Rainforest Discovery Centre Sepilok Review: Visiting with Kids
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After spending several weeks travelling through Borneo with our kids, across both Sabah and Sarawak, one thing became very clear: this part of the world offers some of the best wildlife and nature experiences anywhere on the planet.
And while Borneo might sound wild, remote, and difficult to navigate with children, the reality surprised us. With the right planning, it’s far more accessible for families than you might expect.
If you’re visiting Borneo, chances are you’re coming for the rainforest, the wildlife, and those once-in-a-lifetime nature moments. And while places like the orangutan centres often steal the spotlight, there’s another stop that absolutely deserves a place on every itinerary — the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sepilok.
This Rainforest Discovery Centre Sepilok review explains why it became one of the highlights of our Borneo family holiday, what to expect when visiting with kids, and why the night tour is something we still talk about.
🌿 Planning your Borneo family holiday?
If Sepilok is already on your route, booking a guided visit can be an easy way to handle transport, timing and tickets — especially with kids in tow.
👉 See the best family-friendly Sepilok tours here
Table of Contents
- Where Is the Rainforest Discovery Centre?
- How Do You Get to Sepilok?
- Why Visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre?
- 🦜 Short on time in Sepilok?
- Taking a Night Tour at the Rainforest Discovery Centre
- How Much Is Admission?
- Where to stay in Sepilok
- Final Thoughts: Is the Rainforest Discovery Centre Worth Visiting?
- Plan Your Borneo Family Holiday
- FAQs: Rainforest Discovery Centre Sepilok
Where Is the Rainforest Discovery Centre?
The Rainforest Discovery Centre (often shortened to RDC) is located in Sepilok, Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo.
It sits right on the edge of Sepilok village, surrounded by protected rainforest, and is incredibly easy to reach:
- On foot if you’re staying nearby
- By local taxi or Grab (they’re limited, but they do exist)
- As part of most organised Sepilok day tours from Sandakan
Because of its location, the RDC pairs perfectly with a visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre, making it an easy addition to even a short stay.
We stayed in Sepilok for just two nights and it was easily enough time to see the orangutans, sun bears and fit in a day and night tour of the RDC.
How Do You Get to Sepilok?
If you’re planning a Borneo family holiday, Sepilok is one of the easiest wildlife hubs to include.
✈️ Flying In
There are regular flights from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan, which is the nearest airport. From Sandakan, Sepilok is only around 23km away — roughly a 45–60 minute drive depending on traffic.
🚗 Driving
Driving from Kota Kinabalu to Sepilok is technically possible, but we wouldn’t recommend it with kids. The journey is long, the road conditions can be poor, and it’s a tiring way to start or end a family travel day.
🏨 Where to Base Yourself
You can either:
- Stay in Sepilok, within walking distance of the RDC
- Or stay in Sandakan and visit Sepilok on a day trip
If you’re short on time or want to include a night tour, staying in Sepilok makes life much easier.
Why Visit the Rainforest Discovery Centre?
The Rainforest Discovery Centre offers something truly special: safe, immersive access to the Bornean rainforest, without needing serious hiking skills or endurance — which makes it ideal for families.
🌿 Canopy Walkways & Skywalk
One of the highlights is the 620-metre Skywalk, a raised walkway that takes you right up into the rainforest canopy.
From here, kids can actually see the different layers of the rainforest:
- Forest floor
- Understorey
- Canopy
- Emergent trees
It’s one thing to explain this in a book — it’s another to stand above it all, looking down into a living ecosystem.
🌳 Jungle Immersion Without the Stress
The paths and walkways are well maintained and easy to navigate, even with younger children. You get the feeling of being deep in the jungle, without worrying about tricky terrain or getting lost.
🧠 Visitor Centre (Surprisingly Good for Kids)
The visitor centre is genuinely excellent, with:
- Interactive and visual displays
- Clear explanations of rainforest ecology
- Content that actually engages kids rather than talking over them
It’s a great place to slow things down and help children understand what they’re seeing, not just rush through it.
🌱 Plant Discovery Garden & Lake
The Plant Discovery Garden and lake area offer a calmer pace, perfect if your kids need a breather after the Skywalk. It’s also a lovely spot for spotting birds and insects.
☕ Café (Manage Expectations!)
There’s a small café on site, which is great for cold drinks after walking in the heat. Food options are limited and not particularly appealing, so we’d recommend bringing your own snacks — especially with kids.
🦜 Short on time in Sepilok?
Many families choose a half-day tour that combines the Rainforest Discovery Centre with the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and Sun Bear Sanctuary — all with transport included.
👉 Check out this highly rated day trip that combines all the key sights, and all transport in-between
Taking a Night Tour at the Rainforest Discovery Centre
If there’s one experience that truly set the RDC apart for us, it was the night tour.
This was hands down one of the highlights of our entire Borneo trip.
🌗 Twilight in the Rainforest
The tour starts around dusk, when the forest begins to change. Sounds shift, light fades, and suddenly everything feels more alive.
The most anticipated sighting — and the one everyone is quietly hoping for — is the Red Giant Flying Squirrel.
🐿️ The Red Giant Flying Squirrel Experience
At twilight, the ranger guides lead you onto the Skywalk and position the group in areas where the squirrels are most commonly seen. Then you wait. In silence.
When it happens, it’s magical.
The squirrels launch themselves from the trees, soaring silently through the air, gliding from trunk to trunk. You hear stifled gasps, whispered excitement, and the kind of awe that kids (and adults!) rarely forget.
Even now, this is one of those moments our children still talk about. I managed to capture the moment on camera, and I still love to watch it back from time to time and relive the feeling of awe again!
🌌 After Dark: Night Creatures
Once darkness falls and the squirrel show is over, the walk continues deeper into the forest.
With the help of the guide’s torch, we spotted:
- Birds settling for the night
- Enormous spiders
- Snakes
- Scorpions
- A fascinating variety of insects
Some lucky groups also see tarsiers, slow lorises, or civets. We didn’t spot these on our walk — but honestly, the flying squirrels alone made the night tour completely worth it.
🌙 The night tour was one of the highlights of our entire Borneo trip.
If this is something you don’t want to miss, we strongly recommend booking ahead — spaces are limited and it’s popular with families. You can find more information here – bookings are taken on the gate, via social media and on the phone.
How Much Is Admission?
The Rainforest Discovery Centre is open daily, with very reasonable entrance fees.
🌿 Day Admission
Non-Malaysian Residents
- Adult: RM 30/£5.50/US$7.40
- Child (5–17): RM 20/£3.75/US$5
- Children under 5: Free
🌙 Night Walk Fees
- Adult: RM50/£9.35/US$12.50
- Child: RM25/£4.60/US$6.25
Whilst you can pay on arrival for the day-time entry, you absolutely MUST book the Night Tours in advance as these fill up fast. You can book these through calling the RDC, or book on arrival in Sepilok if you’re staying for a couple of nights.
If you’re travelling on a tight timeframe, it’s well worth considering an organised tour that includes:
- Transport from Sandakan
- Rainforest Discovery Centre
- Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
- Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre
This takes all the logistics off your plate — sometimes it’s just worth it when you’re travelling with kids.
💡 Travelling on a tight timeframe? A guided tour can work out great value once you factor in transport, tickets and timing feeding sessions elsewhere in Sepilok.
👉 Compare Sepilok tours with transport included
Where to stay in Sepilok
Being close means less rushing, easier early starts, and flexibility if you want to do both daytime visits and a night walk. If you’re in a MASSIVE rush then your best bet is to stay in Sandakan and take a day tour that combines all the Sepilok sights. But if you’ve just got a couple of nights then I would highly recommend basing yourselves in Sepilok.
Being able to space out the activities across a couple of days is so much better with hot and exhausted kids in tow. Plus, staying in Sepilok means you’ll have an air-conditioned base to retreat too for breaks between activities (honestly, this made a massive difference for us).
👉 We stayed at Sepilok B&B which is the closest accommodation to the RDC. It’s right on the edge of the rainforest so it feels remote, despite being a short walk to everything else in Sepilok.
The family rooms here are huge, with bunks for the kids and big comfy doubles for the adults. Breakfast is included in the rates, and the staff are well-used to catering for early starts and late nights for the various tours in the area so they can can adjust breakfast/dinner times for you if you let them know your plans in advance.
🏨 Check rates for Sepilok B&B here – big family rooms with aircon within a few minutes walk of the RDC
Final Thoughts: Is the Rainforest Discovery Centre Worth Visiting?
Absolutely — and especially on a Borneo family holiday.
The Rainforest Discovery Centre offers:
- Unmatched access to pristine rainforest
- Easy, family-friendly walkways
- Educational value without being boring
- One of the most memorable night tours we’ve ever done (and we did a LOT on our way around the world!)
It’s not flashy, it’s not over-commercialised — it’s just amazing value, easy access to the Borneo rainforest for the whole family.
If you’re building a Borneo itinerary, the RDC should be a non-negotiable stop, and if you can possibly make it work, the night tour is unmissable.
Plan Your Borneo Family Holiday
If you’re trying to piece all this together into a realistic route, we’ve done the hard work for you.
👉 Download our free 2-week Borneo itinerary for families here
It shows you how to fit Sepilok, wildlife experiences, and downtime into a plan that actually works with kids.
FAQs: Rainforest Discovery Centre Sepilok
Yes — it’s one of the most family-friendly rainforest experiences in Borneo. Walkways are well maintained, distances are manageable, and the visitor centre is engaging for children.
Plan for 2–3 hours during the day, or longer if you’re combining it with the night tour. Many families spend half a day here comfortably.
Yes, as long as they’re comfortable walking quietly in the dark. It’s exciting rather than scary, and ranger guides are excellent at keeping kids engaged.
There are no guarantees — this is real rainforest. That said, the flying squirrels are seen frequently, and insects, birds, and reptiles are almost always spotted.
Day entry tickets are usually available on arrival. Night tours and organised tours are best booked in advance, especially during peak travel periods.
