Kinabatangan river cruises are one of the main reasons tourists head to the Sabah region in Borneo hoping to see orangutan, crocodiles and pigmy elephants.
Most advertisements for the Kinabatangan river cruises will show pictures of the pigmy elephants, which is a little misleading as the chances of actually seeing them are very slim. Our guide told us they might see them 5 times in a year. Don’t have too high expectations.
What you will certainly experience is a night or two in basic accommodation in the jungle, surrounded by nature with possibly no connection to the outside world. Bring a book because you will have time to relax but chances are you will have no WiFi or data signal.
How To Book A Kinabatangan River Cruise
Many hotels in the Sandakan area will help organise a Kinabatangan River Cruise package for you. Prices vary, so look around for the best deal. There are Kinabatangan River resorts so make sure you know exactly what you are getting for the price.
A friend who had recently visited had blogged that she used a company called ‘Nasalis Larvatus Tours Sdn Bhd’ based in Sandakan. On their website, they offer a 3D2N package for 715 MYR per person. However, on visiting their office in Kota Kinabalu, they were given the same deal for just 500 MYR per person. We headed to the office only to be met with confused looks by the staff who had seemingly never heard of this offer. We showed them the blog and they accepted the price, saving us 215 MYR each! My advice is to do the same. The office is located here.
How To Get To Kinabatangan River
As part of our package, a coach picked us up in Sandakan at the ‘Wisma Khoo Siak Chew’ building (map). It took us first to Sepilok where we stopped for a poor lunch at ‘Mango Garden’ (map). We then set off in a fairly cramped van for the journey. The ride took around 2-3 hours.
Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
Upon arrival at our accommodation, ‘Nature Lodge Kinabatangan’ (map), we were given an introduction to the resort and then we had time to unpack and settle before our first cruise.
The resort is located right on the river in the jungle so bear this in mind when booking. You will come across some interesting creatures!
Nature Lodge
Nature Lodge
We booked our own cabin with its own bathroom. The cabins were basic but more than comfortable for such a short stay. The cabin had its own porch area which was nice for enjoying a beer in the evening. Until the attack of the strange bugs, that is. On the first night, we were both woke up by what sounded like every monkey in the jungle having a rave on our roof. You really can’t get much closer to wildlife than this!
Nature Lodge private cabin
Nature Lodge private cabin view
River Cruises
In total, we went on four river cruises: two in the evening before sunset and two in the morning (meaning a 5.30 start!)
We saw many different species of monkey and hornbills and some wild boar along the river’s banks. We didn’t see the elephants but we did get lucky with the crocodiles (we saw three) and an orangutan who we saw nesting. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all the animals and was excellent at spotting the animals. The orangutan he spotted it was no more than a brown speck in the distance, behind some trees. He managed to get the boat close enough for us to have a good look at him.
Monkeys at the Kinabatangan River
Crocodile at the Kinabatangan River
Malaysian Food
Three meals a day were provided and the food was excellent. It was buffet style with one meat, one chicken, one fish and a couple of vegetable dishes. Soup and fruit was also served. Vegetarians were also given a soya dish. The food was probably among the best we had on the whole of Borneo. One night, we had a civet staring at us. On the second night, we had to dodge the bat that was flying in and out of the dining area.
Nature Lodge food
Civet watching us eat
Kinabatangan Jungle Trek
There were 3 treks in total: two at night and one in the day. We were told we might not see much on the night treks but we saw enough to make them worthwhile: tropical birds sleeping, various frogs, moon rats (they are big!), civets and the biggest spider we had seen so far!
Huge spider
Are The Kinabatangan River Cruises Worth Visiting?
It really would be a shame to visit the island of Borneo without seeing some of its wildlife up close. It was a great experience. If you are restricted by budget or time, a one night stay would be enough as you basically repeat the day when you stay for 2 nights. One night would have been enough for me but Joanna, on the other hand, could have stayed for a week. Maybe you might get lucky and see those elephants!
