At last! At last! At last! We were heading into the jungle. This was the main reason for traveling to Sabah in the first place – to attempt our best David Attenborough impersonations and to get amongst some wildlife.
Would we see monkeys?
Would we see exotic birds? And most importantly,
Would we see orangutans?
There was a buzz in the group as our tour bus turned off the main highway and worked its way along progressively narrower roads. As the roads got quieter and bumpier, the jungle thickened and edged right up to the edge of the track.
Yes, we were heading off the main tourist path.
Eventually, we ran out of road completely and came to the only piece of available space where the bus could turn around without ending up in the river. There were a few ramshackle sheds and a neat and tidy house acting as a small shop. Most importantly though, there was a jetty and a couple of long boats waiting to take us up river and to our jungle digs that would be home for a couple of nights.
I was excited!
I didn’t quite push my fellow tour members out of the way ( 😊 ), but I was keen to be on the first boat out of town! We donned our life jackets, settled ourselves and sped off up the wide, brown and murky river. The end-of-monsoon rains had swelled the river and brought down huge logs and branches, and the boat driver had to be on a wary lookout to avoid the worst. It felt completely safe as our boat did a fair bit of diving and dancing about to slip between all the flotsam and jetsam. Again, I was disappointed to see the amount of plastic waste in this remote river. Man’s negative reach is both long and wide.
We were enjoying the ride and the wind in our hair when all of a sudden, the boat slowed and we dived to the right, closing in on the river bank. We couldn’t quite see what the cause of this diversion was until an eagle-eyed passenger spotted a large, well-camouflaged crocodile lying quietly at the river’s edge. Yay! The kind of wildlife we wanted to see and we hadn’t even reached our lodge yet. Although, it may have put a small dampener on any swimming plans people may have had.
This initial boat ride became the pattern for the next couple of days. Early morning, late afternoon and evening we would converge on the Lodge’s jetty, zip up our life jackets and set off either up or down river. Some clever travellers had brought small binoculars and they would have been perfect for even better views of the animals in the trees and on shore.
Shortly after our arrival at the Lodge, there was a buzz amongst the boat drivers and they quickly shepherded us back to the boats for a fast trip down river. Apparently, a herd of pygmy elephants had been spotted grazing at the river’s edge and we had to move fast.
This first afternoon really set the tone for our whole stay on the Kinabatangan River. I was ever hopeful that we would see orangutans in the wild and, even though that didn’t happen, we saw so many other animals that filled our wildlife cups to the very brim.
Bird lovers would have enjoyed the:
- Egrets
- Pied hornbills
- Stork-billed kingfisher
- River hawk
- Imperial pigeon, and
- Swifts.
Other guests at the Lodge were a group of birdwatchers all the way from France. They had some serious camera gear and binoculars, and undertook their daily excursions with grim determination. Not much laughter and merriment was observed amongst their group as they were here on a mission to tick some big birds off their list, not like us frivolous amateurs.
And, as you would expect, there was plentiful animal life too. There were crocodiles and pygmy elephants as mentioned, plus:
- Proboscis monkeys
- Long-tailed macaques
- Pig-tailed macaques
- Silver leaf langurs and squirrels.
The pygmy elephants were a real treat as apparently, they only appear in public every couple of months, so how lucky were we?
Our boat drivers knew all the haunts and would quietly motor up hidden creeks attempting to find more animals to delight us. They had good English and excellent knowledge, and it was a joy to be with them as they appeared to be enjoying it all as much as we were.
All too soon our stay in the jungle was over and we were filled with contentment, wearing large grins on our faces as we zipped our way back down the river to our waiting bus. A pair of pied hornbills flew over us as we motored downriver and I thought it was a very fitting way to end this eye-opening part of the tour.
Little did I know that there would be even more wildlife wonders waiting for us that day…
What has been your best wildlife experience?
The Basics
What: We stayed for two nights at the Borneo Nature Lodge. It was super comfortable, even though it is off-grid. Yes, the air conditioning did go off at 10pm and there was no WIFI, but who needs those things?
Where: You know, I am not 100% sure where we were, but check out the map below for slightly more clarity on its location.
When: I would avoid the worst of the monsoon season if contemplating a visit. I suspect you would have difficulty getting to the Lodge in the first place and the mozzies and the mould would be horrid.
Why: For endless wildlife wonderment and rare solitude.
How: We were on an organised tour and our bus deposited us at the jetty. I am sure you can book direct with the Lodge (check out their website) and they could assist with transport from Sandakan.
Who: For wildlife lovers, twitchers, authors needing to write a book or people who just want to stop and breathe for a while.
Related Posts: For a completely different wildlife experience, join us for a little swim with not-so-little whale sharks! Gulp!
Related Blogs: The Global Wizards had just as much fun as us in the jungle and they got to see orangutans! I am very envious.
Read About it: For a different jungle, but a great read, grab a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Available from Fishpond.
I was in the Wilds of Borneo in early March 2023.
#sabah, #junglejoy, #travelinspo #wildlife #Proboscismonkeys #macaquemonkeys #crocodiles #riverjourneys #Borneo #birdlife #elephants #boatrides #MotherNature
Life...one big adventure 
Mel, to experience seeing animals in their natural habitat must’ve been a very special experience and hopefully those opportunities keep happening with continued respect. I do love elephants and yes seeing an orangutan would have been icing on the cake. Best experience we have had was visiting Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo as it didn’t feel like a “zoo”.
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Ah, you were so close to me. What a shame we didn’t know each other then. Yes, that zoo is a cracker and a real example of how zoos can be done well.
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And imagine all the kms we could’ve clocked up with our husbands shaking their heads 😉
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🙂
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It’s too bad we didn’t go to Sabah when we visited Malaysia! This is something I’m really looking forward to in the future 😊 The stunning scenery and rich biodiversity are awe-inspiring. Thanks for sharing your experience, and keep exploring and sharing your amazing journeys! 🌿🚣♀️🌴
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Thanks for your lovely feedback. Borneo is certainly worth a visit and, if I was in the neighborhood, I would be tempted to return for a slower more ‘off the beaten track’ exploration.
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Mel, such a fabulous experience you’ve had. Love your photos. Back in 2016 Karen and I stayed at the same lodge so reading of your adventures doing river safaris and seeing all the animals and birds brings back great memories. We were lucky enough to see orangutans in the wild in a different part of Borneo so hope you did too. Cheers, Mark
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Oh, I am envious, Mark. I would love to see orangutans in the wild. We did have a wonderful visit to a sanctuary (post coming soon) and had to be content with that. And I was!
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We actually saw a mother and young orangutan when we went to the Gomantong Bat Caves… needless to say we were more excited about that than seeing the bats!
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Yes, I have the heard the bats are a bit on the nose! 🙂
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What can I say? —. You really get around! Your Borneo trip sounds terrific.
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Yep, life is too short not to cram in as much as possible! 😁
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Lucky!! We just missed a herd of pygmy elephants on Kinabatangan. Always love proboscus, how can you not😊
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Exactly! You just can’t beat seeing animals in the wild.
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Yay! The other half got to share this adventure too? The Lodge looks lovely and those evening views on the river… sublime. I love a little monkey business, but the closest I come to wildlife is the occasional chameleon. They do get cross if you nearly stand on them!
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Yes, he had a fabulous time with his camera and big zoom lens. It was a wonderful relaxing holiday for both of us.
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What an adventure 😯. Amazing photos and you were so lucky to see the elephants.
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I think we were lucky the whole trip. Lots of weird and wonderful experiences and so different from our day-to-day life. Have a good day. Mel
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You had beautiful views of the river … that’s now apart from all the wild animals of course! I’m always excited to see elephants and the monkeys are a treat too (I’m a bit wary of the crocodiles though)! We often see wild animals, but in the last few months we have had wonderful opportunities here in the Eastern Cape to see wild animals up close in their natural habitat … it remains a great privilege.
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Yes, you are spoilt for choice with wonderful wildlife encounters in RSA. Half your luck!
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What a great adventure! And the Pygmy Elephants? I want one!!! So lucky!
My best wildlife experience? Well, I’ve never done safari or anything like what you did in Borneo. I sure do like it when the coyote trotted right in front of me (about 15 feet away) while I was sitting in the back yard a few weeks ago. It’s also fun to hear them erupt in howls whenever an emergency vehicle siren sounds. Happened just last night. 🙂
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By the way, if you ask me that question in a year, I hope to be able to write something along the lines of “My encounter with a wild kangaroo in Australia!” 🙂
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You will see so many of them they will become very ho hum! 😁
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It sounds like you have all the wildlife you need right on your doorstep, although I think coyotes would be a bit unnerving. Such a mournful yowl.
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Oh wow! What an adventure, fully amongst it. Great photos. This though – Where did we stay? I’m not really sure! 😂😂😂😂
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😆😊
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There is nothing like seeing wild animals in their native habitat. It is such a privilege. My most amazing adventure was travelling through southern Africa (camping) in 2000. But coming across Kangaroos and Wallabies in Australia was also a joy. Here seeing a buzzard or red kite gives me a thrill.
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Mother Nature is pretty darn clever to create so many wonderful animals , isn’t she?
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It’s absolutely incredible – the elephant and the monkeys especially. What a humbling experience to see nature at its best in the wild. My best wildlife experience was Costa Rica in Arenal National Park seeing all the spider monkeys play above us in the wild.
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I think I remember your post about that trip, or am I getting confused? Such a fantastic experience to get out of your comfort zone and get close to very different animals.
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You’re right I did and good memory 😊 I love them, it makes you appreciate nature even more
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Really enjoyed your blog ,great pictures of the monkeys ,not all birders are serious .I was supposed to go before lockdown.Did you have to get jabbed?My best trip was Costa Rica.
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No, didn’t get any special vaccinations. We figured that we wouldn’t be going too far off the main tourist tracks, so we should be pretty safe. And we were. I am yet to get to South America. It is such a big continent, I hardly know where to start!
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Take a look at our blog!
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What a special place. I had never heard of this place so thanks for the enlightenment 😊
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That’s my pleasure. It was a real highlight of our trip.
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How wonderful. You saw a lot!
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Sure did. It was a wonderful experience.
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