Tabin Wildlife Resort

We stayed at Tabin Wildlife Resort on the 4D3N Birding Package and honestly could not have wished for a better wildlife experience. The absolute highlight of our stay was our guide, Paul. With more than 20 years of experience, he was simply outstanding. His knowledge of the birds was incredible – he could identify species by sight, by call, and by the faintest sounds in the forest. Thanks to him, we saw an amazing variety of wildlife and had experiences that we will remember for the rest of our lives. What we particularly appreciated was that Paul’s guiding style matched us perfectly. He liked to keep moving and cover ground rather than spending long periods standing still and calling for birds, which suited us very well. When we requested a more adventurous trek, he took us onto a trail that is only used upon request, and it was absolutely fantastic. We crossed streams, climbed over roots, ducked beneath lianas and truly felt immersed in the rainforest. It was exactly the kind of jungle experience we had hoped for. Paul taught us a tremendous amount throughout our stay and always went the extra mile. He even took us into primary forest, which was a real privilege. The vehicle excursions were equally memorable. We were able to cover larger distances through the reserve and we loved driving through with towering jungle on all sides. The scenery often felt like stepping into Jurassic Park. When we asked for a longer night walk, Paul happily extended the experience and took us deeper into the jungle, across water and through areas we otherwise would never have explored. Thanks to him, we checked off an incredible number of species from our checklist. Among the wildlife we saw were orangutans, gibbons, grey leaf monkeys, several species of hornbills, countless beautiful birds, bearded pigs, a giant flying squirrel gliding directly above our vehicle, and even a leopard cat casually stretching in front of us. The list goes on and on. The setting of the resort itself is beautiful. The grounds are lush and full of wildlife and curious insects and lizards, and the views over the river are wonderful. Simply sitting and watching the forest was a pleasure in itself. The accommodation is admittedly a little rustic, but that is also part of the charm of staying in a wildlife reserve deep in the rainforest. The beds were clean, fresh and comfortable, which I greatly appreciated. Our bathroom did have a noticeable sewage odour, however, and when I asked at reception for an air freshener, unfortunately we were unable to communicate effectively due to a language barrier. More than anything, I hope the management makes investing in the lodge facilities a priority. Tabin is a truly special place and deserves the care and attention that matches the quality of the wildlife experience. Improvements to the plumbing, refurbishment of some of the vehicles, and updates to areas such as the foot-soak hall would go a long way. I would love to see Tabin receive the investment it deserves, because the wildlife experience itself is absolutely world-class.

Pros. Restaurant staff happy & cheerful. Food very good, local breakfast especially good. Laundry service. Guides knowledgeable and helpful. Room safe. Hamizan was especially good. Cons. Accommodation poor, quite tatty. Plug sockets not working. Not enough hangers. Only one chair on the verandah. Booked a twin, but received a double with a camp bed? No kettle in the room. Bathroom not cleaned properly. Took us on a trip to see a mud volcano on a wildlife trip, why? Other customers complained of rats in their rooms?

Amazing experience and a great location. The resort is nicely set out with 10 river lodges and 10 hillside lodges. We were in a river lodge which was lovely with a balcony. The staff are super friendly and the food is amazing. They catered superbly to my vegetarian wife, for lunch and dinner each day they cooked a specific veggie dish for her! Izan the guide is exceptional he has an inane amount of knowledge explaining literally everything we saw. The only downsides were that the AC broke one day but staff were quick to fix and the wifi doesn’t work particularly well. 100% would return.