3 Day 2 Night Tabin Wildlife Safari with Accommodation, Meals, Private Transfers and Activities.
Ideal for: Anyone who wants to experience the best of Sabah’s wilderness and wildlife in a few days
Booking: On request. We will confirm availability within 2 business days for your dates
Payment Terms: Once confirmed, pay RM200 deposit with the rest payable 45 days beforehand. No payments are refundable
Need To Know: This is a popular resort with only 20 rooms so book as far ahead as you can to avoid disappointment. At peak times, especially in July and August, book six months ahead at least.
CLOSED TEMPORARILY TO NEW BOOKINGS
Want to explore Sabah’s rainforest and wildlife? Head to Tabin Wildlife Reserve. This three day tour package has everything you need to get there and then enjoy everything it has to offer with barely anything more to pay.
Imagine, staying in the rainforest at Tabin Wildlife Reserve for three fabulous days…
All your activities arranged for the best chance of seeing wildlife and exploring the wilderness….
Plus, a fabulous lodge at Tabin Wildlife Resort to call home with rainforest views…
Plus, all your meals while you are at the resort…
Plus, transfers from Lahad Datu Airport and return…
Imagine how you’ll feel if you spot a pygmy elephant, a wild orangutan, proboscis monkeys or a sun bear…
This Amazing 3 Day Safari includes:
- Accommodation for two nights at Tabin Wildlife Resort. This is the only accommodation inside Tabin Wildlife Reserve
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner while you are at Tabin Wildlife Resort (2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners)
- Activities with a nature guide:
- Briefing at the Trogon Hall Gallery
- Trekking to the mud volcano with wildlife spotting
- Night safari
- Early morning bird walk
- Visit bird watching tower
- Drive and trek to Lipad waterfall
- Tabin rainforest foot soak
- Dusk wildlife spotting drive
- Night walk
- Shuttle transfer from Lahad Datu Airport at either 8am or 12pm to Tabin Wildlife Resort
- Shuttle transfer from Tabin Wildlife Resort to Lahad Datu Airport at 1:30pm
All activities are subject to weather and park conditions at the time of your trip. Wildlife spotting can never be guaranteed.
Keep reading for more details.
If you can spare another day, I highly recommend you consider our four day Tabin Wildlife Safari here.
Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Tabin Wildlife Reserve is a nature reserve and wildlife sanctuary located in the eastern part of Sabah, Malaysia about a 1.5 hour drive from Lahad Datu. This reserve is home to a variety of endangered and rare wildlife species.
The Tabin Wildlife Reserve was established in 1984 to protect the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros and other wildlife species such as the Borneo pygmy elephant, orangutan, clouded leopard and sun bear. The reserve is also known for its diverse bird species, including the endemic Bornean bristlehead. Unfortunately, the rhinoceros are no longer found here but you can still see many other animals.
The Tabin Wildlife Resort is the only accommodation within the reserve and gives you the opportunity to experience the wildlife and natural beauty of the area. The resort provides comfortable lodgings, guided jungle trekking, bird watching and wildlife safaris to observe the various animal species in their natural habitat. It’s a very well run operation.
It’s a beautiful part of Malaysia with amazing experiences to enjoy. In this 3 day experience, you get to explore the best that this area has to offer.
Itinerary
The timing of activities is subject to weather/trekking conditions and departure and arrival times. Your safari may not follow this itinerary exactly and may be re-organised.
Day One
You will be picked up at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve office at Lahad Datu Airport at 8am or 12pm. This airport is small and you’ll have no problems finding it. The transfer takes about 1.5 hours. If possible, you’ll check into your room.
If you arrive on the earlier transfer, visit the Trogon Hall gallery. Here, there is information about the conservation of Tabin as well as the birds and wildlife in the reserve.
Enjoy the lunch buffet.
In the afternoon, trek to the active Lipad mud volcano. This is often the highlight of a visit as this mineral salt lick attracts wildlife and birds. There’s a great viewing platform to watch and wait.
Your guide will also help you try to identify the animal footprints that you’ll find here, and you can try the mud on your skin if you wish.
Have a shower and relax for a moment in your beautiful lodge or take a walk around the resort looking for wildlife.
Enjoy the dinner buffet. Afterwards, there may be a slide presentation on Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
Finally, head out on a night safari to look for nocturnal wildlife and birds.
Day Two
Take an early morning bird walk with your guide. There’s a light breakfast before you head out and, after you return, enjoy a full breakfast.
You’ll then head out on a drive to the bird watching tower where you can look out for birds. On the way to the next stop, your guide will explain the orangutan release program here.
Hike through the rainforest to Lipad Waterfall. If you wish, have a quick swim and enjoy a natural shower in the waterfall.
Visit the Tabin Giant Tree on the way back before enjoying another buffet lunch.
Next up, you can try the Tabin rainforest foot soak made from a blend of herbs to relax your tired muscles after the jungle treks.
Enjoy a dusk drive to look out for more nocturnal wildlife and birds that start coming out for food at this time.
After another great dinner, go for a night walk near the resort looking for sleeping birds, frog and nocturnal wildlife.
Day Three
You can enjoy an optional dawn drive (extra cost) before breakfast.
After breakfast, enjoy your room and the resort grounds for the morning.
Your shuttle will take you back to Lahad Datu at around 1:30pm after you enjoy a final lunch.
Tabin Wildlife Resort
Tabin Wildlife Resort is the only accommodation option in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and it is just beautiful. Surrounded by nature, you’re likely to spot wildlife and birds as you walk around or from your balcony.
There is a restaurant and bar on-site where you will have all your meals, a small gift shop and a suspension bridge over the river that it sits next to. Wifi is available in the restaurant. I had good Digi cell coverage here.
There are just twenty, beautiful wooden bungalows at the Tabin Wildlife Resort Malaysia where you can stay. There are ten river lodges and ten hill lodges. All come with private balcony, air-conditioning, fan and hot water showers.
The river lodge is built along the Lipad river and offers views of this. The hill lodge is along the hill with more privacy and views over the jungle.
All rooms can accommodate up to three people and have twin or double bed options. They are all connected by a timber boardwalk to the rest of the resort.
Room type can’t be guaranteed.
Inside The Lodges
All rooms have fans, air-conditioning, balconies with views and modern bathrooms. There’s a toilet and shower with toiletries.
Rooms have twin beds or a double bed. An extra bed can be added for another adult or two for children so a family of four can stay in one room.
There’s also a drying rack, a big bench seat you can use for your suitcase, a clothes hanging rack with a safe, a desk and chair, a tall mirror, two torches and bottled water.
The rooms are clean and comfortable, but definitely the best part is the balcony where you can soak up the reserve.
Meals
On-site is the Sunbird Cafe which is where you’ll eat your meals. It is open from 7am to 10pm and serves both local and western cuisine. Main meals are included in your package, and there are snacks here throughout the day. You can also purchase alcoholic and soft drinks.
For breakfast, there’s a light breakfast at 6am before you go out for dawn activities and then a bigger breakfast afterwards. The light breakfast is cereal and toast. The bigger breakfast is this plus juice and hot options like noodles, toasted sandwiches and omelettes.
A typical lunch is two vegetable options, a chicken option, a fish option, rice and soup as well as some fruit. Dinners are similar with more dessert options.
Why Book Through Us?
We have a close relationship with Tabin Wildlife Resort and Reserve to help deliver this experience in the easiest, best way possible for a great price. This is the easiest tour package you can find for Tabin Wildlife Reserve with everything taken care of.
We are an Australian run, Malaysia loving operation that takes pride in helping you have the best experiences in Malaysia no matter where you are from.
This Tabin Wildlife Safari is an amazing way to enjoy Tabin Wildlife Reserve when you want a fabulous wildlife experience with a well-run organisation in Sabah. You can ask any questions by filling in the form above or emailing [email protected]
You can also find more information about what it’s like to stay here and do this safari in our full Tabin Wildlife Reserve review here based on our own experiences travelling and staying here.
Additional Costs
We highly recommend you buy full coverage international travel insurance for your trip.
You also need to get to Lahad Datu Airport for the start of your trip. We can book a land transfer for you from other places in Sabah (please note this in the booking form) or you can book a flight arriving at Lahad Datu Airport.
All foreigners need to pay a RM10/per room/per night Hotel Tourism Tax on top of the prices above. You’ll find this a requirement everywhere in Malaysia.
Otherwise, you can easily spend nothing else here.
Find more tours and experiences here. You can also find our 2 Day Tabin Wildlife Safari option here or 4 Day Wildlife Safari here.
