Danum Valley Conservation Area
438 square kilometres of lowland rainforest in Sabah, left largely undisturbed. Bornean orangutans, gibbons, clouded leopards and more than 270 kinds of bird live here, and jungle treks, river swims and night walks lead into it.
- Where
- Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 4.9167, 117.6667
Get the Danum Valley Conservation Area stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Danum Valley Conservation Area. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Sabah volume with your photos and a note.
Near Danum Valley Conservation Area
Gomantong Caves 80 km
A cave system inside Gomantong Hill, the largest limestone outcrop in the lower Kinabatangan. Swiftlets nest high on its walls, and their edible nests are gathered by collectors climbing rattan ladders and ropes.
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre 110 km
A centre next to the orangutans at Sepilok that cares for, rehabilitates and releases Malayan sun bears, the smallest bears in the world. It was set up in 2008 by the wildlife biologist Wong Siew Te.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre 110 km
A centre about 25 kilometres west of Sandakan where orphaned orangutans learn to live in the forest again. From the viewing platforms you can watch them swing in through the trees at feeding time.
Sandakan Memorial Park 116 km
A quiet park on the grounds of the wartime prisoner camp at Sandakan, remembering the prisoners who died on the marches to Ranau. It also recognises the suffering and sacrifice of the local people, and a memorial service is held here each 15 August.
Kinabatangan River 118 km
Malaysia's second longest river, running 560 kilometres from the hills of south-west Sabah to the Sulu Sea. Its lower reaches wind through riverine forest, oxbow lakes and mangrove, where boats pass proboscis monkeys and hornbills.
Mabul Island 130 km
A small island off the south-east coast of Sabah that has been a fishing village since the 1970s. Its nearness to Sipadan brought the divers in the 1990s, and resorts on stilts now share the shore with village houses.
Sipadan Island 139 km
Malaysia's only oceanic island, formed by coral growing on an extinct volcano and rising 600 metres from the floor of the Celebes Sea. More than 400 species of fish live around its reef wall, and divers rank it among the finest sites anywhere.
Turtle Islands Park 144 km
A marine park of three islands, Selingaan, Little Bakkungan and Gulisaan, in the Sulu Sea north of Sandakan. Green and hawksbill turtles come ashore on their beaches to lay eggs, and the hatchlings are released back to the sea.
More hidden gems in Sabah
Questions
Where is Danum Valley Conservation Area?
Danum Valley Conservation Area is in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Gomantong Caves (80 km), Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (110 km), Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (110 km).
How do I get the Danum Valley Conservation Area stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Danum Valley Conservation Area and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Sabah volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Danum Valley Conservation Area before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Sabah volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.