The Kinabatangan River in Borneo boasts some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in all of Southeast Asia, and we were fortunate enough to have spent 3 days in this remarkable place.
Having found our accommodation last minute on Booking.com, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Sukau Backpackers B&B sits directly along the shores of the muddy, snaking Kinabatangan River. Our jungle bungalow was nestled into the trees, connected to the main reception area/dinning area by wooden boardwalks. We were greeted by the peaceful sounds of the Borneo jungle wildlife, only boosting our excitement to get out exploring!
We purchased a package that included morning, afternoon and night boat cruises up and down the river, and one hike through the jungle. Our exceptional guide, Rex, basically had binoculars for eyes and scoped out wildlife I would have never noticed.
Day 1:
On day 1, during our morning cruise, we climbed into small river boats with fairly loud motors, and vibrantly orange life jackets. I was skeptical we would ever see anything with all that noise. But our guide knew exactly how to glide us through the morning fog, insignificant and unnoticed in the vast jungle. We immediately came upon silver leaf monkeys taking their morning baths in the river. And not far away, proboscis monkeys frolicking in the trees! Our guide pointed out the harem group, 1 male with multiple females, and the bachelor group, all males. We were told that the two groups being in close proximity to one another is a very rare occurrence. We also saw long and pig-tailed macaque moneys, our guide nicknamed them mafia monkeys since they are so mischievous. In addition to a baby crocodile, and a blue eared kingfisher, we scoped out a flying lemur too! Finally, our guide found us a crowned hornbill, something he had not seen in 3 years!
After lunch and some down time, we hopped into the boats once again for a night cruise. This was an interesting cruise, as Adam and I expected to see crocodiles and nocturnal primates. Surprisingly, we saw a ton of birds! Rex explained that night is the best time to view these birds because you can’t get close enough during the day. I was never one to really appreciate birds, but I might be a full on birder now! We saw more macaques and proboscis monkeys, kingfishers, red and black broadbills, a water monitor lizard and crocodiles.
Day 2:
The following day, and I think one of the best day of our Southeast Asia trip, we were in for a treat!
On our morning cruise we saw three types of hornbills: black, oriental pied and wreathed. More kingfishers, monkeys, crocodiles and a lizard eating a very large centipede. We then set out on a jungle hike. While very humid and HOT, we saw some neat things! Our guide pointed out a lot of rattan, which is eaten by orangutans and plenty of bonsai vine, which our guide explained is now protected because many people in the area would cut it down to sell; about 1 meter = $50.
Now the GOOD part:
On our afternoon cruise, Adam and I made the decision to pay extra to find… PYGMY ELEPHANTS.
Surprisingly, Adam and I were the only ones who opted for this cruise, and we had our guide and our boat all to ourselves! On the 2 hour boat ride to the area where we may spot some elephants, our boat broke down! We drifted to the side of the river and tied to some overhanging branches. *Cue panic about crocodiles* Rex was able to contact our accommodation for help. Meanwhile, he attempted to fix the engine with whatever sharp object we could find in our bags. Luckily, the engine started before help arrived, and we were back in action. Just in time for a boat to go by yelling there were elephants ahead! Apparently, just a few minutes earlier they had spotted three elephants on the riverbank. But our guide, Rex, had the inside scoop. Instead of taking us to the place where the other boat had seen the elephants, he took us down a narrow inlet off the main river, that he claimed to be “the elephant’s favorite bath tub.”
Sure enough, as we neared the back of the inlet, we came across a group of ~60 pygmy elephants giving themselves a dirt bath!! A magnificent sight!
The inlet ended right at the edge of the jungle and the neighboring palm plantation (which was once more jungle), so the elephants were using the open space of the plantation to move unimpeded by jungle foliage. As they were walking along the palm oil plantation road, at the tip of the inlet where we were watching, a car in the distance of the plantation seemed to have spooked the herd. This caused the herd to begin charging back down the road and into the trees directly next to our boat. Rex was telling the other two boat drivers near us not to panic and remain where they were. But of course, they all began to whip their boats away, pushing our boat closer to the edge of the inlet. Thankfully the elephants chose to remain in the trees, and the entire situation was over so quickly that we didn’t even have time to register that we should probably been scared. If any of the elephants would have viewed the shallow inlet as a quicker way of escape, our small boat surely would have been trampled.
On our way back to Sukau Backpacker B&B, Adam and I mentioned to Rex that all we had left to see was an orangutan in the wild. He tried his best to find one for us, but after a while we began to lose hope. Just as soon as we decided to give up and go back, there was a large gathering of boats up ahead. And sure enough, in a clearing far in the distance, standing in the tallest tree, sat a lone orangutan. The King of the Jungle overseeing his domain.
As we sat there, witnessing this incredible sight, I recognized how special all of our encounters had been. We were witnessing something so extraordinary and rare.
Though the Kinabatangan River is now a protected wildlife corridor, the conservation of this area and the unique ecosystems it possesses, is becoming increasingly difficult. Intense logging and palm oil plantations are putting these natural habitats at risk. And to view the Bornean Orangutan in the wild is becoming exceptionally more rare. With community involvement and conservation action, I hope to see this area continue to thrive.
