Kinabatangan River Cruise från Sandakan

It was a great trip! We were nervous after looking at the reviews but the trip was fantastic. You do get picked up in a taxi, but our driver, Boi, was excellent and a really happy chatty guy (we learnt a lot about Borneo from him). We packed water and snacks for the drive and it took around 2 hours from Sandakan, didn’t feel too long. And the road was a flat paved road the whole way from Sandakan - I think the road is only rough if you’re coming from other areas. Boat ride was perfect - we saw 4 of the Borneo Big 5 - crocodile, Pigmy elephant (which we saw 20 minutes into the trip), proboscis monkeys, and the hornbills. Only thing we didn’t see was an orangutan. Otherwise amazing views and a really knowledgable guide who gave us lots of info about the area and animals and steps taken to protect the animals.

so incredible!!!!! the driver Boeing was the nicest man ever with excellent music taste and very knowledgable. Had such a blast with him, best driver i have ever had in my life. A+ to him. The cruise was also incredble, the guide was very very knowledgable and very good at controlling the boat even during rain. Saw some amazing animals we could not hope to see anywhere else including giant squirrels, a family of orangutans, dozens of monkeys monkeys and many hornbills! truly incredible and worth every dollar to keep the locals in business.

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