Kinabatangan River Cruise from Sandakan

Good precontact from driver. Picked up on time at hotel. 4 female friends around 60 yrs. 2.5 hrs drive good to see the countryside. Car was air-conditioned and in good order. Dropped at backpacker lodge, tour started 4pm. We had a smaller boat to ourselves, got in the boat by stepping in and sat on steel deck seats. Our young boat driver had enough English to make communucation reasonable. We asked to see pygmy elephants but he didnt think that would happen, saying none there last few days. First 40 minutes didn't see much but lovely cruise up the river. We then came across one big bull, five females and 2 baby elephants on the river bank. It was amazing. Boats descended on the area, probably 15. We noticed many boat operators went far too close to them, especially those from the more upmarket lodges. One operator kept his boat directly in front of the elephants the whole time preventing everyone else from taking good photos. They needed to have a ranger present to let everyone have an opportunity to get photos. On another occassion an upmarket lodge boat driver started screaming at our driver and telling him not to go up a side river. Our driver sat towards the back and that was ok. Next onto monkeys, 2 types and was again fabulous. Some parents took little kids and they made way too much noise. We returned to the lodge at 6pm and had a delicious buffer dinner before the 2.5 hr return drive. There was some plastic bottles in the river and it would have been nice to see those picked up by the boat drivers and ot was ridiculously hot 37 degrees C. I would suggest binoculars and a good camera. Out of 10, our group gave the whole experience a 8, 8, 7 and 9 respectively. Recommended.

We were extremely lucky to see elephants, many monkeys and many birds. The river is amazing and the hospitality was awesome however the captain of our boat spoke very little English and provided no information at all. I did see other captains of other boats providing answers to questions and explanations and information but not our captain. He was young and still learning. I assume it must be difficult to get many seasoned tour guides in that particular region.

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