The busy little port is the main port of the federal state of Sabah on Borneo, which is part of Malaysia. It has a forestry museum providing an overview of the country's plant species as well as the famous Sabah Orchid House with a magical collection of rare orchids. The Gomantong cave complex, home to the thousands of swallows that build the nests which are used to make the Chinese delicacy of bird's nest soup, is also worth a visit. Not far from Sandakan there is also a crocodile farm, with over 1,000 animals. It serves mainly for breeding purposes; wild stocks are boosted with young animals from here.
