Explore Sabah
Southeast of Sandakan Bay, Sabah’s longest river – the 560km Sungai Kinabatangan – ends its journey to the Sulu Sea. Whereas logging has had an adverse impact on the river’s ecology upstream, the creation of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary has kept its lower reaches largely free of development. This is the largest forested flood plain in Malaysia, laden with oxbow lakes, mangrove and grass swamps, and distinctive vegetation including massive fig trees overhanging the water’s edge.
The sanctuary offers some of Sabah’s best opportunities for seeing wildlife. Although some tour operators offer day-trips from Sandakan, it’s much better to stay overnight given the travel time; the ideal is a two-night stay. Although there are a few exceptions, most lodges are located either in or around the villages of Sukau or Bilit. From November to April, the rainy season can lead to flooding at some lodges – at its worst in January – and even force their closure.
Read More-
Sukau and Bilit
Sukau and Bilit
The first tourist lodges on the Sungai Kinabatangan opened around the kampung of Sukau, 134km from Sandakan by road or 87km by boat. Still the easiest place to reach, it’s particularly popular with independent travellers as it’s possible to stay in the village itself on a B&B basis then charter boats as needed. Most of the all-inclusive lodges are on the riverbanks close to the village.
Many would argue, however, that Sukau is a victim of over-development. In July and August in particular, dozens of boats converge along the same narrow tributaries at the same times and shatter any sense of peace. Although many boats now use quieter electric motors when the current allows, some still do not.
Once tourism became well established in Sukau, a few operators decided to open lodges further upriver around the kampung of Bilit. Although not the undeveloped spot it once was, Bilit remains quieter than Sukau partly because there’s no public transport to the village – it’s upstream of Sukau and reached via a lower-quality road.
-
Gomantong Caves
Gomantong Caves
The Gomantong Caves are vast limestone cavities inhabited by swiftlets whose nests are harvested twice a year (normally Feb–April and July–Sept) for the bird’s-nest-soup trade. The caves are also home to a huge number of bats, and the enormous piles of guano (droppings) give them a distinctive acrid smell.
There are two main caves. The black cave, smaller but only a ten-minute walk from the ticket office, mostly contains black nests, a combination of twigs and bird saliva. The white cave is rarely visited by tourists as it’s another hour away, but nest collectors go there for the more valuable white nests, made from pure saliva. Note that the guano attracts a huge number of cockroaches, so don’t wear flip-flops or sandals.
There’s nowhere to stay or eat in and around Gomantong, so plan to leave the caves well before dark if you are not on a tour.
-
Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
Despite Sabah’s rather haphazard approach to making the most of its superb natural resources, the designation of the Lower Kinabatangan as a wildlife sanctuary in 2005 was a commendable move. That said, sanctuary status is one level below that of a national park, so villages and agricultural development have been allowed to crisscross the protected sections. Furthermore, only the area immediately alongside the river is protected; as animals have lost their habitats when the surrounding areas have been converted into palm-oil plantations, they have effectively been pushed into the narrow protected corridor.
This means that it is highly likely that, over a number of boat rides and short treks, you will see elephants (if they are in the area), orang-utans, proboscis monkeys, macaques and gibbons. The resident birdlife is equally impressive. With luck, visitors get glimpses of hornbills, brahminy kites, crested serpent eagles, egrets, exquisite blue-banded and stork-billed kingfishers, and oriental darters, which dive underwater to find food and then sit on the shore, their wings stretched out to dry. The river itself holds freshwater sharks, crocodiles and rays, and a great variety of fish species.
