Kinabatangan River Cruise from Sandakan

The noon pick up changed to 1pm and still had one hour sitting around doing nothing on arrival. Boat had no protection from the sun or rain and it was clear the guide knew nothing about the non-existent wildlife that was supposed to be there. He admitted that nobody had ever seen an elephant and crocodile sightings were as rare as dodo poo. Still, we did see a woodpecker a bargain at $230. The evening meal was a lukewarm warm coconut curry with hardly any discernible flavour and the rice was cold. Four hours on the road and two hours on a boat seeing nothing was a very long and tiring and extremely boring day.

Wonderful Kinabatagan river tour. Lots of probiscus monkeys, crocodiles and saw some hornbills and other wildlife. Interesting experience.

Busy day. Saw 4 of the big 5. Pick up on time. Spent 3 hrs and 20 minutes on the water. Late because we saw a crocodile and tfen elephants cross the river. 12 noon to 9.30pm . Diner simple but nice. Driver ok with english. Boat driver good.

It’s a long drive from hotel to river on some not so fantastic roads The driver was very nice and helpful offering photo stops and toilet breaks Boat guide knowledgable Food at end simple but tasty

We, a family of six, have just returned from our wonderful trip to Borneo, specifically Sandakan, and we had an absolutely unforgettable experience thanks to Christopher. He was recommended to us by a friend, and from the very beginning, he made our 8 days and 7 nights holiday truly exceptional. We started our journey in Kota Kinabalu, where he drove us in his van up to Maragang Hill for a beautiful hike, enjoying a stunning sunset and breathtaking views of Mount Kinabalu. We also went sightseeing, visited the hot springs, and were lucky enough to see the famous Rafflesia flower in bloom. After that, he drove us all the way to Sandakan. On the second day, we spent 2 days and 1 night on Turtle Island, which was an incredible experience—snorkeling, swimming, watching turtles lay eggs, and releasing baby turtles into the sea. It was truly magical. On the third day, Christopher was waiting for us at the jetty to pick us up and took us to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre for a full-day trip. On the fourth day, we continued with a 3 days and 2 nights stay at Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort, where we enjoyed amazing river cruises along the Kinabatangan River and saw many wild animals in their natural habitat. After this wonderful experience, we returned to Sandakan for 2 days and 1 night at Sabah Hotel. We also joined a fireflies cruise with Christopher and enjoyed a delicious local buffet dinner in a small village—such a lovely evening. On the last day, we flew from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu before continuing our journey to Kuching. Christopher was professional, caring, always punctual, and very flexible. He made our entire trip smooth, enjoyable, and completely stress-free. We highly recommend him to anyone planning to visit Sandakan and explore Borneo in the best way. You may contact him via WhatsApp: +60168376629

Long drive from sandakan but very much worth it for the experience of seeing so many amazing animals

Smooth pickup, long drive, good boat cruise with knowledgable and friendly guide. Simple but quite tasty dinner included on the way back to my hotel. Could be longer than 2 hours for the price and how long transport is.

The driver, Mr Angus, picks you up from the desired destination, in our case it was Sandakan hotel. He was very friendly and nice person. We drove for around 2 hours and had good conversations. Then we had really great experience with Mr Aji who took us on a long cruise around the river. We saw elephants, monkeys,crocodiles and different species of hornbills. I would recommend this experience to everyone. 10/10

We got in the van unsure what to expect and after a long drive arrived at the boat excursion and tour and it was FANTASTIC! We saw the big five and the scenery was beautiful. Dinner was nice (roadside)

I contacted Abdul Qayyam after seeing reviews on trip advisor. I was not disappointed. I explained to Abdul that a small group of us wanted to go to the Kinabatangan river in search of the 'big 5'. Abdul was most helpful in arranging this for us. He picked us up from our hotel (Jungle Resort) in Sepilok and drove us to the Kinabatangan River to start our cruise. The guide that Abdul used for the river tour was fantastic. He was able to spot so much wildlife - different monkeys, orangutan, crocodiles, rhinoceros hornbill, kingfisher etc. We had a fab time. After the tour Abdul then drove us back to another hotel we were stopping at. Abdul is a very polite, reliable, trustworthy person. He did a great job arranging this trip for us and making it one we will remember. I highly recommend him. His contact whatsapp number is +60 11-1669 5114.