26 December 2025

Borneo, Sabah: 2025 – October 19th to November 1st; with 1stopborneo@gmail.com, 1stopborneo.org

We, Manuela and I visited Sabah, Borneo, with 1stopborneo (1stopborneo@gmail.com, 1stopborneo.org) from October 19th to November 1st, 2025, to observe mammals.

We spent

  • 2 nights at Beluran Safaris,
  • 3 nights at Deramakot,
  • 2 nights at the Kinabatagan River (Sukau River Homestay),
  • 2 nights in Tawau Hills,
  • 2 nights in Maliau Basin and
  • 2 nights at Tawau Inikea Safaris.

 

We were extremely satisfied with 1stopborneo – their organizational talent, commitment/enthusiasm, competence, flexibility regarding safaris – and the humorous support from the team, especially from Shavez and Yulinda. The tour exceeded all our expectations. We can therefore highly recommend this non-governmental organization (NGO), which is dedicated to wildlife conservation in Borneo, especially in Sabah, and also offers sustainable ecotourism. Their approach combines animal welfare (enforcement), environmental education, habitat restoration (ecosystem enrichment), and sustainable economics.

 

Highlights of our trip included sightings of

  • Prevost’s Squirrel (frequent, for example at Beluran Safaris)
  • Borneon Pygmy Squirrel (1 sighting in Tawau Hills)
  • Black Flying Squirrel (1 sighting in Tawau Hills)
  • Thomas’s Flying Squirrel (regular sightings, especially at Beluran Safaris, Deramakot, Inikea, and Malilau)
  • Red Giant Flying Squirrel (regular sightings, for example at Deramakot)
  • Malayan Porcupine (1 sighting at Beluran Safaris, 2 sightings at Deramakot, 1 sighting in Malilau)
  • Large Flying Fox (regular sightings at Deramakot and Malilau)
  • Bornean Colugo (2 sightings at Tawau Hills, 1 sighting at Inikea)
  • Moon Rat (1 sighting at Inikea)
  • Western Tarsier (3 sightings at Tawau Hills)
  • Philippine Slow Loris (frequent sightings at Deramakot, 1 sighting at Inikea)
  • Long-Tailed Macaque (daily, everywhere)
  • Pig-Tailed Macaque (almost daily, everywhere)
  • Proboscis Monkey (common in Kinabatangan)
  • Red Leaf Monkey (1x in Beluran Safaris; daily in Tawau Hills)

  • Silvered Leaf Monkey with pale morph (1x in Kinabatangan)
  • North Borneo Gibbon (daily in Beluran Safaris, Deramakot, Malilau, Tawau Hills, Inikea)
  • Borneon Orangutan (Beluran Safaris, Deramakot)

  • Marbled Cat (1x in Malilau)
  • Sunda Leopard Cat (everywhere, up to 3 sightings per night drive)

  • Malayan Civet (common, especially in Deramakot, Beluran Safaris, Inikea and Malilau)
  • Banded Civet (regularly, especially in Deramakot, Beluran Safaris, Inikea and Malilau)
  • Three-Striped Palm Civet (1x in Deramakot)
  • Masked Palm Civet (1x in Beluran Safaris)
  • Common Palm Civet (everywhere, up to 10 sightings per night drive)
  • Binturong (multiple times, up to 3 sightings per night drive)
  • Collared Mongoose (1x in Malilau)
  • Sunda Stink Badger (1x in Beluran Safaris)
  • Yellow-Throated Marten (1x in Malilau)
  • Sunda Pangulin (1x in Deramakot)

  • Borneon Elephant (Kinabatangan; at least 70 Elephants)
  • Lesser Mouse Deer (regularly in Beluran Safaris, Malilau)
  • Red Muntjac (regularly in Malilau)
  • Sambar Deer (common in Deramakot, Malilau).

 

For further information, I would like to mention Wallace’s Flying Frog (Beluran Safaris), Harlequin Flying Frog (1x in Demarakot).

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Ingo Röhl
Berlin, Germany
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