Backpacking the Kinabatangan
Half five in the morning and the mist is still hanging over the water. The little boat’s engine hums, the guide cuts it, and then you hear it: a crack in the trees on the bank. A troop of proboscis monkeys is getting ready for the day, the males with their ridiculous drooping noses and pot bellies, the young ones flinging themselves from branch to branch. A hornbill flies low overhead, sounding like a helicopter. On the mud lies something you took for a log, until it opens its eyes.
At 560 kilometres the Kinabatangan is the longest river in Sabah, and the last stretch before the sea is a narrow ribbon of forest squeezed between the palm oil plantations. That is exactly why the wildlife is packed in so tight along the water: proboscis monkeys, macaques, wild orangutans, crocodiles, monitor lizards and herds of pygmy elephants crossing the river. You do not see them from a trail but from a boat, at sunrise and at sunset, when the forest is at its busiest.
You sleep in a lodge in Sukau or Bilit, right on the water, and pay for a package: bed, meals, the cruises and usually the transfer from Sepilok or Sandakan. Packages with a dorm bed start at about €110 for two days and one night. Take two nights if you can. Every cruise is different, and the elephants never show up by appointment. For Borneo backpacking, this river is the wildlife main event.
Why the Kinabatangan is popular with backpackers
- The best place on Borneo to see wild animals
- Proboscis monkeys on almost every cruise
- A chance of pygmy elephants and wild orangutans
- Crocodiles, monitor lizards and hornbills
- Sleeping in a lodge on the river
- Everything sorted in one package
- Sepilok’s natural sequel, two hours down the road
Best time to visit the Kinabatangan
The Kinabatangan is in the lowlands on the east coast and warm and humid all year. In the wet months the river can burst its banks.
The pygmy elephants roam the area all year round and stick to no season at all. Whether they come past your stretch of river, you only find out once you are there. What helps: the guides from all the lodges keep each other posted on where the herd has been the last few days.
Backpacker budget: around €60 a day
- €55hostel bed
- €3local meal
- €4beer
- €12extra river cruise
Guide prices for a backpacker's day in Kinabatangan. Add a tour or a night out and it climbs fast.
Best area for backpackers
Sukau or Bilit
On the Kinabatangan you do not pick a neighbourhood, you pick a village on the river. Most lodges are in Sukau or Bilit, two villages on the same stretch of river, and from both you cruise the same banks and side channels.
Sukau has the most choice, from homestays to luxury lodges. Bilit is smaller and quieter. Choose on the lodge and the package, not on the village.
What should you look for when choosing?
- How many cruises are in the package (ideally three for two days)
- Is the transfer from Sepilok or Sandakan included
- Dorm or private room
- Night walk or night cruise included or extra
- Will they drop you at the bus towards Semporna afterwards
Compare the packages, because the difference is in what is included.
Best hostels on the Kinabatangan
There are no hostels on the Kinabatangan in the usual sense. You book a lodge directly, through a tour agency in Sandakan or Kota Kinabalu, or on a booking site. Below are five places where backpackers often stay; three of them you book on Trip.com, the other two directly.
Tanini Kinabatangan
Tanini, until recently Nature Lodge Kinabatangan, is in Bilit, with wooden chalets on boardwalks between the trees. You pick a chalet facing the jungle or the river, or a bed in a dorm for six, men-only, women-only or mixed. You book a package of two days and one night or three days and two nights, and guests in their reviews rave mostly about the guides on the boat and the buffet meals.
Ideal for
- Backpackers who want a dorm
- Having everything sorted in one package
- Seeing lots of animals with a good guide
Sukau Backpackers Bed & Breakfast
Sukau Backpackers is in Sukau village, close to the river, and one of the most affordable places on the Kinabatangan, with rooms from about €30. The rooms are simple, with air con and a hot shower, and you just book the river cruises and meals at reception. Reviewers mostly talk about the elephants and birds on the cruises and about the kitchen, which cooks something different for vegetarians every time.
Ideal for
- Budget travellers
- Vegetarians
- Sleeping in Sukau
Bilit Adventure Lodge
A simple lodge in Bilit, made for backpackers. You book a package of one to three nights with the river cruises, jungle walks, meals and transport from Sandakan included. Book it directly with the lodge or through a tour agency in Sandakan or Kota Kinabalu.
Ideal for
- Backpackers on a budget
- Getting everything sorted in one go
- Two nights on the river
Kinabatangan Wildlife Lodge
A budget lodge in Bilit with dorms and private rooms. Here you pay for your bed and add the cruises, meals and walks separately, so you decide how much you do.
Ideal for
- Putting together your own stay
- Longer stays
- Budget travellers with their own plan
Sukau Greenview B&B
A popular bed and breakfast in Sukau, on the river. You book a stay with river cruises directly with the lodge, and they sort the transport from Sandakan too.
Ideal for
- A bit more comfort
- Couples
- A short stay with plenty of cruises
Best things to do on the Kinabatangan
Three days on the river from Sandakan
Rather not compare lodges and packages yourself? This tour sorts the whole stay from Sandakan: transport, two nights on the river and the trips on the water. Three days gives you the mornings and evenings that matter.
River cruise at sunrise
The morning cruise is the best of the day. Mist on the water, the forest waking up, and your best chance of orangutans and hornbills.
What will you see?
- Hornbills flying low over the water
- Orangutans in the treetops
- Macaques on the bank
- Kingfishers and darters
Set the alarm, however tired you are. This is the hour.
River cruise at sunset
Late in the afternoon the proboscis monkeys look for a place to sleep in the trees along the water. That is when you see them in big groups, squabbling, leaping and eating.
Highlights
- Troops of proboscis monkeys along the bank
- Crocodiles lying on the mud
- With luck, pygmy elephants at the water
- The sun sinking behind the forest
Plenty of backpackers call this cruise the highlight of Borneo.
Night walk or night cruise
Once it is dark, the guides go along the bank by boat or on foot with a torch. Sleeping kingfishers, owls, frogs and crocodile eyes glowing in the beam.
Why do it?
- Wildlife that only comes out after dark
- Sleeping birds an arm’s length away
- Crocodile eyes in the torchlight
- A completely different forest from the daytime one
Ask when you book whether it is in your package.
Oxbow lake and jungle walk
An oxbow lake is a river bend that got cut off in the middle of the forest, and there are a few along the Kinabatangan. You go there by boat or on foot with your guide, and it is one of the best places to see birds and orangutans in the morning.
Highlights
- A silent lake in the middle of the jungle
- Birds and orangutans around the water
- Proper rainforest trails
- A guide explaining the plants and animals
A nice change from all the time on the boat.
Gomantong Caves on the way
Between Sandakan and the river lies Gomantong, the biggest cave in Sabah. Inside, thousands of swiftlets and bats hang from the rock, and twice a year collectors climb rattan ropes to the ceiling for the edible nests.
Why go?
- A gigantic cave chamber
- Thousands of birds and bats
- The ropes and ladders of the nest collectors
- At dusk the bats stream out
Wear closed shoes: the floor is covered in guano and there are cockroaches running about.
How to plan your days on the Kinabatangan
Two days and one night is the minimum, with three cruises. A second night doubles your chances of elephants and orangutans. Pick how many days you have.
To the river. Picked up in Sepilok or Sandakan in the morning, with a stop at the Gomantong Caves. Lunch at the lodge, and around four you are out on the water for the first cruise, just as the proboscis monkeys look for somewhere to sleep.
Tonight: a night walk or night cruise with the guide.
Sunrise on the water. Into the boat at half five, with mist on the river and hornbills overhead. Then breakfast and a walk to the oxbow lake.
Tonight: another sunset cruise.
Last morning cruise. One more time on the water, and maybe this is when you see the elephants. After breakfast the lodge drops you in Sandakan or at the main road.
Tonight: in Semporna, ready for the islands.
Food and drink on the Kinabatangan
On the river you eat at your lodge, and it is nearly always in your package. Usually it is a buffet with rice, a couple of curries, vegetables, fried fish or chicken and fresh fruit, shared with the other guests.
There are hardly any shops. Bring snacks from Sandakan, and beer if you want it: at the lodges it costs more and not every lodge has it.
What to eat on the Kinabatangan:
Getting there and onward
The Kinabatangan is about two hours’ drive from Sandakan, at the end of a road that runs some 45 kilometres inland from the main highway. There is no public transport to Sukau or Bilit.
Getting there. Almost every lodge picks you up in Sepilok or Sandakan, often with a stop at the Gomantong Caves. Coming by bus? Have the lodge collect you at the Sukau turn-off on the main road.
On the river. Everything happens in the lodge’s boat. You need nothing else.
Onward. For Semporna, the morning bus from Sandakan passes the Sukau turn-off. Get your lodge to drop you there and arrange with the bus company that they stop. If that does not work out, you go via Lahad Datu. Back to Kota Kinabalu, flying from Sandakan is quickest.
- Lodge transferSepilok and Sandakan about 2 hrs, often in the package
- Lodge boatTwo or three cruises a day
- BusSemporna, board at the Sukau turn-off
- PlaneVia Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur
Staying safe on the Kinabatangan
The Kinabatangan is a quiet area, and the lodges are well set up for guests. The risks are all nature: water, animals and mosquitoes.
- Use mosquito repellent with DEET, especially on the dusk cruises
- Take a rain jacket and a dry bag for your camera on the boat
- Bring enough cash: there is no ATM on the river
- Always listen to your guide when elephants are around
- Trail your hands in the water over the side of the boat: crocodiles live here
- Get too close to elephants, not even for the photo
- Feed the monkeys or leave food lying around in your room
- Walk into the forest alone after dark
Rebels on the Road tip
Book two nights instead of one. With one night you get three cruises and you are gone again after lunch. With two nights you add at least one extra morning and one extra evening, and those are exactly the moments the elephants come down to the water. Ask the lodge whether they will drop you at the bus to Semporna afterwards too, so you do not have to go back to Sandakan.
Frequently asked questions
How many nights should you book on the Kinabatangan?
One night at minimum, two if you can: plan two to three days in all. Two days and one night gives you three cruises. A second night gives your chances of elephants and orangutans a serious boost.
How much does a stay on the Kinabatangan cost?
You pay for a package with bed, meals, cruises and often the transfer. Two days and one night in a dorm starts at about €110, more with a private room. Spread over those two days, plus some drinks and snacks, the daily budget here comes to around €60.
Are there hostels on the Kinabatangan?
Not in the usual sense. You sleep in a lodge or homestay in Sukau or Bilit, booked directly or through a tour agency.
Are you guaranteed to see pygmy elephants?
No. The herds roam the whole area and are sometimes somewhere else for weeks. Two nights and several cruises give you the best shot. Proboscis monkeys, on the other hand, you see almost every time.
Sukau or Bilit: which is better?
Both are good. Sukau has more choice, Bilit is smaller and quieter. From both you cruise the same stretch of river, so choose on the package.
Can you get to the Kinabatangan on your own?
As far as the Sukau turn-off on the main road, yes, by bus. After that there is no public transport and you need a lodge to pick you up.
When is the best time to visit the Kinabatangan?
March to October, the drier half of the year. From November to February the rain sets in and the river can burst its banks.
Is the Kinabatangan a good fit if you do not like hiking?
Definitely. Almost everything happens from the boat. The walks are short and optional.
How do you get from the Kinabatangan to Semporna?
Get your lodge to drop you at the Sukau turn-off on the main road, where the morning bus from Sandakan to Semporna comes past. Arrange with the bus company beforehand that they stop.
Sources: hostel ratings from Hostelworld, tours and reviews from GetYourGuide, transport and travel times from 12Go, visa rules from the official immigration sites (see our visa page). The daily budget is our own estimate based on hostel, food and transport prices. How we work.
