Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Best Sabah Travel Guide

To explore Sabah to the fullest, you will have to plan out your itinerary carefully as there are so many tourist attractions here. Visiting the beautiful islands, mountains and untouched jungles are definitely a ‘must do’ whenever you travel in Sabah. As all these activities are time consuming, you might have to forgo one trip for the other. 

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So for those with a limited amount of time in Sabah, one of the alternatives is to drop by the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, a popular sanctuary for nature lovers, photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. Spanning over an area of over 280 acres, the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park consists of a Botanical Garden and a Zoo for visitors to explore. 

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park Map – Sabah

Animal Feeding Sessions – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Trainers feeding the Sumatran rhino – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Watch the animal shows at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

Admission fees

Locals

Foreigners

We got a special promo during our visit – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

How to visit Lok Kawi Wildlife Park?

You can also join a tour to visit Lok Kawi Wildlife Park (Image credit: Klook)

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park entrance – Sabah

 

Useful tips

• Wear comfortable apparel and footwear here as you can expect to do quite a bit of walking
• Make sure to carry along your camera to snap memorable pictures at the wildlife park
• If you plan to go jungle trekking at the botanical garden, carry along some insect repellent to avoid getting bitten

 

Use comfortable footwear

Carry along your camera to get a closer shot of the animals

So getting that out of the way, here’s 5 reasons why you should visit Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

 

1. Visit the endangered animal species 

The Lok Kawi Wildlife Park has over 88 animals in their capacity, consisting of several endangered species such as the orangutans, zebras, sun bears, Malayan tigers, Sumatran rhinoceros, Bornean elephant and the exotic clouded leopard. Considering how difficult it might be to spot these unique animals in the wild, the wildlife park is one of the best ways to see all of them here in one place. 

 

Deer in Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

Sun bear in Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

The Malayan tiger yawning – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

The Orangutan unimpressed at the antics of the little ones – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

Here, you can spot a variety of animals ranging from the small mouse deer to the gigantic elephants. All the animals at the wildlife park are segregated into 3 sections; the Forest Canopy (small animals), Forest Floor (large animals) and the Water Edge Zone (aquatic mammals). 

 

Orangutan opening a coconut – Forest Canopy, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

Visiting the Orangutans – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Zebra grazing at the Forest Floor Zone – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Visiting the elephants – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

A Gibbon hanging around at the Water Edge Zone – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Otter taking a dip on a hot day – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

While you are busy exploring the animals here, you may come across a sweet, buttered popcorn smell floating around.

 

Binturong urine smells like buttered popcorn – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

Before you get too excited, you should know something about the Binturongs, a bearcat which has a bearish body with cat-like whiskers. These mammals produce a chemical compound in their urine which gives it the yummy popcorn smell that you are probably thinking of now.

 

Neither a bear or a cat – Binturong, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

 

The Binturong taking a nap – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

During our recent trip here, we did notice some of the animals looking slightly distress probably due to loneliness in their small enclosures here. It was disheartening to see them prancing back and forth and we do hope that the wildlife park takes appropriate actions to make their living conditions more comfortable. 

 

 

2. Explore the Botanical Garden

Take a leisurely hike at the 200 acres Botanical Garden here at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park which comprises of a 1.4km paved jungle trail. The trail takes you through the lush green jungle, boasting various rare and exotic plants, flowers and herbs. 

 

Botanical Garden – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Go on the jungle trail here – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

Paved jungle trail – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

At the garden, be on the look out for the rare and unique carnivorous pitcher plants. These pitcher plants secrete a sweet nectar to lure insects into their pitchers.

 

The carnivorous pitcher plants – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

Once the insect is inside the pitcher, it would not be able to escape due to the slippery surface and will end up drowning in a pool of water at the bottom. As the pitcher plants are found in nutrient poor soil, it consumes these insects instead for its nutrition. 

 

Trapped insects in the pitcher plant – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

You can also relax and have your picnic here at one of the many gazebos scattered at the botanical garden. This section of the park also consists of a Ginger and Herbal garden which gives out a sense of calmness and tranquil as you walk along the trail. 

 

Relaxing at the Botanical Garden’s gazebo – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

The Aroma and Therapeutic Garden – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

3. Take your kids on the elephant rides

To participate in these rides, you will have to visit the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park on the weekends or public holidays. Take your children for an unforgettable elephant ride and see these majestic creatures for yourself. These Pygmy elephants are the smallest sub-species of elephants in the world and listed as an endangered species by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

 

Elephants at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

Selfie with the elephants at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

Once you’re done admiring the elephants, head over to the stables to see the adorable ponies galloping around. Occasionally, these adorable ponies will approach you, hinting that it wants to be petted. 

 

Pony at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

4. Listen to the birds singing at the aviary

Make your way to aviary section of the wildlife park where you will be able to hear the beautiful melodies sung by the birds all day long. The aviary is home to various bird species such as parrots, egrets, hornbills and the mighty eagle. The stunning colours of the birds here definitely brightens the place up and makes it a ‘must see‘ attraction at the wildlife park.  

 

Colourful parrots waiting to greet you – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

The mighty hornbill – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

The graceful egrets – Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

 

5. Hop on the train ride around the park

As the wildlife park is huge, you will need to do a lot of walking to cover the whole area. To make your trip less tiring, there is a train service which takes you around the park for a small fee of RM 2. However, at the time we visited the park, we were left disappointed as we found out that the train service had already been decommissioned for some time. We do hope that the wildlife park will bring it back in the future so that visitors can have a leisurely trip here.

 

The decommissioned train ride at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park – Sabah

Have any experience or tips on travelling to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park? Or are you planning a trip soon? Let us know and share your thoughts and questions in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you guys! 

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