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The Far East is home to some of the world’s most breath-taking wildlife, where you can witness incredible, often endangered, creatures in their natural habitats. These encounters aren’t just a chance to marvel at nature’s wonders – they also offer insight into vital conservation efforts aimed at protecting these species. From the orangutans swinging through the treetops of Borneo to the snow monkeys basking in Japan’s hot springs, the region’s diverse and rare wildlife makes it a dream destination for animal lovers.
Many of the following wildlife experiences are available on our multi-centre itineraries, but as always, we can tailor-make any itinerary to fit your exact preferences and incorporate your bucket-list wishes – so anything is possible. Simply get in touch to find out more.
Malaysian Borneo is a truly magical place to meet orangutans in their natural habitat and the states of Sabah and Sarawak are home to over 12,000 orangutans. One of the most popular locations for encountering orangutans is along the Kinabatangan River, accessible from the gateway town of Sandakan in Sabah. Here, you can hop on a boat tour and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the rainforest. As you glide along the winding river, keep your eyes peeled and camera ready for these fascinating creatures swinging through the trees with their long powerful arms and expressive faces.
Also near Sandakan is the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre where rescued orangutans are rehabilitated before their return to the wild. The centre offers viewing platforms where you can watch the feeding sessions and see these gentle giants up close, all while learning about the vital conservation efforts the centre has put in place to protect their habitat.
If you’d prefer something a bit more adventurous and to trek through the forest for sightings of orangutans, head to the rainforest of the Danum Valley or the Tabin Wildlife Reserve where you can join a guided trek or head out on an exciting a 4-wheel drive safari.
Recommended Itinerary: The Best of Borneo
When visiting Thailand, a visit to an ethical elephant sanctuary is an experience that you’ll never forget and a highlight of many of our clients’ trips. These sanctuaries focus on the well-being of rescued elephants, ensuring they’re never subjected to rides or forced to perform tricks. One of the best and most ethical sanctuaries is the Elephant Nature Park, near Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. This pioneering sanctuary allows you to spend hours in the company of these incredible creatures, all in beautiful, lush surroundings.
During your visit, you’ll join a small, guided group to prepare food for the elephants and enjoy a hands-on experience feeding them. (Watermelon is a firm favourite!) This lets you bond with these gentle giants before accompanying them on a serene walk. You’ll also witness the elephants as they bathe in the river and scratch themselves against trees. For a truly immersive experience, you could consider one of their overnight packages that includes sleeping in a rustic park hut overnight.
Recommended Itinerary: Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Phuket
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China, is a dream destination for anyone eager to see giant pandas up close. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is one of the most renowned conservation centres in the region, leading ground-breaking research on panda behaviour and playing a vital role in their preservation. The visitor experience here is truly special, allowing you to see these incredible animals at every stage of life, from playful new-born cubs to fully grown adults, all in a setting carefully designed to resemble their natural habitat.
One of the highlights of your visit will undoubtedly be feeding time. Twice a day, the staff prepare bamboo, fresh fruit, and even specially made panda cakes. Watching them enjoy their meals is an unforgettable sight, and the expert guides make the experience even richer by sharing fascinating insights into panda care and the crucial conservation efforts underway to protect these beloved creatures.
Recommended Itinerary: The Best of China
Proboscis monkeys, with their distinctive long noses and potbellies, are found nowhere else in the world but Borneo. These unique primates are incredible to observe, especially in their natural habitat, and The Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, located about 38 km from Sandakan, in Malaysian Borneo, offers a fabulous way to meet these iconic creatures. The sanctuary was first established when the landowner, a palm oil farmer, discovered a population of proboscis monkeys living in the mangrove forest on his property. His decision to protect the monkeys and their habitat eventually transformed the area into a conservation site, helping to safeguard these unique primates. Today, the 400-acre sanctuary is home to around 150 free-ranging monkeys.
Labuk Bay features two observation platforms, where daily feeding sessions take place, drawing the monkeys from the forest to enjoy beans, cucumbers, and pancakes. Don’t be alarmed if the monkeys come and say hello! They are highly habituated monkeys and often approach visitors, creating a truly unforgettable experience – and plenty of cute photo opportunities!
In addition to Labuk Bay, you can also catch sight of proboscis monkeys on a boat trip along the Kinabatangan River.
Recommended Itinerary: The Best of Borneo
The Philippines is home to some of the Far East’s best spots for seeing whale sharks in their natural environment. These magnificent creatures are the largest fish in the ocean, reaching lengths of over 40 feet. Despite their huge size, they are completely harmless to humans and known for their calm and docile nature – and certainly don’t fit the usual bill of what you’d expect a shark to be! As filter feeders, they glide through warm, tropical waters, consuming plankton and small fish as they go.
While sightings are never guaranteed, Donsol in Luzon and Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte are renowned hotspots and provide ethical trips to view the sharks. The local fishermen, trained as whale shark spotters, play a crucial role in guiding the tours and reducing fishing pressures in the overexploited waters. In Donsol, there are plenty of boat trips are available for whale shark watching, whether you’re interested in snorkelling or diving to spot these incredible creatures. During the peak season from February to April, sightings are more frequent and reliable. Another alternative is Sogod Bay, which is off the beaten path, but offers a more tranquil and less crowded experience. The season here is usually between November to May although it’s always best to check in advance.
The whale shark watching in both these areas are supported by charities including the WWF Philippines and the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), ensuring that it is conducted sustainably. This ensures that income goes to the local communities and raises awareness about the importance of the conservation of whale sharks.
Recommended Itinerary: Best of the Philippines
Sun bears, the smallest bear species in the world, stand at just 70 cm tall when on all fours. Despite their small size, these are bears with big personalities and meeting them is a wonderful experience. Sadly though, they are also endangered, and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sabah serves as a rescue and rehabilitation facility for sun bears, many of whom were previously kept as illegal pets. The centre offers the rare opportunity to see these small but mighty bears in a natural forest setting as they recover and prepare for life back in the wild.
A visit to the centre allows you to watch the bears climb trees and forage for food with their distinct chest markings and long tongues (perfect for extracting honey!).
Located near the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, a visit to the BSBCC is ideal to combine with seeing orangutans, making it a wonderful wildlife-packed visit.
Recommended Itinerary: The Best of Borneo
One of the best places to see Pygmy elephants in Borneo is at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah. Tabin is a 300,000-acre conservation area that’s become a haven for many endangered species, including the Bornean pygmy elephants, as well as Sumatran rhinos, orangutans, and clouded leopards. The reserve is a bit out of the way of the usual tourist path, but its remoteness adds to its appeal with the journey there being an adventure in itself.
The Bornean pygmy elephants are the smallest of all elephants and at Tabin you can join guided treks and jeep safaris through lush lowland forests and along the riverbanks to spot them. The reserve is home to over 300 bird species, so birdwatching is another highlight, as is spotting other wildlife like orangutans, macaques, and the reserve’s diverse array of insects and reptiles.
Another great place to place to see Bornean pygmy elephants in Borneo is on a guided boat tour along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah. The lower stretches of the Kinabatangan River, particularly around the Sukau and Bilit areas, are where herds of Bornean pygmy elephants often gather, especially during the dry season when they come to the riverbanks to drink, bathe, and look for food. The best time to visit for elephant sightings along the river is generally early morning or late afternoon, when they are most active.
Recommended Itinerary: The Best of Borneo
The adorable Philippine tarsier is found primarily in the south-eastern part of the Philippine archipelago, especially on the island of Bohol. These tiny primates have large round eyes, long tails, and the ability to rotate their heads 180 degrees. Their small size – about the size of an adult hand – and their natural camouflage make them hard to find in the dense forest, as they blend in seamlessly with the trees and thick vegetation. Their nocturnal nature also adds to the difficulty, as they spend the daylight hours resting in the treetops, often remaining motionless for hours.
Even if you don’t spot them during a rainforest trek, you’ll likely hear their soft chirps and high-pitched calls echoing through the forest. However, the best chance of seeing them up close is at dedicated conservation area such as the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Bohol. This eco-tourism destination is dedicated to the conservation of these endangered animals and provides a controlled environment for you to observe them without causing these sensitive creatures distress and also learn about ongoing efforts to protect them.
Before entering the tarsier viewing area, you are shown a video explaining their behaviour, conservation challenges, and the sanctuary’s role. There are some strict rules in place to protect the animals’ well-being and only a few of the tarsiers are shown to visitors each day to limit their exposure to human activity. You are asked to observe in a quiet manner as they can be easily stressed. Also flash photography, touching, or disturbing the tarsiers in any way is prohibited.
Recommended Itinerary: Best of the Philippines
Dugongs are shy creatures that are more closely related to elephants than marine mammals. Nicknamed ‘sea cows’ they thrive around the waters of Coron, Palawan which is home to the largest dugong population in the Philippines making it a prime location for dugong sightings.
Dugongs are typically found near seagrass beds, which are their primary feeding grounds, so snorkelling or diving in these areas offers the best chance to spot these creatures. They often surface briefly to breathe, releasing small bubbles so you need to look for subtle movements on the water’s surface or the fluke of their tail as they dive back down. It’s best therefore to join an organised dive boat or snorkelling tour to have the best chance of spotting these animals with the help of an expert guide.
Recommended Itinerary: Best of the Philippines
The Snow Monkey Park in Jigokudani, Nagano, is one of the best places to see Japanese macaques, or ‘snow monkeys,’ in Japan. These iconic creatures, known for their thick fur coats and striking red faces, are especially captivating as they soak in the hot springs, particularly during the winter months when the area is blanketed in snow.
The park, established in 1964, was designed to offer a safe space for wild macaques to be observed without fences or cages, while also keeping them away from raiding nearby farmlands. The monkeys live in the surrounding mountains but come down for daily meals provided by park staff, and they can be seen bathing year-round, with the best time to visit being from December to March. A visit usually begins with a peaceful walk through a forest trail, where you’ll spot the monkeys relaxing in the steaming waters. The macaques are used to human interaction and observing their social behaviours and expressive faces – which can range from playful to serene – is a fascinating experience.
Recommended Itinerary: Not featured on our set packages, but can be added as a stop to any of our Japan Itineraries
The Far East offers the chance to witness some incredible species and our clients tell us that these are often a highlight of their holidays in this region. If you’d like us to craft your own wildlife-inspired holiday or you’d like to include some of these unforgettable experiences in your next holiday to the Far East, please get in touch with our team of experts.
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