangutans at Deramakot.

5. Is Deramakot sustainably managed?

Yes. Deramakot has been managed under reduced-impact logging since the 1990s and was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council in 1997. It is the longest-certified tropical rainforest in the world. Certification lapsed in 2019 and was regained in 2024 (FSC Malaysia). It is also one of the most intensively researched forests in Borneo, with camera-trap studies on clouded leopards published in Biotropica in 2026. Read more in our complete guide to Deramakot Forest Reserve.

6. Is Deramakot a quiet reserve?

Yes. Access is by permit only, through a limited number of licensed operators, and guests stay at the forestry Reception Centre inside the reserve. A vehicle takes a maximum of seven guests, and groups are usually booked together or privately.

7. What do independent naturalists say about Deramakot?

Its reputation was built by visiting naturalists writing up what they saw. The founder of mammalwatching.com recorded 31 mammal species in five days in May 2015, including nine species on one two-hour stretch of his first night drive (mammalwatching.com).

What about Langom, the closest alternative to Deramakot?

Langom is the nearest thing to Deramakot outside Deramakot. It is a newer research station on the edge of the Danum Valley Conservation Area, around 2.5 hours from Lahad Datu, including a gravel road section. The point of comparison is the night driving: Langom has its own 4WD tracks, so you search for nocturnal mammals from a vehicle rather than on foot.

• How it differs: Deramakot is a large, long-established reserve with a deep bank of trip reports. Langom is a newer station with its own safari roads and a growing track record.
• Why people choose it: it is easier to get a place when Deramakot is full, and it pairs night drives with the Danum area's daytime trails.
• What to expect: reports so far mention marbled cat, orangutan and Bornean bristlehead.

For the full story, including species targets and rooms, see our Langom guide on Wildlife of Borneo.

When is Deramakot not the right choice?

• You want the easiest trip. Deramakot needs a 4WD and a long overland journey. Kinabatangan is more convenient.
• You want a boat. For river cruises and proboscis monkeys, choose Kinabatangan.
• You want to walk in old-growth forest. Danum Valley is known for primary rainforest, trails and a canopy walkway.
• You want a short mixed stay from Lahad Datu. Choose Tabin.
• You want luxury. Deramakot accommodation is simple, clean chalets at the Reception Centre. See our accommodation page.
• You want a guarantee. Nowhere can offer one.

Many travellers combine two areas. Deramakot and Kinabatangan both sit on the Sandakan side. Langom, Danum and Tabin all go through Lahad Datu.