A former journalist and business analyst that now works in the world of travel marketing. Based in Toronto, Red Hunt has travelled to more than 50 countries over the past 15 years. You can follow Red on Instagram or Twitter.
Your best bet for spotting an Orangutan in Borneo is a visit to the Sepilok Rehab Centre run by the Sabah Wildlife Department. At any given time there are a number of Orangutans being cared for at this facility near Sandakan.
Orangutan at the Sepilok Rehab Centre in Borneo
Seeing an Orangutan in the wild is a special, but elusive experience for many people that visit Borneo. But at Sepilok, they do a great job of keeping these amazing animals healthy and happy in a natural environment. They’ve been doing it since 1964 with the aim of releasing orphaned and injured Orangutans back into the wild Kabili-Sepilok Forest.
Orangutan enjoying some Bananas at Sepilok
Part of their rehab process before being released on their own is an Outdoor Nursery, where workers feed the Orangutans and visitors can watch the Orangutans eat from a special viewing area. The feeding times are 10am and 3pm each day and those are the only times that you’ll be virtually guaranteed to see some Orangutans up close. Outside of feeding time they’re off in the forest and may be out of sight.
Orangutan and Staff at the Feeding Platform at Sepilok
Be sure to take advantage of visiting during both feedings, as different Orangutans show up at different times. Plus, your day pass allows you to get in free the second time! As is common at places popular with tourists, if you want to take any photos or videos while visiting the Centre, you’ll have to pay an extra (nominal) fee.
An Orangutan and Monkey at Sepilok in Borneo
It is a great place to explore, with many hiking trails and pathways winding through the forest, which is also home to monkeys, butterflies, birds and other creatures. You can also visit the nearby Rainforest Discovery Centre and go on a night hike looking for flying squirrels and other interesting nocturnal animals.
A Fuzzy, but Poisonous, Caterpillar at Sepilok Rehab Centre
There is no ‘zoo’ feel to the place either, which is refreshing. The natural environment and obvious ability for the Orangutans to come and go as they please makes it a rewarding wildlife experience in Borneo.
Double Rainbow at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park
It may be the middle of winter in Canada right now, so why not share a little summer camping photo?
This double rainbow happened while camping in the summer at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park in Ontario. The lake beside our camp-site in the picture is Moore Lake, a great place for canoeing, fishing and enjoying this Ontario Park, which is located just north of the famous Algonquin Park.
One of the strange things I noticed after travelling through Africa was that I had hundreds of animal and landscape photos, but very few real-life images of what people do and where they live.
This was one photo I managed to take of a typical small village scene in Malawi. Simple wood and thatched roof construction for the buildings – no concrete, no sheet metal, no glass windows. While the shape of huts changes across Africa, the simplicity of rural village life remains the same.
It may seem strange to some people, but really, what more do you need than a roof over your head and some land to let the children play?
One of the first small birds that I learned the name of. Not being a birder, I first was attracted to the Green bee-eater because if it’s flashy colours, not something I’d ever seen at home in Canada.
After seeing plenty of these small birds around Africa and Asia, I quickly learned what bee-eaters generally looked like. This specific Little Green Bee-eater is the orientalis subspecies, found in India and Sri Lanka. It’s main unique feature is the yellow / rusty brown colour patch on it’s head.
Road trips are perhaps my favourite type of travel. The beauty of road trips is in setting your own schedule and having the freedom to deviate from plans as odd, fun or surprising roadside attractions and diversions pop up unexpectedly.
North to the Arctic, South to the Atlantic - Random Road Sign in Northern Ontario
Road trips may not be the most relaxing way to travel, but I think they’re the most rewarding. I’ll give train travel the nod of approval for most relaxing, but you can’t stop the train every time you pass by an amazing waterfall or feel like wandering around some random town in the middle of nowhere. How about planes? Well, what kind of wildlife can you spot out your window when you’re 40,000 feet up, assuming you snagged a window seat.
Benefit of Travelling by Road instead of a Bus, Train or Plane? Getting Outside to Stretch your Legs.
While not as cheap as it once was, if you’re roadtripping with friends, it can still be one of the most economical ways to travel too, especially if you’re interested in camping, which can greatly cut down on daily costs.
Camping during a Road trip is a great way to see nature and save money
You don’t really need anything for a road trip either. You don’t need to buy a ticket and you likely won’t have to go through any security scans. With just a general sense of direction and a vehicle you’re on your way. If you don’t have your own vehicle, rental cars can be quite affordable too, especially if you are a member of AAA/CAA and get certain coverage from your credit card. On my upcoming road trip I rented an SUV for 6 day, for less than $150.
Delivering a car as a Hired Driver - like this Jaguar in Arizona - is one way to Road Trip
There are also ways to take a road trip virtually for free, by being a hired driver. There are many pros and cons to that option, something I’ll write about in-depth in the future.
For me, my road trips have usually been camping road trips closer to home, but I’ve also rented a Campervan in New Zealand and stayed in hotels while driving across the US. I’ve done a solo 4000 mile road trip through Wyoming and Utah, but I’ve also done a crazy 14 hour road trip in one day.
Renting a Camper Van in New Zealand - A Great way to Road Trip
I used to even have a makeshift ‘compass’ and bunch of dice I kept in the car for random road trips. You’d spin the compass marker around and would have to drive in that direction for as far as the number of dice you rolled. It was a great way to spend a weekend and discover some random places on the road!
Again, that’s the beauty of road trips…short, long, near or far…it’s an unstructured way to travel where you never know what you’ll find around the next corner.
Soon, I’ll start up a little series here, with stories from past road trip adventures. For now, here are a few roadtrips I’m thinking of doing in the near future…who wants to join me?
Watching the Sun Rise in Monument Valley during a 4000 mile Road Trip
Future Roadtrips…
1 – Drive to the Arctic. As much as I want to visit Alaska and the Territories of Canada, I think my first Arctic roadtrip will be to James Bay. You can actually drive there by taking a 600km long Hydro Quebec road in northern Quebec called the James Bay Road. It’s only about a 1500km drive from Toronto, shorter than some road trips I’ve taken! With 382km between service stations, this stretch of road is more remote than even the Dempster Highway in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
2 – Visit the Dakotas and Badlands National Park. Perhaps the most American road trip on the list. I almost did this road trip a few years ago, but decided to go elsewhere. The Badlands look amazing, wild and pure. While not far away there are some forests and state parks, as well as Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. If you time it right and go in the summer, apparently the fireworks displays at Mt. Rushmore during 4th of July are among the best in the country.
3 – Big Island, Hawaii. The two Hawaiian islands that interest me most are Kauai and Hawaii (Big Island). Kauai interests me mostly for some great hiking and lush scenery, while the Big Island seems perfect for a roadtrip. From snowy peaks to flowing lava, remote coastlines to relaxing Kona. The island has tons to see, but you need a car to see it all.
4 – Drive to the Yukon. I’ve never done an actual road trip across Canada. Ideally a drive from Toronto to Whitehorse, Yukon would be my route, stopping at Provincial and National Parks along the way like Quetico, Riding Mountain, Elk Island and Nahanni.
5 – Pacific Northwest. Another US roadtrip. This time to Oregon and Washington. Taking in some forest scenery and places like Olympic National Park. Perhaps a side trip over to Idaho and Montana to check out Glacier National Park too.
Road Trip Hazard - Bison on the Road in Yellowstone National Park
So there are five of the road trips I’m interested in doing some time soon. Sure, there are places in Europe, Australia and elsewhere that I’d also like to go road tripping around, but I’ll save those for a later time.
If you’ve got some favourite road trips, let me know! Have fun on the road and remember, as is often said, to focus on the journey and not the destination.
