The Kinabatangan River

The Kinabatangan winds for hundreds of kilometres across eastern Sabah, and the strip of floodplain forest that survives along its banks has become one of the great wildlife-watching rivers of the world, precisely because the animals are squeezed into it. Morning and late-afternoon boat cruises drift slowly along the main river and up narrow tributaries, and the sightings come thick: proboscis monkeys with their absurd noses crashing through riverside trees, long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques, hornbills of several species, crocodiles on the mud, and, with luck, wild orangutans building night nests or a herd of Bornean pygmy elephants coming down to drink. Night walks and oxbow lakes add owls, civets and kingfishers. The same crowding that makes it so rewarding is also its sadness, since the forest beyond the banks is largely plantation, and the corridor is now the subject of serious replanting efforts.

History

The name comes from Kina Batañgan, used by the indigenous people after early Chinese traders settled near the river mouth, kina being the Dusun word for the Chinese, and the Orang Sungai traditionally lived along its banks (Wikipedia, Kinabatangan River).

What you'll find

• Proboscis monkeys - the endemic long-nosed monkeys along the riverbanks.
• Wild orangutans - seen from the boat in the riverside trees, with patience and luck.
• Bornean pygmy elephants - herds that come down to the water, seasonally.
• Hornbills and river birdlife - eight species of hornbill and kingfishers along the tributaries.

When to go

Cruises run year-round; the drier months concentrate animals near the water and make sightings easier, while the wettest period can flood the banks. Dawn and late afternoon are the productive hours, so lodges build the day around two cruises. Elephants move seasonally, so their presence is never guaranteed.

What to expect

You are watching wildlife squeezed into a narrow forest strip with oil palm behind it, which is both why sightings are so good and a sobering thing to see; choose a lodge that supports the corridor replanting. Boats can crowd around a good sighting in peak season. Lodges are simple, hot and buggy, and leeches and mosquitoes come with the territory. Orangutan and elephant sightings are luck, not a promise.

Nearby

Sepilok's orangutan centre and Sandakan are a few hours west; the Danum Valley lies to the south.

Key facts