Sukau Kinabatangan River Cruise - Independent travel guide

Sukau Kinabatangan River Cruise - Independent travel guide

When it comes to a Sukau Kinabatangan River Cruise, many backpackers and independent travelers wonder whether it is possible to visit this incredible place without an expensive organized tour. This blog to the Kinabatangan River is intended to help answer the most common questions and to guide you through what you need to know before you go down to Sukau and the Kinabatangan River.

How do you get to the Kinabatangan river?

First of all, how do I get to the Kinabatangan river? If you want to spend a few days here, the small village of Sukau is the best accommodation.

Sukau is located on the banks of the Kinabatangan river and in the middle of the Kinabatangan protection area. Since it is on site, so to speak, Sukau is a great place to book a daily Sukau Kinabatangan flow cruise for animal observation.

There are countless ways to achieve Sukau and the Kinabatangan River for which no organized tour is required, although they are not so obvious without research.

BUS: Buses that drive from Kota Kinabalu to Semporna pass the Sukau Junction. You can get out here and hope for a van that takes you down the long unpaved road down to Sukau. Alternatively, buses from Sandakan also run to Semporna and Lahad Datu, into which you can get in and get out at the same intersection. MR Choy: The most direct and cheapest option is the joint transport by a man from Sukau, known as Mr. Choy. Mr. Choy makes daily trips from Sandakan for 50 ring git and can also pick them up from Sepilok on the way. His WhatsApp number is: 019-536-1889. Grab Car: Simply the most expensive option. Calculate about 300 from Sandakan. I was told that the drivers even ask for more because they also have to drive all the way back.

For more information about how to come here, I also wrote a blog post about the Kinabatangan River.

Accommodation on the Kinabatangan

Yes, it is possible to spend the night on the Kinabatangan river, namely in Sukau. There are also options that are suitable for every budget.

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.
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Do not miss the Sukau cave hike: Read the Fiihrer

What to do in the Kinabatangan river?

The best thing you can do on the Kinabatangan River is a boat trip on the Sukau-Kinabatangan River. If you are already in Sukau, they are relatively cheap and definitely a must. But hey, that's why you read this cinema river blog, right?

boats drive down the river and deep into the Kinabatangan nature reserve to catch a rare view of the unique wildlife of Sabah Bornean.

Costs for the river cruise: 50 Ringgit per person

If you stay on the river, you don't have to buy a package booked in advance when check-in. All lodges and hotels in Sukau. In the RB Lodge in which I lived, the host offered open excursions, where we could choose whether we wanted to take part in morning, afternoon or night cruises.

Most Sukau-Kinabatangan river cruises engage local fishermen that are leading them downstream, which is great because they contribute directly to local communities.
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Read more: Sabah travel plan 7 days-things that can be done in Sabah Borneo

Sukau Kinabatangan River Cruise Route

Do you wonder what to expect on the river? Here is a short route with options from which you can choose and what kind of animals you can see with a little luck.

Bewish world of the Kinabatangan River

I've already said it and I say it again, the cinema engine River is one of the most species -rich places I've ever visited. Here is a brief summary of some wild animals of the cinema tangan river that you could see, depending on how rare they are.

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I am by no means a biologist, but I have categorized these species as frequently, based on what the guide told me and what species we discovered on every trip.

Frequent wild animals include:

• long -tail maked (there are thousands)
• nose monkeys (endangered)
• rhino birds
• Falkenadler
• owl (night cruises)
• stems
• kingfish

less common

Less frequent types are those of which we were told quite rare, but they have a good chance of seeing them when they take a few cruises on the Sukau Kinabatangan River.

• leaf wheels (and different species variants)
• Bornean Gibbon
• flying squirrel (night)
• salt water crocodile
• turtles
• Black leaf-fuel
• pythons
• wild boar
• Wilder Hirsch
• Orang -utans
• Irrawaddy Delfine
• monitor

super happy

• pygmäen elephant
• otter
• Tarsiers (night cruise)
• slow loris
• fresh water sharks
• Sumatra-Stashorn
• Sonnenbären

Since this is of course only a blog post about the Kinabatangan river and not an encyclopedia of the animal world, it does not list every single animal to which they could meet. Further information from real wildlife experts can be found on this website.

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cruise at sunrise

The morning cruises are my favorite. Although you may not see so many monkeys, the light seems to penetrate the trees on the river banks and a lot of hidden reptiles and bird species.

We were also told that it is a higher chance to see more birds, but I think we saw as many in the afternoon.

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• Alt = "Monkey on the Kinabatangan River">

cruise at sunset

A journey on the Sukau Kinabatangan river at sunset usually starts around 4:30 p.m. and resembles the trip in the morning. In the afternoon, however, you have more chances of seeing different types of monkeys when you make your way to the river banks.

Note that the probability of rain is higher during this time. Your tour guide will probably bring you back shortly after sunset.

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night cruise

The night cruises are the most unique trips. You will be armed with a flashlight to discover nocturnal species such as Koboldmakis, Opossums, squirrels and of course the bright eyes of over 4 meter tall crocodiles.
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After three days on the river, we went on 5 excursions to maximize our chances of seeing the rarer animals such as orangutans, rhinos and dwarf fans. Unfortunately we didn't discover anything of it. However, we have seen more than just a fair proportion of animals, many of which are incredibly rare.

Tips for the Kinabatangan

Here are some quick tips that will serve you well on your trip to Sukau. If you have any further questions about independent Sukau-Kinabatangan river cruises or anything else, you can leave a comment below or send me an email. I am happy to help.

Food and bring snacks

The village is very remote and you have no access to general comfort food or snacks. Most Restaurants use the lack of services and require a juicy premium.

Budget-Restaurant

There is a small restaurant that is about 500 meters downstream from the RB Lodge and serves relatively cheap local food. Here you can avoid the steep prices and still get a decent Nasi Goreng or Mie Goreng for 7 Ringgit.

Bring cash

Here I made a mistake. Since Borneo was a much more expensive travel destination when I was used to it, I was simply not aware that when I arrived in Sukau I hardly had any cash with me. I quickly found out that there are no ATMs in the area of ​​an hour's drive.

Bring a pack sack with

The Kinabatangan River is a very wet place. This applies particularly in the rainy season. I would recommend bringing a Dry Bag to keep your electronics in it and bring additional dry clothing with you, since everything that is wet will probably stay that way.

mosquito protection

You will thank me later.

Hike on the elephant path to the Sukau-Höhle

In Sukau there is a certain way that I think is a must. The path winds through the thick rainforest into a huge cave system. This is not in any travel guide or book and is a local gem.

Look at the fireflies on the Kinabatangan river

If you can defy the rampant mosquito, you can discover the fireflies that fly around almost anywhere in Sukau. If you always wanted to see that, just come over at night and look around.

More photos from Sukau and the Kinabatangan

Hopefully this Kinabatangan River Blog will help you to discover your inner NAT geo-photographer.

After more wildlife Inspo? Here are a few more snapshots from the Sukau River Cross and the Kinabatangan River.
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Alt = "Wild trunk monkey in Sabah Borneo">
Alt = "Rüsellenfen in Sukau">

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