Semenggoh Nature Reserve

The rangers in Semenggoh are training orphaned or rescued orangutans how to survive in the wild rain forest with the goal of  full rehabilitation. Thanks to the work of the nature reserve the surrounding forest is home to a thriving population of healthy adult and young orangutans, who are now breeding in the wild. Most of the times these orangutans spend their time roaming through the forest but frequently come back to the wildlife center for a free meal.

The Orangutans we saw at the Wildlife Center

We were lucky to see 2 orangutans who were very hungry. One was out in the forest and the other one was sitting directly under the roof above the people and this one was huge.

Shortly after we arrived it started raining very hard and the we realized why the big orangutan was sitting under the roof. Orangutans are so smart.

Like humans also orangutans don’t like to get wet. So the orangutan who was out in the forest just collected some leaves and built himself an umbrella. We have never seen something like this before or even read about it. It was truly amazing to experience that. Just can’t stop looking at this picture.

How to get there?

There are several companies offering tours to Semenggoh Nature Center, but actually it is not necessary to book a tour. Just take a bus and safe some money, the experience is exactly the same and traveling like the locals is always a great experience. Just just get on bus number 6 at the Jalan Masjid station. It will take about one hour to get there. The bus will take you exactly at the entrance gate of the wildlife center, then you need to walk around 20 minutes to get to the feeding point

Feeding times

The center feeds the orangutans 2 times per day. One session is in the morning at 9 am and the other one in the afternoon 3pm. For the 9 am feeding session, take the 7.20 am bus – return with the 11.15 am bus. For the 3 pm session, take the 1 pm bus – return with the 4.05 pm bus. After the feeding just walk back to the main street and wait for the bus at the little bus station.

During the fruit season in September it could be that the orangutans are not coming because they can find enough food in the rain forest. We have been there 2 times once in February and we were not lucky. The other times was in October and we got to see these wonderful orangutans on the pictures. You might go there 2 times to really see some animal, but this the beauty of this place the orangutans are semi-wild so they just come if they really want to.

Last important notice – Don’t forget to bring mosquito spray!