How to get to the Kinabatangan river and where you can spend the night

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This detailed travel guide is intended to help travelers who ask themselves how to get to the Kinabatangan river. This guide lists options of main nodes such as Sandakan, Semporna and Kota Kinabalu.

As you may know, independent trips in Sabah Borneo are not always the simplest or cheapest. Fortunately, however, it is possible to reach the Kinabatangan River in order to see the last remaining insights into the once flowering biodiversity of Borneo, independent - and with the budget of a backpacker.

Where is the river Kinabatangan?

The river Kinabatangan, known in Malaiic as Sungai Kinabatangan, is the longest river in Sabah and the second longest in Malaysia with a total length of 560 km.

The river is located in the Sandakan division in the northeast of Sabah and flows from the inner Sabahan mountains to the salt water-mangly moisture areas on the banks of the Sulusee.

The cinema tangan River is known for its incredible biodiversity and as a refuge for endangered species, including nose monkeys and orangutans.

Accommodation options on the Kinabatangan

river

For jungle river cruises and access to the cinema engineer Wildlife Sanctuary is the best accommodation on the river in a small town named Sukau. There are some accommodation options here and many river leaders live in this city.

Sukau accommodation

Budget rainforest accommodation: RB Lodgedie cheapest cinema tangan River accommodation that you will find in Sukau. I stayed here. The rooms are in the bungalow style and located directly on the river bank. Breakfast is included and a double room costs less than $ 14 per night.

Backpacker-Vibe: Sukau Backpacker’s B&B This B&B is only a few hundred meters away from the RB Lodge and costs a few more dollars, but has more comfortable and cleaner rooms. Breakfast is also a buffet.

National Geographic Sukau Rainforest Lodgedie Sukau Rainforest Lodge must be the coolest accommodation on the Kinabatangan River. The lodge is located on the banks of the river and is the first ecotourism company in the area. The owners of the lodge are built on nature conservation and the facilities include common rooms, a lounge, a restaurant, promenades, a pool and a bar. They have also won several tourism and sustainability prices.

You can also compare all accommodations in Sukau and on the Kinabatangan River on Booking.com.
Alt = “Sukau-Dorf in Sandakan Sabah, Borneo”> Sukau accommodation on the edge of the river

Do not miss the Sukau cave hike: Read the Fiihrer

How do you get to the Kinabatangan river?

To get to the Kinabatangan River and Sukau, you have to take a bus or a private means of transport from the most important tourist centers in Sabah. These include Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Sepilok and Semporna.

For independent travelers, however, it is still a bit difficult because there are not many large nodes or cities at a reasonable distance. You should cover the following options and answer your question how to get to the Kinabatangan River, no matter where you start.

flying in Sabah, Borneo

The closest airport to the Kinabatangan River is in Sandakan. If you are not a fan of bumpy overland options, Air Asia also offers cheap flights from $ 30 per person from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan Airport. If you want to avoid KK and fly directly to Sandakan, you will also find many flights, most of which are connected via Kuala Lumpur.

Compare flights to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan on Sky Scanner or Momondo

How to come from Kota Kinabalu to the Kinabatangan river

The fastest way from Kota Kinabalu to the Kinabatangan River is a flight from KK Airport to Sandakan. From here you have to take one of the overland buses described below or a private transfer to Sukau. Read on to find out how to get from Sandakan to the Kinabatangan River.

Bus from Kota Kinabalu to the Kinabatangan

river

To get from Kota Kinabalu by bus to the Kinabatangan River, you have to go to the northern bus station (Inanam). Here, several buses go to Sandakan and two buses to Semporna (7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.).

You can tell the ticket sellers that they want to go to Sukau or the Kinabatangan river. You will recommend that you take the bus to Semporna and get out at the junction to Sukau, where cars and vans are parked that are waiting to bring tourists down the unpaved road to the Lodges. The journey from Kota Kinabalu to the Sukau crossing takes about 6 hours by bus and follows the highway to Semporna.

map of the Sukau crossing

Do not miss: Sabah travel plan 7 days-things that can be done in Sabah Borneo

How do I get from Sandakan to the Kinabatangan river?

There are two main options to get from Sandakan to the Kinabatangan River. The first option is to take a public bus that goes from the long-distance bus station (Locks Bas Sandakan on Google Maps) in the direction of Lahad Datu and then gets out at the Sukau crossing and hopes that a car or van will bring you there Sukau.

This first option is a bit annoying, firstly because the long -distance traffic terminal is somewhat outside the city, and secondly because they have to rely on a path to get from the intersection to Sukau, since it is a 45 km long unpaved road.

Mr. Choy Sandakan

The better choice and the option I chose is a direct transfer with a local legend: "Mr. Choy". Choy lives in Sukau and makes transfers every day in his Minivan from Sandakan for 50 Ringgit per person. You can contact him on WhatsApp; 019-536-1889 or by email: [Email Protected] The best thing is that you do not have to change bus or van, Mr. Choy takes you from your accommodation in Sandakan or Sepilok to your accommodation in Sukau or vice

choy is such a great guy. After he had screwed it up and hadn't brought enough money to Sukau (there has been no ATMs for over an hour), he took my debit card at his next daily run and picked up money for me in Sandakan, although I only hit him the previous day.

Sepilok to the Kinabatangan river (Sukau)

To get from Sepilok to the Kinabatangan river, you can either wave down a bus to Lahad Datu from the Sepilok junction and follow the same plan as above-or you can send Choy a message via WhatsApp. Since Sepilok is on the road, Choy also gets you off your accommodation in Sepilok.

How do I get from Semporna to the Kinabatangan river?

Those in Semporna who wonder how they get from Semporna to the Kinabatangan River have similar options. In the meantime, you will find that there is no direct public transport to Sukau on the Kinabatangan River.

From Semporna it is best to take a bus to Kota Kinabalu at the bus station near the port in the morning. This bus follows the same standard bus route as the return trip from Kota Kinabalu and you have to get out at the Sukau Junction as well. From here they take a van again on the street to Sukau.

in Semporna? Read the Semporna island hopping blog for Bohey Dulang

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