The
Kinabatangan River
The wildlife of the Lower Kinabatangan River is
acknowledged by experts to be the most varied and easily
accessible in all of Southeast Asia. The river rises in
the eastern Witta Range of Sabah, where it begins its 350
mile (563km) north-easterly course towards the Sulu Sea.
The Kinabatangan is Sabahs longest river and the second
longest in the whole of Malaysia. Oxbow lakes have formed
nearby, there are about 20 in the lower regions of the
river. Created over time and separated from the main
river as erosion and deposits of soil change the rivers
course, they are a paradise for bird watchers.
The "People of the River" - Orang Sungei live in
small settlements (image right) spread out along the
river and it's fascinating to see their self sufficient,
peaceful homes fully operational, making a living through
fishing the lakes and rivers (pictured below) and growing
vegetables. They use the forests of the Kinabatangan as a
source of building material, firewood food and medicine.
WWF (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund and
one of the world's largest and most respected independent
conservation organizations) states that this area is one
of only two known places on Earth where 10 primate
species can be found. Some of these include the Orang
Utan, the proboscis monkey, macaques, maroon langur and
Bornean gibbon, most of which are endemic to Borneo.
Please visit our
Borneo Primates section
to view images of these endearing animals.
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR HORNBILL IMAGES WITHIN OUR
PHOTO COLLECTION SECTION
Bird lovers will find the bird watching incredible:
all 8 of Borneo's hornbill species are seen regularly.
Occasionally, two species of the gorgeous pitas can be
spotted, as well as the Storm stork and the bizarre
Oriental darter or "Snake Bird". Of the 200 other species
of birds recorded in the area, eight of these are of
Malaysia's threatened bird species. Visit our
Borneo Birds section in
Photo Collections for images.
The area is home to the Borneon Pygmy Elephants,
which are a newly discovered species and endemic to this
region. For a recent encounter with the Elephants please
visit our
News & Events page.
For Images visit our
Borneo Mammals page
within
Photo Collections.
Planning a visit
...
Most of the wildlife lodges are concentrated around the
Sukau area, which is very accessible and offers a wide
range of facilities. We prefer to travel slightly off the
beaten track and found a wonderful lodge located in
Kampung Bilit, a tiny village with about 150 inhabitants.
The Lodge offers very comfortable and clean ensuite
accommodation, its quiet with very little disturbance
made to the surrounding forest.
The staff at the lodge are mostly from Kampung
Bilit, the guides are extremely knowledgeable about the
local wildlife, plants and medicine and they will ensure
that you are well informed on the diverse ecosystem that
surrounds you. Lodge manager and head guide Nelson is
pictured below right serving up lunch in leaves at the
Oxbow lake.
A recommended length of stay is 2 nights / 3 days,
during this time you're offered 4 riverboat trips, 2
early morning and 2 late afternoon/evening, all of about
2 hours duration, 2 jungle night walks or night riverboat
trips also offered within the package is a 3 hour hike,
to one of the Oxbow Lakes.
Our "Wildlife Spotted" list includes; Silvered
Langur (adults and juveniles), Long Tail and Pig Tail
Macaques, Proboscis Monkey (adults and juveniles),
Saltwater Crocodiles,Bearded Pigs, Oriental, Rhinoceros,
Wrinkled and Asian Black Hornbills, Giant Moths, Lantern
Bugs, Leaf insect, Frogs, Scorpions, Field Millipedes,
birds included; Scarlet Rumped Trogon, Garnet Pitta,
White Rumped Shama, Dollorbird, Stork Billed and Blue
Eared Kingfisher, Storm Stork, Jerdon's Baza, Crested
Serpent Eagle, Oriental Darter, Woodpeckers, Purple
Heron, Egrets and last but not least the Bornean Pygmy
Elephants. Please visit our
Photo Collections page
for more Images.
During the first few hours of morning daylight the
loud bubbling call of the female adult gibbon can be
heard but sadly they were not to be seen.
There are a number of must do's when visiting Sabah but
in our opinion a stay at the Kinabatangan River should
come very high on the list.
We recently look part in a Tree Planting program at Bilit
Adventure Lodge, for more information please visit our
News & Events page.
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR
CROCODILES OF KINABATANGAN WITHIN OUR PHOTO COLLECTION
SECTION
