Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
(Orangutan Sanctuary)

Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is located in a 650 hectare forest reserve around 20 km from Kuching and is home to 28 orangutans who roam freely within the forest.

Four of these orangutans were rescued, having been previously injured, orphaned or illegally kept as pets. The other 24 are their children (14) or grandchildren (10) and have grown up in semi-wild or totally wild conditions. Some of them appear regularly at feeding times on the feeding platforms enabling human visitors to see them up-close. Others are more shy and self-sufficient and rarely make an appearance.

orangutan with coconut at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
list of orangutans at Semenggoh

There are 14 males, 10 females and 4 unknown (prefer not to say)? Orangutans in captivity can live over 50 years and the oldest one here is Seduku, a female aged 53.

orangutans at Semenggoh sanctuary get around by tree or rope

From the ticket booth and entrance gate visitors can either walk 1.6km (20 minutes) to the orang-utan main feeding area or take a ride on a buggy for an additional fee.

electric buggies ferry visitors at Semenggoh Nature Reserve

Along the way you pass a wild orchid garden, nepenthes garden, an arboretum, ethnobotanical garden, ferns and aroids garden, bamboo and ficus garden and a wild fruits garden although some of these were closed off for maintenance during my visit.

ethnobotanical garden at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre

But the orangutans are the star attractions here. On arrival at the feeding area a ranger gave a humorous talk on orangutan behaviour and warned visitors to keep their distance, stay silent and not to stand underneath a tree with orangutans above unless they want a warm shower! On our visit we were fortunate to see about 8 orangutans. Sometimes they do not appear at all at the feeding platforms and the rangers may take visitors into the jungle trail to try to get a glimpse. Tourists sometimes go home disappointed, not seeing any orangutans. This is nature after all, not a zoo.

Annuar the orangutan at the feeding platform.

This is Annuar, a male aged 26, known as Cassanova for his interest in the ladies. He is tempted to the feeding platform with bananas, coconuts and cassava. Oranutans also eat leaves, insects, bark, flowers, eggs and small lizards. They build a fresh nest every night in the forest canopy.

Review Verdict

These are lovely creatures and it is a pleasure to be able to see them in their natural habitat knowing that they are well cared for while trying to keep human invention to a minimum.

orangutan swinging on a rope with coconut in her mouth

Opening Hours & Admission Charges

Open daily from 8 - 10am and again from 2-4pm.


Ticket Prices

  • Malaysian RM 5 for adult and RM 2 for children (Aged 6-17).
  • Foreigner RM 10 for adult and RM 5 for children.
  • Kids below 6 are free.

Buggy Ride RM 15 return.

You have to register your name, age, phone number etc. online by scanning the QR code at the ticket booth. I guess if you do not have a mobile phone with data you could give your registration details manually.

layout plan of Semenggoh Nature Reserve

How To Get to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre

The exact location of the entrance gate and ticket booth is marked on this map:

If you don't have your own car it is probably best to hire a taxi or Grab. There are a few parking spots at the entrance.

There is a free bus departing from near the DUN building but Semenggoh is the 50th!! stop so you will need to plan your journey carefully to arrive in time for the park opening hours. To help you plan you can download the Kuching Metro app for bus tracking, bus routes, schedule and route map.

You can read more about Semenggoh Nature Reserve and learn facts about orangutans on their official website.

For enquiries please call 082-618 325 / 082-618 324.

Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.

Share this page:

Like this website? Head over to my Facebook page and leave a like or comment:

You can also contact me via the link at the bottom of this page.