Kinabatangan Caves – Elephant Trail Hike to Sukau Caves

Kinabatangan Caves – Elephant Trail Hike to Sukau Caves

If you are planning your Kinabatangan river trip or looking for the Sukau Caves, then I bet you are already thinking about the Gomantong Caves. However, did you know that there is another epic Kinabatangan cave system right near the riverside village of Sukau?

Located just a few minutes' walk from the popular Kinabatangan River Cruise Village Sukau, the cave trail passes through dense rainforest along an elephant-carved path. As I found out, this means you have to be extra careful to avoid territorial wildlife that calls the Sukau Jungle home.

Sukau on the Kinabatangan River

For those who want to spend a little time exploring the Kinabatangan River and make the most of the incredible wildlife river cruises from here, then you'll probably want to stay in Sukau.

The village itself is quite small and is located right on the banks of the river. There are no ATMs or supermarkets here, so you need to prepare. To help you, I wrote a detailed blog about how to get here, where to stay and what to expect.

Other Kinabatangan cave and river cruise option

If you prefer to visit the larger Gomantong Caves, you can book a cave and river cruise online. I didn't do this option as I decided to stay in Sukau for a few days. However, if you prefer a hotel pickup and guided tour from Sandakan, you can book this trip for under $90.

If you are looking for more information about the Gomantong Caves, you may find this detailed blog helpful.

INTERESTED IN INDEPENDENT RIVER CRUISES? READ THIS BLOG.

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DON’T MISS: SABAH ITINERARY 7 DAYS – THINGS TO DO IN SABAH BORNEO

How to find the Sukau Caves

Of course, you can arrange a driver or guide from Sukau to go to Gomantong Caves. Unfortunately I didn't have a day. So instead I set out to explore the elephant trail that leads to Sukau Caves as instructed by my lodge owner.

You will find the start of the trail at the very end of the road in Sukau that leads downstream. The official name of the area is Tomanggong Limestone Area and you will find the start of the trail marked under that name on Google Maps.

The best advice is to just follow the road downstream, past the lodges and small restaurants.

When you reach a house that looks like it's the end of the street, just walk under the small makeshift bridge. Then continue through the palm trees and finally cross a wooden plank that leads into the jungle.

Sukau Elephant Trail Hike – Tomanggong Limestone Area

Hiking distance: 8 km there and back; Total length: 2-3 hours; Hiking Difficulty: Easy, but can be very wet and boggy.

As I mentioned earlier, the trail was created by local pygmy elephants that roam the jungle area near the Kinabatangan caves and river. As a result, the trail winds and cuts back several times, forcing you to traverse deep muddy sections.

Overall the trail is fairly flat and you will find small red and pink ribbons tied to the trees leading the way to the Sukau Caves. My advice is to look for the labels and ribbons as it's pretty easy to get lost.

As you approach the cave, you will need to follow the path up the hill a little and reveal a huge cave opening.
alt=“Tomanggong limestone area, hike to Sukau Caves”>

Kinabatangan wildlife

However, you definitely need to be careful. Having grown up in Australia, I tend to forget the dangers to wildlife other than those of the poisonous variety. Consequently, the outcome of the hike could have been much worse if I had unknowingly and innocently wandered into a pack of angry wild boars or a territorial bull elephant.

The truth is that we came across a pack of wild boars and were chased by them. Read the section below for the story.

What to Expect at Kinabatangan Caves

The hike itself is very beautiful and passes through the dense and humid jungle interior that you might expect from Borneo.

Sukau Cave itself has two main caves. It looks like it's also descending deeper underground. There are bats everywhere in the main cave, so you need to be prepared if you're a bit squeamish.

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• alt=“Sukau-Höhlen, Tomanggong-Kalksteingebiet, Kinabatangan-Höhlen“>
• alt=“Kinabatangan-Höhlen, Fledermaushöhle“>

Hunted by wild boars

Yes. These things were monsters. If you have never seen a Borneo wild boar, I implore you to google a picture of one. The thing is wild and looks super scary staring at you and grunting through the bushes in the thickets of a swampy jungle.

Although we found the caves, we had to flee an angry and territorial wild boar on the way back. Luckily we both survived to tell the hilarious but, in hindsight, happy story of our great boar escape from the Sukau Caves.

More photos of the Sukau Caves and hiking trail

Here are some more photos we took along the way to Sukau Caves (Kinabatangan Caves).

If you decide to do the hike, let me know by leaving a quick comment below.
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