Orang-Utans!

The Orang-Utan (Malay for ‘man of the forest’) Rehabilitation Centre is situated on the east coast of Sabah. The project is based at two different locations – the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre (located on the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve) and the Nature Reserve (located at the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort). On our recent trip to Kota Kinabalu we visited the Nature Reserve in Rasa Ria.

The Nature Reserve encompasses 64 acres and was established in 1996 in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. Orphaned, injured, and confiscated orang-utans taken from illegal pet trading are sent to the reserve and nursed back to health. The wardens treat the orang-utans and then teach them important survival skills such as foraging for fruit and climbing trees. Once those skills are mastered they and then introduced into the forest reserve at the center. When the wardens feel that an orang-utan is fully rehabilitated they are taken back and released into the wild.

At the nature reserve you have a chance to learn more about the rehabilitation process through a presentation before having a chance to view the orang-utans up close. A boardwalk leads past the nursery/food preparation station and onto the feeding platform where the orang-utans are fed milk and bananas. There are two daily feedings (10 AM and 2 PM) and since each feeding can only accommodate 65 viewers, be sure to book a viewing in advance! The feeding lasts an hour and costs $65 ringgits ($21 USD). At the reserve you can also partake in guided tours, a canopy walkway tour, or opt to be a Ranger for a Day to learn more about the habits, food preparation and temperament of the various animals found at the reserve.

We choose to view a feeding and got to see 4 baby orang-utans! They were really friendly and energetic as they swung from the rope structure to get their bananas. We also got to see lots of fish, turtles, and chickens on the hike up to the orang-utan feeding platform.

Quick Facts:
Address: Nature Reserve at Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu.
Hours: Feedings at 10 AM and 2 PM, can book through the hotel
Cost: $65 MYR per person

Shangri-la Rasa Ria

We had a wonderful time on our vacation in Malaysia. It was very relaxing...we basically stayed at the resort the whole time so lots of lounging at the beach and playing in the pool. Oh and eating. We did a lot of eating. I have to say that while I'm not exactly a beach person (before we had a baby I would never think to go to a beach resort for vacation as we would much rather do something more active) it was nice to just do something relaxing as a family for a few days. The weather was fantastic - it was warm (but not too hot) and not humid at all. I used to think San Diego would be the perfect place to live weather wise, but have to say Malaysia has fantastic year round weather also.

We stayed within the Garden Wing. Our room was a bit disappointing since it was slightly musty and bit outdated (I believe the hotel has plans to renovate the Garden Wing), but the room is very large and has a small lounge area that is portioned off which is nice. It was also a bit noisy. The floors are tile and the walls are thin so you can hear people walking by your room or in the room above. The resort grounds and amenities however were all lovely. We stayed on the first floor and so could just step outside to walk along the grounds from our patio doors.

There is a kids club for children ages 4-12 that includes a small outdoor play area. I think the age limitation is only for drop off care since Ethan was only one at the time and we were freely encourage to play at the club together. The children’s pool is shaded and has a slide to keep the little ones entertained. It is located right next to the adult pool. Both have fun rock formations. The beach is visible from the pool area and the resort offers rentals of jet skis, boogie boarding, etc. The kiosk at the pool provides towels, sunblock and even some paperback books if you forgot your beach reading material!

Food was great and there is a kid’s menu offered throughout the day. The staff is welcoming and friendly. One of the main reasons we choose this resort was because the Nature Reserve was located at the hotel. We were excited to learn more about the orang-utan rehabilitation process and see the baby orang-utans.

All in all it was a great beach vacation at a nice resort. We stayed for 4 days and had a blast (and we didn’t even leave the hotel)!

It is hard to tell but this is the extra lounge area. It is sunken and divided from the bed area by a low divider. There was room to fit the porta crib (hotel provided) by the bench seating area.

The first thing we did was head to the beach.

Of course we had to bury Ethan in the nice soft sand.

Later that day we got to meet a friendly Orang-Utan.

Checking out the old fashioned foot washing station.

There were banana trees all around the resort...

Which yielded the cutest smallest bananas perfect for baby sized hands.

Ethan had lots of fun and didn't want to leave!

Quick Facts:
Address: Pantai Dalit Beach, 89208 Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia
Location: 40 minutes from airport, 35 minutes from city shopping area.
Phone: (60 88)) 792 888
Check in: 2 PM
Check out: 12 PM