Along with having the tallest peak in South-East Asia, Borneo is blessed with one of the most biodiverse environments on the planet. Upon reaching the Malaysian part of the island, getting out and experiencing some of this wildlife was therefore top of our list. And there are certainly plenty of opportunities to witness some of Borneo's coolest creatures both in the wild and at dedicated nature reserves.
After climbing Mt. Kinabalu, we decided to head east to the coastal town of Sandakan, around five hours by bus from Kinabalu National Park. One of the most popular things to do in the area is to take a boat cruise along the Kinabatangan River, Malaysia's second largest river and one of the world's largest ecosystems.
Stretching 560 kms, the river provides more than enough space for exploration without coming into much contact with other boats, and most importantly, not overwhelming the creatures that live within it. Although they call it a cruise, you won't be finding any large vessels here, but rather small motor boats that seat around 12 people.
Day trips as well as multi-day trips that include basic accommodation by the river are available. We chose the two-day one-night package as it gave us a few opportunities to get out on the river and fit our time availability and budget. The one-day trip only includes one boat ride and if you’re keen to catch a glimpse of the best of Borneo, that’s a lot of pressure for a short experience on the river.
We were extremely lucky though that on the first boat ride we saw everything we had hoped to see and more.
We saw Borneo’s proboscis monkey – pretty much guaranteed given their prevalence along the river – but nonetheless cool to see these cheeky things messing about in the wild.
Followed by long-tailed macaques.
Then we were blessed to see a wild orangutan – a not so common sight and a ridiculous spot by the guide who made this sighting from a tiny hand up in the tree tops. We were constantly amazed at how the guides spotted the smallest movements or signs of life from afar.
But the highlight of the day, and the entire trip, would have to be the two herds of Bornean pygmy elephants. We were in awe of the group of between 6-10 that we first came across, but were ecstatic to witness a group of around 30 with a baby in tow, tooting away with its tiny trunk. Well, at least what we thought was a baby. The miniature stature of these creatures hides their true age. The guide estimated this cutie to be around 20-25 years old!
The night cruise didn’t yield as many results but already thrilled with what we had seen during the day, we weren’t disappointed. We did see a number of owls and colorful kingfishers, a python (we still have no idea how the guide could see it in the dark from the other side of the river nestled in rocks of very similar color), and a baby crocodile.
That night we stayed in a dorm by the river. It was simple but perfectly adequate. After a long day, we fell asleep quickly and woke early for a morning cruise. We again came across lots of birds and many active proboscis monkeys. We also ventured down a small tributary and fed the tiny fish in the river. There were so many that you could catch them with your bare hands!
After breakfast, the tour was over and we decided to head to the Sandakan War Memorial and the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre with a couple of new friends from the river tour. If you miss out on seeing orangutans at Kinabatangan, then this is your chance to witness some in a protected semi-wild environment.
The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre takes in orangutans who have been orphaned primarily as a result of illegal logging, deforestation and the black market pet trade. It is situated on 43 sq kms of rainforest on the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. Once a rescued orangutan's health is checked and they have acquired the necessary skills for survival, they are released into the reserve to fend for themselves. This process can take up to 7 years!
There are two feeding sessions a day when the orangutans can come for a free feed. However, as they are roaming freely the presence of many (if any) forest friends is not guaranteed, especially when fruits are in season. Feeding is deliberately kept minimal and monotonous to encourage them to forage for themselves. There are two feeding times a day: 10am and 3pm. If you’re tossing up which one to go to, a number of travelers have reported that there are usually more orangutans at the afternoon session. However, the entry ticket allows you to attend both viewings on the same day. There is a 4pm bus after the second feeding that can take you back to the city center for RM5.
The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is open from 9am-4pm daily. Entry costs RM30 and RM10 to take in a camera. You will be required to put all other belongings into a locker during feeding times (10am and 3pm). Remember to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of time to make your way along the forest walkway to the viewing area.
The Kinabatangan River is around two and a half hours drive from Sandakan. We booked our two-day one-night Kinabatangan River cruise through Sea View Sandakan Budget and Backpackers Hostel who made reservations on our behalf with a company called Sukau Greenview for RM289 per person. While this price was definitely on the lower end from our research, apparently there are cheaper packages available so if you have the time to shop around and compare, you can probably save a little ringgit here. That said, the Sea View made it very easy for us to book and helped us arrange it after 8pm at night for departure the next day over tea and banana fritters – that was after randomly inviting us in off the street to share dinner with them because it was someone's birthday, and we weren't even staying there!
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Great guide, and looking forward to taking a look at the Sepilok Rehab Centre.
Could you please provide a little more info on the bus to Sandakan. I’m keen to head from Mt Kinabalu to Sandakan on the afternoon I come off the mountain.
Thanks, Dan
Hi Dan, thanks for checking out our site!
For more info on the bus to Sandakan, please go to the following post and scroll to the ‘Returning from Kinabalu National Park’ section: https://notesofnomads.com/how-to-get-from-kota-kinabalu-to-kinabalu-national-park/
All the best!
Hi Jessica, great post, amazing pictures. You made me want to try this tour! How much did you pay for it?
Thanks Lena! It was RM289 per person. Please refer to the last paragraph for info on how we booked :)
Hi Jessica – great site – many thanks. A couple of questions – how do you travel from Sandakan to the Kinabatangan Wildfire Sanctuary and then across to the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre? Did you base yourself at Kinabatangan or did you travel back up to Sandakan after Sepilok?
We are looking to travel to Borneo at the end of October.
Thanks again
Kirstie
Hi Kirstie,
Thanks so much. Really appreciate your kind feedback.
We arranged our Kinabatangan tour from Sandakan (the last paragraph has the info about where and how much if you’re interested in doing something similar), which included transport to/from Sandakan. So we had a minibus take us to a lodge by the river in the afternoon where we did an afternoon boat ride as well as an evening one. We stayed the night at the lodge (all included in the price of the tour) and then woke up early for a morning boat ride. After breakfast, the minibus was headed back to Sandakan but most of us didn’t want to go all the way back there directly so we just asked the driver to drop us off sooner. I don’t think anyone in our group got dropped off at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre specifically, but two of the girls in our group were staying at a hotel close by and the driver didn’t have a problem dropping them off there. So you probably could get dropped off at Sepilok. Failing that, they’d certainly be able to drop you off on the main road at a point close to the centre. We asked to get dropped off by the Sandakan War Memorial and after spending some time there, we caught a minibus to Sepilok from the main road. There’s a bus you can take from the centre at 4pm after the 3pm feeding to return back to Sandakan should you wish. Not sure about onward transportation to other destinations from the area around the centre. It may be possible but it may also just be easier to return to Sandakan (it’s not far anyway) as it’s more of a transport hub and continue on from there.
Hope that helps, Kirstie. Just let us know if you have any further questions and we’d love to hear about your experience once you get back. Feel free to leave a comment and add any info/tips you’d like to share. It’s always great to hear from other travellers who have been there recently to confirm that the info is still current and/or if there have been any changes.
Cheers and happy travels,
Jess
Thanks Jess – great information – thank you. So its possible to go from Kinabatangan River (after the morning cruise) to the War Memorial and then onto Sepilok and then onto Sandakan in the one day?
Thank you again for sharing. Very grateful.
Kirstie
Pleasure, Kirstie. Yes, it’s absolutely doable. The morning cruise is VERY early. You’ll be up before dawn. The morning cruise focuses mostly on bird spotting because first light is the best time to catch them (not literally of course!). We did see quite a few monkeys though too.
From where we stayed along the river to Sandakan was about three hours’ drive. So you’d be looking at around two and a half hours to get to the War Memorial and/or Sepilok. Just give yourself some breathing room between the War Memorial (if you decide to go there) and Sepilok, just in case you don’t find a bus to take you right away.
To go from the War Memorial to Sepilok, you’ll want to go back out to the main road and stand on the side of the road opposite to the Memorial. Then flag down minibuses/vans as they go by to see if they are headed there. You shouldn’t have too much trouble getting one, it’s just they don’t really work on a timetable so it’s best to go a little ahead of schedule so you won’t miss the afternoon feeding.
The bus from Sepilok to Sandakan is something like 20 minutes so you’ll be back in town around 4:30pm. You could then stay the night there or travel on to your next destination. We decided to stay the night just because it was a long day and we hadn’t made any prior arrangements for our next destination.
Hope that helps!
Jess
Jess – thank you! I couldnt have planned our itinerary without you. We have a short space of time (my husband and I have a week off work) and I wanted to see it all! Well some of it anyway. Thanks again for taking the time to give such detailed responses. Travel safely yourself Kirstie
You’re very welcome, Kirstie. Have a wonderful time! :)
If only I have the power to be there instantly! I would really love to do it! This place is amazing! How did you discover such awesome place like this? This is a place a must visit. With the wild animals around and rich with the preserved environment. Thanks a lot for sharing such great idea!
Thanks, Mark! It’s really a great place. I think we found out about the Kinabatangan River just through searching on the Internet. We were looking for ways to experience the wildlife that Borneo is so well-known for and it came up. We read that there were tours available from Sandakan so we decided to go there and we booked through a hostel in person (the exact details at the end of the post). You should definitely try to incorporate it into your next trip!
Wow! I like the monkeys, but I’ll bet they can get aggressive? Boat ride looked interesting too.
They certainly can be, Chris! We had to keep a safe distance but could still get a really great look at them because they came down to the lower branches overhanging the river.
The baby elephant is so cute! I love elephants like crazy.
This looks like such an incredible journey. Thanks for taking us on the river cruise. : )
Thanks for coming on the journey with us! I’m a big fan of elephants too. They are incredible creatures.