Located 83km southeast of Lahad Datu in Sabah, the 438-sq. km. Danum Valley Conservation Area is one of the last remaining pockets of primary lowland rainforest in Asia. It is a rugged terrain bordered by the Danum and Segama Rivers, and dipterocarp forests cover over 90 percent of the area.

The 60-million-year-old rainforest perserves many plant and animal species found only in Borneo. It is home to over 275 bird species, 110 species of mammals including Orang Utans, five species of deer, giant flying squirrels, gibbons, bearded wild boars, flying frogs, Bulwar pheasants, the Asian elephant and the Sumatran rhinoceros.

The ecosystem here is also a subject of ongoing international and local scientific studies. Several Malaysian and foreign field scientists are working together at the Danum Valley Field Centre. Facilities here range from hostels to a suspension bridge over Sungai Segama and a 40m-high canopy observation platform, where Dutch and American companies fund studies on plant enrichment and reducing the impact of logging techniques.