Borneo Wildlife Holidays
A sandstone escarpment standing above unbroken rainforest, with cloud lying in the valley below it at first light.

Sabah · Interior

Imbak Canyon

A rainforest that almost nobody has walked into, and the headwater of the river everyone has heard of.

Imbak Canyon sits in the middle of Sabah, between Danum Valley and Maliau Basin, in a band of forest known as the DaMaI landscape: roughly a million hectares under nomination for UNESCO World Heritage status. It was gazetted as a Class I Protection Forest Reserve in 2009, the strictest category the state has. The Kinabatangan, the river most visitors to Borneo will have heard of long before they hear of Imbak, begins here.

Getting in is not a matter of turning up. There is no public road to the canyon, the final stretch is four-wheel-drive only, and visitors must have permission from Yayasan Sabah in advance. The state foundation owns and manages the reserve, and patrols it actively. That combination of remoteness and institutional control is the whole reason the forest is in the condition it is, and it is why we can take you somewhere the large European operators do not go.

What you find is a research forest rather than a resort one. The Imbak Canyon Studies Centre opened in 2019, built with RM 83 million of PETRONAS funding, and it is where you will stay. Days are spent on the trails and the river with a naturalist guide who knows the ground. Evenings are quiet, because there is nothing else here.

We will be straightforward about the trade-off: the accommodation is comfortable, clean and simple rather than luxurious. If you want a lodge with air-conditioning and a wine list, we will happily build you a journey that includes one elsewhere in Sabah. What Imbak offers instead is a forest almost no visitor has seen, and the access to reach it.

Speak to a specialist

Alvin Wong

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Every Imbak journey is arranged individually, and there is no set departure to book onto. Tell us when you would like to travel and what you hope to see, and Alvin will put together an itinerary and a price.

Start an enquiry

Why it is different

27,599 ha
Core conservation zone Yayasan Sabah's own figure. Most sources round it to 30,000.
Since 2009
Class I Protection Forest Reserve The strictest protection category in Sabah.
One
Operator selling a scheduled Imbak trip No major European wildlife specialist has an Imbak page at all.
RM 83m
Committed by PETRONAS since 2010 Funding the research station and the conservation programme.

A sample four-day journey

Draft for client approval. Day structure, drive times and activities are indicative and are awaiting confirmation from our team in Sabah.

  1. Day one — Lahad Datu to the canyon

    Overland into the interior, the last stretch by four-wheel drive on logging road. Arrive at the Studies Centre in the afternoon; a short walk to settle in before dark.

  2. Day two — The valley floor

    A full day on foot with your guide, along the river and into the lowland dipterocarp forest. Hornbills are the birds you are most likely to hear first. Night walk after dinner for those who want it.

  3. Day three — Higher ground

    A longer walk onto the escarpment for the view back across the canyon, then an afternoon at the river. Time in the evening with the researchers, when any are in residence.

  4. Day four — Out

    Morning walk, then the drive back to Lahad Datu for onward flights. Most guests continue to the Kinabatangan or to Danum Valley.

Most of our guests spend eleven to seventeen days in Sabah in total, with Imbak as one chapter. See how a longer journey fits together.

Before you come

Getting there
Fly to Lahad Datu, then overland. There is no public road into the canyon and the final section requires four-wheel drive. Access is by prior permission from Yayasan Sabah, which we arrange.
Where you stay
The Imbak Canyon Studies Centre, a research and training complex rather than a hotel. Rooms are simple and comfortable with private bathrooms. Some room types are fan-cooled, and generator power is switched off overnight. We will tell you exactly what to expect for your dates before you book.
Wildlife
  • 81 mammal species
  • 245 birds — including all eight Bornean hornbills
  • 796 plant species
  • 26 on the IUCN Red List
  • 14 carnivores, among them Hose's civet

This is wild forest and every sighting is a matter of patience and luck. We do not promise particular animals — anyone who does is not being straight with you. Orangutans are present in the reserve but in very small numbers, and we would not plan a trip here around seeing one.

Sustainability
The Imbak Canyon Studies Centre holds GSTC Hotel Criteria certification (reference HAVR220109, awarded December 2022), an independently audited standard held by the centre itself.

Often combined with

Imbak Canyon in pictures

Go and see it

Tell us roughly when you would like to travel and how long you have. We will come back to you with a suggested route through Sabah and what it costs.

Start an enquiry