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All 4 in 3 days here: ~20%
Danum Valley Conservation Area
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Southeast Asia, Malaysia 1017 spp. recorded
Danum Valley Conservation Area is a vast lowland rainforest situated in the eastern region of Sabah, Malaysia. This ancient jungle features dense canopy layers, towering dipterocarp trees, and muddy earthen trails winding through steep river valleys, distinguishing it from fragmented secondary forests nearby.
4.960° N 117.719° E
🦜 Nature
500 Species sighted
58,911 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Oct Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 690 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Danum Valley Conservation Area
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
76Jan
71Feb
67Mar
63Apr
65May
66Jun
69Jul
68Aug
77Sep
81Oct
61Nov
61Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
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Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Harlequin Tree Frog~80%+20%
Maroon Leaf Monkey~80%≈
File-eared Tree Frog~80%≈
Borneo Forest Dragon~70%≈
Brown-Striped Tree Frog~60%+10%
Green Crested Lizard~60%+10%
Triangle Keelback~60%+20%
Sunda Flying Lemur~60%+20%
Wallace's Flying Frog~60%+10%
Least Pygmy Squirrel~60%+10%
Flat-tailed House Gecko~50%≈
Little Spiderhunter~50%-10%
-
4.960° N, 117.689° E
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Maroon Leaf Monkey~80%≈
- Borneo Forest Dragon~70%≈
- File-eared Tree Frog~70%-10%
- Green Crested Lizard~60%≈
- Brown-Striped Tree Frog~60%≈
Common Palm Civet~50%+20%
Malay Civet~50%+10%
North Philippine Temple Pitviper~50%≈
Rhinoceros Hornbill~50%-10%- Flat-tailed House Gecko~50%≈
Common Water Monitor~50%≈
Prevost's Squirrel~40%≈
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Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
4+
daysTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 563
🐒 Mammals 183
🦎 Reptiles 182
🐸 Amphibians 89
1017 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
100 Threatened 4 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
61% 📊
Coverage (349 species at ≥5% of 1017 in the inventory)
34% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (5 bird, 3 amphibian, 3 reptile, 1 mammal)
93% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
154 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
25 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
30 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.6
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
In the first 30 minutes, we spotted our first Red giant flying squirrel, Thomas’ giant flying squirrel, and Three-striped palm civet.
We also saw red leaf monkeys, which are endemic to Borneo and were a new species for us.
At the lodge we did see wild orangutans making nests in the trees about 30m high.
The leech was the wildlife hit of the hike – the only other wildlife we glimpsed that day was a lone red leaf monkey high above us in the treetops.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Danum Valley Conservation Area?
1,017 species
Danum Valley Conservation Area has 1,017 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Maroon Leaf Monkey (about 80%), File-eared Tree Frog (about 80%), Borneo Forest Dragon (about 70%), Rhinoceros Hornbill (about 60%) and Pacific Swallow (about 60%).
When is the best time to visit Danum Valley Conservation Area for wildlife?
October
In that month the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in May and June.
Can you see a Bornean Orangutan in Danum Valley Conservation Area?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Bornean Orangutan sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 168 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January (about 80%).
Can you see a Maroon Leaf Monkey in Danum Valley Conservation Area?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Maroon Leaf Monkey sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 202 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and March (about 90%).
Can you see a Helmeted Hornbill in Danum Valley Conservation Area?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Helmeted Hornbill sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July (about 40%).
Can you see a Horsfield's Tarsier in Danum Valley Conservation Area?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Horsfield's Tarsier sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August (about 60%).
Where in Danum Valley Conservation Area is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge
The richest sighting zone is around Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest Lodge, followed by Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC), ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Danum Valley Conservation Area good for wildlife watching?
4.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Danum Valley Conservation Area rates 4.3/5: 71st of 316 parks worldwide and 4th in Southeast Asia. 48 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
