KINABATANGAN RIVER IN SABAH

Kinabatangan River is one of the most interesting nature safaris available in Sandakan, Sabah Borneo. Located just two hours out of Sandakan town, the Kinabatangan River stretches over 560 kilometers and is the second longest river in Malaysia and the longest in Sabah. Kinabatangan is also well known for its remarkable wildlife and fascinating habitats found throughout the sanctuary.

The Kinabatangan River Wildlife Sanctuary spreads across 26,000 hectares (260 sq km) along the lower Kinabatangan river in Sabah and this river plain floods easily creating five distinct habitats to support an enormous bio-diversity of wildlife. The World Wildlife Fund states that the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Borneo, is one of only two known places on Earth where 10 primate species can be found. This includes the Borneo Orangutan, the Proboscis Monkey, Macaques, Maroon Langur and Bornean Gibbon, most of which are endemic to Borneo. 

You can also expect to see Crocodiles, Monitor Lizards, Civet Cats, Hawks, Eagles, Hornbills, Kingfishers and much more. if you are very lucky you can encounter the Borneon Pygmy Elephant feeding on the edge of the Kinabatangan River. As well as the animals and bird life you can also spot many insects, reptiles and amphibians including snakes, frogs and stick insects. For knowledge purposes, the origin of the name 'Kinabatangan' was derived from Kina (China) and Batang(large river).

On  my recent trip to Kinabatangan in December 2009,  I was totally amazed on how there was so much interesting wildlife available in just one small area. With the support from Sabah, I made my way to Kinabatangan with my knowledgeable nature guide Ben and upon arrival at the local village jetty in Sukau, our boat had arrived to ferry us to our resort - Bukit Melapi Proboscis Lodge which is located along the banks of the Kinabatangan River.

The boat ride was enjoyable as it only took us about ten minutes to reach our Eco-lodge. Along the way, you see the River People (Orang Sungai) homes along the Kinabatangan River and they are spaced out very well. There are about six to seven lodges along the river where they too are quite a distance from one another.

In my conclusion  is  It was an eye opener for me. As a Malaysian, I never knew that we had so much to see and explore in our own backyard. You must be a nature  lover to fully appreciate this visit and children are best brought here to expose them to the wildlife of Borneo.