Sandakan: A Great Start and End to Our Kinabatangan Adventure

The main reason we visited Sandakan was for our 3-day, 2-night tour of the Kinabatangan River, but Sandakan itself turned out to be a great place to start and finish our trip.

Accommodation

We stayed in two different hotels during our time here — one before the tour and one after.

Our first stay was in a double room at Sandakan Backpackers Hostel. The hostel was basic but totally fine for a night or two. The bed was okay, and there were two shared bathrooms between four rooms — but they were always clean. The highlight for us was definitely the rooftop with hammocks and the central location.

After the tour, we stayed at Aecotel Hotel, which is slightly outside the centre but still just a five-minute walk away. The bed here was much comfier, and we had our own private bathroom. Surprisingly, the hotel was actually cheaper than the hostel on the night we booked — a great find!

Exploring Sandakan Before the Tour

When we arrived in Sandakan, we took a Grab to our hostel, checked in, had a quick look around, and then went for a walk. We ended up strolling to Harbour Mall, where we browsed the shops and grabbed some noodles for dinner at the Food Garden. After dinner, we headed back to the hostel and chilled on the rooftop hammocks, listening to live music from nearby — such a nice, relaxing evening.

The next morning, we started our day at MOMO Oriental Kitchen. I loved the concept of writing down your order and paying afterwards — super easy! Adam finally got the omelette he’d been craving all trip, and I had panda custard with toast, which was sweet and satisfying. After breakfast, we headed back to the hostel and relaxed until our 12 p.m. check-out.

At noon, we waited outside for our tour pickup (read about the full tour experience in my other blog post!). After the tour, we were dropped off at our next hotel.

Orangutan Sanctuary Visit

During check-in at Aecotel, we spotted a sign advertising a local bus to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary for 10 MYR per person each way. We messaged the number listed (+601112654984 WhatsApp) and booked a 2 p.m. pickup.

While waiting, we popped over to San Da Gen Kopitiam for a little lunch snack. We tried the UFO tart and an egg tart. Both were nice, although I expected the UFO tart to taste a bit different but still worth trying.

At 2 p.m., our bus arrived. It was a bumpy ride, but we were pretty much the only passengers, which made it feel like a private shuttle!

Entry to the orangutan sanctuary was 30 MYR per person for non-residents. We arrived in time for the 3 p.m. feeding, which was amazing to witness. Afterward, we headed to the nursery, where we saw several younger orangutans. The viewing area is air-conditioned, and you can just sit and watch them swing and explore — a really unique experience.

The park closes at 4 p.m., and we caught the same 10 MYR bus back to our hotel.

Last Evening & Departure

That evening, we headed out for dinner at DOJO, which also uses the write-down-your-order system. We tried a great selection of plates — everything we ordered was delicious.

The next morning, we woke up, packed, and headed straight to the airport to continue our journey.