Wildlife & Safaris in Southeast Asia

Aboard a slow wooden klotok you cruise Borneo’s tea-dark rivers to feeding platforms where wild and rehabilitated orangutans swing in. Proboscis monkeys, gibbons, hornbills and firefly-lit nights make this Kalimantan’s premier and most accessible jungle wildlife trip.

One of the last strongholds of the Sumatran orangutan, this vast rainforest around Bukit Lawang offers jungle treks with real chances of close encounters. Thomas’s leaf monkeys, gibbons, hornbills and, deeper in, tigers and rhinos share this UNESCO wilderness.

Ranger-guided walks across these rugged islands bring you within safe distance of the world’s largest lizard, a three-metre predator found nowhere else. Deer, wild boar and megapode birds share the savanna, while the surrounding seas teem with mantas and turtles.

This remote Javan peninsula is the last refuge on earth of the critically endangered Javan rhino, alongside banteng, gibbons, leopards and crocodiles. Boat-based exploration and jungle trails make it a genuine frontier for dedicated wildlife travellers.

The cloud forests around Borneo’s highest peak burst with endemic life, from pitcher plants and orchids to rare mountain birds and squirrels. Naturalist trails through mossy montane jungle make it a botanist’s and birdwatcher’s paradise beneath the granite summit.

In one of the world’s oldest rainforests, night walks, wildlife hides and a swaying canopy walkway offer chances to spot tapirs, deer, elephants and myriad birds. Boat trips deep into the interior deliver the full soundscape of primeval Malaysian jungle.

One of the few places to see wild Sumatran elephants, this lowland reserve also runs a rhino sanctuary protecting the world’s most endangered rhino. River trips and forest trails offer sightings of tapirs, gibbons and a rich array of tropical birds.

The forested limestone island shelters the golden-headed langur, the rarest primate on earth, with only a few dozen surviving. Kayaking, jungle hikes and quiet lagoons off Halong Bay give patient visitors a chance at this and other rare wildlife.

This pioneering Chiang Mai sanctuary rescues abused and elderly elephants, letting visitors observe and help care for them without riding or shows. Walking among the free-roaming herds in a forested valley offers a moving, ethical wildlife experience.

A sacred forest sanctuary in the heart of Bali where hundreds of long-tailed macaques roam moss-covered temples and towering banyans. Ancient shrines, jungle paths and playful (if cheeky) monkeys make it an atmospheric, easily accessible wildlife stop.

Mangrove-lined tidal rivers near Kuching are prowled by saltwater crocodiles and troops of proboscis monkeys with their distinctive noses. Dusk boat cruises here also reveal fireflies, silvered langurs, kingfishers and Irrawaddy dolphins in the estuary.

Thailand’s accessible jungle near Bangkok hosts wild elephant herds, gibbons whooping at dawn, and colourful hornbills feeding in the canopy. Night safaris turn up deer, civets and porcupines, making it a superb introduction to Southeast Asian wildlife.

Sabah’s great wildlife river winds through Borneo forest where dawn and dusk cruises reveal wild orangutans, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys and hornbills. The dense floodplain jungle concentrates animals along the banks, making sightings here among the region’s most reliable.

The world’s first nocturnal zoo lets you tram and walk through open habitats after dark to watch tigers, tapirs, pangolins and civets active in the cool of night. Cleverly lit and free of bars, it offers a polished, family-friendly wildlife encounter.

The protected forest covering much of Vietnam’s largest island shelters long-tailed macaques, hornbills and rich birdlife amid dense evergreen jungle. Trails and a nearby wildlife safari park make it an easy add-on to a beach holiday in the Gulf of Thailand.