Imbak Canyon

Imbak Canyon is a valley about twenty-five kilometres long and three or four wide, walled by sandstone escarpments, in the middle of Sabah between Danum Valley and the Maliau Basin - the third of the state's great forest blocks and the least known. It was protected in 2009 as a conservation area, and the reasoning given for it was explicit: the forest inside was never logged, so it functions as a genetic reservoir, a source of seed and stock for restoring damaged forest elsewhere. There are waterfalls, the Imbak river running the length of the floor, orangutans, elephants and clouded leopards recorded, and a research and study centre near the entrance. Access is controlled, needs permits and four-wheel-drive, and is normally organised as an arranged trip rather than an independent visit.

What you actually see

• An unlogged valley - twenty-five kilometres of forest kept as a genetic reserve.
• Sandstone escarpments - the walls closing the canyon on both sides.
• The Imbak river and falls - running the length of the valley floor.
• A study centre - the research base near the entrance.

When to go

March to September. Three days.

Honest expectations

Access is controlled and must be arranged with permits well in advance - you cannot turn up. Roads in need four-wheel-drive and fail in rain. Accommodation is basic. Large mammals are present but rarely seen.

Nearby

Danum Valley is south-east; the Maliau Basin is south.