Deramakot
Every Mammal Watcher's Bucket List Forest
A working, FSC certified rainforest holding 75 percent of Sabah's mammal species, and the only reserve with all five Bornean cat species recorded.
Begin Your Deramakot SafariDipterocarp Forest
Recorded Here
Orangutans
Logging Since
Available Daily
Deramakot is not a one species destination. Wild orangutans and pygmy elephants by day, five native cat species and rare endemic civets by night, all within a single working forest. The night safari drive is why serious mammal watchers keep coming back.
What Deramakot Is
A working forest that proves conservation and timber can coexist
Deramakot Forest Reserve sits inland from Sandakan, entered through the small town of Telupid, 55,507 hectares of mixed dipterocarp forest managed by the Sabah Forestry Department since 1989. It is the world's longest running FSC certified tropical forest, practising reduced impact logging, proof that responsibly managed, working forest can still hold extraordinary biodiversity. This is not a park kept behind glass. It is a genuine commercial forest that also happens to be one of the best places on earth to watch wildlife after dark.
What makes Deramakot exceptional is the concentration of rare mammals in a forest actively managed and monitored, giving guides an intimate, constantly updated knowledge of where animals are moving. All five Bornean cat species, a healthy population of wild orangutans, pygmy elephants, Bornean sun bears, banteng, several endemic civets, maroon langurs, flying squirrels and atleast 147 recorded bird species including all eight native hornbills share this single reserve. Accommodation is deliberately limited to one property at Park HQ, which is precisely why the rooms fill early and why we always recommend booking well ahead, or knowing your alternatives.
The Deramakot Night Drive
This is the single reason serious wildlife travellers put Deramakot on their list. Each full day allows up to twelve hours of drive time, which we split across morning, afternoon and night sessions, or concentrate into one long night drive if that is what you are most keen on. Spotlighting is the method: a handheld light scans the forest edge from an open 4WD after dark, searching for the reflected eye shine of nocturnal animals.
Leopard cats are near certain on any given night. Clouded leopards, marbled cats, bay cats and flat headed cats reward patience and, honestly, a little luck, but no other reserve in Borneo gives you a realistic shot at all five in a single stay. Between drives, daytime treks reveal orangutans, gibbons, sun bears and a bird list that runs to all eight Bornean hornbills.
With up to twelve hours of flexible safari drive time available each day, Deramakot rewards guests who are willing to stay up for it. This is where the rare sightings happen.
An orangutan going to sleep in its freshly built nest
The industry's best, handpicked for Deramakot specifically
Very few licensed guides anywhere have real experience tracking Deramakot's nocturnal animals, and we work only with the ones who do. Our senior guides have spent decades reading this particular forest, and it shows in how quickly they find what other vehicles miss.
Spotlighting is a craft, and we equip it properly. Our teams carry the Acebeam K75 2.0, a professional spotlight throwing 6,300 lumens over 2,500 metres, alongside tripod mounted scopes for distant, steady observation. This is the same standard of gear our wildlife photography guests specifically ask for, and rarely find with other operators.
The Wildlife of Deramakot
Seventy five percent of Sabah's mammal species live in this one forest. These are the residents our guests come specifically to find.
Sunda Clouded Leopard
Borneo's apex cat, and the ultimate night drive prize. Deramakot's dedicated infrastructure gives the most realistic odds anywhere on the island.
Marbled Cat
Small, arboreal and rarely photographed well. A spotlight sighting here is a genuine trophy for any serious cat watcher.
Bay Cat
Endemic to Borneo and one of the rarest cats on earth. Few reserves anywhere give guests even a fair chance at this species.
Flat Headed Cat
Semi aquatic and seldom seen, hunting along streams and forest pools. A rare, patient reward on a well guided night drive.
Leopard Cat
Near certain on any given night. Often the guest's first proper introduction to Deramakot's after dark world.
Bornean Orangutan
An estimated 1,400 individuals live here, genuinely wild and unhabituated, nesting high in the canopy each night.
Bornean Sun Bear
The world's smallest bear, largely nocturnal. Daytime forest walks reveal fresh claw marks long before a sighting does.
Maroon Langur
Borneo's quietest primate, a shy red leaf monkey that spends its life almost entirely in the canopy. A signature Deramakot sighting.
Rooms at Deramakot are genuinely limited. Let us check availability first.
Our Approach
Completely private, from the first drive to the last
Every Deramakot programme we run is entirely private. A shared vehicle has to accommodate everyone in it, which means the schedule bends to the group, not to you. Guests who want early starts for primates end up compromising with guests who would rather sleep in for long night drives, and every few days the guide is back to slowing down for species new arrivals have not yet seen, even after your own group has moved on to rarer targets.
With your own guide and vehicle, the pace, timing and focus stay entirely yours. Stay out for the full twelve hours if a clouded leopard is close, or turn back early after a long morning with the orangutans. That freedom is what turns a good Deramakot trip into an exceptional one, and it is the only way we operate here.
Why a Private Safari Makes All the Difference →Park HQ, the only accommodation inside the reserve
Deramakot has a single accommodation option, run by the Sabah Forestry Department at Park HQ, and it is better than the remote location might suggest. Rooms are air conditioned, each with a fan as well, arranged around a shared living room, with bedding and a private bathroom with hot shower provided as standard.
Because this is the only option inside the reserve, and rooms are genuinely few, availability is the single biggest constraint on a Deramakot trip. We recommend booking as early as possible, and always ask us to check current availability before you commit to dates. If Park HQ is full for your preferred window, we route guests to one of three alternative Sabah destinations below rather than compromise on quality elsewhere.
A sun bear, one of the iconic encounters in Deramakot.
Park HQ Is Often Fully Booked
Some Genuine Alternatives of Deramakot
Deramakot's one property is genuinely scarce, and books out months, sometimes years, ahead. When it is not available for your dates, we do not offer a downgrade, we offer one of three destinations we would happily recommend on their own merits. None replicates Deramakot's cat density exactly, each rewards the trip in its own way.
A former logging concession rebuilt into a Class I protection forest, remote and almost unknown, same ecosystem as Deramakot. Wild orangutan and a recovering banteng population, in a reserve where the crowds of Sabah's better known parks simply do not exist.
One of the newest additions to our Borneo circuit, located within the Danum Valley Conservation Area, entirely undisturbed and newly opened to guests. We recommend it particularly for travellers who prefer 4wd safari over guided trekking, although some nice trails are accessible from here.
The Innoprise FACE Foundation Rainforest Rehabilitation Project, a genuine forest restoration site bordering Danum Valley near Lahad Datu, not Deramakot near Sandakan. Best understood as a good base to do guided night drives, missing rainforest treks.
Before You Travel
Useful information for your Deramakot trip
Deramakot is a genuine working forest, hours from the nearest supply. A little preparation goes a long way, and we brief every guest on the specifics well before departure.
Food and Dietary Needs
Tell us your dietary requirements in advance. Our chef stationed there prepares fresh Western and Asian style meals daily, and we are always glad to arrange a local dish on request, despite the remote supply line. We also advise guests to purchase some preferred snacks or canned drinks from the nearest town Telupid on the way.
What to Pack
Comfortable walking shoes or slippers rather than heavy boots, a raincoat or poncho, a light jumper, any specific toiletries, rain covers for cameras and binoculars, a headlamp, insect repellent and antiseptic cream. Walking safaris are mostly not encouraged or permitted, due to wild pygmy elephants in the vicinity.
Comfort and Connectivity
Air conditioned chalets with attached washroom, hot showers, blankets, towels and bedding are all provided. Wifi can be arranged at an additional cost, and tea, coffee and light snacks are available at the dining hall around the clock.
Weather and Timing
Short, heavy rain is common year round in a rainforest, and it rarely disrupts a full day. We recommend avoiding the July to August peak season, when Deramakot is at its busiest and loses some of the intimacy it is known for.
Getting to Deramakot
Rarely a simple point to point transfer. We plan the routing around whatever else is on your Borneo itinerary.
The standard route
Most guests fly into Sandakan, then transfer by road through Telupid town before continuing by 4WD, some stretches unpaved, to Park HQ. Allow three to four hours for the full transfer.
Combining with other reserves
We also arrange transfers directly from Sukau, for guests coming straight off a Kinabatangan river programme, or via Kota Kinabalu, whichever suits the rest of your itinerary better.
How long to stay
Four to five nights is the ideal Deramakot stay, enough time for the odds of all five cat species to shift meaningfully in your favour across repeated night drives.
From the Journal
Everything else we have written about Deramakot
Field notes, species guides and the full reserve comparison, for guests who want to go deeper before they travel.
Why a Private Safari in Deramakot Makes All the Difference
What a shared vehicle costs you at the exact moment a clouded leopard steps into the spotlight, and why we no longer recommend shared drives here.
Read the Journal →
Night Safari in Deramakot
All five Bornean wild cats have been recorded in this one reserve. What a typical night drive actually looks like, hour by hour.
Read the Journal →
Tracking the Maroon Langur in Deramakot
Borneo's quietest primate, a shy red leaf monkey that spends its life almost entirely in the canopy, and where to find it.
Read the Journal →
4WD Game Drives in Deramakot Forest Reserve
What a full day on drive actually looks like, and how morning, afternoon and night sessions are built around your target species.
Read the Journal →
Mammals of Deramakot Forest Reserve
The complete mammal list, from pygmy elephants to all five wild cats, and the odds of finding each one across a typical stay.
Read the Journal →
Deramakot, Danum Valley, Kinabatangan or Tabin?
Four legendary Sabah reserves, four completely different wildlife experiences. The full side by side comparison, and how to combine them.
Read the Journal →Deramakot Intelligence
Questions we are asked first
Answered with the specificity a generic travel site rarely offers.
Planning & Availability
Why is Deramakot accommodation so limited?
Deramakot has a single accommodation option, run by the Sabah Forestry Department at Park HQ, and it is genuinely full booked months, sometimes years, in advance. Because it sits inside an active, carefully managed working forest rather than a purpose built tourism zone, capacity was never designed to scale. That scarcity is part of what keeps the reserve as undisturbed as it is. There are some alternate destinations, almost equally productive.
Can I visit Deramakot independently, without a guide?
No. Walk in safaris are not permitted, and entry permits and vehicle permits must be arranged in advance to do game drives at all. A guide is strongly recommended regardless, since ours are the ones who actually know where the animals are moving. Contact us and we handle the permits, the room booking and the guide together.
Can I visit Deramakot in the rainy season?
Yes. Borneo's rainforest is known for sudden downpours, so we always advise waterproof gear for yourself and your digital gadgets. A little rain is rarely a problem for a full day of drives, and the forest's resident species tend to be more active once the air cools after a shower.
Is Deramakot affected by logging?
Deramakot is a sustainably managed working forest, and reduced impact logging does occur, but responsibly, under FSC certification since a very long time. The resulting logging roads and new growth actually benefit certain species, which is part of why the reserve holds such a concentration of wildlife despite being actively worked.
In the Field
What does a night drive actually involve?
Spotlighting: our guides scan the forest edge with a professional light from an open 4WD after dark, searching for the reflected eye shine of nocturnal animals. It pairs with daytime drives for primates and birds, and each full day allows up to twelve hours of drive time, split however suits your interests.
Are all five cat species guaranteed?
No responsible operator can promise a single sighting. Leopard cats are most commonly seen in night drives. Clouded leopard, marbled cat, flat headed cat and the very rare bay cat require patience across multiple drives, which is exactly why we recommend longer drive hours and a minimum of three nights, and ideally four to five.
Can I see orangutans in Deramakot?
Yes, regularly, especially on morning drives. The reserve holds a healthy wild population, and every one of them is genuinely wild, not relocated from a rehabilitation centre or accustomed to a feeding station.
Is Deramakot good for birdwatching?
Very much so. Close to 290 species have been recorded, including all eight Bornean hornbills, and birders travel specifically for a chance at the rare Bornean bristlehead and white fronted falconet, alongside frogmouths, pittas, the great argus and broadbills.
What camera lens should I bring?
At least 300mm reach for wildlife. A semi pro zoom in the 150 to 600mm range, paired with a 70 to 200mm, covers most sightings well, and a 24 to 70mm is useful for landscapes. Most photography happens in low light, so a fast lens and a camera body that handles high ISO cleanly will matter more than reach alone.
Rooms at Deramakot are limited. Planning ahead is not optional.
We run no group departures to Deramakot. Every programme is private, built by a team that knows the reserve, the guides and the current room availability directly. If Park HQ is full for your dates, we will already have an alternative ready.