In the heart of Sabah, Danum Valley is a living jungle like no other

A red leaf monkey (maroon langur) perching high in the canopy, alert and curious. Its orange coat blazes against the jungle green, a true emblem of Borneo’s unique primates.

The road to Danum Valley in Lahad Datu, Sabah, is not so much a path as it is a surrender.

Hours of bumping through gravel and laterite, hemmed in by endless oil palm estates – and then, as if nature has drawn a boundary in ink, the plantations vanish.